thank you, matt hampsey

my dad tipped me off a few months ago that you could send emails to national park service sites requesting they send cancellation stamps. since then, i've been randomly contacting some of the sites i've visited, and for whatever reason, was not able to get stamps for.

today i got an envelope with the following items enclosed:







usually i get the stamp, but this time i got the stamp, the site guide, and a postcard from matt hampsey, a helpful national park service employee. i <3 the nps and their helpful employees!

happy october new year!

alright, alright, i realize that it's november (how'd THAT happen?!) but i've been thinking about this post since september and just didn't quite make it to the posting stage in time.

october, you see, has become my own personal new year's. a time for reflection, reconnection, and resolutions. two years ago in october i moved to california and life changed more drastically than in any of my previous 31 years. october has had its share of other mile markers, so it seems like a good jumping off point for self-evaluation.

you may remember that last year at this time, i posted about some of the things i'd seen, done, and participated in in the prior year. well, it's that time again. this year's list seems different, but it's probably due mostly to the varied locations in which some of these things occurred:) i've categorized the highlights ('cuz i'm anal like that):


athletics
baseball - multiple angels games, including alcs game 6 in NY and two mariners games at safeco field (may and july)
basketball - cousin spencer comes to town with the utah jazz to play against the la clippers
hockey - oh i enjoy the mighty ducks!
soccer - i finally get to see david beckham play, and he scores two goals, winning the game (just for me)
horse racing - breeders cup

arts & culture
emerson home (and grave)
experience music project
hawthorne's grave
huntington library (while deb is visiting)
joshua radin at house of blues (i finally get to see this favorite live!)
louisa may alcott home (and grave)
sheryl crow at the shrm conference
thoreau's grave
walden pond

church sites
adam-ondi-ahman
boston temple
far west
haun's mill
independence visitors center
liberty jail

cities visited (outside california)
baltimore
boston...and again
cedar city
chicago
kansas city
national harbor
new orleans
new york...and again
orlando
phoenix...and again
portland
salt lake city
salem
san antonio
seattle...and again
vegas...and again

milestones and big stuff
got a dog!
moved three times
celebrated two years of living california (october 12)
marked the one year anniversary of my current job (october 20)

national parks (system)
arches national park, utah
boston national historical park, massachusetts
brown vs. board of education, kansas
bunker hill national monument, massachusetts
burney falls, california (not a part of the park system, but worth noting!)
canyonlands national park, utah
crater lake national park, oregon
fort vancouver national historic site, washington
harry s. truman national historic site, missouri
klondike gold rush national historical park, washington
lassen volcanic national park, california
lewis and clark national historic trail, washington
minuteman national historical park, massachusetts
new orleans jazz national historical park, louisiana
salem maritime national historic site, washington
san antonio missions national historical park, texas
sante fe national historic trail, missouri
saugus iron works national historic site, massachusetts
sequoia and kings canyon national park, california
trail of tears national historic trail, missouri
zions national park, utah

worth a mention
airboat tour in the louisiana swampland
balboa boat parade
cheers
christmas in naples (california)
freedom trail
gum wall (seattle)
mission san juan capistrano
monarch butterfly migration
pbr comes to town
space needle
willis tower (formerly sears tower)
whale watching at dana point

so there you have it. it's been a busy year. i didn't get to check many things off my 'hot list' this year, but i saw and did so many things i could have never foreseen. here's hoping for more of the same in the upcoming year...wih maybe just a bit more time in my own bed!

puppy love

i know, i know, you've all being sitting around for the last six months thinking to yourself 'didn't tara get a dog?' or 'man, how could tara have possibly gotten a dog, she's gone all the time!' or 'does tara STILL have a dog?'

the answer is yes, and boy did i totally score when it came to getting one!


thanks to my great roommate and our great situation (the house and two doggie roommates - not the travel), cordy is absolutely thriving. i 've gotten so much joy from watching her come out of her shell as she settles in to her new life. she's a happy-go-lucky, tail-wagging (the fastest you've ever seen), scavenger of a thing who is full of personality and constantly making me smile. she's also a really good dog. aside from her affinity for stealing heather's dinners if left within jumping range, she's well-behaved, generally pretty quiet (unless the neighbors dog wanders over to say hello) and stays out of trouble. she even lets me bathe her and clip her nails without a fight!


it continues to amaze me that despite my intense travel schedule, she still somehow knows i'm 'mom'. i'll be honest, i don't really understand it. in the last six months she's spent A LOT more time with my roommates (we have a temporary third roommate at the moment) than she has with me. she's clearly bonded with them, but when i'm home, she wants nothing more than to be close. initially it manifests as a seizure inducing butt-shaking one-foot hopping happy dance, but then she settles in to just wanting a snuggle or a belly rub. if only i had that same effect on men ;)

all in all, she has been a great addition to my little family of, well, of one, and we're getting on swimmingly. now you can all go on to wondering about more important things :D

new york: the fun stuff

the highlight reel:

rain (i'll explain why later)

in central park, the day before the walk

deb takes us (her friends justin, jennifer, and i) to a delicious dinner at blt prime. i had the largest (12 oz.) and most scrumptious filet i've ever had! couple that with a yummy chocolate torte for dessert and it was divine.

my department, sans boss, at belvedere castle

more rain

deb and i go to see the compahnia de danca, a modern dance performance, at city center. the performance was excellent - particularly the first numbers in each act. we spent the remainder of the night trying to decide on a favorite but ultimately determined that it was too much like comparing apples to bowling balls.

deb and i arriving at yankee stadium

deb gets tickets for us to attend the yankees v. angels, game 6, american league championship series the following night....and here is where the rain comes in. deb is a yankees fan, and me, an angels one. i had floated the idea of getting tickets to a game, but because deb already had tickets for the dance performance on Saturday night (game 6), the only hope was that the angels would win, forcing a game 7 so that we could go. as much as i enjoy the angels, i was doubtful they would make it through to one more game. and then it rained. and rained some more. and kept raining. and game 6 was postponed, making it possible for us to get tickets and go. have i ever mentioned how blessed i am in my friendships? not JUST my friendships of course, but they certainly took center stage this weekend.

the view from our seats

deb and i enjoy an amazing brunch at markt. i had the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup and definitely made the right indulgent choice!

deb and i end up in soho for a little shopping. somehow i always end up in soho perusing the street vendor stalls. as usual i found a couple of truly amazing pieces (necklaces which will most certainly be making an appearance on the blog), and haggled the vendor down to a price i was happy with. i also scored a couple of new hats for my european adventure next month.

a snack break

deb and i at yankee stadium. despite the ultimate outcome (the angels loss) i have to say that being at a yankees postseason game is an experience. the stadium is beuatiful, we had great seats, and it was a good (close) game up until the last inning. yankee fans did not disappoint. they were loud, obnoxious, and emotionally charged. and i loved every minute of it.

tamara and i, saying 'until next time!'

and lastly, tamara and i enjoying lunch at eatery for our 'first date'. after literally years of developing an online friendship, suffused with bits and pieces from our mutual acquaintances, our lunch felt more like reconnecting with an old friend than meeting one for the first time. as tamara will be moving to the la area in december, i'm looking forward to developing the friendship even further!

as usual, my trip to new york was a unique one full of great friends, great food, fun times and lots of laughs! and i owe it all to my job;)

warning

lots of posting coming your way shortly!