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. 

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!

Oh my, so much has happened in one year! And it’s also been a year since I last updated this; how do I fit it all in? Well, I guess I’ll start from where I left off, since it seems I left things in a bit of a cliffhanger. But if one year’s update is too much of a read right now, here’s the summary: I love Cody. And he loves me. This year was tough on me because of going back to school and living apart from him and my family, but he has been so supportive along the way. And  I look forward to many more years of offering support and love to one another, as well as many fun memories like the ones we’ve had so far.

 Apple Hilliversary-  1 year ago!
To celebrate, we explored Apple Hill, which is a nice collection of apple farms located in Placer County.  We visited several farms, including some pick-your-own-apples farms and tasted many apple treats. One farm even had a petting zoo! There was light snow on the ground all around and Cody put some down my shirt! He was just being a playful bear, but that was COLD!  We got a bunch of apples and I tasted Arkansas Black apples for the first time. I liked them way better than Fuji or Golden Delicious! I think they are my new favorite apples.

 

Muir Woods & Muir Beach
It was a surprise trip. Cody took me to Muir Woods and hiked around in it. Trees so big! And it was chilly too. It's funny that I've lived so closed to it, and never even knew it was there. Cody always has a way of showing me more of this world. And I know it sounds cheesy, but it truly is a magical world when I'm exploring it with him. <3

 It's really hard to write about all of this because it was so long ago! And yes, I can list off and write about where we went and what we did. But I think you can tell something is missing, right? Yeah, it's hard to remember the wonder and all the feelings I had during all these trips and activities.  But there are some things that I don't forget, and that is how happy I was and how loved I felt when I was there with Cody.   And you know what, it is still so very true. I love you Cody!

 

Fracking Protest
All of this was so long ago, that it sometimes I can't believe that just a year ago I was prepping to return to Berkeley to finish my undergrad degree and now, I'm almost done! So scary! But you know what else was scary? Going to a protest. A Fracking Protest. At the same time,it was exciting to stand up for what you believe in and stand your ground. Which when you think about it, that mentally can also be applied to not giving up on school.  I am increadiably lucky to have a loving and supporting family and that includes Cody too! I forgot, I even got to be on the news :P

 

San Diego Trip

Talk about the mother of all trips! If I had been on top of updating this blog, aside from this being its own post, it would have probably been a two-parter. Cody and I went down to San Diego to visit his grandma and my aunt for a week. Then we took our time driving up the coast back home. Needless to say, this is the trip that firmented my love for California. It was so much fun to be in the car with Cody and I never get tired of talking with him.  But being able to visit San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterrey,  uhh.....I forgot so many cities. Sorry. I'm probably also forgeting so many other trips we took over the course of this year, but I can only work with what I remember, right? Hence, this blog.  From museum trip at the Getty in LA, making dinner for family, watching elephant seals, tide pooling in Point Cabrillo, watching Monarchs in Pacific Grove, kissing at Lover's Point in Monterrey, to swinging in Santa Barbara and even seeing the biggest fig tree ever! this trip was a whirlwind. And this little update does not do it justice. All I know, is that Cody and I grew closer during this trip while fostering a greater appreciation for our state and I want to do it again someday!

 Berkeley Visits

Once the semester started in Berkeley, I completely stopped keeping track of not only this blog, but also everything else. I had such a difficult time returning to Berkeley classes. It was harder than the first time I went there as a freshman,  but luckily, Sacramento is close enough that Cody was able to visit me quite often.  And in one of his very first visits, he shaved my head. Yup! I shaved my head.  It was fun!  I looked forward to his visits to break the monotony of school throughout Spring and Summer by going on hikes, including hiking to the Big C! or watching the Pride Parade in SF or just plain hanging out and eating!  Thank you, thank you! for being there for me, Cody. I love you! And thank you for believing in me when I didn't.  

In addition to these laid back visits,  we also revisited Monterrey one summer day to spend the day at  Monterrey Bay Aquarium and man, what a wonderful place it is! It was magical! Marine biology is just fascinating and fish can be so beautiful. It was it's own magical world, but what I remember the most was that amidst all the excitement and fascination, there was a certain serenity that came over me when seeing the fish swim. It was a much needed peacefulness during that hectic time.

Cody’s Graduation & Stinson Beach  

I love my wonderful bear!

The beginning of that Summer also marked a very special occasion for Cody: GRADUATION!!! He had a nice family bbq where I was finally able to meet most of his extended family.
 
 

 






Afterwards, Cody and I had our own way of celebrating his achievement; we spent the day playing on Stinson beach! We even took Nala with us! 

Poor Nala, he was meowing a lot. He was a scared little kitty at first. But he eventually got used to it.

Being Silly for me.

Being silly for Cody.

We had a really nice day and later on, a family of climbers joined us at our spot. They had a little girl with them who instantly wanted to play with Nala.  This day marked the beginning of Cody's fun summer and it served as a good buffer between Sping semester and summer school for me.

          

Donner Lake Bouldering
At long last summer school ended and I was able to return home for the Fall. I technically still had one more class to take, but at that point, I decided I'd rather commute from Sacramento to San Francisco for it.  The obvious positive side of that was that I was able to spend more time with my family and Cody- and go on more trips!  One of these, was a day trip up to Donner Lake for some fun bouldering and swimming.  
 
It was during the time that a big part of the Yosemite was on fire and I remember being able to smell the smoke all the way on our way up to Donner. The sky looked pretty hazy too. I was sad because Yosemite is a very special place to me. However, once we got up to Donner, things were looking much better and I was able to focus on having a good time.

From bouldering to scrambling on rocks, and even swimming, we had a very playful day together with lots of kisses and hugs.  I felt carefree and so happy to be spending the day with Cody in such a beautiful place.

 
 By the end of the day, we were a bit sunburned, but that didn't stop us from finding a nice bear den for my napping sensibilities.  And apparently, I took quite a few naps that day.

Redwoods and Fern Canyon
Still updating this post and memories are beginning to blur.....Life happens and doesn't wait for blog updates. So here's a summary of our trip to the redwoods in Arcata. 

We had heard of the mystical Fern Canyon and imagined ourselves surrounded by majestic ferns and playful fairies. So we decided to take a trip up north in October. Fern Valley really was magical, though we weren't greeted by any fairies.

 
The coast itself was magical too. True, not sunny nor warm like most beaches are, but I loved the enveloping mist. I think I prefer this kind of environment; I wouldn't mind living here for a few years.

On our way to Fern Canyon, we stopped by an old school house with elk munching in the grass! These bigger than I thought. They were all over the place, not just at the school house. In fact, on our way out of the canyon, there was one who showed us her butt.

  While we were staying there, we found a nice market that we
ended up going to a lot for our snacks, breakfast and dinners.  On one those nights we bout a grilled tofu which turned out to be too spicy! Good thing we also bought some dark chocolate with cacao nibs. Cody loved those nibs! He still dreams of them every now and then.

 This being October, I couldn't leave without visiting Arcata's pumpking patch and corn maze! I love pumpkins and I'll always love pumpkins.  I may not love to eat them as much as I like to hold, smell, and look at them, though.  Nevertheless, Cody bought me a whole wagon load! We had fun picking out cute pumpkins and playing around in the maze. But my poor little Cody hurt his finger with a dirty pumpkin and got an infection that lasted a long time considering how small the cut was and that it was done by a pumpkin 0_0

 And on our way back home, we stopped to walk around in a redwood grove. We bumped into a beaver real-estate agent who showed us a nice hollowed out tree house for sale. For only 10 nuts, we could have a tree with a nice welcoming porch, 1 bedroom, spacious kitchen and hearth with trash chute and backdoor into a spacious patio. Alas, this was all in my head.  I did see a cute bear though.

 And one of the funniest moments happened while in this redwood grove. As you can see from this picture, I fell right when I was trying to use the timer on the camera. The beeps came faster and faster, so I ran to the spot, only to fall backwards and get this perfectly timed shot. 


I loved this trip, I love the redwoods, and I love my Cody.

2 Year Anniversary Weekend Celebration


And now, what you've all been waiting for! Unfortunately, I have no pictures of our 2 year anniversary. But that doesn't mean it wasn't special.  However, even these memories are foggy  because this 1 year summary has taken me 9 months to update! Let's not do that again.
 
Anyway, for our anniversary, we went to San Francisco! Yay?? Well, by now, I was in my second to last month of my final class. I had been traveling to and from San Francisco once a week for this just one class that I needed in order to graduate. So at first a trip to SF wasn't a big deal.  But with Cody everything is fun and so was this trip because once in SF, we spent a few hours bouldering at Dogpatch. You might say, "that's not very romantic," but I say, "it was fun!" Later that day, we spent the afternoon frolicking in Golden Gate Park! I thought I had seen it all, but I was mistaken! Cody, as usual, opens up the world to me. He showed me a lot more of the park than I had even known was there!  

We pretended to feed the ducks, hiked a little hill where there were some ruins of an old building- too bad I forgot the name- walked through a garden (well, the whole park is a garden), and learned read some interesting facts, that I have forgotten by now. On our  drive out of the park, I saw a cute couple holding hands and thought, "what if they're on their anniversary too and are also delighted to be so in love with each other the way Cody and I are?"  I think it was a lovely ending to our date.....only it wasn't the end because we had some yummy pizza in Berkeley that night.  YUM YUM YUM!