Hello World!

We are alive! If any of you were wondering. We are most definitely alive and well. We are now in the blessed land of California that we love so much for the second summer in a row. I have such a love-hate relationship with these four, warm months out of the year. But surprisingly it is starting to turn into more of the "I'm loving this even though I have to knock on people's doors and get screamed and yelled at for no reason" kinda love. Really. As crazy and weird as it sounds. I love the summers that we have.

Our lives are so simple when we are away for these four months. Its funny because you would think that things would be more stressful, intense, whatever you want to call it (since we have one of the most uncommon jobs in the universe) and even though it is that way sometimes, it's the best. I don't really know how to explain it, and I'm probably making no sense. But the summers that we spend working crazy hours, being exhausted and starved by the end of the day, getting yelled at by complete strangers are so great. They are so great because we get to experience new things that we never would have, we get to go on all different kinds of adventures together, just Steve and I, that we never would have if we didn't sacrifice the things that we do with this job. We grow in ways that are not possible without doing what we do, and it's just great. I love it.

Sappy, cutesy part over. Want to know what we have really been up to lately? For those that really care, it is only three weeks into the summer and we have already had a roller coaster of fun and craziness. The "stories from the doors" are already piling up, and we have finally settled down for the next little while. (I know what you are thinking, "it took you 3 weeks to settles down?")

So we live in Antioch/Brentwood, Ca with about 10 other people from our office. The rest of our buddies are down south a little bit living in Fresno. (aka all of the wives/married friends that we have out here during the summer). We first lived in Fresno, and then a week later decided to move up north for area/knocking/didn't want to drive 4 hours + to work every day. It makes logical sense, but I had an emotional crazy moment because I had just met some of the most amazing ladies that I was going to get to spend the summer with, and was already seeing the light at the end of the long summer tunnel. So it was a rough move. But a needed and beneficial one to say the least. I created some of the most sweet, marvelous relationships that I will carry on forever. Those relationships that even if you don't see each other for months at a time, it doesn't matter cause then you just pick up and are chatter boxes the second you see each other again. Awesome friends like that. It's just all good.

Okay, now the sappy part is really over. I'll stop blabbering my feelings over here.

The best part about the move? We are only ONE hour away from San Francisco! Steve and I took a drive last weekend and explored on a small part of the city - aka the pier. It was beautiful, and I loved it. The drive itself isn't bad either which is a bonus. Maybe we are just used to the california driving so it doesn't phase us anymore. After a long week it was such a great break to just be with the two of us, exploring like we love to do. Our time together is the best.

I will stop writing now so that my novel doesn't bore you, but the pictures below give a pretty good explanation of how beautiful this place is that we live.

Much love peeps, 

>> ry