More Lake Tahoe

my favorite pic of the day




me and Betty posing


Some of the houses on the side of the road were covered up to their roof in snow! And the roads were fine! These houses are not even as bad as a couple I saw. I guess these people just hibernate during the winter cause there is no way they can come and go!

Lake Tahoe

Driving to Lake Tahoe

Today we got up really early and drove to Lake Tahoe. It was about a 3 hour drive. Our plan was to go up there, ride up the gondola, go out tonight and spend the night BUT Tahoe is kinda run down. I mean the lake was gorgeous but the town just wasn't too happening. It took us no joke...1 1/2 hours to find somewhere to eat lunch cause everything was closed. I mean I understand its not ski season anymore but the locals have to eat too! We finally ate at this grill which was really good and right on the lake and then went to this little shopping area. The gondola was here to ride up the mountain but it seemed like the only people riding were going up there to ski not to just look around so we opted out of that and just came on home. I wish I could've went skiing while I was out here but we ran out of time...I'll just have to take a ski trip this winter! These pics are from the drive up the mountain...

Laura got a new tat!

Tuesday I went into the city to buy up souveniers and then me and Laura went to get her a new tattoo (I didn't get one mama). She wanted to get one from here before we left. It took like 3 hours for him to do it! It looks really good but Laura's still in pain from it!

5 more shifts...

after last night I only have 5 more nights of working here in Oakland. I'm happy to be getting back in the ER and back to my house but I'm gonna miss California! Believe it or not I'll even miss some of the people I've been working with here...I ended up not hating it as much as I thought I did in the beginning. My last night here will be May 1 and then I'll head home a few days later.

BTW: Still looking for someone to travel back with me...

Another Boy!!!

My cousin and his wife had their baby this weekend!!! I wish I could've been there and I want to be there now to hold him but my aunt sent me some pics so I had to share! Is he not adorable??

sweet Brayson


my aunt Pam and her new grandbaby


close up


To poop or not to poop...that is the question

The best thing about baseball...

THOSE PANTS!!!! Lets just take a moment to enjoy...




and the best for last...

Baseball pants can take any skinny white boy and make him look like he has a GREAT butt! Did I mention we had GREAT seats???

Oakland A's vs Kansas City Royals

This game was so fun! We planned on getting these all you can eat seats for $35 but the guy at the ticket office kinda looked at us funny and was like "Are ya'll gonna eat that much?" We were like well isn't thats the best deal? And he said no they're not good seats so he got us these GREAT seats for $30! We were on the 4th row beside 3rd base. I have never had this good of seats in Atlanta (because they're so freakin expensive)! We also bought us some Oakland A's t-shirts and changed into them in the bathroom so we would fit in. We sat beside some really nice, fun people. It was a pretty good game. We scored the first run, then Kansas City came ahead 2:1, then in the 7th inning we just dominated and came ahead 9:2. We ended up winning 13:2! Laura loved it of course! Again she has NEVER been to a baseball game and was hesistant to go but now she wants to go to a Giants game.


Big Al's brother, Stomper (the A's mascot)


Laura sporting her A's getup...the guy sitting beside us ended up giving us windbreakers cause it was FREEZING!

Guess what I've talked Laura into doing??

We're going to an Oakland A's game tonight!!! I've been wanting to go but Laura could care less but she's finally agreed to go with me. The games at 7:05 so watch for us on tv! I can't remember who they are playing but I'll get pics up sometime! Hope everyone has a good weekend!!!

Quinn's Lighthouse

Last night we went to a restaurant down the road called Quinn's Lighthouse. We've been wanting to go cause there is a group of men who sing sea shantes at night there. They were good but not as good as our real pirates. Outside of the restaurant was this cute little gazebo (it was actually somebody's house) where we had to have a photo op!


prom 1999


we jumped the fence that said private: keep out...it was just too good for a photo op!


the band...its a bit dark cause I didn't use the flash

More Heinold's Fun

These are the bats Don uses (if necessary) to kick people out. Melissa started getting a big out of hand!!!


There's also an old...well I don't even know what this thing is called. But you put a quarter in and you watch an old movie by cranking the spinny thing and it turns the pictures so its a movie...very cool! And its a love story...

Jack London

Ready for more learning??? So our neighborhood is called Jack London Square. Jack London is apparently some famous author (I had never heard of him either) who is from Oakland and use to write at this table at Heinold's Bar. The story is that he carried around this small old dictionary and would read along the water's edge. Mr. Heinold (who started the bar) felt he had potential as an author and bought him a real dictionary and let him write in his bar and I think he even paid his tuition at Berkley. These pics are us re-enacting Jack London writing...

Good Day Mate (I can't think of anything else Australian)

This is another travel nurse...Rebecca. She started in the float pool here in Oakland when we did. She is from Australia and is so much fun! We've been meaning to go out and now that we're all about to leave we finally did! She's been wanting to go to Heinolds (since we talk about it so much) and now she's in love too!

I'm a Barbie Girl...in a Barbie World...

Some nights before we go out Laura lets me pick out her clothes, fix her hair, tell her which make up to wear...we call her my barbie doll. Last Wednesday night we went into the city and she let me curl her hair and even put lipstick on her! Doesn't she look pretty?? (Not that she isn't always pretty...I just wanted to show off her curly hair and lipstick)

Anybody up for a road trip???

So I'll be driving back to Bham by myself this time and if anybody wants to fly out here and then take a drive cross country I'll pay for half the airline ticket. My plan is to take a little over a week to drive back going to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Denver along the way. Let me know if anybody wants to do this or knows of anybody who does!!! It'll be fun!!!

News...

for those of you who DON'T know...I'm coming home. I would've loved to stay in California for 3 more months but there are absolutely NO Peds ER spots ANYWHERE!!! And I can't do floor nursing anymore...sooo...its back to Bama! I'm excited to come back home too. I think when I get home I'm having an Alabama party. Its going to be a party with a bunch of sweet tea and Dixieland Delight playing continuously! Nobody out here knows it! The biggest thing I'm going to miss from California is being the center of attention in the bars (cause of our accent). We never paid for a thing...(just ask Laura Overby)...no more of that in Bham! All the girls have accents back home :(

Yay!!! I finally got this pic!!!

Everytime we've been to Napa I see this sign but I can never get my camera out fast enough to get it...I was finally prepared!

Old Faithful

As I said below this was a MAJOR disappointment. There are I think 4 old faithfuls in the world so maybe other ones are better but this one just kinda bubbled and it maybe went up like 6 feet and they charged us $8 to see it! Oh well, at least I can say I've seen Old Faithful...

Ultimate Getaway

I finally am putting pictures of our spa experience on here. We went up to Calistoga which is known for their hot springs. It is just a little north of Napa. We had a mud bath which was extremely weird. It felt good as long as you didn't move around and then it just felt like you were rolling in mud. We sat in the mud for 15 minutes, showered and then sat in a mineral water hot tub. We then were wrapped in a blanket to "cool" our body. Then we got an hour long massage and facial. It was wonderful! The next day we rode to one of the Old Faithful guysers which was a major disappointment.

My hands hurt...

and my forearms. Me and Laura went rock climbing today...inside Mama not outside there were mats to fall on so I didn't get hurt. It was the first time I've ever done it and its harder than it looks! Those people just scoot up the walls like lizards but I could maybe go up 12-15 feet. Laura use to do it a lot but hasn't done it in a year but she's good too! She scampered up like a freakin monkey! And the walls were probably 50 ft high! She climbed all the way to the top! I learned how to be the balley (sp?) too...thats the one the stands at the bottom hooked to the other end of the rope and watches the climber and then lets them down when they are done. You should see my hands I'll have calluses tomorrow and I was trying to eat just a minute ago and couldnt even cut my food! It was a different experience, I would do it again but I think dancing is more my cup of tea...

I've become an Oakland girl...

who is from Alabama. I really miss Bham but I love my neighborhood here too! I had so much fun last night at a bar by myself...I would NEVER go to a bar by myself back home but here its ok. I didn't even think twice about going by myself as I walked to Heinold's last night, I know the bartender so I can always talk to him but I always meet new people too. Last night was no different, I left Heinold's with 5 new friends, all were COMPLETELY different. I sat on the stool at the end like I always do and immediately started talking to 3 girls who were Indian. One of them had lived in Atlanta for awhile and was telling me about her experience at a Cracker Barrel (Diva...I don't know if you read my blog but apparently you are right about Cracker Barrel). She said she got the weirdest looks when she walked in, like they had never seen an Indian girl before, I told her how Diva feels about the restaurant. Next this Asian girl and her boyfriend/sugardaddy started talking to me. She has a good friend from Tuscaloosa and called her up and made me talk to her on the phone. This Asian girl was sweet at first but started getting REALLY annoying, especially when she started talking bad about Oakland, saying how much better "the city" was. That's when I realized I've become an Oakland girl cause I started defending it (she reminded me of an old roommate I had that use to look at herself in the mirror all the time and pose...you know who I'm talking about)...Next this lawyer/frat guy started talking to me. He bought me all my drinks but 1 but right at the end of the night Don (bartender) kicked him out cause he started getting a little too loud. Then of course I always meet some of my neighbors cause its sooo close and I met two last night. One was a girl who is kinda punk rockerish with purple hair but very sweet. She was helping me defend Oakland against the Asian girl and then I met a man who lives in my same building. Again he helped me against the Asian girl who was getting on just about everybody's nerves. I wish Don would've kicked her out...

Anyway, I was laying in bed (not sleeping due to my brain being out of whack now...I can't sleep unless its daylight outside) and I was thinking "I would never have gone to a bar by myself in Bham". For some reason its different here...and I like it!

(Don't worry Mama...so far I can't find a job in California so it looks like I'm coming home in May.)

Hwy 1 North

Hwy 1 North