One of the coolest parts of LA that many Angelinos conveniently tend to forget is that just outside of our city limits lies the total antithesis of LA.  Clear air.  Small towns (really small).  Cows.  Clear air.

We had the pleasure of joining our friends, Eric and Katie, and their friends, Ryan and Erin, on a camping trip in Anza-Borrego State Park this past weekend.  Anza-Borrego is actually the largest state park in California (no small feat) and is home to more rocks than I could even fathom existed in the desert.  Big rocks.  Granite rocks.  And aside from the rather jagged one that was lodged under my sleeping bag, we enjoyed every one of them.

Originally, I deemed the trip “Chuckwalla Hunt ‘09” because Chuckwalla are quite possibly the coolest-named desert creature ever.  Check ‘em out – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckwalla.  I secretly wanted to find one and raise him (or her) as our own.  We could even name it Charlie the Chuckwalla.  Cool, right?  But seeing as Kristen only sort of shared my enthusiasm for searching out lizards, I resolved to let it be a desert camping trip with friends.  And that it was.  Perfect solitude in clear, non-city air where the biggest challenge aside from rock hopping was which flavor of Dorito we were going to munch on.  (Cool Ranch it is!)

Hopefully you’ve all had the chance to just “be” and enjoy some serenity of your own.  If not, come on out to Anza-Borrego!

Last weekend, during a visit by our good friend, Alisha, it was brought to our attention that our last post, “New Beginnings,” had been up for far too long.  Without insulting our laziness, Alisha made us aware that there are a few folks out there who still read this thing.  So with you – the few – in mind, here’s the latest from life on the Left coAst.

Our second summer in LA has been awesome.  We unofficially consider 2008 our rookie season.  While mostly enjoyed, frankly, there were some rough spots.  We actually paid for parking.  Even gave a few bad directions to friends.  (hint to non-locals: lifeguard stations have numbers … they’re even set up sequentially!)  So this, our sophomore season at the beach, has proven more successful.  Fewer sunburns.  Free parking.  And a frisbee that doesn’t blow away in a stiff wind.  Maybe next year will even bring fewer scrapes on the skimboard.  Here’s to hoping.

With our fellow Ohio friends, Robb and Andrea, we have casually created our very own “Ohio Beach Days”.  Basically it consists of a few Ohio natives laying on the beach.  (I know, it’s an original idea.)  And last weekend it grew a bit when some fellow beach-goers started a game on the nearby Volleyball court.  Turns out they were all mostly from Ohio. Some were on vacation.  Some were at least semi-permanently transplanted from Ohio.  Regardless, it was one of the many good days we’ve spent in the sand this summer.

We’ve also been busying ourselves (okay, mostly Kristen has) with planning our wedding.  Looks like July of ‘10 will spark yet another rookie season -as NEWLY WEDS!  There’s still lots to plan, but the bigger basics are covered: We’re having the ceremony at the Browning Amphitheater on the campus of THE Ohio State University.  Following that will be the reception at The Columbus Athenaeum (which Travis just spelled correctly for the first time today) in the Olympian Ballroom.  We’re looking forward to a fun year of planning what we hope to be a great milestone in our future as a couple.

And we’ve also been visited by some really special people this summer.  Abbey, Kristen’s best friend/maid of honor, was out just a few weeks ago for the first time.  Alisha (no more giving us crap, Alisha – this is shout-out numero dos! ) was here on Saturday.  And Jeff (aka ‘Team Maynard’) has been out several times visiting our new friend, Lauren.  Lauren was even nice enough to share her family’s beach side get-away in Oceanside last month.  That was one of the highlights of our sophomore season as beach-goers for sure.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “well, is the beach all you did this summer?” – you’re sort of correct.  We’ve both been working.  We’ve even gotten in a few hikes.  But – as our distinguished friend DeKoven pointed out last Sunday – if you live in Southern California, shouldn’t you spend as much time on or near the beach as possible?!  So true, DeKoven.  So true.

That’s about all we know for now.  Cheers from life on the Left coAst!

-K & T-

I suppose “New Beginnings” will take on many meanings throughout this post – the first of which regards the fact that our last post was in early March.  Seeing as how it’s now June, we may as well be starting from scratch.  (yeah, yeah, yeah – we got the hint, brother.)  So here goes.

A humongous new beginning has begun for Mom, Mrs. Nancy Gates, who now begins her many years of retirement bliss after a very  distinguished career.  A Work & Family Science teacher at Perrysburg High School for most of her career, Mrs. Gates helped a countless number of students make their way through many a first resume, recipe, checkbook, needle & thread and … well, life in general.  Perrysburg High School bids farewell to a great asset and friend this year.  Congratulations should also be extended as she was deemed the Perrysburg Schools 2009 Teacher of the Year!!  We wish you the best as you enjoy a lil’ R-and-R during your retirement, Mom!

New beginnings were also forged for several of our very good friends who recently tied the knot.  On May 16, Mike Stark and Libby Nelson became Mr. and Mrs. Michael Stark in Canton, Ohio.  And just a few weeks later, on May 29, Lauren Krause and Ryan Dorff said “I do” in Cleveland.   We enjoyed seeing you experience such beautiful ceremonies and will be looking forward to your wedding planning advice in the coming year.  May you each enjoy each others’ love and friendship every day for the rest of your lives.

Kristen is also going through a few “new beginnings” as well.  On June 12, Kristen will graduate with her Masters of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California Los Angeles! With her Masters in hand, she will begin her work as the Human Capital Coordinator with The Human Development Overlay District (HD-OD) in Hollywood.  A new initiative in Urban Planning, HD-OD is one of only two projects of its kind in the United States (the other in Boston).  For more information on this extraordinary project, go to http://www.hdod.org/national/home.aspx

May this much-delayed post find you all smiling as you embark on your own beginnings this spring/summer.

Adios from life on the Left coAst!

-Kristen & Travis-