Jenny and Josh's Visit

About 3 weeks ago Jared’s sister and her husband, Jenny and Josh, came for a visit. They drove from Kansas, making many stops along the way. We met them in San Diego and went to the San Diego Zoo. My favorite exhibit was the polar bears! They were playing right next to the viewing area. We also went to Downtown Disney and watched the fireworks. We spent a day at Huntington Beach and the pool. We even visited a beach Jared and I hadn’t seen. We went to Crystal Cove and saw the tide pools. We had a great time visiting! Can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Jenny and Josh in the LEGO store posing with Darth Vader.

Eating good food! Who would have thought SOCAL has good BBQ?!

Family Visit

We recently entertained my mom, Aunt Lynn, Aunt Laurie, and Grandma when they made a weekend trip out to see us! Jared and I picked them up at LAX and made our way into Los Angeles. We looked at the walk of fame and the hand prints at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. I have recently finished the Harry Potter series so I couldn’t resist putting my hands in his =) We then drove to Hollywood for some Sprinkles Cupcakes….yum!

Sunday we took a ferry from Long Beach to Catalina Island. It was an hour boat ride, but went by too fast! With mimosas in hand we played catch phrase. Jared, Lynn, and I kicked butt! Once on the Island we rented a six person golf cart and drove around Catalina. The water was clear with a beautiful blue/green hue. We stopped by the scuba diving park, walked the board walk, and ate a delicious lunch! That evening we continued our Catch Phrase tournament….again Jared, Lynn, and I won!

Monday we went to the Fullerton arboretum and then sat poolside! It was fun to have everyone here! We look forward to seeing you all soon!

San Diego

To take advantage of the time Jared had off before starting work and before our numerous guests begin to arrive, we took a one night trip to San Diego. We went to Balboa Park…..very neat! We spent the day walking around, looking at the gardens, and eating in the café. We wanted to return the next day and go to some of the museums located in the park; unfortunately we didn’t make it. Our hotel was amazing! We stayed at the Pacific Terrace Hotel located right next to the ocean. Our balcony over looked the boardwalk! We were able to sleep listening to the ocean waves! The next morning was relaxing; we ran on the boardwalk, ate breakfast, and read (I am currently reading Harry Potter…great books…highly recommended!).

Happy 3rd Birthday Elsie!

End of Quarter and Eye Model

Jared ~Congrats on another 4.0 and the completion of your 1st year of optometry school!!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of you! You worked hard and did well! Love you!

With his 1st year behind him, Jared has the summer off of school. This summer will be his only break. Next year, and every year after, he will have school during the summer months. Jared and a classmate will be working together up at the school doing inventory. His job ends just in time for us to visit KC at the end of July!

I remain jobless, but will continue to search.

For his Ocular Motility class, Jared and a classmate, created a model of the eye. They were required to incorporate many components including, muscles, pulleys, etc. and had to measure the angles to scale. They were also encouraged to be creative. Knowing Jared…his funny, creative, and original side….this project was going to be good! And it was! Jared and his partner Stephanie (she puts up with him well!) created a Ninja Turtle….M“EYE”chelangelo… themed model. (They received an “A”)

A lot going on!

A lot has gone on in the last 2 days! First, my poor baby (Elsie) hurt herself :-( She and I were playing frisbee on the drive in front of our apartment last night. She started limping and I saw blood trailing behind her. Both of the back paw pads had torn. About a thumb nail sized flap of her pad was hanging off both paws. As far as I can tell, it happened when she was chasing her frisbee and sliding on the pavement. She was a good sport and allowed Jared to cut the flaps off, wash, and bandage her wounds. She seems to be doing fine. They are still raw, but she walks normally.

I got a sewing machine! I found it on craigslist and got a really great deal! I now need to find someone to show me how to use it :-)
Another earthquake hit this evening. It was a 5.0 located near Long Beach (by LAX). It lasted a while and was a subtle rolling.....I hate them! I am not a fan of being caught off guard. This quake follows three every small ones we had 3-4 weeks ago (they hit really close to home, but weren't worth mentioning). A classmate of Jared's who lives below us came up to check on me (she knew Jared was studying at the library) because she knows earthquakes FREAK ME OUT! She was surprised at how many quakes have a occurred so close together....she is a SOCAL native and hasn't experienced this before.....this was/is not comforting!

Good Food & Great Fun

This week has been full and fun! Tuesday night we went to a pot luck fiesta at a friend's house. The food was great and for some added fun they had a pinata! Keep in mind....this gathering is all optometry students.....so instead of using a blind fold for the pinata, they wear trail frames with +20 diopter lenses. Wow!

We went to the Angel's game Wednesday night (they lost) with several others from Jared's school. Friday night was the end of the year banquet for Jared's class. It was held at the Hilton in Huntington Beach. It was cool to look out of the window and be able to see the ocean!

Jared before hitting the pinata...gotta love those big blue eyes!

Wearing our new Angels hats...a gift for attending

1st Year Banquet

Family pictures

While my family was visiting in April we went to Laguna Beach and had family pictures taken. They turned out great!