rachel elisabeth

Happy 2011

2011-01-06T12:47:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! This year I'm not making any blogging promises I can't keep but I can assure you this is going to be a fantastic and eventful year.

I had a fabulous Winter break in Florida with the fam, mostly busy with wedding planning for the Heiberg-Sutton wedding but also just hanging out at home getting some R&R.

My first week back in Cali is consisting of some time consuming home makeover projects, mainly replacing the flooring & carpet. Basically I've been trapped in my house for two days while the workers are here so I'm getting a bit of cabin fever and hoping that I can actually get out today and run some much needed errands. Pictures will be posted soon!

A Christmas Treat

2010-12-03T07:54:00.001-08:00

Bedroom Results

2010-11-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

Here are the results of my room makeover....

...and here's a picture from a couple of years ago when I first bought my bed. It's the best "before" photo I have.

Thankful

2010-11-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

And now I bring you the first holiday post!! I can finally blog about my trip to Florida since it's not a secret anymore. Last week I surprise Joanna and flew in for a whirlwind week to celebrate 1) her 24th birthday, 2) she and Ben's engagement party, and 3) Thanksgiving!! Oh yes, and also to see my dear family who came down from North Carolina to visit. We had a great weekend, accomplished a lot of wedding planning, and most of all just enjoyed spending time with one another.

I am so thankful for all the incredible people that make my life so rich (i.e. all of YOU since I'm pretty sure no one else reads my blog). I love you very much.

preston & fairly

our soon-to-be bro

the happy couple

my amazing sisters

Grandmama

the whole fam

bridesmaids (minus Shelby)

An Engagement Party

2010-11-22T21:54:00.001-08:00

There's nothing more that I love than a wedding, so let the festivities begin!! Joanna & Ben have set the date for May 29th and I am so thankful to be here with them to celebrate their engagement.

joanna & ben

finally...a brother!

The Bride and her maids (minus Shelby)

Design Poll

2010-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

So after some prolonged boredom with my room I finally bought this Anthro duvet that I've been in love with for practically a year now I am trying to decide on an accent color(s) for pillows and curtains. I may or may not leave my prayer flags up on that wall, I love them but I have another home they can move to. Ideas...suggestions??

I'm Back!

2010-11-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

After a 6 month hiatus from blogging, I have returned. When I discovered Twitter this summer I fell in love with the ease at which I could quickly share my thoughts on the world wide web and thus, fell away from blogging. I was convicted and inspired by my dear friend Emily who I coerced into starting a blog some time ago and now she is on an impressive blogging spree. If she, a med student, has time to update her blog then I have absolutely no excuse.

To sum up life's happenings in my absence, My summer consisted of a lot of beach volleyball and a lot of traveling. Jon and I took a great road trip up the coast of Cali, visited friends, celebrated Em & Nick's marriage, celebrated Jon's 25th birthday, an mainly just enjoyed the beauty of this grand state. Since back in LA I have played the role of supportive girlfriend and friend during the opening of the very first Chick-fil-a in the city of Los Angeles. The store has had great success and I am so very proud of the hard work these guys have put into it. I started back to work in September and it's been pretty much a whirlwind ever since. I have the #2 ranked football team in the city (Go Colts!) and this year I've had the most fun teaching to date. I have a lot of students who want to pursue sports medicine and I'm enjoying making them all into Mini Me's.

Here are just a few photos to recap:

Enjoying brunch and a cup o' joe in Big Sur

Met up with Kim in San Fran

A very chilly Independence Day in Santa Cruz with The Flemings

Wonderful friend reunion with these beauties to celebrate Nick & Em

Graduation Party in Orlando for Sarah Joy

Chick-fil-a Premiere Night

Team HEAL Pepsi Refresh Challenge

2010-05-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Some of you know what I am doing out here in Los Angeles and some of you probably didn't even know that I am in Los Angeles so here's the scoop....

I moved out here to take a job with a non-profit organization called the Team HEAL Foundation. The founder, Dr. Clarence Shields, and his wife, Barbara, started this organization about 10 years ago to impact the athletes in the inner-city schools of LA. (You can read the bio on the website but this is the "Reader's Digest" version) Currently they provide 4 schools with full-time certified athletic trainers (I am obviously one of them), as well as medical supplies, equipment, a scholarship program, and free annual sports physicals for our students. This costs the school absolutely nothing and is an incredible resource! If you have ever been apart of a high school athletics program then you know how valuable this is.

We need YOU to vote for us throughout the month of June so that we can get $50K from Pepsi towards building our program. You can vote once a day by going to www.refresheverything.com/teamheal and can even connect through Facebook. Please send this to any contacts that you have as we are competing with many worthy causes for this money. And remember...you can vote EVERY DAY!!!!

Double Deuce

2010-05-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sarah Joy!! You are loved. Here's just a couple things I love about my little sister....

1) She is very silly and never concerned about doing something that will make her look ridiculous

2) She loves her friends and family with all her heart

3) She is adventurous

4) She loves Jesus

5) And despite "not hanging out very much over the years", we managed pretty darn good to make up for it. (sorry people, inside joke)

I love you and wish I were there to celebrate with you.

A New Addition

2010-05-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Happy happy news! I am excited to announce that Joanna and Ben got engaged in Paris today. I have been anxiously awaiting the news and finally got the word today. I can't wait to talk to them tomorrow and hear the whole story. Congratulations you two!! It's going to be good to have some more testosterone in the family.

Love you Mom!

2010-05-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

I just want to show some love and appreciation to the amazing and wonderful woman who brought me into this world...Cindy Heiberg. Thanks mom for everything you've done and continue to do. I can only aspire to be as incredible a mother as you some day. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Happy May!

2010-05-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am a terrible blogger. Now that I have gotten hooked on Twitter it is nearly impossible for me to have the patience to sit down and spit out a blog update. Thank God that spring is in full swing and we're over the ridiculous bouts of rain and it is now gorgeous here! It's been fun to spend weekends with friends and enjoy the weather. April was good to me: I celebrated my 26th birthday this month (yikes!), took my first trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo, went to my first beer release, and played kickball for the first time in at least 10 years.

I have 7 weeks of school left and couldn't be more excited for summer! Happy May everyone!!

Bouldering en Fontainebleau

2010-04-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

For all of you American climbers who have been dreaming about going to Font, here is some helpful (hopefully) beta that will help you in your trip planning endeavors.

Transportation

RENT A CAR. Contrary to popular belief, driving in Europe is not so scary. I mean, I drive in LA on a weekly basis so maybe I assume too much for the average American driver. But seriously, you will not be able to get around the forest with public transport so even though you could take the RER train down from Paris to Font, don't. We rented a car from Orly Airport (SE of Paris) and it was only a short drive from there down to Font (I can give very specific directions on which trains to take to get to the airport if you need them). Renting a car is a bit expensive but it's worth it to have the transportation from site to site.

Where to stay

Now I don't have much authority on this topic because we didn't actually stay in Font since we only had a day. However, I have done my fair share of research and it looks like if you are planning a trip the way to go is to stay in a gite, which is basically like a rural apartment. I recommend Maisonbleau for climbers because they have everything you need there including a training wall, the rates are excellent, and the house looks beautiful. I plan to go back at some point and park it there for a while. If you are looking for crash pad rentals you can either get them from the gites or from the Boulder Shop (pictured above).

Navigating

I would recommend buying a map of the forest. The Boulder Shop has some but they are all in French. There are a couple of websites I discovered that sell them online. The forest is just so expansive that it will be helpful to have a detailed map. The guidebook I bought is pretty much the gold standard out there: Fontainebleau Climbs: The Finest Bouldering and Circuits. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of it on Amazon before my trip, but then unlucky enough to leave it in Joanna's apartment in Lyon when we went to Paris. Fortunately I had familiarized myself enough it beforehand to get where I wanted to go. Once again, the Boulder Shop does sell the book but it was in French as well.

I'm not going to repeat everything I've found so here are some extremely helpful links that will answer any other questions that you have.

Bleau.info : bouldering in Fontainebleau

The CragBaby » Blog Archive » TripBeta: Fontainebleau, France

Fontainebleau bouldering in France

Bouldering in Fontainebleau, France

Fontainebleau - descending by favourites

Rural gîtes - Gîtes de France

UKC Articles - Fontainebleau

And just in case you're wondering "Is it worth it?", don't. IT IS SO WORTH IT! One day was such a tease. This place is incredible and magical. You could spend months climbing there and not get bored!

Spring Break Euro Style

2010-04-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've been home for almost two weeks now and still haven't managed to put up a blog, yikes!! That's what happens when you squeeze a big trip in and go back to work the very next day. I'm not going to give you all of the details because my sister has already graciously done that for me so I will just send you over to her blog and post a few pictures. As soon as I can I will post a blog about our day trip to Font (more informational for climbers who are setting their sights on the fantastic boulders of the magical Fontainebleau Forest).

Barcelona

Paris

I made it!

2010-03-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update... I successfully made it to Lyon yesterday to meet Joanna. After a very long flight to Zurich and a quick hop over here I was very happy to see my sister waiting for me when I got off the bus. When we arrived back here we repacked and figured out logistics for our Barca trip. As luck would have it, it was also daylight savings time here so we tried to make sure that we got up at the correct time. We leave in about an hour for the airport to head to Barcelona. Au Revoir!

Spring Break Countdown...

2010-03-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

In 6 days, 10 hours, and a matter of minutes I will be boarding a plane to leave for my spring break trip to Europe. After overcoming a ridiculous number of annoying obstacles I'm so close and I believe this trip is actually going to happen. Even better, I was actually able to purchase my camera prior to the trip...it was a St. Patty's Day miracle (i.e. tax return)!! So in a few short days I will have my Canon EOS Rebel T1i and begin shooting my way through Spain in France. (This is my first legit camera, so please bear with me people...I'm trying to learn) Now I just have to find time to get everything together before I leave and pray for spring to actually arrive in Barcelona. Here's hoping!

The Original Land of Magic

2010-03-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jon and I made our first trip to Disneyland since our move to SoCal. (Special thanks to Grandma for the passes!!) This was actually my first ever visit to Disneyland and though I had my doubts (growing up on Disney World, Orlando) we ended up having such a great time. What I do appreciate about Disneyland, CA is that both parks are right across from each other and Downtown Disney is adjacent to the parks as well. Many of the rides and attractions are exactly the same as Disney World only on a somewhat smaller scale. We did a lot of the classic rides Pirates, Space Mtn, Haunted Mansion, etc...then we ended the night with the Indiana Jones ride which was a new one for both of us (and super exciting as you can tell by the pictures). We're looking forward to going back with friends to play more in California Adventures.

Terrific Tuesday

2010-03-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up at the usual time, went through my usual morning routine (coffee, breakfast, and Good Morning America) and just as I was about to get ready for work when I realized that today is testing day at school and I don't have to be at school until noon! That is the most fantastic feeling ever. Once I realized this, I poured myself another cup of coffee and settled in to watch the rest of GMA. They did a story this morning on how to save on your internet service. I thought about the fact that we pay almost $50/mo for our internet service and after doing some research I found out that if we switch providers we can save about $20/mo. (All this before 9am) Just imagine how productive I could be if I went to work late everyday!

Meet Ernest

2010-02-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Today was a glorious day! I made my very last payment on my dear Element. I've always thought of a car as a "she", but after our two year relationship I have decided that my car is in fact a "he" and should be dubbed a name worthy of his loyalty and persistence. Meet Ernest (or Ernie for short). He has been there for me through many wonderful adventures and endeavors....camping trips, road trips, and CROSS-COUNTRY road trips. He's taken a beating (literally) thanks to an angry motorcyclist's fist and a crazy homeless woman's shopping cart.

Thanks Ernie. I'm ecstatic to be your owner...officially!

Calm After the Storm

2010-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the anxiety started to subside. I was able to change my flight to France at the tune of about $500...a very costly error. I'm trying to be positive and look at the big picture, realizing that I should be thankful that I caught my mistake in time (which I am). Now Joanna and I are trying to plan our trips during my stay. Fortunately we don't have to change our dates for our Paris/Font trip and it looks like our other trip will be to Barcelona.

Last night Jon and I went to see Matt play at the Hotel Cafe for the second time. He is touring with previous Idol contestant, Jason Castro. This is a really great tour, his first with a band, so if you have the opportunity to see him in a city near you I highly recommend it (Although I suppose I am a little biased). Some upcoming cities for the spring include: Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, Birmingham, DC, NYC, Knoxville, etc.

Hating Myself

2010-02-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today I realized that I made a COLOSSAL mistake. Apparently when I did my calendar at the beginning of the school year I wrote down the wrong dates for spring break. So, YES, this means that I booked my trip to France for the 12 days AFTER my students' spring break, and NO, I cannot take a week and a half off of work after spring break. This is a very large problem. I am praying that I can figure this out and make it work. I feel like the biggest idiot in the entire world right now. Nauseous...frustrated...angry...very bad.

Love & Climbing

2010-02-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jon and I got away to the beautiful Santa Barbara to Celebrate Valentine's Day. This is our second year in a row (hopefully many more to come) that we spent V Day Weekend climbing. Here's a short recap of our fabulous (and full) weekend:

Saturday-

Starting the day off with Chick-Fil-A breakfast. This is a pretty rare treat for us (as there are only 33 stores in the entire state of CA) so we were really excited.

Stopped at Patagonia HQ in Ventura for the winter clearance sale. We both walked away with some great bargains.

This was our first time at The Brickyard, the prime SB bouldering location. As you can see, the view is breathtaking. The weather was perfect and we got a few hours of climbing in before we set out to find our campsite. I'm so sorry that I didn't get any photos of the drive, it was absolutely incredible...ocean on one side and the valley on the other. We went in search of some hot springs Jon researched and after driving on a windy forest back road for over an hour we found out the road was blocked off. After lots of driving and brainstorming we found a campground at Cachuma Lake. This ended up being more perfect than planned and I'm sure we will probably go back and camp here again.

Sunday-

The next morning we woke up early and drove into the nearby town of Santa Ynez.

This was a fantastic and spontaneous treat. In our desperate search for coffee prior to our day of climbing, we stumbled upon this little town with old western store fronts, a local diner with a shrine to John Wayne, and even a saloon holding a church service.

We climbed all morning until the temperatures got steamy and we decided to head down to the beach. (Seriously, I am in love with this place.) We finished off the day with a wine tasting and a stroll down State Street. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Valentine's Day!

Escalade en France

2010-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Today I bought a guidebook for Fontainebleau: the European bouldering Mecca and one of my many destinations for my trip in April. These famous boulders are tucked in the beautiful Fontainebleau National Forest, just south of Paris. I could not be more excited right now!

I'm Back!

2010-02-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I have taken a very length blogging hiatus but here's hoping I can stick to posting regularly for a while. Here is a quick recap of events since my last post:

Brief, yet fantastic visit from my dear Canadian friend Rachelle...

...flew to Gainesville for Christmas with the fam...

...week in Asheville, NC to visit family and ring in 2010...

...back to LA for a busy winter sports season and to finish out the fall semester.

Right now I'm incredibly busy at work with all the winter sports plus trying to get my students through finals and get grades in. We're also prepping for one of our annual Team HEAL fundraisers with the LA Marathon. In more exciting news I am also getting ready to go to France for two weeks in April to visit Joanna...working weekends at USC to save extra money to travel and learning French. That's pretty much the whirlwind of my life right now. I am looking forward to getting outside to do some climbing next weekend. I think Jon has a plan up his sleeve. Stay tuned and happy weekend!!

Santaland and more...

2009-12-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

I had a very Merry New York Christmas this past weekend! I stayed with my adopted sis and dear friend, Audrey, in her cute little Greenwich Village bungalow. I also had the amazing pleasure of visiting a bunch of college friends that have settled in Brooklyn. I officially feel like it's Christmas now: Rockefeller Center tree, carols, playing with beautiful babies, Santaland, and even a bit of snow. This is just a peek.

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-01T23:07:00.000-08:00

Today Veronica and I went to pick out our Christmas tree. This is her very first one so we documented the occasion. Today definitely put me in the Christmas spirit with the decorating of the tree and to top it off, a Christmas concert in the OC featuring our friends Mike and Jeff of Tenth Avenue North. I love December. Now it smells of lovely Douglas Fir in our condo!

Giving Thanks....

2009-11-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

For wonderful friends, new and old, that I was blessed enough to spend Thanksgiving with.

The Blind Side

2009-11-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

So, surprise, surprise...I'm a sucker for inspirational sports movies. And this particular one is so much more than that! My roomie and I went on a date last night to see this and we both loved it. What made it even more, shall we say...interesting...was the fact that we were literally the only two in the movie theater. Apparently Monday isn't a big movie-going night. Anyway, I highly recommend adding this to your holiday "go see" film list (if you have one, and if you don't you should start one), especially if you are from the South and you love football.

Sisterly Love

2009-11-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Joanna Louise! Welcome to 23. Not a very exciting year, but hey...you can still say you're in your early 20's. Lucky. I love you, sis, and I miss your gorgeous face.

Grandmama

2009-11-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

Today my Grandmama turns 88! She is such a role model and inspiration to me. I am so blessed to have her in my life. Happy Birthday Grandmama.

The One with Thanksgiving

2009-11-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

I know I've been very absent as of late. Work has been crazy... Football season continues as we go into playoff season ranked #2 in the city. All roads lead to the city championship at the Coliseum.

I'm so excited about Thanksgiving next week! We have a fantastic day planned with lots of friends. I'm imagining this to be something like FRIENDS, my favorite sitcom of all time. I'm going to begin baking on Monday and then I will be joining the girls on Thursday for a fun day of cooking, football and hanging out with friends. I'll be sure to put up lots of pictures from our festive event. Also in the plans is some Black Friday madness, followed by a weekend trip to Phoenix. Stay tuned!

Goodbye October

2009-11-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

This month has been a very busy one (and still busy because I've been working on this stupid blog post for 3 days now), but also full of lots of fun! This weekend we watched the Florida/Georgia game with much excitement and then went to a Halloween party hosted by Casey and her roommates. I can officially say that this is the geekiest costume I've ever come up with, but I was pretty proud that I pulled it off in 24 hours. Jon and I dressed up as members of the Dharma Initiative from one of our favorite TV shows, LOST. (If you are a follower hopefully you will appreciate it, if not you will just think that I dressed up as a janior) Fortunately for me, there are scifi nuts out there much nerdier than myself who spent painstaking time creating food and drink labels to disguise your party food as Dharma issued rations. I discovered all of this literally on Friday night and printed off some labels to put on the beer we brought to the party. It was a big hit. And who knows, maybe it will make a reappearance for the Season 6 Premiere.

And here's our friend Adam in his very elaborate Rubik's cube costume that took him all day to make. But SO worth it!

Sunday farmer's market in Glendale. We stumbled upon a vendor called Big Mistah's BBQ. Jon was nearly drooling and got his wish for a delicious pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. The greens were also very excellent.

Here's a review of our busy month and all the pictures and blog posts that I didn't have time to write.

Oktoberfest with my darling roommate

Matt Hires @ The Mint

Me & our friend Vince, Matt's new tour manager

Get On Your Boots

2009-10-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Last night can be cataloged as the most incredible audiovisual experience of my life. Seeing U2 in concert has been on my wish list for some time now and I can say with great enthusiasm that it definitely exceeded my expectations! The Black Eyed Peas also opened with an incredible performance and a surprise appearance by Slash playing Sweet Child of Mine.

All of this was streamed live on YouTube last night plus the entire concert was filmed to make the U2 360 Tour DVD. I'm already holding my breath until it comes out.

Taking the train to Pasadena

THE Rose Bowl (Maybe we'll be here again come January....)

Stay tuned for next weekends Halloween extravaganza. It's going to be good!

Fall Farm Fun

2009-10-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jonathan and I drove up to NorCal this weekend to visit the Dell'Osso Family Farm. The Dell'Ossos are family friends of ours and they open up the farm to the public every October. I was excited to be able to get up there this year. We rode the rides, picked pumpkins, solved the corn mazes, and helped out a bit on Saturday. It was great fall fun!

picking pumpkins

scarecrow contest

tractor ride

the lovely Annette Dell'Osso in the Country Store

corn maze

above the maze

What's your story?

2009-10-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Some of you know, I have been a supporter of an incredible organization called ROSA LOVES. Today I want to take the opportunity to do a little promo for them and their new fall line. Here's the short gist... each shirt that ROSA LOVES designs tells a story, a story about someone in need. The proceeds of each shirt goes to meet that person's need. Once the need is met the shirt is discontinued. Other shirts are designed to promote the organization and keep them running. The newest shirt in my collection will is this one: "Eric's Notes". It tells the story of an Indonesian fisherman named Made in the words of my quasi-cousin/dear friend, Eric Hires. Thanks to Eric and ROSA LOVES, Made now has a new fishing boat so that he can provide for his family

Check out the website to get the full rundown. These shirts make GREAT gifts. One Christmas I bought one for each of my sisters and printed out the whole story behind each one. Here's some pictures of other new shirts.

(Photo Credit: ROSA LOVES)

My FL Trip and playing catch up

2009-09-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy since I returned from my trip. Fall is wonderful but gives no rest for the weary. Here's the recap...

I had a wonderful time in Orlando last weekend. I stayed with my boy's football team at Disney's All Star Resort. Fortunately my amazing family all came down from Gainesville (and over from Oviedo) to visit me. Our game wasn't pretty, we lost to Osceola HS 13-32, but fortunately no major injuries which left me free to play. I spent all day Saturday hanging out at my wonderful Auntie's house with the parents and my extended family. Saturday night I went to watch the UF/UK game downtown with some of my grad school classmates and a bar full of other alumni. This is when I discovered something that the West Coast has been sheltering me from... the Firefly. This glorious spirit is distilled in South Carolina and is SWEET TEA FLAVORED!

Sunday I had the privilege of visiting my friends from the church that I worked at in college, Christ Fellowship. There is a large group that has transplanted to the West Orange area. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend for me to see friends and family.

I have my plate full with football and teaching. Our by week is next weekend so I have a little trip planned. Stay tuned!

Hidden Treasures

2009-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today Jonathan and I stumbled upon a great little antique shop in Pasadena. We went crazy when we found the book section...Chaucer, Milton, Dickens, Stoker, Dumas, Twain...so many great old books. I finally decided on a 1930 copyright edition of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and the Sherlock Holmes Series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am so excited to have these classics to add to my collection!

Sky ablaze

2009-09-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

Homecoming...sorta

2009-09-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

I will be home in my lovely home state in just two short weeks from today! Mark your calendars for Sept. 25 and if you live in the Orlando area follow the Friday night lights over to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex to see my boys in action against the Osceola High Kowboys (Is the K really necessary??) at 7pm. We will be in town from Wednesday night until Sunday afternoon. See you soon!

(Photo Credit: The Daily Breeze)

Labor Day Weekend: The Santa Barbara Backcountry Adventure

2009-09-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! After a dynamite day of college football (literally 8 hours at the ESPN Zone) on Saturday Jon and I packed up and left the smog and the smoke of LA and drove up to Santa Barbara. We had originally planned a big camping trip with a lot of people, but when everyone backed out on Saturday I was still determined to go. With the madness of the holiday weekend we were not able to reserve a campsite so our only choice was to find one unoccupied (easier said than done). We followed my trusty SB Bouldering Guide and found some great climbing spots in the Los Padres National Forest overlooking the ocean and the Channel Islands. We did a little climbing but by the time we got the lay of the land it was already getting pretty hot. This location will be prime once it starts to cool down a little more. After some exploring we went into town for some lunch and to talk to some locals about where to camp. We went to one of the local outdoor sports stores and got some advice, bought a map and headed out to see what we could find.

After driving for over an hour through the Santa Ynez valley on a road that only got narrower and curvier, we finally came upon our first campsite miles from civilization. It was empty and good as home-sweet-home. Fortunately, we made it back alive!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-09-04T08:57:00.001-07:00

Here's to my fabulous father on his birthday... I wish I could be there to celebrate. I love you and miss you very much!

California's Burning

2009-08-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Our 5th Annual Team HEAL Fundraiser "Afternoon of Jazz" was held this weekend at the Wilshire Country Club. It was extremely successful this year and I am looking forward to a great second year with the foundation. This is my last week of freedom before school starts so I'm trying to get a lot of stuff done this week and prep for the first day.

In other news, we're going up in smoke this weekend. We have raging wildfires in the foothills which is forming an ominous cloud over the city and the occasional raining of ash. Many houses have burned and many more are in danger. Please pray for the families and firefighters this affecting.

(Photo Credit: L.A. Times)

18 Refs and Counting

2009-08-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the high school football season OFFICIALLY today with a scrimmage and 20 referees. I found out after they all filed in that they were doing a re-certification session but I just thought it was pretty hilarious

SB stole my heart

2009-08-24T09:12:00.001-07:00

It's official, I am ready to pack my bags and move two hours north to the beautiful city of Santa Barbara.

My dear friend since... well... birth, Val Jackson, came to visit me this weekend on her way to meet up with her husband in San Francisco. Veronica and I decided to plan a day trip to Santa Barbara for the three of us. On our way up the 101 we encountered the most bizarre SoCal anomaly...RAIN. Let me just clarify for all of you east coasters, it just doesn't rain in California in the summer. It's completely unheard of! So imagine my surprise when this strange wet stuff starts falling from the sky on the day we decide to drive up. This was by no means a downpour, just an hour or so of sprinkling mist, so it didn't ruin our day.

Upon arrival we first hit historic downtown SB and stumbled upon a fabulous farmers market where we purchased some fresh local produce before they shut down for the day. We meandered to State Street where we were directed to the best fish tacos in town at Wahoo's. We had no specific agenda and so we wandered around State for a while and when we spotted a tattoo shop Val decided to get her nose re-pierced. I was so impressed with the cleanliness and professionalism of the place that should I ever decide to get a tattoo or another piercing I would definitely drive up here to do it.

Next we walked over to the Santa Barbara Winery Tasting Room where we tasted 6 wines for a grand total of $5 and got to keep the glass. Our experience there was good, but by no means great. The tasting room was very busy and none of us were really wowed by the wine. The next tasting we went to was just down the street at Kunin Wines and Westerly Wines Tasting Room. We had an excellent experience here, all together tried 15 different wines and met the owner, Seth Kunin. Interestingly enough he is a UCLA alum that started out pre-med/kinesiology. He was deterred from the physician track and got a job at the Westerly Winery with his chemistry background. He then proceeded to move up in the industry and started his own winery. I thought it was a very interesting story

We just walked around town for the rest of the day, introduced Val to Yogurtland, talked to some local climbers. All in all it was an amazing day, even with the rain. I'm planning to come back very soon and do some climbing. I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

More pictures to come...these are just the ones from my iPhone.

Californiversary

2009-08-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 8, 2009, officially marked my one year anniversary as a California resident! I can't believe it has flown by so quickly. This week I had a lot of things to celebrate with...

My high school friend, Jenny, was in town this week with competing in the AVP Qualifier in Hermosa Beach. The qualifier was single elimination and they lost pretty quickly but I enjoyed a whole afternoon of great volleyball and incredible California beach weather! Here's some shots of their match.

More visitors...

My dear friend, Amy Fretto, and her friend Kasi also came to visit me on their great cross country road trip. They are driving to Oregon tomorrow to work on an organic farm called Summer Jo's. Check out their blog to read about our adventures in LA and their exciting trip. I showed them some of my favorite spots here and we also discovered something new: a little Hollywood hideaway called Cafe Audrey. We were looking for a place to listen to some free live music and stumbled upon this coffee shop completely dedicated to Audrey Hepburn. My Audrey would totally flip walking in this place and I mostly took these pictures for her because she is so in love with her namesake. The cafe itself was great, the music was...well...interesting. Let's just say we stayed entertained, shall we?

To start the day right yesterday and to send the girls on their way we celebrated with a big breakfast of pancakes with fresh raspberries, coffee, and of course...Gilmore Girls. :)

Who's With Me?

2009-08-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

As of tomorrow we will be only 4 short weeks away from kicking off another dynamite Florida football season and I am totally stoked! I have a lot of lofty expectations for this season and can't wait to join our alumni friends in SoCal to celebrate. I know it's not the same as watching the game from the swamp, but we will rock Tony P's just the same!

(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)

Weekend Highlights

2009-08-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Let me review the weekend's events for you...

New roommate. Very sad to say goodbye to Casey but she just landed a full-time job with Rubicon up near Santa Monica and is living up there. Congrats Casey!! Everyone, meet Veronica. She is a local whom I was fortunate enough to find to live with me. We're off to a great start already.

LAX. Saturday I spent the entire day working a lacrosse tournament in El Segundo. At the beginning I was dreading the impending long hours of boredom, but I actually had a great time. The weather was perfect, 75 and sunny with a nice breeze. I had enough minor injuries to keep me occupied, but nothing major. And for high school teams the play wasn't too bad.

Reality L.A. On Sunday we went with Adam and Sherry to try out a new church in Hollywood. The church we've been going to is great, but it is definitely a seeker's church and we have not felt very challenged. I enjoyed the service and really liked the strong sense of community here. The pastor was very knowledgeable about the Bible I would like to go back again.

6 Man. This is a crazy beach volleyball tournament held in Manhattan Beach every year. After hearing several recommendations to check this out we packed up and headed to the beach after church. Every team dresses up in costumes or according to a different theme depending on their sponsor. There were teams of Trekies, Rockstars, Gigilos, Grecians, superheros, and so many more. We watched four intense matches, including the men's and women's open finals. It was so much fun!

Trekies lose to the Rockstar team

Men's Open Finals

Random man with some serious sideburns and some sweet pink corduroy shorts!

Peanuts Anyone?

2009-07-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been having very interesting experiences on planes and just feel the need to share this one. On my flight from Orlando to Los Angeles on Monday I was sitting in the back of the plane. I was so exhausted from my busy, fun filled weekend with my family and took a nap for the first hour or so. I was interrupted from my slumber by some commotion that was going on a few rows in front of me. I heard crying and arguing and saw a very frustrated flight attendant book it down the aisle. After talking to the woman sitting next to me I gathered that one of the passengers, a young girl was very upset that the airline would only be serving peanuts as a free snack because she had a very bad peanut allergy. I just kind of laughed at her for being so ridiculous (and not bringing her own snacks) and shrugged it off. About ten minutes later I finally see this girl making her way down the aisle, still upset and crying, going to each row and asking everyone to not eat the peanuts because the airline didn't care that she had an allergy. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Whatever, I didn't want peanuts anyway. So then when the flight attendants began the beverage and snack service Delta Airlines always offers you complimentary peanuts or their popular Biscoff cookies. I always go for the cookies so when the woman asked me what I would like I responded that I would like the cookies and she gave me a very strange look and said "They have been in the same container with the peanuts". I replied that that was fine and she gave me a very wide eyed "Are you SURE?". I wasn't sure if she was trying to get me to boycott eating any of the snacks so I was just like, "Uhh, it's not really a big deal. I don't need to eat anything." Then she gave the lady next to me cookies. Turns out she thought I was the crazy peanut allergy girl (whom I looked nothing like). When she realized her mistake she gave me the cookies and the lady sitting next to me and I had a good laugh.

Take Us To The Start

2009-07-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Matt just released his new album yesterday and it is fantastic! Buy it on iTunes.

Florida

2009-07-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm jumping on a plane to go see my family in Gainesville. It's been about six months since I've been home so I'm super excited some very sticky Florida summer days with them! See you soon...

The Great Tahoe Disaster

2009-07-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ever since my first trip with mom and dad last summer, I have been dying to go back to Tahoe again to enjoy it's beautiful scenery, freezing water, and especially incredible climbing. I planned a weekend trip immediately after NBC with my pal, Alisa. We set out on Friday afternoon from Napa and slowly meandered our way to Sacramento and then to South Lake Tahoe.

We camped at Emerald Bay State Park the first night but were only able to reserve a site for one night so in the morning we packed up our gear and drove up the road to Inspiration Point (an overlook of Emerald Bay) and it's campground across the street, Bayview Campground. We decided to go on a short hike to Cascade Falls and then return to try and snag a spot at the campground since there were a lot of campers packing up and leaving that morning. The hike was incredibly beautiful! We took a narrow, rocky trail to several creeks that merged into the falls. We played in the water and then turned around to find the trail again. This proved to be harder than we anticipated. After searching for a good 15 minutes we finally found our trail and make the quick trek back to our car.

We pulled the CRV into an empty campsite, only to find that everything except for the contents of the very back of the car was gone (both of our purses and backpacks). We were a little mystified because there was no sign of break in and we knew we had locked all of the doors. Among the missing contents was: all of my climbing gear (goodbye climbing), all of Alisa's clothes (except the ones she had on), 2 iPods, about $150 in cash, credit cards, and other miscellaneous valuables we had in our bags. Fortunately I had brought my phone and camera with me on the hike, my brand new MacBook was buried under our bedding in the back, AND Alisa was smart and stashed away some cash in the glove compartment. Our camp host, Keri, was very helpful and called the sheriff for us. We filed the report with three very nice sheriff deputies and were able to even get a suspect from a surveillance camera in a Safeway where "Blondie" used Alisa's credit card. We haven't heard any updates yet about our case.

Trying to make the best of our day, we waited for our friends Katie and Ashlee to join us. The rest of the day consisted of trying to lift our spirits by kayaking and playing on the lake. We went to the grocery store and bought some dinner to make our dinner over the campfire. Somehow in the middle of the food prep, there was a miscommunication between me and Alisa and the car key got locked inside the car. (Seriously...how does this happen??!?!) Thanks to her amazing dad, he contacted a tow company in South Lake and gave them his credit card number (since we were practically broke) so he could break us into the car. He was super cool and even humored us by eating one of our steak skewers.

After this we were ready for this day to be over so we crashed, slept in this morning and headed back to Sacramento so that I can fly out tonight. I was a little nervous about getting through security but it ended up being no problem.

NBC PUC 2009

2009-07-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

If you want to hear in detail about how NBC went you can check out the blog, but here are a few pics...

This was Michaela's first year at camp. She also came to know Christ this year!

Teal has been an NBCer for 7 years. She is a bkb stud and is also interested in sports medicine.

The Mills sisters: MacKenzie, Jaimie, and Erin. I love these girls!!

Our stellar staff :)

NBC Time

2009-07-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Another week at camp for me! Check out our blog for NBC Camp at Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA. Lots of pictures to come...

www.nbcpuc.blogspot.com

MJ Mania

2009-07-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a glimpse of a Michael Jackson Memorial (littered with bad impersonators) set up in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater the other night. I didn't even venture north today with the estimated 750,000 people (and only 17,000 tickets) that were going to show up downtown at the Staples Center today. No thanks.

Holiday Recap

2009-07-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. Ours was fantastic consisting of a beach day and BBQ.

Sunday we went to an incredible show at the Hollywood Bowl. We saw Death Cab For Cutie with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Tegan and Sarah, and The New Pornographers. This is, hands down, my new favorite venue. You can bring in all of your own food and drinks and the view is fantastic! We got there early and brought a picnic and listened to some great music. What more can you ask for?

Then on Monday we celebrated birthdays of Jon and Audrey. A year older and...hopefully wiser! Audrey, I miss you, love you and can't wait to celebrate with you in person in a couple weeks. Jonathan, thanks for putting up with my lousy blogging and you are truly God's blessing to me. I love you so much!

JULY is here!

2009-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a few things to look forward to this month. Stay tuned.

The 4th of July...

Death Cab for Cutie @ The Hollywood Bowl...

Birthdays...

Napa Valley...

Coming home...

The Counting Crows @ The Greek Theatre...

The Fray @ Chula Vista...

AND Matt's new album release on July 28... Take Me To The Start ...click to listen or pre-order

The Joy of Summer

2009-06-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

While my family members are melting away in Florida (really sorry about that by the way), I am enjoying the incredible SoCal summer weather. Yesterday we drove south to La Jolla, CA, just north of San Diego. The town reminded me a little of Palm Beach except there is terrain. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I've seen. The coast is an incredible, artistic blend of rocky coves and white sand. No wonder we saw three weddings going on in the same afternoon! I was inspired to go there to find this particular stone wall called 'People's Wall' that is frequented by local climbers who traverse it while soaking up the sun and the incredible scenery. The wall was very cool, but not the only highlight of the day. We parked it on the beach and had a picnic and then met up with some friends of mine from high school who now live in San Diego. Watching the sea lions come to shore that evening was quite entertaining as well...who needs the zoo?

100 yards of traversing

there's nothing like climbing oceanside

Billy & Amanda Latsko...hanging out with us for the afternoon

NBC Hope International University

2009-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are unaware, this is my third summer (and 9th camp) working a series of incredible camps known as NBC Camps. Formerly known as Northwest Basketball Camps, they have now spread to not only all over the US, but into Canada, the UK, Italy and encompass not only the b-ballahs but volleyball, soccer, and football as well. The reason this is no ordinary sports camp is that we provide our campers with a rigorous week of athletic skill teaching and competition, AND we also give them valuable life skills training. Through this camp I have met some amazing people and established great friendships. This week I am in the nearby community of Fullerton, CA at Hope International University. It is a small camp of just under 70 boys and girls from ages 9-18.

This year's theme for NBC is Unshakeable, and each night we have a subtopic that we go into depth about. Last night was Unshakable Confidence, tonight Courage, tomorrow Commitment, and Wednesday night will be Faith. I have the great honor of speaking about Unshakeable Courage tonight and talking to our campers about an NBC tradition called an "Honor Card".

It reads: "From this day forth I commit to pursuing excellence in all areas of my life. I will avoid any influences that prevent me from being my best including illegal alcohol use, drug use, tobacco use, and promiscuous sexual activity. I promise to choose what is best and not what is always easiest. I choose to diligently work to become brave, kind, self-disciplined and grateful".

We urge them to take this very seriously and only sign the card when they are ready to make this decision. Every night at NBC is important, but please pray that tonight that I will be able to reach these kids through all of their walls. I am feeling physically less than stellar (virtually no sleep, allergies, and germy kids combined do not equal the picture of optimum health) so I really want to improve so that I'm on my A Game tonight.

You might be asking yourself, "Is that really the job description for the athletic trainer at a sports camp?" The answer is no, not exactly. But NBC is something I really believe in and try to support and uphold because I know it changes kids lives. So I wear a lot of hats here from ATC, to errand girl, to camp store, photographer, to discussion leader. This week we are a little short staffed so we are all trying to work synnergistically. If you would like to see more about our camp this week, you can check out the camp blog!

Here's some pictures from previous camps:

Pacific Union College (Napa Valley, CA)
2007

Simpson University (Redding, CA)
2008
INTENSITY NIGHT

The Home Stretch

2009-06-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Finals are OVER! This is a poster/card that my 6th period class gave me yesterday. I was a little surprised considering most of the class drove me crazy for the semester. Thankfully, this is the LAST WEEK of school! Whew!

In other news, I found out some shocking news that a fellow climber and Gainesville native, Chris Hale (age 23), fell from a cliff in Yosemite Valley this past weekend. He was working in the park for the summer and his body was found on Monday after he was reported missing. Please keep his friends and family in prayer. He was a great guy and an incredible climber and will be greatly missed.

Stay tuned for some excitement this summer. It looks like my vacation is going to be postponed a few days. I will be working NBC Camp next week which I will explain in more detail very soon.

Eleven more days!

2009-06-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Although most of you are already well into your summer, thanks to the great state of California, my students are still in school and, therefore, so am I. I am counting down the days until that glorious last day of school when I can then, too, enjoy summer.

I have not written a good update in a while and I will tell you why...right now on my plate is: grading, writing a final exam, taking a rigorous teaching class two nights a week (plus some Saturdays), doing my reading/homework for that, helping with Team HEAL physicals, hosting (and now leading apparently) my small group, taking care of a homeless dog, and now finding myself roommateless for the next three weeks. Whew! I feel like I forgot something. Oh yeah, and trying to get some time to work out, climb, and de-stress in between.

As I'm coming to a close on my first semester of teaching I would just like to thank every high school teacher I had for continuing to come to school each day and not giving up. Who knew this would be such a discouraging occupation!? I don't even blame my senior English teacher for having a nervous breakdown and disappearing from school now! I realize that there is somewhat of a difference between the students that I teach and teens from NW Gainesville, but I with each demographic comes different challenges. I have learned a lot from this very intense experience and surprisingly enough I am signing my contract to teach again next year. I'm making a few adjustments to make it easier on myself; however, I will be actually working more hours and getting paid for less. Ha, interesting how that works.

Like I said before, I am looking for a roommate that might be able to move in anytime this summer. Casey has been an incredible roommate to me, but alas she is leaving me to move closer to her new job up near Santa Monica. (For those of you not familiar with LA, this saves a good hour and a half at least of maddening traffic on the dreaded 405 freeway) I cannot blame her, but I am very sad to be losing such a great roomie.

In leui of completing my first semester of teaching, I am going to take a much needed vacation at the end of June. The location is still up in the air, but I am open to any suggestions.

Acura Bike Tour 2009

2009-05-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

After a successful trek

This Memorial Day I rode 22 miles through LA with my friend/coworker, Vicki. It was a pretty easy course but we had a lot of fun and I would love to do it again next year. Thanks to everyone who made a donation to Team HEAL on my behalf.

Only two weeks left!

2009-05-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already May. This spring has flown by! If anyone is still interested in sponsoring me (even just $5 or $10) for the LA Marathon Bike Tour, you can still donate money at our website: www.teamheal.org via PayPal or you can send them a check. And speaking of bikes...Thursday is National Ride-Your-Bike-To-Work Day. So I am going green with all of my coworkers tomorrow and riding my bike to work.

Here's a few pictures from the past month or so. I've been very slow with this lately because I've been taking on so much.

My Birthday Dinner @ Duke's Malibu

Our New Roommate, Zoe

Trip to San Fran with my two amazing friends/coworkers

Vicki, Seanta, & Me
On our way to see Wicked

Joshua Tree

2009-04-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Jon and I spent Easter in Joshua Tree National Park with our friends, Eric and Winston. It was a glorious weekend of camping and climbing...enjoying God's beautiful creation. If this is a spot you've never been to, I recommend it as a must see!

The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.

Playing Catch Up

2009-03-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a moment to catch my breath, as promised, I have much to update:

Last week Sarah Joy came to visit me over her spring break and although we did not have as much sunshine as usual to offer I tried to make up for it in other ways. Once she recovered from her very early morning flight and time change we planned a day trip to Malibu for some hiking, climbing, exploring, and all around good times. Adventure numero uno was fitting seven people (including some not so small guys) in my Element. This would have never happened with the Accord.

Once we reached our destination we trekked back to the lovely Rock Pool and took our time climbing boulders, making friends, ard taking in the scenery.

We had the most random day with one of our friends falling into the icy creek...to jugglers...to a celeb sighting (Jared Leto)...and it was finished off with our favorite Malibu restaraunt at sunset. Mmmm...blissful. The rest of week was filled with all kinds of fun L.A. activities.

So sad to see her go, but we had a great time!

In other news...Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, spoke at our church last night and brought down the house with a killer message of humility and salvation. He shocked us all by opening up with the band, rocking out on the bass to 'Sweet Home Alabama' (with an Arkansas twist). It was amazing!

Here's some more pictures from our fun SoCal activities this week:

Biking to Seal Beach

Chasing the sunset

Point Dume, Malibu

LA Marathon

2009-03-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

I know I've been silent for a couple weeks but I have a lot to blog about. It's been very busy and hectic lately. One of my latest updates is about how you can partner with me to support Team HEAL. The LA Marathon is one of our yearly fundraisers for Team HEAL, but not traditionally one of our biggest ones so this year there are more incentives. I will be riding in the Acura Bike Tour event the day of the marathon. The event is taking place Memorial Day, May 25. You can chose to sponsor me and help support this amazing organization. For more information check out our website www.teamheal.org or email me at rachel@teamheal.org.

Is it summer yet?

2009-02-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks many times over to all of you who have been praying for me and my class the past few weeks. I am happy to report that one of my classes is almost TOO full and the other one we have basically just enough students to be able to keep it. This has been a very stressful few weeks for me and it doesn't look like it will be letting up anytime soon. But I am very thankful for everything God is doing and how he answers prayer.

Mom and Dad just headed back to FL yesterday morning, but they had a great visit and I was able to show them the many highlights and lowlights of Los Angeles. Here's a few more pictures:

PBA West Crew...plus Sherry

Ben & Mom

Eagle Rock in Topanga Cyn

Hollywood & Highland...just hours before the Oscars

LA Crew

Gainesville Crew

Malaga Cove

Getting Warmer...

2009-02-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

I HAVE ONE FULL CLASS!! My 6th period class has about 20 students and is still filling up as of today. 5th period still has a ways to go with only ten. Tomorrow I'm going to try and solicit some students and teachers to get more in that class. Thanks for all of your prayers, they are definitely being heard!

The Count

2009-02-17T22:59:00.000-08:00

Just an update for all of you who are praying for my classes at Carson... I now have 10 students in my 5th period class and 16 in 6th period. Class itself is going well, my students are really enthusiastic about the material and I don't even have textbooks yet!

I'm hoping and praying for about 24 students in each. This is the last week to get enrollment up. Keep praying!!

Also, here's a couple of pictures from this weekend with mom and dad. More to come!

Griffith Observatory

Mt. Baldy

Carson Update

2009-02-12T12:12:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all of you who are praying for my class situation. I was informed by the Assistant Principal of Counseling yesterday that changes will be going on the rest of this week and next week. I've had a lot of interest among the students, but no mass changes are being made yet so I won't know anything for sure until next week. Keep praying for more students!!!

Crazy criminals

2009-02-10T22:31:00.001-08:00

Another police chase in LA! What is the deal?

First Day of School

2009-02-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day of teaching. I'm very excited about this program; however, my enrollment for the class is really low. If I don't have full classes by the end of this week, they will close them. I've been working SO hard to get this program started and I will be so devastated if they shut it down before it even starts. I know for sure they several students registered for the class today, but I still don't think we're where we need to be. Please pray for more students!!!

Smogless Wonder

2009-02-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

The beautiful view of the Observatory and downtown LA from Griffith Park

(and the back of Pete's head)

Anti-Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-01T21:10:00.001-08:00

With the Superbowl airing at 3pm Pacific time, I couldn't bear to waste my only day off on the lousy celebration when it was so gorgeous outside. Fortunately, my friends agreed with me. Here's just a few pictures I got on my phone from today's hike in Topanga Canyon, located in the Santa Monica Mountains. We arrived with just enough daylight for a beautiful five mile hike.

The lovely view through the canyon to the Pacific

Home-sweet-cave
(just in case we got stuck there after dark)

a brief rendezvous

2009-01-24T23:00:00.000-08:00

Look who I found wandering around LAX!!

SoCal Adventures

2009-01-19T10:04:00.001-08:00

This weekend was packed full of new exciting LA activities. One of my good friends from PBA, Chad Twiggs, just moved to Orange County about a week ago and came to hang out in the city with us for the weekend. He's been a little on the fence about committing to the LA move so we had to make sure and persuade him.

On Saturday night we went to the Griffith Observatory. Built overlooking our lovely city in 1935, it is one of the world leaders in astronomy. Our friend, Ben, frequently visits the observatory so he gave us a great tour. This is a must see if you ever come visit, it is absolutely fascinating.

On Sunday we took the beautiful scenic drive up PCH to the beautiful place that everyone pictures when they think of Southern California...Malibu. This lovely little paradise sits just far enough out of the city to have a vacation from the smog. Our destination was not typical for most who visit this lovely place. We drove to Pepperdine University and then left the ocean for Malibu Creek State Park.

Malibu Creek State Park

After Chad's first boulder problem

Apparently Chad thought we had something else in mind because he wore his Prada loafers. (He doesn't know that when you come on a day trip with a Heiberg you have to be prepared for everything! Right Kevin??) When we arrived at the park, we only had about a mile to walk so Chad and I took turns wearing my sandals (as my punishment for not forewarning him). Malibu is not only the home of beautiful beaches but also of some amazing volcanic rock. Jon and I gave Chad a crash course in bouldering...Jon moreso than me because he actually fell and sprained his ankle, adding a little "twist" to our adventure. Unfortunately I didn't bring my med kit on the hike so we helped him hobble to the creek and he sat on a rock with his ankle in the icy water while Chad and I explored this amazing place. Fortunately we were only a few minutes from the visitor's center so I was able to walk ahead and get us a lift to the parking lot when we were ready to leave.

Poor Jon :(

On the way back to the beach we stumbled on a Hindu temple. The boys had never been to one before so we walked around a bit and took some pictures. Our last stop in Malibu was at a great beachside local restaurant called Duke's which features a laid back beachy atmosphere with Hawaiian cuisine. We sat on the patio just before sunset and it was absolutely incredible. Thanks to the NFT guide for this gem!

This isn't my picture, but it actually was our table at Duke's

After this trip I have decided that I need to start looking for a job at Pepperdine and move to Malibu.

2009-01-12T14:20:00.001-08:00

Manhattan Beach Sunset

2009-01-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

So my New Year's goal is to update this blog at least once a week. I have been very bad about posting and was most recently called out on it so I promise I will do better.

I had a great Christmas vacation at home in Florida. I was able to spend about 3 weeks with my friends and family. I bounced around a little bit between Gainesville, Jax, and then Asheville, NC for a few days as well.

Now that I am back in sunny SoCal I am back to work at Carson with a pretty full schedule. I am still working hard to finish all of the requirements necessary to start teaching for the spring semester which begins in February. I will be teaching two periods of Sports Therapy for grades 11 & 12. My students are very excited about the class and I'm really hoping that everything falls into place so that I can start. I am also very excited about some new additions to our SoCal family. Three of our PBA friends just moved out here this week and I'm looking forward to catching up and hanging out with them.

These next few weeks are going to be busy and hectic, but I'm trying to make it a point to do something fun and relaxing on the weekends to keep my sanity. Stay tuned for next weekend's adventure. Happy New Year and Go Gators!

Making trouble in Hollywood

2008-10-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

So today we wanted to go on a hike in Griffith Park and go see the Hollywood sign. We invited our friends from small group, Travis and Priscilla, to come along with us. After driving around the park, discovering we were on the wrong side, and driving scenic roads for about an hour, we finally found a good place to get out and hike. We didn't see any designated trails but there we found some steep makeshift trails that went straight up to the sign. We had quite a climb but finally met our destination right under the enormous 'D' (which by the way is nothing but a corrugated sheet metal painted white). After being up there for a couple minutes, catching our breath, taking some pictures, we hear this woman's voice over an intercom "This is the police, you are trespassing on private property. Immediately evacuate the premises." Then when the guys paused to pick up their packs "Sir, turn around and start walking". Needless to say we beat it down the trail pretty fast. We had a lot of fun however, and the weather was absolutely incredible: high 60's and crystal clear sky!

Travis & Jon trying to hold the sign.

Mid-hike. Taking a breather.

This would be me with the 3rd 'O'

The whole gang.
(Notice the 'Restricted Entry' sign in the background.)

Check it out!

2008-10-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

Team HEAL just relaunched their website, please take some time and check us out!

TEAM HEAL

Just the day to day

2008-09-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the prolonged absence. I actually have a lot to blog about but it has been really hectic lately. As you can see I finally have some furniture. I have become a craigslist master buyer. It's so nice to finally have a real bed to sleep in and couches to sit on!

Jon and I just recently joined a great small group through our church here. It's all young adults and it's still fairly new. Our first time on Monday we met the group at one of the housing projects in Long Beach where they just spend time playing with kids until it gets dark. The goal is to build relationships with the kids and their families so we can start busing kids up to church on the weekends. This is done in neighborhoods all over the city and is part of a ministry called 'Adopt-a-block'. I'm really excited to see how this ministry impacts these families and our small group.

In other news...I saw my first Veggie Tales Live performance this past weekend. One of my dear friends from college, Anna Joy Blackmon, is on tour with Veggie Tales right now and they were passing through the area over the weekend. Jon and I went with another PBA friend, Ben Friday, to see AJ dazzle the children with her amazing talents! We had a really great time even though we were the oldest kids and the youngest adults in the audience.

Oh Monday...

2008-09-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time to update. Today was kinda lousy and thoroughly convinced me that I should never leave the house early in the morning without coffee. I had a meeting at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Center this morning at 7:15 and so I left my place early with the intent that I would have plenty of time to park and grab a drink at Starbucks; however, apparently I completely zoned out and missed the freeway exit that I was supposed to take and didn't realize it until miles later. Long story short, I drove through south central LA for half an hour and never got my coffee. Arrrgggh. That basically set the tone for the day if you get my drift.

Enough with the bad, onto the good... It's been really great having my roommate here. Casey and I spent a lot of time painting on Labor Day weekend. We still have more to do, but it's looking really great. AND we found our first piece of furniture for $80 on craigslist, a lovely breakfast table and chairs. So it is slowly starting to look like home. Our landlord is already really pleased with all of the improvements we've made. Here's a couple pictures:

My room

Living/dining Room & our new table!

This Saturday afternoon we have a Team HEAL fundraiser and Silent Auction that brings in the majority of our money for the year. Please pray for a good turn out and lots of generous people to pay my salary and keep this incredible foundation running.

Game Time

2008-09-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who showed their support and watched the game last night. It was a lot more exciting than I was anticipating, though definitely disappointing to lose after such a hard fight.

A Night Out in Hollywood

2008-08-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last night was my first actual night out doing something, besides going out to rent a movie, since I've been here. Matt opened for Marc Broussard at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset and it was an incredible show! We arrived about half an hour before Matt was supposed to go on and we still could not get up to the front through all of his adoring fans. I was impressed at the crowd of girls that were already screaming and throwing up "I love you's" (Rachel, you have quite a star on your hands).

The music scene here is amazing, and I only wish I weren't so poor right now so I could actually go out more and experience all of this great stuff. For now I will have to settle for the occasional night out until the day when I start making the big bucks.

As for everything else, life is good. Casey just arrived yesterday and so our little condo will start feeling more like home. I love and miss you all. Stay tuned for more updates!

What's Your Dream?

2008-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

I warned you all I might be bad at this blogging thing. This has been an incredibly busy week. I started two-a-days for football on Monday and tomorrow will be my last day so then I can start working some normal hours.

I love the school that I work at. The kids are a lot of fun and the coaches and parents are really great too. I have a very large athletic training room with much more supplies and equipment than I expected as well as my own office, which is a first. As soon as the new Team HEAL site is up and running there will be plenty of pictures.

Today was a very exciting day for Jon and I. We attended a church for the second week in a row, a large church in the heart of LA called Angelus Temple. It goes hand-in-hand with the LA Dream Center which hosts over 200 intercity outreach ministries. Pastor Matthew Barnett had the vision to start the Dream Center in the mid 90s and years later was asked to take over as the senior pastor at Angelus Temple. His vision has been caught by thousands of people all over the city and the world. Every week there are teams that come from other churches in the U.S. and Canada to serve at the Dream Center. It's really incredible! We both loved the atmosphere there and the vision that the church shares. Every member of the church is involved and serving in some capacity. Today's message was about finding your dream and continuing to pursue it. My dream is becoming a reality right now. God is revealing more of it to me piece by piece. I get to make a difference in the lives of people by just living my life in front of them, showing them who Christ is in me.

I also went climbing today for the first time in too long. We found a great gym to climb at and met some really cool people there. That was the second triumph of the day. Two new homes! I'll post some climbing pictures when I actually get out and do the fun stuff.

In other news, my new roommate is arriving on Thursday which I am very stoked about AND I will be on TV very soon for my school's first football game of the season. ESPN2 will be airing our game on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 6pm (PDT). Our team went to the finals last year but most of the team graduated and so this should be an interesting game for us. We're playing Mater Dei High (Santa Ana) who is supposedly the #10 high school team in the nation. So if you would like to witness the bloodbath and me getting my hands dirty, turn on the tube.

First week as a California Resident

2008-08-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my first week in Cali!

my landlord brought me flowers :)

first trip to the beach!
Malaga Cove

Move In Day

2008-08-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly exhausted! What a day. We left Phoenix at 5:30am and arrived in Los Angeles around 1pm. (You can tell how enthusiastic we were in this picture at the crack of dawn.) I had a great welcome today by my wonderful new landlord and my Hungarian neighbors below. Miss Violet and her husband Frank are an older couple and have lived in the building for years, she is very opinionated and very assertive. Within the first 5 minutes of meeting me, she smacked me on the butt and had me follow her downstairs to her unit where she had me pour the men (Jon and Brian, my landlord) something to drink. I promise that she really is a sweet lady. She was very helpful and lent us some dollies for moving in. Although she did tell me to drop Jon (while he was standing right next to me) and marry her son. I spent the afternoon doing the female "nesting" thing while Jon and Brian did handy stuff around the apartment. I was hoping to be able to make it to Matt's show tonight up in Hollywood, but there was so much work to be done that we didn't even eat dinner until after 9. Brian treated us to In & Out, a staple fast food restaurant in California known for their simple menu, fresh ingredients, and great burgers. There's still a lot of work to be done, but fortunately we have the weekend and the help of some friends to make this happen.

P.S. Letters and care packages are welcome! Here is my new address:
26201 S. Vermont Ave., #204B
Harbor City, CA 90710

Roadtrip

2008-08-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, as a first time blogger I have to say that this is not really my thing; however, it is the most effective way to update everyone on the adventure that is my life. To catch you up (if you are behind), I have just accepted a job in Los Angeles with a non-profit organization called Team H.E.A.L. I will be working in an urban high school as their full-time athletic trainer. I have set out on my cross country trek with my boyfriend, Jon (who is also moving to the L.A. area), and we are having an incredible time so far touring the country.

Day One
We left Gainesville early Saturday afternoon and headed to Baton Rouge, LA. We loaded up a Uhaul trailer and my Element (affectionately named 'Foxy' for her lovely orange glow) with all of our earthly belongings and set our sights towards the west. We arrived in Baton Rouge that evening where we stayed with one of my best friends from college, Katherine Sharkey. Natives of Louisiana, Kat and her boyfriend Blake, took us to a local hot spot where we got some delicious bengiets. Think funnel cake, except thick, square, and doughy....mmm...

Day Two
We decided a leisurely day in Cajun country was just what we needed. We attended Healing Place Church, where Kat and Blake work, and were very impressed with everything that it had to offer. We are looking forward to visiting the church that HPC is modeled after, The Dream Center, in downtown Los Angeles. After church we had some serious Cajun food: fried alligator, crawfish etoufee, crab...more than we could possibly eat! This was immediately followed by some napping and lounging on the couch. (That's about all we could handle at that point) After an incredible day with good friends and food, we jumped back in the car to head to our next destination: Houston. By the way, the cheapest gas we have found so far was in Texas for $3.55, and as my gas mileage has been terrible while pulling the trailer we were overjoyed at this! In Houston we crashed at our dear friend David Bley's pad. David is a photographer and entrepreneur from Birmingham, AL and has a heck of a bachelor pad. Unfortunately we missed him by about 12 hours, but he was kind enough to leave us a key to stay at his place to rest up for the longest leg of the trip yet: Houston to Phoenix. So far we have been really blessed with wonderful friends, safe travel, and great fun over all.

Day Three
The longest drive of my life. I think I would be happy if I died and never saw Texas again. So after a good night of sleep Jon and I got up on Monday morning and began our longest trek yet. We arrived in San Antonio at lunchtime and were very eager to take a break, get out of the car. So knowing nothing about the city and not knowing anyone from there to call for advice we decide, why not grab lunch downtown and at least drive by the Alamo? Let me take this time to remind you that we are pulling a Uhaul trailer behind us in the most highly trafficked area of the city. We finally found parking at the River Center Mall and saw the San Antonio River along with almost half a million people in the largest mall I have ever seen. It was ridiculous. It didn't take us long to figure out that this was a big mistake, but what could we do now? After this not so quick detour, we got back on the road to drive the rest of I-10 through the desolate wilderness. By the way, if you ever decide to do this yourself let me just take this moment to recommend that you bring a gas can with you. As you will see in the pictures we almost ran out of gas. Thank God for that Exxon in the middle of nowhere and their overpriced gas. This gas station was a shed with A/C, a few snacks, beer, and one trucker and his dog. It was at this point in time when I realized why Hollywood makes so many horror movies in Texas. As it got later we took turns driving and napping and I had the pleasure to drive the very last stretch of Texas through El Paso, literally spitting distance from Mexico. I had a party by myself and was relieved to be in New Mexico. We finally arrived at our destination in Phoenix at 5:30am on Tuesday morning. So that makes for a final total of 22 hours of driving. It really wasn't as terrible as I make it out to be, it was just the hours of nothing that got to me after a while.

Day 4-6
We have been staying in Phoenix with Jon's mom, recouping from our drive. Not doing anything super exciting, just relaxing, watching movies, swimming...trying to keep from melting in the Arizona heat. On Wednesday morning I drove up to Scottsdale to have breakfast with my Uncle Carl and his wife. I got a wonderful tour of the north Scottsdale desert. I wish I had taken some pictures because I saw the most amazing house on Black Mountain that was literally build around a boulder! It was the sweetest thing. You just saw this giant boulder on their upstairs deck. It looked like it crashed there or something. Talk about easy climbing access. Anyway, tomorrow morning we will get up early and drive through the desert to arrive in Los Angeles around 1pm so that I can move into my condo.