She's done it again

This is my cute and talented friend Natalie. She is an awesome photographer- you may remember a post I did about our beautiful engagement photos.

So here's why she is awesome: TCC was taking photos of all the new faculty for a brochure they put out each year, but the photo shoot was scheduled for June, and I was still living in San Diego. The pictures were to be taken in front of "greenery"

Natalie saved me from what might've been a botched photoshop disaster

by coming over and snapping some photos of me behind our townhome. The quality of her photos were even better than those of the TCC photographer!

I'm so lucky to know her.

Oh, and she even caters to difficult people:

Check out some of her other beautiful pictures on her blog:

http://nataliemariephoto.blogspot.com/

...which she promises to update soon!

Love you Nat!

Life at the Lake

Every weekend, my parents (and now, I) drive about 20 minutes out of Tallahassee to the small town of Havana. My parents have a house out there on Lake Tallavana, and it is such a wonderful, relaxing place to be. This is the view from the front yard and my Dad's little boat.

Aside from boating or fishing (I cast my first line today!) there is sleeping in the hammock...

... or playing with this pretty girl. Pretty much any non-stressful activites, and we all need a little of that these days.

Espanish moss:

On Sundays, we go into the town to attend church and have lunch.

It's certainly got that small-town charm, with lots of little antique shops:

I can't wait for Andrew to come out here and fish with us!

Transitioning

Boy, a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. I had to bid farewell to California, my home, and my husband and I set off for an abrupt new life chapter. This picture was taken in the final minutes before my departure:

...packed the car full of clothes and dishes, and kissed Andrew goodbye:

We took our time driving, so we could visit some dear friends in Tucson (of course I forgot to take pics) and so we could linger in Austin, where Toby and Monica reside. Gotta love this shirt:

Toby made a delicious fried catfish dinner, and Monica made this delightful raspberry streudel:


I loved this roadside peach stand we found in Texas:

After witnessing the countryside getting greener and greener (and muggier) we finally crossed into my new home state:


We made it! And without makeup or access to a comb apparently. Gulp.

One of my favorite things about living at my parent's house is this little face:

The first day at my new job was overwhelming to say the least, and when I got home, brimming with emotion, these were waiting for me from my favorite guy. I cried, but that was a given, wasn't it?

I signed the lease to our new place last week, and will start on some house projects this weekend. More pictures to follow!

Last San Diego Post... for now, not forever

My last week in San Diego was a busy one. For my birthday present, Natalie took me to see Wicked downtown. It was amaaaaaaaazing (to get my tone, sing that word in a high note).

Natalie and I made a special guest appearance at downtwon Johnny Brown'a before the show. Miss this girl already!

Then, as our third an final installment in the anniversary series, I got Drew tickets to see the comedian Jim Gaffigan. Our good friends Nate and Mindy came along and we were literally holding our sides to keep them from splitting open! "Does Meat ever ask about me?"

While we were at the show, we spotted Dave Rickers, Andrew's favorite morning radio show host. Dave was super nice and we even chatted a bit about our upcoming move. Drew was starstruck, no doubt about it. So we got a picture of the two of them:

Humphrey's by the Bay was a great outdoor venue

When we got home, silliness involving a wig ensued:

Banjo Bill

Daisy Mae

Church Lady

Unce Rico

Oh so many good times at Nate's. AND he keep Gushers specially on hand for me when I visit... which won't be for awhile now- tear.

I dropped the ball

So I promised my fellow Facebookians that I would do a post with more pictures from our going away gathering. But in the hustle and bustle of saying goodbye to San Diego and my friends and packing up everything I could into my car, I didn't finish uploading the pictures. There are some people I missed including-- like T. Wilson, sorry mate! If the impossible happens and Andrew takes time out of his hectic schedule to find and e-mail the rest of the pictures, then I will add them here.

* * *
Andrew and I decided a night on the San Diego harbor would blend our farewell to the Pacific Ocean as well as the city. So after a quick stop at Uno's we (Matt's girlfriend, Claire, pictured) hopped on a trolley:

We went to Andrew's place of work, the Fish Market, and sat on the deck with our drinks and some amazingly fresh seafood. Raw oysters are a given, here.

Francesco (L) and Richard (R) and I go back at least 7 years. Richard was taking the bar exam only three days after this picture, but he still made it out! Such a good pal...

Some friends from the Master's program who couldn't make the farewell tea (or weren't invited- because they have a Y chromosome). L to R: Shannon, Nicole and Adam. Nicole and Adam are currently moving to my hometown- Tucson :)

To the left of me sits Matt, Andrew's older brother who was on temporary leave from the army due to leg fractures. We were so happy to see him during his break! Then there's Claire, me, Kim with daughter Isabella "Izzie" and her Dad, Josh.

Then we walked down Harbor Drive to the Elephant and Castle Pub. One of the only low-key places in downtown during Comic-Con. L to R: Josh, then some Croc people: Bob, me, Natalie (one of my bridesmaids), Joe and an honorary Croc member, Heather.

Here we have me, Andrew, his awful moustache, our Swedish friend Johan, his wife Tina (from Andrew's hometown) and their Swedish visitor (I've blanked on her name).

One of the best couples- Brian and Sagi Jones.

...and tomfoolery. Here is my friend Joanna who I met the minute I walked into the SDSU dorms 8 years ago. We are still close :)

Well I am going to miss him, too!

A fun night recapping some great times in America's Finest City!
I will miss each and every one of you... tear.