Sorry for the delay!

So. Due to crazy business, Luke's visit (including a birthday and anniversary), and just plain laziness... it has taken me a while to get to this thing! Sorry about that ans sorry that this will be a looong one..haha! It has been an insane couple of weeks. Work is busy as usual. But I am happy to report that I absolutely love my job. Yes, at times it can be absolutely insane and make me want to rip my hair out, but I think the pros definitely out way the cons. Because my boss is awesome (Erin, not Shelbi), she has made sure that I get some animal time in, one way or another. I kind of have my crew day back. Sometimes I just work a half day on crew, and then switch to phones. Which actually makes the time go by more quickly.

Luke's visit was great! He got the opportunity to be an honorary volunteer and assist in a number of rescues! I wish I could have been there for the first one! While I was cooridinating the rescues, he got sent out with one of my volunteers, Richard, to rescue not one, but THREE sea lion yearlings at Pier 39! Now, this is a HIGH profile rescue for a first timer! haha. Not only is Pier 39 one of the BIGGEST tourist sites in San Fran, but it is also one of the most difficult places for a rescue! I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda jealous that Luke got to do that for his first rescue;) I was sooo glad that he got to have that experience though! I think one of my favorite days of his trip was that Saturday! You see, because Luke was here, my bosses let me get out of the office much more often than I would have otherwise:) Luke and I got to be the transport drivers for the much-anticipated harbor seal release. This was up in Bodega Bay and was an invitation only release (for donors and volunteers only). It was a great experience and Luke was SO LUCKY to see an animal that he helped rescue, also get released! That is VERY rare! (he rescued a sea lion with a hook injury, so he had a very short stay) After the release, Luke and I got to spend a day-in-the-life of a true blue rescue volunteer. We called out to one rescue after another! One of my favorite rescue volunteers, Marjorie, also joined us. She is in her mid forties or fifties and has been somewhat of a fairy godmother to me! She has an AMAZING little beach house right on the cliff at Scotty Creek Beach with the most amazing view I have ever seen. Anyway, she is awesome, because she always brings the stranding crew lunch on our rough days:) She also bought luke and I some fish tacos that day. Anyway-- we had 3 rescue attempts that day with 1 success. We almost had that last one though!! He was on a tricky jetty and slipped off into the water. We got him the next day though! Just luke and I:) We named him Rufio because he had a hook in his back. haha...hope you can catch that reference.

Poor luke worked pretty hard on his "vacation" lol. But at least he got to save some lives:) He also made my birthday great too! I had to work that day, but we had a nice day going out to eat at a very yummy italian place and just relaxing. Also, thank you to all of you that made my birthday so great! I have NEVER gotten so many cards and gifts in the mail. I have the best friends and family! On my two days off, Luke and I explored Muir Woods (the redwoods) which was sooo beautiful! The day after was our one year anniversary...crazy right? :) We spent the day flying the new kite that I bought luke. It was soo fun! Flying it on the marina green down town, with a great view of Alcatraz in the background! Luke, maybe you can post some pictures on here later:)

As usual, it was a bit hard to adjust after luke left, but it's all good now. Crazy love, the book we are reading, has definitely been challenging. Wow is it hard to examine your life like that. I suggest that every Christian read this book, but be prepared. It can be rough. It is just crazy how caught up we are in our lives, when all we are supposed to be doing is living for Him! That is our purpose and it is entirely too easy to forget that sometimes.

So I think the reason work has been so much better lately, is that everyone has been so great lately at work. All my bosses are continuing to encourage me that I am doing well. Erin even told me yesterday that I have officially reached "Nintern status" this stands for ninja intern... her explanation was that a nintern is someone who doesn't need their hand held and dominates like a staff memeber. I can't tell you how good it felt to hear that! She said that they have had about 50-60 interns over the years and only about 4 have received this honor... haha. I can't believe that though. Sorry, I am definitely not trying to brag or anything...it just feels good to hear that my hard work is paying off. Also, I got do go off on my own rescue after work the other night! I got a call for an sea lion heading towards the street in Sausalito so I grabbed a volunteer from crew and headed out. It was so fun! I don't always love having a crowd though,lol...lots of pressure. ha. But the cops definitely helped me out. It is so funny how proud they are after they help save animals. Anyway, that is my favorite part about my job. I love rescues. I wish I could do them more often! They hired a new intern who will start on the 20th, so hopefully once she settles in, I can get out there more! I am really going to miss this job. And all of the people I work with! I looove my rescue volunteers! They are just so great! Can you believe I have been here for almost 2 months now?! Whoooaaaa.

In other news, I found a house! YAY! Actually...MaryEsther found one! But nontheless! It is a 4 bed, 2 bath with a brand new kitchen and we get to use some of the furniture! It is actually the house of two RDs from PBA who know Maryesther. AND they are giving us an amazing price! Mom and Dad, you will be happy about this one. I keep forgetting to tell you guys on the phone! Are you ready??? Well, they are charging us $1500 a month. And that includes EVERYTHING. Water, electric, cable, internet, security system...everything! So...dad, i'm sure you already figured out the numbers. But, divided by 4...that is $375 a person! AH! I am soooo excited!! And apparently it is an adorable white house with a big porch and teal shutters!! I cannot wait to see it! Yay for hook-ups! Now all i need is a job:) Don't worry dad, I will find somethin!

Well, I think that's all for now. I think I am going to go shopping at Target! FOR FUN! Because Rach and Greg got me a gift card! THANK YOU! I can't wait to buy something that I don't need. haha. Haven't done that in a while! (at least by myself) Luke was VERY kind and took me shopping for a few new items of clothing while he was here. Bless his heart. Ok, well I love you and miss you all. Mom will be here on SATURDAY! YAY! Can't wait mama!

With love,
Lizard