All is well and I'm nestled into my new house; it was only two doors down...but, for some reason, once I moved, I let all the boxes sit in front of me....
And I couldn't move a muscle.
Enter - Super KIM! My girlfriend of nearly 20 years, Kim Zeller, flew in shortly after I moved - and, like a tornado (going the GOOD direction), she whipped in, and VOILA! My house was set. We had a fantastic time together! She totally rocks.
Fast forward to this past weekend. Every year, Monterey hosts the Monterey Beer Festival at the fairgrounds. It's a day of sampling beers from all over the country/world/area. I went last year with my neighbor, Scott. We multiplied our posse this year to include my friend, Colin, and my dear friend, Ben Clarke, from San Francisco. Ben and I go wayyyyyy back to the Garmisch days. Even though he only lives 2 hours away, we hadn't seen one another in 10 years. Life just gets in the way of life, I guess.
It was if no time had passed. The day was, quite honestly, one of the best Saturdays I'd had in years. Sunday followed, with a fantastic breakfast at 'From Scratch' (my latest Monterey favorite), and a lazy movie day on the couch.
Here's a few miscellaneous shots from this summer.
Create Your Own
I've enjoyed being home for a spell; getting ready to get back on the road at the end of the month, though. A few days in Louisville for a conference, then Labor Day Weekend in Hawaii! Who says you can't vacation when you're poor? Thanks to all those trips, I had enough frequent flier miles for a trip to Oahu for a long weekend! I'm excited to see Tamar & her boys and do a little relaxing (not to mention a free place to stay in Mililani). After Hawaii, 2 weeks in Kansas for another class.
The machine keeps on!!!
I'm feeling that my time here in Monterey is drawing to a close and it's time to move on. I love my life, my job, my friends, my house - it is all so fantastic and fulfilling. The growing cost of things, though - especially in this area - is starting to take a toll on the bank account. "But now is the time to buy - prices are down."
Yeah. Notsomuch in Monterey. God bless this great state I live in, but it's just stupid expensive. I have no immediate plans and no real offers happening...but there are a few things in the works. Plus, with my entire family on the East coast, there's just not a whole lot anchoring me here. Sure, it's pretty and my job is incredible - but does my resume keep me warm on a cold night?
Promise to keep everyone updated. For now, I'll continue to clip coupons and babysit on the weekends to enjoy my time here "on the coast of somewhere beautiful".
More soon!!! Lots of love!!!
Toma's Favorite Song Today: "Say" by John Mayer - man, I love the strings in that song