Winter/Spring Highlights

Now that I've updated on last year, I've now got to update on the first half of this year.  Me and my procrastination, ladies and gentlebears! I know I am under no obligation to keep this blog going, but I like having a written record  to share with Cody (as he is the only one who reads this). And maybe one day google might shut down this site and poof!- all my updates will gone. Does anyone remember geocities from aol? From waaaaaay back? Exactly.

Until then, I"ll enjoy reading through these posts every now and then. So, without further ado, here are some highlights of the past half year.

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

 On a crisp December morning, Cody decided to surprise me by taking me out to a new wildlife area. He succeeded, because I had never heard of it before and it turned out to be a really nice place to see many types of birds.  With our binoculars and a bird book, we tried our best to identify the birds. But birds weren't the only animals we saw! There was a slippery, shiny river otter crossing the road as we left. We spent so much time enjoying our time here that we were too late to go to Cody's second part of the surprise: Animal Sanctuary! I was sad I missed it, but I was having such a good time, that it didn't truly bother me.  Cody however, was pretty upset at himself for losing track of time. We took some time to practice our acceptance skills, and after we started feeling better, we spontaneously decided to go on another walk. We arrived at Chico's Upper Bidwell Park in the late afternoon, when the setting sun splashed the hills with a golden glint. It was a very relaxing ending to our day as we sat on an embracing oak tree and watched the sun set behind purple-tinted hills. As a bonus, once was the stars came out to greet us, we had an interesting Jamaican dinner at Shipho's Jamican Restaurant.

Hiking Ambitions
I don't know how it started, but we somehow got it into our heads that we'd like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) at some point in our lives- all 2,660 mi, which takes approximately 5 months to complete.

Someday.

But in the meantime, we thought we'd start practicing on a few local hikes. However, our "hikes" soon became leisurely walks. So although these hikes aren't preparing us for such ambitions dreams like the PCT, they are bringing us closer together.  And they're a reminder to enjoy the journey and sights.
Foothill Divide Loop (10miles) @Auburn. Sunset lunch of cheese, figs, apples, avocado and bread.

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Folsom Salmon Trail (2 miles)- where we caught a frog, but of course, let him go.

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We also took a few walks around Capitol Park. We lost our momentum because I was sick for a whole month! Talk about a weakened immune system! But these walks were fun nonetheless because even though we have seen this park countless times, it is still a beautiful park! So, now some park spamming.

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Continuing with this walking trend, I should also mention Cody's participation in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Fundraiser in which men walk around in high heels for a little bit. The point of the walk is to raise funds and promote awareness of violence against women. These funds go to the various shelters and centers that help women in this issue.  Obviously, walking one mile in high heels, especially in a safe environment such as a planned event,  can not make men understand what it is like to be a woman, but I guess it's for a good cause....and for a good laugh because some men get really into it!
Yes, my future husband wears heals, and I'm ok with it. Though, truth be told, I'd love it if next year he's the one wearing the piggy suit.

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For a different type of walk, we also toured Sacramento's Historic Cemetery, though I don't have any pictures of it.  I've been wanting to visit that cemetery since I was 12 years old!  So yeah, it was a pretty big deal for me. And with the warmer weather of Spring, we thought we started riding our bikes and found a new swimming spot! Woohoo!....  But not wohoo :( We thought we would be riding our bikes all season long, but soon after, our bikes got flat tires and we never fixed them. 

Out in Nature de Patas de Perros
Another Yosemite trip!  Yes, we LOVE Yosemite! We went on Earth Day weekend so it was super crowded and there weren't any campsites open. We had to camp outside the park, which wouldn't normally be a bad thing except that most of those places were all burned from the last year's fire. On this trip, we walked a short trail towards Mirror Lake and we climbed El Capitan! Ok, so we only climbed a small part of it, but that was exhilarating enough for me! It was still pretty cold in Yosemite so I didn't swim, plus the nights were pretty chilly! On our way out of the park, we found a secret spot to swim with a nice view, but we'd have to wait until the weather got warmer to actually swim in it.


 

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 My mom's birthday was around that time as well, so Cody and I took her out to Point Reyes and she invited my aunt to come as well.  It was very nice of Cody to take us out to visit these spot. My mom and aunt loved it!

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 And finally, a little nature trip for just the two us.  It was only a day trip and not as far, but it was
wonderful just the same. We called that trip, "Bears Escaping Heat."  I felt kinda guilty that I was able to escape the Sacramento heat while our loved ones couldn't. But they had to work and it's not so easy to get a family group together, so all I had left was to enjoy it.  This trip was memorable because we found out (the hard way) that ladybugs do bite. Yeah, no kidding!  There were swarms of ladybugs along that river and whenever they'd land on you, you'd feel a little bite. Not super painful or anything- but who would have thought that ladybugs bite?!









Graduation- Go Bears!

Lots of other little things happened this spring, but to end the season on a big event, I'd have to talk about graduation. True, I technically graduated at the end of December, but without a ceremony, it didn't quite feel like I was done. In actuality, I think that even if I had gone to the December ceremony, I still wouldn't have felt any different.  It was only with the passing of the months between December and May where I actually didn't have any school obligations, that things finally started to fee like school was over- at least the undergrad part. So, I agreed to participate in the May graduation ceremony and to be honest, I mainly agreed for my parents.  But in the end, I was so glad that I did because walking across the stage with my parents felt like both my family and I were finally receiving closure. My parents went on this journey just as much as I did and I was overjoyed to share it with them and my brother.  I was nice that friends and other relatives came to watch, but in the end it was all my parents and brother..  However, I am also thankful for the support of everyone else, including Cody.  Cody and I met toward the later part of my undergrad journey but still at a very important point as I had decided to finish up this chapter in my life.  I am very thankful for his support and understanding as well. I am loved.