The Bucket List I Didn't Know I Had

I have no words to describe my weekend... so many things happened.

• Drove south on the 1

Yes, having to drive 3 hours to Pismo was intense, but weaving down the coast on the 1 is one of the coolest things I've ever done. Granted, it would've been cooler to have been able to look at the scenery instead of the road in front of me, I had a few glances here and there, and that was sufficient. 

• Saw Elephant Seals!

Mating season doesn't start until November so the beach wasn't full yet, and we didn't see any males either, HOWEVER, it was really cool.

• Visited Morro Bay/Morro Rock

If Sand dollars were currency, I'd be rich. We walked along the beach and picked up as many as we could find. I even walked in  the water, too.

• Went through the tide pools at Pismo Beach

Oh my goodness, it was like experiencing the simulation from the lab in one of our past Marine Science classes. Purple and orange sea stars, mussels, it was so exciting! But I haven't even mentioned the best part...

• I found chitons!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Even though I would rather refer to them as polyplacophorans, that's a mouthful, and no one ever knows what I'm talking about. But I found them! They're so amazing! I found a gumboot and a couple of smaller ones, as well. Guess which girl successfully removed one from the substrate? This girl!!! 

• Joined the nematocyst club

I decided last year in the middle of Invertebrate Zoology that I was going to join the nematocyst club, but that if I was going to do so, then I was going to kiss something pretty. So I found a particularly large Starburst Anemone and joined!

• Watched the Sunset from the Pizmo Beach Pier

Having lived on the east coast my whole life, I've never bee able to watch the sun set over the ocean. Being in California has now fixed that issue :). Beauty in it's finest form.

• Carved my first pumpkin

This... I am not a fan of. I didn't very much like having to stick my hand into the pumpkin, mostly because it smelled... well, for lack of a better word, icky. But I cleaned it, and I carved a Gamecocks pumpkin. I messed up a little, but it looked good for my first pumpkin.

• Drove onto the beach/Had breakfast at the beach

I DROVE ONTO THE BEACH. You guys, I had my car... on the beach... legally.

This weekend was just the boost I needed, and next weekend I'm going to LA with my family!

Funtober

I've been pretty busy lately between classes and working at the aquarium, so I know I haven't posted a lot lately. But let me make up for that by explaining my October.

Last weekend my parents renewed their vows in Lake Tahoe. It was wonderful, and I'm so happy for my parents. They're the real definition of success and happiness to me.

This coming weekend I'm going to Morro Bay with one of my suite mates and the girls across the hall. I'm pretty excited to find beach things :)

The weekend after that I'm going to Los Angeles to spend some more time with my family.

So October is pretty full for me. Time seems to be going by pretty quickly.

Today I had a skype date with my best guy, and it was seriously the boost I needed. I'm getting a little homesick =/