The long awaited turtle manuscript is published!

ttThe undergraduate project that I started four years ago at UC Davis has finally been published in a scientific journal. After many long months of collecting data at the arboretum that runs through campus, countless hours inputting and analyzing numbers, dozens of draft revisions and re-submissions, our manuscript is published. It appears in the journal Chelonian Conservation and Biology and is titled “Habitat Features Determine the Basking Distribution of Introduced Red-Eared Sliders and Native Western Pond Turtles.” Go read it here: Awesome turtle paper!

A Day of Adventure with Jake & Steffany

P1010415P1010411byshP1010444P1010431P1010447trP1010454P1010472hoP1010488P1010487P1010479P1010481 P1010489This last weekend we got together with our friends Jake and Steffany and went out to Buellton, Santa Ynez, and all over the mountains in the valley. Their dog Banyan got to come along for the ride. He loved playing fetch at the top of the mountains. After exploring the mountain range behind Jake’s family’s ranch, we all headed out to get Mexican food for lunch. Jake then drove us to a farm that is open to the public to visit. It is beautifully maintained and has a ton of horses to pet. Steffany and I were in heaven giving all the horses some love.

Afterwards we hopped back in the jeep and headed back into the mountains for some more 4 wheeling. We made it to the top and could see Lake Cachuma on one side and toward the ocean on the other side. We stopped at the Winchester Gun Club on the way down to watch some guys do skeet shooting. We were all exhausted from packing so much into one day and from laughing. What a fun day!

Weekend Getaway, Destination: Big Sur

_MG_7960f
Casey and I wanted to take a special trip together to celebrate our 7 year anniversary, so we decided to go backpacking in Big Sur.
_MG_7836
We stopped to see the elephant seals. A bunch of them were fighting in the ocean.
_MG_7843
Sleepy heads.
P1010299
We made it to the Silver Peak Wilderness! Our destination was Upper Cruickshank Trail, about 3 windy, uphill miles in.
P1010303
We were lucky to have some fog over our heads.
P1010305
Casey used this awesome redwood stick to hike with.
P1010284
We set up our camp in an open meadow, just past a redwood tree grove. We were hungry and this hit the spot!
P1010288
The most peaceful sunset.
P1010297
Good morning world.
P1010293
Someone had to get his knife in the picture 🙂
P1010307f
One last look on the way down, then it was time to go sightseeing.
cl
We hit up a vista point and marveled at the rocky coastline.
rw
Then we headed to the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park where we hiked around near some a creek surrounded by giant redwoods.
wf
The grand finale was McWay Falls, an 80-foot, year-round waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. It is surrounded by a secluded beach with the most amazing sparkling blue water.
_MG_7961
What a fun trip!

Baby You’re A Firework!

Last night Casey and I headed down to the beach to watch the fireworks with Kori and Robby. We were super close to the launch station! There were thousands of people camped out on the pier and on in the sand. It was fun to walk down to the beach in the middle of the street since roads were closed to cars. Cheers to Casey and I’s first date on the fourth of July 7 years ago! ♥

 

The Trigger Has Been Pulled!

Yes, Casey has hit the big SUBMIT button and applied to medical school. Over 30 schools in fact. All across the country. He has spent many, many hours perfecting his primary application and rewriting sentences over and over until they convey just the right meaning. I no longer have to look over and see him deep in thought or typing away on his personal statement, at least not for a little while. Once the secondary applications are sent to him to complete, it will all begin again. But now it is time for a well deserved break. We look forward to celebrating our 7 year anniversary in the coming weeks. I am so proud of you Casey for completing this first big step! ♥