What better way to sum up the past 5 weeks then a top ten list? Here are some of the highlights of my time in SD - not necessarily in order of importance, excitement level, etc.
10) Spending the first week and a half in SD at the beach. The place I was staying at the time was 15 minutes from Pacific & Mission Beaches. Sadly I haven't been to the beach to soak in the sun for about two weeks.
9) Socializing with people in my ward. In SLC my ward wasn't necessarily my social connection. Big change for me in SD. I've been to almost all of the ward activities (even FHE!) and spend time outside of those activities socializing even more fellow YSA peeps. There is always some kind of party, sporting activity, dinner or get together of some kind.
8) Attending my first Republican Party Meeting! Let me explain...a while back a letter was read from the First Presidency in all wards in California. The church is advising all members to vote for Proposition 8 - declaring marriage between one man and one woman. We are being asked to donate time and money to the cause. It is a rare request - but clearly an important one. A couple weeks ago a town hall meeting was held by the Republican party in which leaders of several faiths spoke about why prop 8 is so important. It was interesting and overall a good experience. For more info check out 'protect marriage' on the web. The pic is of me and a few girls from my ward.
7) Attending the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. I went up with some friends to watch the competition. We stayed with my friend's dad who lives in a condo right on the beach. It was fun getting to know some new friends a little better.
6) Moving into my house!! Sorry no pics but I officially have a place to live. No more staying with friends and ward members. I have my own space!! We have a spare bedroom so please come visit! The house on Huggins Street will be pretty amazing :)
5) The number of times I get lost each week! I don't really get lost so much as I just make wrong turns or forget my exit or think I am taking a short cut. All of which usually end up in me wasting a lot of gas and time. I am getting better each day though.
4) Went up north 2 1/2 hours this weekend to a cabin on Big Bear and did some boating. My roommate and I were invited by some guys in the ward. Wake boarding was a lot of fun & the
tubing was even more fun. We held on tight - even tried to ride standing up for a bit - took the boat driver a good 20 minutes to flip us off the tube. When he did we flew a good 3 feet into the air and landed upside down. Here are a couple fun pics!
3) Had my palm read by some guy at Barnes & Noble. I was minding my own business, looking for a running/hiking trail book when a guy walked up to me and told me I looked really familiar. Can you tell where this is going? He asked where I was from and I of course lied. He introduced himself, shaking my hand and then turned my palm over. He said it was very interesting. Apparently I'm conflicted. I'm conservative but have an adventurous side that often conflicts with the conservative side. Hmmm.... I kinda think he was just creepy and has really bad pick up techniques.
2) Went on a date to my first Padres game. We got there late but had awesome seats 20 rows up on the first base line. Sadly the Padres had an embarrassing loss to the Giants. Also tried a great dessert place called Extraordinary Desserts. Very yummy :)
1) Missing family and friends. Yes its true, I do miss you :) I've met some really cool, fun & friendly people but still miss the familiarity of home once in a while. Hopefully I'm missed a little too ;)
1/2) Finally getting the Internet. No more sitting outside the library or walking around with my laptop trying to find a connection. Also part of why I haven't posted much. Now that I have permanent access I'll do better with updates.
