Office Adjustments

After months of talk and promise, my office finally moved to some sweet on-campus offices. On Monday I worked from home, and was able to do this from a friend's house in order to be in Orange County and use Internet. I got to hang out with their Kitty Man, Derek Zoolander! I told them how he was sleeping, and Nykole said to wake him up cause this is why he's always wide awake and crazy during the night. I woke him up but all he did was give me kitty kisses...

...then fall right back asleep lololol

On Tuesday I came in to my sweet new office, with a view over the athletic fields (heyo Troy Percival!) and had to unpack everything. First, I took everything out of all the boxes and put it on my desk...

and then finally got it all organized and put away... ta-da!

Don't you love that inspirational quote on the wall from the last person who had this office? LOLOLOL

I really like my new office, especially our location, and now I'm close to some of my work friends, namely Macy and Jonathan, and today Jonathan and I went and got lunch on campus together. It's a totally new vibe and almost feels like a new job.

Anyways, speaking of work, better go do some! Ciao bella!

Oh Canada!

I must start this post by asking - why does everyone in the US make fun of Canada? They do talk a little funny sometimes, but really, I just love that damn country! Trivia fact for those of you that don't know - my boyfriend went to college in Canada on a football scholarship, although on the East Coast. So, he has a lot of Canadian friends, including one who got married last Saturday in Whistler that we got the pleasure of attending!

Now, I've been to Vancouver before, but that's a whole story in itself that involves a road trip, a leaking ice chest and horrible border patrol, so suffice it to say that I felt like I was visiting Vancouver for the first time ever.

Since AJ forgot a dress shirt, we went to a Nordstrom's in the downtown to buy one for him.

I like the skyline image on the street signs!

Vancouver City Hall

And then drove through Stanley Park to West Van, where we got delicious, abundant and cheap sushi!!

Then headed up to Whistler. The scenery was beautiful, but I did fall asleep after this, and then woke up in Whistler.

That night, there was a big welcome dinner for everyone, which was great fun, and AJ and I went out for drinks afterwards with some of his friends in Whistler Village.

In the morning, AJ and I got breakfast and watched the Portugal/Croatia game, and then went wandering abut the Village. The weather was divine!

This symbol will come up again...

Like right here!

Afterwards, we went back to our hotel for awhile and went swimming! Well, I entertained myself in the pool and AJ read in the jacuzzi. The outdoor pool was incredible - it was amazing to swim and see the green mountains with snow topped craggy peaks all around me. It was so beautiful!

Then, the wedding was that evening. It was so beautiful!! The scenery was gorgeous, and it was right next to a river that was so clean and clear, it made bottled water look gross.

The wedding was fun, the food was delicious, and the speeches hilarious (and I didn't even know these people!) and the alcohol aplenty. AJ drank and a lot and wouldn't stop kissing me - I know it sounds cute but it was because he was drunk so it was a little annoying lolololol but I'll happily be annoyed by that - and taking pictures of me.

This was me telling him to come over to where I was, and he just stood there taking pictures of me lolololol

And then the wedding really topped it all by bringing out the big guns... an ice cream bar!!!

I could have sat there all night eating from that huge big bowl by itself! The wedding went really late, there were glow sticks and lots of dancing, and then we made it back to our hotel to crassssssh!

In the morning we watched more soccer, packed up, checked out and then went to check out Whistler Village. It was warm, and beautiful, and we found an entire farmer's market where we bought fresh cherries, Whistler chocolate, and AJ had to physically stop me from getting a temporary glitter tattoo.

The way back to Vancouver was amazing, not least of all because it was sunny and clear, unlike the overcast way up. It was unreal how beautiful and clean and breathtaking the scenery was!! I didn't want to leave.

Indigenous languages get top billing! This linguist was happy!

Back in Vancouver, we got even more sushi (mmm) and then had to return our rental car and get back to the airport. Despite being there in plenty of time, we actually would have cut it close had our plane not be delayed, since Vancouver is considered a US port of entry and we had to go through customs there.

Back in janky old LAX, we waited outside for AJ's mom to pick us up. He sat and read Harry Potter, and I was dancing and exercising on the sidewalk.

See that book sitting on the rail next to AJ? That's my GRE prep book and that's the last I'll ever see of it. When AJ's mom rolled up, Anana was hanging out the window and I got so distracted by seeing Anana that I just jumped straight into the car and didn't realize I left the book until I got home. Lost and found was no help, the airline desk we were in front of said they throw away "anything paper" so would just throw away the book if they found it, etc. Not only was I not done going through it, my notebooks of all of my notes since April was in there. I literally cried myself to sleep. I felt so stupid for leaving it. Sigh.

Summer is starting, and my vacations are finally over! Excited to finally relax - ha!

Raleigh and Santa Barbara

I have yet to update on my travels to two of my most favorite places ever: Raleigh, North Carolina, and Santa Barbara, California.

Raleigh was a whirlwind of a trip to celebrate Jayna and Stephen's wedding and as always, it didn't disappoint! It started crazy busy with the wedding preparation - of which I vacillated between being somewhat helpful (setting up the canopy and decorating the tables) to being not at all helpful (falling asleep for hours due to jetlag). The wedding was everything you dream about when you look at pictures online - a backyard summer Southern wedding with strings of lights strung up around the wooden fences in and out of the oak trees with delicious BBQ catering!! This was the wedding, and the dinner the night before was equally charming - a second floor open air Greek restaurant in downtown Raleigh drinking Moscow mules with the scent of blooming magnolias in the air. I can't even handle the goodness!! Oh and after the night-before dinner we went out downtown (I could barely hang - I'm too old) and had a grand ol time on Snapchat celebrating Jayna's last day of being single!

Governmentally single queen

Bachelorette Queen

This was our Sad You're Not Here picture we sent to AJ

Student Services Reunited!

Me and my Goddaughter

The Dream Team!!

Jayna and Stephen took off for their honeymoon the day following, so I had a great day to myself in downtown Raleigh - studying in a cafe, taking part in the Food Truck Rodeo and street fair, visiting the chocolate factory museum and history museum!

I FINALLY GET IT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS "WHAT IN TARNATION IS THIS THING" !!! DID YOU KNOW THIS??

I officially will have a bridal fan at my wedding #southernbelle

ERMERGERD. CHERCKEN ERND WERFFLES

AJ's Forefather lololol

Me and ring bearer, my old bud, Pippu, the Pipster, Pippin!

Lounging in Jayna's backyard watch cardinals fly, listening to songbirds and watching squirrels run amock!

I went to Santa Barbara for a work conference at UCSB. The conference was really amazing, and being at UCSB is always SO NOSTALGIC for me. Like seriously, it hurts, I can barely handle it. But I always love being back!! GAUCHOSSSSSSSS!!

Buttons were free for the taking. I took Iceland, since it was my most recent adventure, France, cause I studied abroad there, and Denmark, because I need to get dual citizenship there. I ended up going overboard and having like 10 different pins on my lanyard

We were there over the fires, it may the sky creepy and crazy

Sending photos to AJ

Macy karaoking some Fleetwood Mac

Crazyass bird that was always the cover of our General Catalogue

My dorm view

My longlost dorm! Oh the memories!!

Married duckies

This koi fish looks that way not because it's swimming, but it has some sort of fractured spine. This fish has been there since I was a student! I used to feed it bread crusts inbetween classes!

Can you see the turtle perched on the landing next to the reeds?

Chilling poolside after the conference

Can you see the covered sign Pet House? That's where my beloved Mr Rat Rat was purchased from - may he rest in peace! I miss my little guy!

So when I came back from Santa Barbara, AJ came over and I was able to give him gifts from all my travels... including our new gang shirts - Raleigh baby! For those of you that don't know - Raleigh is the City of Oaks - lots of pride in acorns and squirrels lololol

Then, despite the heat, AJ said he wanted pho for dinner. This was a miracle, because he never wants pho and I could eat it pretty much whenever. This was a picture to memorialize his first time wanting pho on his own and not having me drag him to it hahaha

It was (and continues to be) TOO FRICKIN HOT!!! We couldn't hack it at my place so we went to his to go swimming. It was super fun, and Anana is so cute - she hates swimming and won't get in the water (she will stand on the top step only) but she gets so stressed out and worried about people who are in the pool- so she constantly runs around and tries to make sure you're okay - so sweet!

And I saved the best for last, the photo winner for June, for the summer, for 2016, this little gem from the #VictorAppleMerger

**drops the mic**