Where did August go!?

I'm not kidding - where did August go!? While I'm thankful that cool(er) weather will be coming to Atlanta here in the next few weeks I'm still sort of in shock that we've hit the September mark already.

So much happened in August - let's recap, shall we!?

1) One of my lovely PASS advisors (Progressive Advisement for Student Success) moved to Boston and left us. We miss her laugh and her smile, and her talent - and well, just her! So we're a woman down until next week in the office...as I train my newest victim!

2) The wonderfully quirky and random Annie RueDawg Rue got married and became a Walton. I was honored to be a part of the wedding party and Drew, my parents and I all enjoyed three (if you count the bachelorette fun!) fantastic parties with lots of backyard socializing. We even got to see Annie with just a touch of makeup, white dress, and hair not in a tight ponytail. Come on, it only happens so often. And yet she still looked just like Annie, glowing in a white dress - which is how it should be. Congratulations again, Annie and Nolan!

3) After flying home from Baltimore for the Rue/Walton wedding, I shipped Drew right off again for a conference in San Diego. And when I say shipped off again, I really mean it. He didn't even get to see outside the airport - one flight right to another! He was there for a week on his own and then I joined him for a long weekend with a couple of GREAT friends. Drew learned to surf (his ribs enjoyed a nice bruising), I hung out with the ladies on the beach (I enjoyed a nice burning...okay, not so bad), and we capped it off with some fantastic sushi at the Sushi Deli... Thanks Brent, Kelsey, Greg, Cat and Bill for a wonderful time!

4) Meanwhile we had a student watching the house, and Loui, while we were gone. All went well, though Brian did mention that Loui greeted him one day during our absence at the door with a pair of gardening shears from the little stand by the back door in his mouth. And some chewed up wood, and a demolished pen cap. Wow. Awesome. What a crazy dog!? I think it freaked Brian out a little - me, I knew he was just saying, "I miss them - bring them back - NOW."

And yeah, that was about it! Is it bad that I actually had to check my Outlook calendar to remember who I was with and where during the month!? I'm not that old yet...

The Staffed Peppers!

Faculty/Staff Softball Team Wins a Game?!?!

As the intramural softball season for students was about to begin, a ragtag group of Life University faculty and staff formed a team in an attempt to hang with the younger crowd. The team name is Staffed Peppers, which narrowly won out over the proposed name of Staff Infections.

After getting thumped, and I mean really thumped, in their first two games of the season, the Peppers caught lightning in a bottle last night, and won on a walk off home run by Maurice Allen in the bottom of the sixth inning. The final score was 16-14 in favor of the Peppers. Out of respect for our opponents, we won't divulge the name of the losing team.

Jenni Bennett, team captain of the Peppers, said after the game, "The biggest difference tonight was the fact that Dr. Marc Schneider didn't play for us. That eliminated a huge hole in the infield." This is likely the last story you'll read about the Peppers since lightning supposedly never strikes twice in the same place...

- This rousing update brought to you by Staffed Peppers bat boy, Craig Dekshenieks

Last but not least...the Golden Gate!

Tioga Road and Tuoulmne Meadows...

On the last day we drove back to the park to at least drive Tioga Road where we had planned out starting our backpack trip. Someone must have been looking out for us since just as I was about to give up hope of seeing a bear at all, there one was! And the traffic jam to prove it! People parking on the road, taking their kids out of the car to get closer to the bear (smart, I know), etc. Wonder what the bear thought of that... Anyways, I didn't realize the manual focus was on the camera at the time instead of auto, so what I ended up with out the rental car window is more "proof" than "photography".

We got back to San Francisco with enough time to get a few shots of the bridge before heading to the airport. Would have loved to stay longer, but oh well. We'll have to return!

More...

More Sentinel Dome & Mariposa Grove...

Okay, they're out of order. Sorry! These are Sentinel Dome and Mariposa Grove...

Sentinel Dome, The Lodge, etc.

So I forgot to finish out our trip to Yosemite! There's more than just the hike - there's sunset on Sentinel Dome, the Mariposa Grove, and The Lodge at the Pines. I won't give a narrative for everything, but the sunset on Sentinel Dome deserves at least a little one!

Sunset on Sentinel Dome is one of those hikes that tops the charts. It's an easy mile hike from where you can park, and the night we went there was a Ranger leading a group of people for what we would learn later was a moonlit walk. We took our own trip up, and once the Ranger group got there I listened in to what he was saying. He started talking moon phases and I sort of had that "Is he ever going to let them go explore and watch the sunset?" feeling when all the sudden he concluded with, "And if I've timed it right you will look over my left shoulder and see the first slivers of our full moon." And boy was he right! It was huge, and it just popped out of NOWHERE! Every camera on the top of Sentinel Dome swiveled to the Clark Range to capture the pictures and sunset was completely forgotten.

Man, do we have good timing!? Who knew it would be a monstrous full moon!? And that we would watch it from the one spot in the park with a 360 degree view?! :0 After a while we walked down on our own, jingling keys and bear bells the whole way in the dark. Are you there, bears?!