While I was in New Jersey working I had the oppurtunity to go into New York City on the weekends and tour around and visit my cousin Rachel. We had such a blast and plan to travel together someday in the future. Here's the pictures in no particular order. Please note that I am literally freezing to death in most of these pictures.

I came to New Jersey last week for work and expected it to be part of the same country that I grew up in, but quickly found out that I was on a different planet. Some reasons why I wasn't in Seattle anymore Toto:


1. Everyone speaks loudly and in a nasally voice. I was totally amazed by my ability to eat my words and not say to the lady at the rental car counter, "You're joking right? You don't actually talk like that".

2. No one wears Goretex. I feel like a total freak everywhere I go, because I am the only one wearing a Goretex jacket. I knew that I should have bought a jacket with a fur lined hood in Romania.

3. I am the only blond, literally. Before I went to Romania I didn't really believe that you could have pale skin and dark hair, but apparently it is all the rage on the east coast.

4. They have townships. It has taken me a week to figure out that a township is the unincorporated area for a town. There is a sign for a new township every ten feet.

5. There was a fur coat commercial on the radio. I wanted to call those people and let them know that PETA is going to eat them alive. Although that wasn't as shocking as the lady that I saw wearing a full length fur coat in New York.


I am sure that there have been other things that have surprised me, but those were my first impressions of New Jersey, the final frontier.

Austin and our friend Kate organized a Triathlon at our friend 's house on the lake. The triathlon was a blast and wonderfully low key since none of us had time to train. We did a half of a sprint. It was a quarter mile swim, six mile bike ride and one and a half mile run. We made it official by giving ourselves numbers on our arms and the backs of our legs. I took fifth place out of ten and had a great time.
Me swimming

Starting the bike ride

My family never owned a dog when I was a kid so it has been an adjustment living with dogs.
My Grandma's dog is pictured first and his name is Diego but we call him 'D' and my Grandma also calls him 'tidbit'. Diego doesn't like very many people and he has finally warmed up to me and now waits for me to pet him when I come home from work. Diego is quirky and won't let me take him for a walk. He just sits on the front porch and stares at me. Diego likes to bark at my dates and chase them all the way down the street when they are driving away. Apparently he needs to let them know that he is the man of the house and that it is not ok for them to leave with me.

Next is my Aunt's dog Zach. Austin and I have watched him quite a few times while my Aunt has been on vacation so he feels undying devotion to the two of us. My dad can never remember his name so he always calls him Luke, but that is a step up because usually my dad calls all dogs 'Dog'. Zach can be very persistent in wanting you to pet him, but he is very cute when you do. Zach also likes to go running with me, he makes sure to let me know that he is faster than I am.

Last of all is this darling shitsu named 'Sasha'. Austin found Sasha under the A/C unit at the local elementary school while he was walking Zach. Austin went back to the house and got a bone so that he could entice Sasha to come out from where she was wedged under the A/C unit. After Austin gave her food Sasha was permanently attached. We both ended up loving her. Every time we would go outside to pet her she would do figure 8's around our legs and then when I would sit down to read she would sit dutifully by my feet. I never thought that I would like a little dog like Sasha, but we were sad to give her back to her owner.

There are few things that make me feel more patriotic than seeing the Blue Angels fly. So I had fun when we went to Mercer Island and watched them fly during SeaFair for our ward activity. We got to walk on to the I-90 bridge and watch them from there. They flew directly over our heads a couple of times and the sound was ear splitting. The show was great, they would fly so high that they would disappear into the sun and then come roaring in over the back's of our heads. Next year I hope to see the pirates that come ashore during SeaFair.