Visiting Ventura & Mexico!

What a time!

Demian & I went back to Ventura for a bit last week to chill with friends & pack up his stuff for Wyoming  We had a fun time doing beachy things – watching holiday boat shows, driving to Mexico, watching Demian & his friends paragliding & taking a sky ride in a motorized hang glider!

We are still on the road right now, but heading back to Wyoming — to try a little ski town living   I am TIRED!!!

The next blog will be all about our new place & our adventures on getting set up our lives in the real (beautiful) world LOL

Merry Christmas y’all!

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Another Awesome Week in Ventura!

I should have posted this item about my week in Cali a bit earlier, but I’ve just been having too much fun staying away from my laptop!!

Demian & I left Jackson (with an overnight in Vegas) & finally made our way to beautiful, sunny Ventura for 1 last week of fun & sun before I planned to return to New York. We took the time to relax, hang with friends, motorcycle the coast & surf (even with his corgie dog on the board!) We also celebrated Demian’s 39th birthday on the 10th which was a totally fun time!

& even being back here in New York, it’s amazing how wonderful I feel. It’s such a beautiful thing to find a man so different from anyone I’ve ever known . . . genuinely happy about life, so expressive, giving & loving. We are definitely a dynamic pair & both thrive on change. It will be wonderful to reunite with Demian in November (on the East coast!) & bring him around the tri-state area to see my most favorite places & meet the special people in my life.

So! Although our getting together was a more recent adventure & came quite unexpectedly, we have an amazing connection. For me, everything happens for a reason . . . which is why I’m totally excited to move to Ventura, California after the Thanksgiving holiday!

I understand that to most it will seem like a bit of a quick decision, but I think everyone pretty much gets me by now . . . LOL  It will be somewhat sad to leave the East, but I must go & explore, experience & enjoy more! & what better way to experience life than in a different place from what you are used to? Heck, I’m going to be living in a beach town in Southern California — & y’all can come visit!!

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Roadtrip from Wyoming to California!

What a fun time!
Demian & I left Wyoming & road-tripped out via rental car with a fun stop in Vegas!

Some highlights of the trip

- We stopped at a paragliding spot in Salt Lake & saw some of Demian’s friends
- We got a suite in Vegas at a newly refurbished hotel for $38 for watching a 90 min timeshare preso
- Hoku had to be smuggled into & out of the hotel room via duffelbag
- I lost $20 playing Blackjack
- We had hangovers by 10pm because we drank vodka all day
- Demian & I hung out in a low-brow casino called “Slots-a-Fun”
- I realized that I really do hate being around anything clown-like (ie: Circus Circus Casino)

So! Pics are below — I’m in Ventura, California again now — just living my last week out here on the beach! Yesterday, I skateboarded for the 1st time & it turns out I’m a goofy-footer too! Demian & I are going surfing today (it may prove to be a bit easier for me now because I was totally trying to surf with my left foot 1st & I’m really a right footer). We’ll hopefully get some film footage today too so we can make another movie to share with everyone!

PS: Looks like our Wyoming time is over for awhile. After Thanksgiving, I’ll most likely be moving out to Ventura, California for a while — I love this little SoCal beach town!!

Ahhh the adventures ahead!

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My Romantic Sailing Adventure :)

Sorry I’m so late with my blog entries, but I’ve been living & loving life to its fullest! You’ll also have to forgive the lack of returned phone calls, but I still love y’all (!!)

I flew to Los Angeles, in the beginning of August for a week of R&R w/Demian in Ventura, California & it was abolutely wonderfully perfect! The pictures say it all really (OMG I look so dang happy). He is such an amazing person & I’m happy to say that he & I are now officially boyfriend & girlfriend! Who would have thought!?

I’m definitely coming home to Long Island in mid-September & staying until right after the Thanksgiving holiday. So I’ll have tons of time to hang & catch up! Then it’s off to experience a different kind of winter life in Jackson, Wyoming — to share with a very special man in my life! I can’t wait for everyone to meet him, as my new west coast boyfriend will be coming to New York for the first time in November & can’t wait to meet y’all too!

OK, no doubt something comes to find you when you least expect it. Life is good, check out the pictures

PS: Loke-lani = Rose in Hawaiian LOL

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A special movie that Demian made of our adventure! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQFmK5YJUbw

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Fun Times for the Holiday!

So . . . My holiday went like this

On the 4th of July, I went from Berkeley via plane to Salt Lake City, Utah. I sit next to this really cool woman from San Francisco going to the midwest to visit her family (she is so passionate about SF & has left me feeling great about my time spent there), I meet up with 3 other leaders at the house (so good to see Mikey again!), I go with Tate eat downhome soul food (ribs!) & sit in the foothills, we watch the desert shimmer as the sun goes down & we see 6 different displays of fireworks across the horizon. An all around great holiday!

LOL, but the next day wasn’t so fabulous as I had to work some hard labor in the warehouse & it was 103 outside! It was great to take breaks with Olive the puppy in the office though. That night I went running with a new leader from Texas that was just hired (he’s my age). OMG I just realized that was the last time I went running – yikes!!

& my trip to Montana was absolutely wonderful!
Wait till you hear how much fun I had in 1 & a half days LOL

So I started out with a new van with only 27 miles on it and I drove eight hours that day! Some items to mention:

- STP, Beatsie Boys, Weezer & Foo Fighters started my ride off right
- I called a bunch of peeps when I reached “I-da-ho” & laughed my tookie off
- Lots of beautiful lakes popped up when I hit Montana
- I saw a dirt twist!
- A deer stopped short & thought twice about entering the road as I passed — we even made eye contact
- (my mom will love this one) Saw a bar called Liquid Louies
- The boys out here are dang good-looking!

So I bring the van into Whitefish, Montana (outside of Glacier National Park) & I proceed to do my Backroads duties. When I finish, a new leader & I head out to town in the evening to whoop it up. Jess is another fellow Scorpio. Her birthday is Nov 12 & we get along awesome! & so who would have thought a Whitefish bar would fall into the top 5 bars that I’ve ever been to? & I’ve been to a lot of bars (& danced on a few too)! But no doubt, if you are in Whitefish, Montana, go to the Northern! Did I mention the boys out here are dang good-looking?

Then we randomly met met Brant walking home (he lives up the road from the leader house) & the next day he invites me to hang with his friends & housemates to go boating on Whitefish Lake! Brant was very cool & casual about everything – he lived in Hawaii & New Zealand for several months/years. His friends were fun too & I spent the day swimming, laughing & drinking (“Rocket Fuel” — yes, I did do the Hawaiian Punch/Vodka thing in memory of missing the Blues Festival in Riverhead this year)! On Monday, I biked around town & by the lake, ate some huckleberry ice cream & then got on a plane bound for SLC again.

& here I am. In SLC again. I loaded my camping trailer at the warehouse all day with Sam (the leader from Texas) & we went out to dinner tonight in Sugarhouse for some food, good conversations about life & weak adult beverages. Hey, it’s Utah LOL

Anyway, tomorrow I’m off to drive West to Berkeley, CA one last time.
From there it’s off to Jackson Hole for 2 months, home of the cowboys!

Good Lord, it’s going to be like the girls bull riding night all over again.
This time I promise I won’t break anything LOL

Peace out!

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The Amazing Farallones Experience!

A little over a year ago, I read a very cool book called “The Devil’s Teeth” http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Teeth-Obsession-Survival-Americas/dp/080507581X/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/105-3449617-5801216 (Yes Jason, this was the book about sharks & the Farallon Islands I was reading about when we vacationed in Miami)! The Farallones are a marine sanctuary, located 27 miles out at sea from the Golden Gate Bridge – where biologists study the many birds & sea life of the area. The story of this place has stayed in my mind since then & I was compelled to visit the Farallones, especially as I am leaving San Francisco within the next few days. More about the Farallones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farallon_Islands

& what I encountered was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life

I immediately connected with the naturalist on board. She was an incredible person filled to the brim with knowledge about the history, nature & conservation of the area. 3 other people from the Marine Mammal Center were on board with 6 seals, as they were to be released back into the wild on this trip! More on this awesome organization: http://www.tmmc.org/what_we_do/index.asp

We left the dock at 8am as the SF fog was dissipating. Soon thereafter we hit the “Potato Patch,” which is between the Golden Gate Bridge and Point Bonita known to be the roughest spot of water. It was a bit treacherous getting out there (many people got sick), but I was determined to enjoy the whole trip. I took my meds & even went outside to experience the rough waters on part of the trip. The water pummeled me which was perfect for my expensive waterproof jacket to repel, not-so-good for my jeans (they were soaked!) . . .

Then just as we arrived to the islands, the skies cleared. I can’t even tell you the feeling of awe I had visiting a place of such beauty & raw nature. I then witnessed 5 California sea lions & 1 Guadalupe fur seal make the Farallon Islands their new home Although shark season starts in the fall (I would have liked to be there for that!), I was able to speak with the photographers on the trip that knew many stories of the Great Whites returning each year to the islands! In total, we saw 12 humpback whales, several types of seals & millions of birds – from Cormorants to Auklets to Puffins to the (rare in these waters) Black-Footed Albatross.

& just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, I was able to ride with the naturalist for another hour as we headed over to Berkeley together. What a fascinating woman – she exuded her love of life, her own dream that she followed. I am so fortunate to have such an amazing experience, & it will definitely help me to leave San Francisco on a good note.

I will miss Cali for sure. I made some friends here & now I must leave. Ah, such is the way of my world. I’ll always remember the lovely Persian wax artist, the nice guys at Andronico’s Market, the hot doorman at Jupiter’s, the wayyy cool Oakland guy that I would have so liked to know better, the wonderful people on the Farallon Islands excursion (which Webloyalty paid for by the way — I used a gift card from my goodbye party!) & not to mention the people I’ve gotten to know at the Backroads office. I even worked in the Marketing Department today & did extremely well with the Web proofing assignment they gave me!

So only a day & a half more & I’ll be on my way to Salt Lake City yet again. An unfortunate situation now presents more opportunity for me to experience new & exciting places. Another beautiful National Park –> this time it’s Glacier in Montana.

OK then –> Big sky country, here I came!
Time to kick the tires & start the fires.

Thanks San Francisco, it’s been a fiiiiine time.
Onto the wild, wild west yo

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Schedule Change!

So! No pics this time, just some information!

Due to the extremely ill feelings that plagued me while visiting Yosemite two different times, I met with the Global Manager to discuss the seriousness of this issue. It was decided today that I will be removed from California entirely & placed in a completely different region. Yes, unfortunately, that means there will be no Sonoma/Napa wine country experience for me .

My schedule now looks like this (!!)

——————————————

Fly to Utah on July 4 & drive van + trailer to Glacier National Park in Montana
* I have July 8th to explore in Glacier!*

Fly to Utah on July 9 & drive van + camping trailer to Cali
*At this point, I’ll be leaving Cali for good*

Fly to the Tetons/Yellowstone National Park on July 13
*Yes, I do know I’ll be in Wyoming with the roaming moose & bison LOL*
I’ll stay in Wyoming to do a familiarization & lead 3 family multisport camping trips during the month of August

This trip includes biking, hiking, rafting & kayaking!
Site to trip description: http://www.backroads.com/trips/MYTCF

——————————————

My health is important & I have to feel GOOD to lead trips with guests. It’s really unfortunate this unexpected issue occurred (& brought some unwanted attention to me as a new leader), but I’m certain that my new scheduled trips are going to be totally awesome! All camping trips (no hotels for me)! If anything, it’s more great people & beautiful places to experience!

I may even have enough time to come home to LI in August!
& who knows what September will bring?

As always, keepin ya in the loop!

My First Guest Trip!

Soooooo – I had my 1st guest trip in Yosemite National Park & it was an amazing experience! I led the trip with 2 other co-leaders, Erin & Jacob (for family trips, more leaders are necessary).

On Friday, Jacob, Erin & I prepped for the trip. We put name tags & pedals on each of the 19 mountain bikes & then strapped/racked them. We also went to the supermarket & did our foodbuy for the week’s picnic & pack lunches. I also prepared to do my first night’s orientation talk & wound up getting only 5 hours sleep!

On Saturday, the trip began! We picked the guests up in San Francisco & I drove the van with all of the parents to Yosemite. We then hiked the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequioas. Later that night for dinner, I had a huge lamb leg LOL & a very yummy ice cream dessert. In fact, thinking back now – I think I had dessert every night of the trip, yikes!!

OK – so on Sunday, the group went mountain biking together on a trail called “Big Sandy” & I really enjoyed the downhill part so I could go fast (stopping periodically to remain last & support the guest riders)! That was was a lot of fun. & you have to love when a 20 year old girl (guest) tells you that you have the coolest Tevas ever! Right on! I then took the kids horseback riding while the other leaders hiked with the parents. The kids instantly adored me when I suggested ice cream while we wait

That night, unfortunately my ill feelings started up again (sore throat, headache & nausea). I even had a major fever in the middle of the night which worried the other leaders a bit. I felt a bit off the next day, but continued on! I did the 5 hour long Panaroma trail with all guests which was really great – I led parts of it & backed up the end of the trail too. It’s still the best hike ever!

Tuesday was REALLY nice, because it was considered an “on-your-own-day” for guests. So the other leaders & I went & headed out to a secret beach (complete with view of El Capitan). We relaxed, swam in the glacier river water (aka: instant bone-chilling cold water), siesta-ed & read books until we met the guests for dinner. It was down time well spent!

Wednesday was all about the high country (9K elevation) – the kids went rock-climbing with Erin (I’ll probably get to do that next time!) & Jacob & I hiked the dome & the meadows with the adults. It was a beautiful day & there was no sign of hail in sight!

Thursday was the last day of the trip & after having an all you can eat (oh no!) buffet breakfast at the famed Ahwahnee Hotel, we did a short hike to Mirror Lake. I then drove part of the way back to San Francisco (this time with the trailer & 10 kids). No pressure LOL! A viscious headache stopped me from driving the entire way. We also stopped at a cute farm/bakery to have lunch & bought some pies for the guests to eat too. Did I mention I need to stop eating this forever now?

Anyway! So, here’s the deal-e-o . . . I had a great time doing my first trip, but I was seriously ill every day. I took all sorts of perscription allergy meds (thanks for the drugs Diane!) to try & alleviate the pain I was having, but to no avail. I even visited the village walk-in to discuss how I was feeling & what meds I was taking with a nurse. The 2 last evenings of the trip I had to take controlled drug pain-killers to stop the headaches!

The strangest part is that when I came back to Berkeley, I felt fine! So, I am not certain as to what the problem is, but after researching my symptoms, it looks like I’m either allergic to a pollen/plant in the Sierra Nevada Mountains or I have a serious type of elevation sickness that is not allowing me to acclimate once there.

Now that I have 2 weeks off, I am going to see a Doctor at SF University Medical Center about this (in addition to going to the gym everyday!!)  So we’ll see what they say. My mom may come for a visit & I may still work in the Marketing Department of the Backroads office. I also have to speak to my Regional Manager & Human Resources about my situation (they knew this illness occurred the first presearch trip as well).

Keep me in your thoughts & we’ll see what happens!

Talk to you all soon — & enjoy, summer is finally here!!

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Driving To & Fro!

I don’t have much time now, as I leave TOMORROW for my 1st guest trip in Yosemite! Just some things to mention with regard to my unit drive from Salt Lake City, Utah to Berkeley, California though . . .

• The Utah leader house is nicer than Cali’s.
• Hiking on my day off was awesome!
• Racking all those bikes gave me some ugly bruises on my arms.
• Dang that drive was long.
• Yes, driving into & out of the mountains with a van & trailer filled with bikes is very stressful. LOL
• The glittering sand was very picturesque, & could definitely make you sleepy (Yikes! I drank some espresso to overcome that!)
• It seemed as if you could touch the clouds they were so close to me.
• I blasted all sorts of music from “Hurts so Good” by John Cougar Mellencamp, “View to a Kill” by Duran Duran & of course, some good ol’ country. & it’s God’s country, so I listened to an evangelical station for a bit.
• I listened to news of the area which discussed wolf shootings. Right on . . .
• No joke: saw a coyote head in the road somewhere in Nevada (not sure where the body was though).
• Stayed overnight in a suprisingly clean Super 8 in a place called Battle Mountain.
• Picked up my dinner in a restaurant that had a million pics on the walls of people with their biggest dead game displays of bucks/elk I’ve ever seen. Umm, there were even pics of young girls holding up the heads next to their guns. Okkkk ~
• There really are rodeo cowboy proms, at least in Nevada LOL
• & it was like I was a celebrity driving that thing — it drew a lot of attention & so I waved & smiled the whole way!

OK, chat with you about my 1st trip when I return!

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I know Yosemite Inside & Out!

So let’s see . . . I traveled about 4+ hours to get to Yosemite National Park from Berkeley. I went with the Regional Manager to meet the Trip Specialist. The Regional Manager is totally awesome (he oversees California & Hawaii!), so in addition to the many items we discussed on the trip, I mentioned how much I would LOVE to go to Hawaii for a bit! So this is really great news

Years ago, I was in Yosemite (I was about 10), but definitely didn’t remember how amazing this place really is. Yosemite hosts some of the most difficult, but beautiful hikes known to man. In fact, the Mist Trail was the best hiking I’ve ever experienced in my life! I also saw 2 bears (1 f2f & 1 while in the van) & several inquisitive deer. I met some very cool people along the way. I did 2 & a 1/2 shots of Tequila one night & was really OK (I love when new friends buy you shots) — as everyone knows the saying: 1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila floor! LOL I also learned about almost every hiking trail & area in Yosemite and now I’m definitely ready to lead trips!

So! Although it really was a fabulous time, I have to make sure I point out the “not-so-good” things so people don’t constantly think my life is a bowl of cherries eh? LOL But really now . . . I worked 9 days in a row & camped out at night. I had to share room space with a guy, we woke early (sometimes 6am, yikes!) & worked till late (sometimes till 11 at night!). It was a bit taxing on the body to hike almost everyday (1 day we hiked over 17 miles) – yeah sometimes you just don’t want to get out of bed! One morning, the van battery was dead so I had to get a jump. It hailed in Tuolumne Meadows (OK this was actually a cool thing as I have the best raingear) – but then I had to drive a company van for an hour & a half back to the campground on winding roads in hail (not such a cool thing). & lastly, I was pretty much ill on each day of the trip, which I think may have been an allergic reaction to some sort of plant/pollen in the Sierras.

Anyway! Life as a travel leader is gooood. I love that my day off today included hula-hooping in the yard! Tomorrow I leave for Utah to load a unit up & drive it back to Cali (alone for 11 hours)! OK, so I have to go pack & get my stuff ready for a 6:30am flight pick-up!

Miss y’all & will post again upon my return

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