I live in California

Like a crop dusting plane swooping above the fields, these past two weeks have passed with amazing speed. Tomorrow will mark the second week of my life as a Californian and so far my time has felt more like a vacation than anything else. This week will change all of that.

Thursday, August 27th, I begin my Graduate Assistantship to the Felix Event Center Managers. I am charged and ready to begin these tasks and end my "vacation" days.

This also means classes will begin soon (Sept.

8th). After a three year hiatus from the college

scene I am ready to return to academia. Wish me luck! Fortunately, there are still days to be filled with fun and adventure before the full tilt of school and work begin.

Last weekend Emily and I went to Santa Monica, CA to check out the scene.

What an amazing city. So beautiful and unique, from the topography to the local citizens.

Along with the riptide, we also met a few students from my cohort.

From what I can tell this is going to be a great program with many different and interesting people. I'm excited to share my thoughts and learn from fellow classmates as well.

After getting our fair share of Vitamin D, we headed inland to the 3rd Street Promenade. My Dad and I had come to Santa Monica a few weeks earlier for the ocean and some dinner on the Promenade. Though we did not explore just how far this interesting street full of shops and culinary delights spans (many more blocks than we actually walked). Along with the familiar brand stores, Emily pointed out a few shops that hail from Spain (this excited her shopping bug). We'll have to go back sometime to actually search these shops...I wasn't feeling the shopping on Saturday ;)

It's been quite hazy as of late. Though yesterday the vail was finally drawn back and my morning coffee has gained a friend... the foothills of San Gabriel Mountains. It's hard for me to not feel sad that these land masses never see snow. I know, what a silly thought. They just scream with potential for a great mountain to shred on (maybe I will become a better snowboarder). The good news is these are "hills" compared to some of their snow-capped friends just a short drive to the North. But that's another adventure, another blog, another day... maybe by then I'll actually have a camera to document more of what I see on a daily basis. Until then, take care!