La Brea Tar Pits

Today Nick and I went to visit the La Brea tar pits. It was interesting, and pretty amazing how much has been discovered there. They excavate each summer, and I am hoping that when my parents come in June we can take Erin and Ryan there to watch them as they dig. I think they would both really enjoy it. 

We learned that there were no dinosaur bones at this site because dinosaurs had long been extinct by the time these animals were trapped in tar. We saw mammoth fossils, horse fossils, and my favorite, the sloths. It reminded me of a combination of Ice Age (the movie) and Land Before Time! 

Nick and I bought a geode which we will be cracking open and HOPEFULLY it will have crystals inside of it. I am sure I will be posting those pictures later. =)

Tar...

Bison

Mammoth

Pit 91- a current excavation area where the most common find are "dire wolves"

My buddy, the Sloth

The Venus Fly Trap

Hiking in Malibu

It was yet again another beautiful weekend here, and Nick and I really took advantage of the weather. Yesterday we walked along our favorite beach, Carbon Canyon, and just enjoyed the sunshine and the sand. There were a lot of little kids at the beach, and as we walked by one little girl who was playing in the water, she looked at her parents and said, "This is the best vacation ever!" It made Nick and I smile at how happy she was.  There were so many happy dogs on the beach (although we left ours at home that day) and they were all eager to jump in and out of the water to fetch their tennis balls and other toys. 

This morning, after several attempts, I got Nick to wake up so we could take Trouble and go hiking in Malibu. I had been looking online, and I came across this place called Sandstone Peak, and it sounded like a great hike. It took about an hour to get there, but it was definitely worth the drive. The scenery was beautiful, as you can tell by the pictures. It was also a great workout!

I wish I could send this picture of Trouble  to the "Life is Good" company!

I used my tripod, and although I wish the picture would have turned out a little better, Trouble could NOT look any happier! =) People kept complementing Nick and I on how cute and well-behaved Trouble was, since he was tired and was staying within 5 feet of us at all times. (We let him off-leash since not many people were around.) It is always nice when he gets all of his nervous energy out and behaves himself. It makes us happy we brought him along for the day. 

Nick taking in the incredible view

I love spring time! Look at all these beautiful flowers in bloom!

At the end of the hike, Trouble reused to go any further. We didn't realize how bad it was until we got home. =(

Look at that blue sky! 

Trouble was instantly exhausted. (He doesn't do well in the heat!) Also, at the end of the trail, Nick and I noticed his paws were really bothering him. When we got home we saw that he had ripped the pads off his front feet...poor guy! I got some anti-biotic and bandages, and now he seems to be doing a little better, but he still does not want to walk at all. Hopefully he will heal quickly and we can begin planning our adventure for next weekend!

2 Months Until Graduation

Beautiful Colorado sunriseErin and Ryan at CU


Easter morning

Ryan's "Master Piece"

"UCLA"


Easter Egg Hunt cont...

This week is ALMOST over and it has certainly been a long one, and Nick and I are really looking forward to the weekend! Last weekend I was with my family, and it turned out to be a really nice visit. My parents both had the weekend off, so they got me hooked on a t.v. show they watch, and all 3 of us kicked back once the kids went to bed. We didn't do much, but it was great to be able to relax, play UNO with everyone, challenge Ryan in tic tac toe, and do Erin's hair in the morning. It is really unbelievable how fast Erin and Ryan are growing up. I adore them both and I love being able to watch them grow up and become such fun, sweet-hearted people. Ryan is quite the comedian, and Erin laughs harder at his jokes than anyone else. I am looking forward to them coming out for graduation. There is so much here I have been wanting to show them, and 2 months from today I will finally get to take them to the beach! 

"Trouble"

My Mom bought "Marley and Me" and at first I refused to watch it because I read the book 3 years ago, and the movies are never better than the books. I broke down and decided to watch it, and although it was still not nearly as good as the book, it still made me cry. (I cried during several parts of the book as well, I couldn't help it.) The thing that made me most emotional was that I kept imagining Nick and I with Trouble. Our dog has caused his fair share of disasters, but it never gets old having someone there to greet you everyday when you come home. As frustrated as Nick and I get with him sometimes, he brings us more laughter than we could have every imagined!

This movie brought up all of these thoughts, and it made me sentimental and I was looking through all of my HUNDREDS of pictures I have of Trouble. I decided to put up some of my favorites, because as crazy as Trouble can be, I love him tremendously and I hope he grows old with Nick and I and someday plays with our kids. 

At the moment, Nick and Trouble are both at Robert and Carole's.  Nick told me Trouble was even able to swindle some eggs this morning. (That dog has an uncanny ability to charm people!) Hopefully Trouble is behaving himself!

Weekend in Colorado so far

I got to go see my family (with the exception of Meg) and it's been a nice weekend so far. My mom made homemade chicken noodle soup last night...mmmm! This morning the kids took part in an Easter egg hunt for their neighborhood and they had a women dressed in a slightly terrifying rabbit suit. (none of the kids approached her) The weather has cooperated so far, but it sounds like tomorrow is going to be rainy. Luckily I took some cute pictures of the kids today while the lighting was good.  Here is a preview of some good ones!

Beautiful So Cal Weekend

Today was a beautiful day here, and we took advantage of it by going hiking in Griffith Park. We hiked up to the observatory, and Trouble was exhausted by the time we got up there. It was pretty hot, so he plopped down in the shade every chance he got. It was a great workout and this weather is unbelievable! (I did not even want to check on the weather in Boston today, I will just enjoy our weather here and not think about what it will be like this time next year...haha) The view from the observatory is gorgeous...you can see the entire city of LA and the Hollywood sign, but you are removed enough from it that it is still quiet. 

Last week was week 1 of Spring Quarter and I am already beginning to pack things up. I know how fast time flies, especially on the quarter system, so I am trying not to procrastinate. I am putting things up for sale on craigslist, and getting rid of things I know we won't ever use again. Unfortunately Nick's boogie board is not going to see much action in Boston, so I think that is one of the items that we will be getting rid of.  =(

Nick is probably going to find out about his funding situation at MIT tomorrow, and he is anxious to know who is going to be researching for and what exactly he will be doing. Everything is happening really fast, and I cannot believe that we graduate in 10 weeks. We are really excited about everyone coming down here for graduation and spending the summer with our friends and families. It will be a much-needed break! 

I am really excited because I found about a private college in Boston that offers everything I am looking for in a nursing school! It is Simmons College and it is a small liberal arts college, primarily for women.  I have loved UCLA, but it has shown me that being in classes with 350 other people makes it very difficult to know any of my professors and I do not always enjoy the super competitive environment. I think I will be much more successful in the type of environment that Simmons offers. In fact, I may even be able to apply this fall while I am finishing up some pre-requisites! They offer a variety of programs in nursing, and they seem like they really work with their students to determine which programs work best for each individual. Very exciting stuff! =)

Onto week 2 of the quarter...