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Published: August 27th 2012
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Father's Day in Newport
Surprise early arrival! :) (Guilty sigh...) The last you heard from me I was home for spring break, 4 months ago, enjoying a brief stint in the great state of Arizona. Well, as you can imagine, quite a bit has happened since then and I've clearly neglected to keep up with my blogging. I know, I know. Shame on me. I'll do my best to cover everything I've missed in as few words as possible as I demonstrate how to gain 15 pounds in just 2 months.
Well, I passed my finals (!!!) in June, packed up my Belgian life, and headed back to Orange County to surprise my dad for Father's Day a week earlier than they were expecting me. Sneaky, sneaky! I then went to Phoenix, and then the Grand Canyon with Matthew for a joint Birthdaycation. We really had a blast exploring the area and taking it all in. Loved camping at the KOA in Williams, AZ. Those places are the way to go! (cue the beer, BBQ, and roadtrip snacking!)
July 1st I joined my family as we visited my grandfather for his birthday in Templeton. (Birthday cake, wine) I celebrated the 4th of July with a 5K run
Grand Canyon
Double birthday celebration! It was so gorgeous! (Minus calories, good work, Whitney!), took part in finding a dog to adopt with my family (We got fast food on the road, I'm sure!), roadtripped north with Matt to tour wine country and celebrate the upcoming marraige of one of my best friends, Courtney (wine, wine, wine!) I got to show Matt my college town and we visited my friends Liana and Rebecca in Chico (Sierra Nevada Brew Co and Tres Hombres? Calories calories calories!) I got to meet Matt's sweet grandparents in Palo Alto and saw his parents for a short stint while we were there (You know how grandparents feed you. I was full the entire visit!) Matt and I went to John and Courtney's fantastic wedding (Open bar? Buffet? OH MY!) and then visited Morro Bay and Los Osos on our drive back to HB. We loved our stay at the Back Bay Inn (and ate some incredible seafood!) 1,500 miles on my truck and tons of great wine, food, and wedding cake. To wrap up July, I spent a hilarious weekend on a cruise ship with 16 other women for my best friend Natalie's bachelorette party! Ensenada and a day at sea with all you
July 4th HB 5K
Emily, Torey, and I tackled it fearlessly! can eat food?! I'd say my gain was 8 lbs at this point.
August began with a glorious 10 day trip to Napili, Maui. My sisters, parents, brother-in-law, Matt, and myself shared two condos at Napili Point Resort and used our time for snacking in the sun, SUP boarding, snorkeling, driving the road to Hana, and visiting Haleakala. We, of course, ate at our favorite sushi restaurant, Sansei, and the beautiful beachfront seafood heaven of Mama's Fish House. Mai Tai's, BBQ, and plate lunches helped me pack on at least another 5 lbs! We always leave Napili with heavy hearts. It's truly one of my favorite places on Earth! We came home just in time to see my beautofu cousin, Jessica, marry her beau of 6 years, Matt. We stayed in Pismo for a weekend and enjoyed a view of whales spouting in the distant ocean from our balconies. Both the bride and event were flawless and we all loved the beachy atmosphere and family time. A quick trip to Palm Desert and some great sunny days with family in Huntington Beach brought my weight gain to 15 and the love in my heart to maximum capacity. This was,
Our Ruby
We found this little gem in San Diego at "The Barking Lot" rescue. Now, if we could only get her to stop peeing on the carpet!! by far, the most amazing summer I've ever had.
As September creeps closer, I have to wrap up the shananigans and prepare for my 2nd year of gradschool. After spending the past school year in rainy Belgium, I feel more than ready to take on the inevitably soggy days I'm in for in Ireland! I'll be attending the University of Limerick this fall as I learn, teach, and reserach my way closer to a Masters in Adapted Physical Activity. Matt and I (yea, I said it!) will be sharing a 2 bedroom apartment in Castle Troy, Limerick. We are mere blocks from the campus and the residence of my other EMMAPA classmates (who originate from South Africa, The Philippines, Brazil, The Netherlands, Latvia, China, and 2 insiders from Ireland!)
Matt hopes to play or coach for Munster Thunder (the local men's volleyball club) and perhaps try his hand at pouring pints of Guiness at a local pub, if they'll have him. Only time will tell. We both will certainly join a gym to work off all the pleasure-pounds we accumulated this summer. I also intend to run the Dublin Marathon on October 29. What better way to
The Bride-to-be and I
Courtney's bachelorette wine tasting in Bodega Bay! Her and John we wed the following weekend! get fit and cross an item off the bucket list?! I've got two solid months to train and I think that running through Limerick would be a great way to see some sights!
I'm always reluctant to leave HB, but remain accutely aware of how blessed I am to have such a beautiful place to call home and an incredible group of goofs to call family. To Ireland I go! I'll be sure to write you a few Limerick poems along the way.
Slainte,
Whitney
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