Earthquake in Nevada

Just for anyone wondering about my family in Nevada. I had a few people asking me how they are. As you probably read that the earthquake in Wells, Nevada, about 40 miles as the crow flies from my parents house didn't cause any deaths or serious injuries, but a lot of structural damage. My parents house just had a few things fall down, but they certainly felt it. My Dad described the 6.0 earthquake as a ride down the rapids of a river. Hundreds of aftershocks have continued and the last one he noticed was yesterday. Sixteen or so of them have all been in the 5s or 4s. But everything is ok, just so everyone knows who was possibly wondering about my family.

Sea Kayaking, Getting Engaged (not me), etc.

So this was the last adventure in January before beginning into the semester. As mentioned in an earlier post, this was the day I kept true to my track record ... another roommate engaged. I've lost count now, but I think it has got to be upwards of twenty. I've again started to have people ask for the applications to be my roommate.

The Story:
Si'i insisted on getting a sea kayak even if he was going to be deployed for a year and planned this whole day where 4 of us (later turned into 6) would be going sea kayaking down in Big Sur where we would hike down to the beach with the kayak. He brought lunch to barbecue on the beach and other details. This picture is the before picture. So to make the story a little shorter, while we were all on the beach in between runs out to the ocean, I noticed a full clam shell sitting behind Nicole and Si'i and asked whether they had found it. So Nicole was admiring it and others were telling her to open it. Well, she slowly opened it and it was full of sand and a black pearl ring sticking out of the sand. So the rest of us jumped back as she dropped the shell and Si'i whispered his proposal to her. Then, he said he'd put the ring on and pulled another ring with a sapphire and a diamond filled and carved band out of his pocket to put it on her. He later said he nearly got three rings! Who gets two rings? It was a great day, made better with perfect weather in January and a grey whale that hung out in the bay where we were all day. Two of the times I was out, the whale came within about 20 feet from our kayak!! It was so exciting!!

Buried again

Here are a few pictures from my last couple of days at Stacy and Kelley's house with the kids.

Occasionally, I will try to add something here just so you know I'm still living and still staying ridiculously busy. I've only been back in Monterey for 2 1/2 weeks and back in school for 2 weeks, however, enough has happened to make it seem as if I've been here for 2 months.
A few minutes after I walked in the door, I was informed I had a ticket sitting on my car awaiting my return. I was really blessed that this silly ticket was only placed on my car the previous day, because the ridiculous California laws strike again. It is difficult to even park on my own street most the time and I have to have a "guest" pass in order to do so at all. All the parking in Monterey is timed and they are extremely happy to drive their mini parking truck around 24/7 to give tickets to bring in plenty of money into this city. So this time, my ticket said, "no person who owns or has possession, custody or control of any vehicle shall park such vehicle upon any street or alley for more than a consecutive period of seventy-two (72) hours." After 72 hours from when they place the ticket, they will then tow, then I would have had to pay $300 plus to retrieve my car. Since I was gone for a month, I am extremely lucky that they didn't decide to put it on there much earlier. Of course, this was extremely upsetting anyway, 2 days after getting a $100 parking ticket in downtown DC the one day I went there, because I misread the sign saying I needed to leave by 4:00 rather than 4:30 to open up the commuting lanes.
By the way, for those who I didn't see when I was there, which is 99.9% of you, I'm sorry. Work and spending time with my family in Southern Maryland seemed to take precedence.
Now since my return, my Portfolio has especially overwhelmed me not to mention the other classes and MLJ work, which are being treated as "other."
But, I have to say that the most exciting thing that has happened since I returned is witnessing the engagement of my roommate Nicole and Si'i, who leaves Monday for deployment to Afghanistan. The details are fun, and I'll add them once I get someone's pictures, because I was surprised and thus, without my own camera. You might be thinking that I'm keeping up my trend of marrying off my roommates. Yes, this is two since moving to Monterey, both of which, I witnessed the engagement. People are beginning to ask me again if they can apply to be my roommate, which has happened in every other location I've lived. It is fun to be a part of it, I have to say.
Back to the books I go.