It's about the journey, not the destination......

I've had quite an adventurous couple of weeks......

First, six of us went white water rafting on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. It was a blast. This is where the Olympic white water course is located for the 96 Olympics and it's pretty awesome. We went on a full day trip on Class 4 rapids.

The following weekend I got to head back to California, to enjoy it one last time before I head across the ocean. I flew in on Thursday night, in order to enjoy Concert in the Park on Friday night. I met up with Amy at Dive Bar before we headed over to grab a beer and catch some live music. It was great to hang with Amers and enjoy some quality one on one. After the park we headed back to her house for a good ole fashioned neighborhood party, a pre-4th celebration. It was fun and I got to meet her neighbors. Saturday morning was an early one, in order for Amy and Jonathon to build there pergola. That evening we picked up Mikey from the airport, flying in from Bulgaria.

Sunday was a fun filled day with Danielle, Zack, my mom and brother. We headed up to Amador for some wine tasting. It was great, though hot and a bit tiring, but otherwise good. We tried some new wineries that I hadn't been to before.

Monday was the 4th and was for family and friends. Went over to my aunt Diann's house for a little bbq (cookout) and pool action. All my cousins were there, along with their significant others. It was great, we played games, tried to drown each other in the pool and just enjoy each others company. After dinner I went and hung out with Greta and Beth. It was good to see them and catch up. It's amazing how much I can miss in such a short period of time and I miss all my family and friends.

Tuesday was awesome, cause I got to go hiking with Kristy Wilson. We went up to Horse Tail Falls, which is a great hike and got a good workout in.

Wednesday was a mellow day. BJ and John Michel came out to Woodland to meet me for lunch, which was awesome! Then later got to hang out with Kevin on Wednesday night, as well as Maya and Steve. Again it was good to catch up with all these people.

Thursday I flew down to San Diego to visit my brother, sis-in-law, niece and nephews. Man, do those kids grow fast and I miss them terribly! It was a great visit and I got to spend a lot of time with them as well as at the beach/pool. I was sad to leave and am glad I get to see them in another month.

Monday night was a girls night and had the best time. These are the times I miss the most.

I am so lucky to have such amazing family and friends, that go out of their way to see me when I am home. It makes me miss California and have a feeling I will going back there at some point. Thanks again for everyone for driving me, picking me up, meeting up with me and everything else. You guys are the best!

Visit with family......

This weekend my dad and step-mom came to visit.....

The arrived on Friday and stayed at a hotel two blocks from my apartment. We went to a nice dinner and had an early night. Saturday we headed to the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquarium's in the world. It was pretty awesome. There are a ton of exhibits and a plethora of marine life. First the giant manta-rays, these things were huge and can weigh up to 6000 lbs! Crazy.....and then there are the sharks....I love sharks...whale sharks, sand sharks.....jelly fish, beluga whales and much more....
After the aquarium, we headed over to centennial park to walk around. It was great, cause I got to be a tourist in the city I live in.
I had made dinner reservations at this place by my house that I've always wanted to try, Murphy's. It was great, they actually have a wine shop connected to it and know that some people I know would love it.
Dinner was great and Jim bought us a bottle of wine which was really nice. Of course all i did was eat this weekend!!!
It was a great visit and am glad they came down, of course being around family always makes me a little melancholy....

Savannah, Pub Golf and much more!

Wow, so the last couple of weekends have been EPIC!!!!

First was the trip to Savannah. 14 of us from work rented a beach house in Tybee Island, what a great place. I've realized how much I miss the ocean since being out here, but every now and again I get to experience with such a great group of people.

These 14 people are awesome, I can truly say I've made some awesome friendships from my co-workers.

Friday night was a mellow night for a few of us, who stopped off at the Crab Shack, for some amazing shrimp and crab and then off to the house we rented. Another grouped stopped off in Savannah for dinner and drinks.

The house itself was pretty awesome, three blocks from the beach with a game room of air hockey and ping pong.

Saturday was spent on the beach, playing volleyball, catching some rays, riding the waves and just chillin out. That night, Sean, was planning a shrimp and crab boil.....It was freaking amazing!!!! That night was a bit hectic, with beer pong, flip cup, cranium and just overall silliness. Again love these people.

Sunday, our car went into Savannah to see the city.....ate some southern food and walked around the streets before getting on a trolley to see all the local squares. This town has so much history, that I would love to come back, the architecture of the buildings and houses that surround the square are gorgeous and require more attention then just the afternoon that was dedicated to it.

The week went by and had to plan for pub golf....basically a bar crawl that is similar to a golf game. Again amazing people!!! Did i say I love these guys! I told them that as well after hole 9! It was 9 holes, each hole a different par and a different club. It was played in the neighbor I live in, which is very walkable. 9 bars, with one stop for dinner and ended at a place where we could stay and dance if we chose....which we did! Everyone had a great time and there will be future pub golf tournaments in the future! Thanks to everyone who participated, oh and if you didn't know.....I Love you!


These types of weekends make me realize how lucky I am to be part of something so great! EFD rocks!

The big easy......

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of flying.


Two weeks ago, I went and visited a friend down in Miami. I flew into Ft. Lauderdale where we met some friends out, it's a cute nightlife area and pretty interesting. Saturday, we hung out and went around the town. We stopped for dinner at this cute, urban Mexican place, with the most amazing tacos and a very interesting cocktail. Not sure exactly what is was, but it wasn't the best. Saturday night we headed out to South Beach and cruised Ocean Drive, but headed to Lincoln Road to hang out for the evening. We ended up at the Hof Brau for a couple German beers and a pretzel. It was a good evening and we decided to keep it fairly low key, cause of our tentative plans to head to Key Largo the next day.

Key Largo didn't happen as the weather wasn't fantastic, but we decided that we should head to the beach. The clouds looked ominous and threatening, though we persevered. Overcast skies, didn't stop people from heading to the Atlantic. We were swimming when I saw some lightening and we booked it out, just in time for the torrential downpour that we missed. It was a good visit, and next time, I plan to see more of the sights.

This last weekend I headed to NOLA, to meet Joy. Again a quick trip and a place that I will be heading back to. We walked around the French Quarter, passing the oldest Cathedral in America, eating beignets at Cafe du Monde and ending our night with a hand grenade on Bourbon street. We encountered history in the Voodoo Museum and set out on a pilgrimage to Marie Laveau's tomb, followed by Sunday morning spent in Church, listening to Gospel at the House of Blues.

A quick note

Ok, so it's been a while since I've blogged......it's tough work sometimes!


Life is going well. I am still in training and have started supervised casework. I've learned so much in this last week and it's been awesome, though at times frustrating.

I've also been able to get out of town, a trip to Charleston and a trip to Huntersville to see my dad! More trips are planned, Miami and New Orleans!!!!!

I also did my first touristy thing in Atlanta, went to the zoo!!! We saw some baby pandas, baby gorillas, baby warthogs......it was great and a beautiful day to boot!

Life is good!

Back in the ATL

So after five months of living in the Northeast, I am finally back in the ATL! It is good to be back and be surrounded by my own stuff.

The last couple of weeks in Albany were stressful, due to our final exam and moot court, but I did pass!!! Yipee, now for 12 more weeks of training!

Moot court was an interesting experience, one case, two attorneys (including a JAG), a courtroom and five of our bosses.......not stressful at all. However, Emily and I prepared and prepared some more, so I am thankful to have her as my co-worker, study buddy and friend. I was the first to go and therefore the first to finish! Not an experience that I would like to repeat.

Things I will miss about Albany......

1. Being close to the NYC (this was an amazing experience being so close to the city. I had many great adventures with my co-workers, Kevin and seeing my old classmates from Ireland.

2. Per Diem.......the only good thing about living away from home.

3. Ummm......I guess those are the only things I'll miss about Albany. I am sure it's a great place in the spring, with a ton of outdoor adventures, but when your in school and have no car, it makes it hard to get anywhere!


So back in the ATL for a full week and finally feeling like I am getting settle back into my apartment. However, I have no Internet, which makes it difficult to keep up on my blog. This of course will change in a couple of weeks, but until then I have to hang out at my local coffee shop.

I am throwing the invite out to everyone to come and visit me in the ATL before I take off at the end of the summer!

Washington D.C.

After NYC, I was headed to D.C. to hang out with Christy.....

We had a great time hanging out. Of course every time I see her, she seems to be putting me to work.....I helped paint her room in her new place. It was good, cause I also got to hang out with Karen.

We headed to hibachi/sushi dinner for Friday night, it was yummy!!! Saturday was filled with a bit of American History at the Smithsonian's American History Museum. It was cool, they had
Julie Child's kitchen.....

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Also they had a modern science exhibit where they highlighted birthcontrol!!


We walked around the mall for a bit and then headed back to the house to get ready for our big night out......

We went to dinner then out to a couple of bars to hang out with the children......
Sunday was a mellow, recovering day.....we went to brunch and then relaxed before we did some shopping. Unfortunately, I had to head back to Albany, but overall it was a great weekend with Christy.