Zoorrific

Today Matty, Betsy and I checked out the San Diego Zoo. We've all heard of the zoo's terrific reputation, and it did not disappoint. Big points to the city and the zoo officials for delivering such a quality experience. We easily could have spent two days there without seeing everything. And so many of the animals seemed healthy, energetic, and relatively happy- a rarity for captive animals in my experience. Highlights included hippos, a frisky polar bear, a particularly well-hung zebra, the pacifying hummingbird habitat, and, of course, the zoo's famous giant pandas.

The only thing that wasn't great about today was the weather. I didn't come to San Diego for 55 and overcast! No worries though. At least I can breath in this place.

City of Angels

L.A. sucks.

The LA Smog

Today we drove from LA to San Diego to continue our adventures in sunny California. The LA experience was fabulous for me. I was able to spend time with my friend Lindsey and see the beautiful sights of Marina del Rey and Venice Beach. The boys spent the evening in "the valley" where a layer of smog engulfs the region. The congestion of traffic and nasal passages made it difficult to manage. San Diego is more promising with brighter skies and cleaner air. I am excited for some quality Mexican food and good beach days.

Here we are off of Highway 5 just below Orange County near a military base. The coastline is gorgeous.

~Betsy~

Belize Donations

I haven't gotten the chance to say this yet, but thanks so much to all of you who attended our going away party a couple weeks ago. We had an awesome time, and thanks to everyone's generosity we were able to ship nearly 40 pounds of clothing, school supplies, and medical supplies to the Cornerstone Foundation. We'll let you know in a few weeks how those donations are being put to use by people in San Ignacio!

Portland

Today it's a sunny day in Portland, OR. We're told that doesn't happen too often here in April, so we're going to take advantage of it with a hike out by Mt. Hood. Yesterday we visited Multnomah Falls and took a short hike up into the hills overlooking the Columbia River. Everything was gorgeous. Our host, Sue Ristau, has been so generous with her time, her home, and her knowledge of the area. It's been a great first visit to the Portland area.

And since my job interview on Thursday seemed to go so well, there's a real good chance Betsy and I will soon be Oregonians. I never thought I'd say that.

Off to a Land Far Far Away

I am sitting in our 99% emptied apartment prepared for the first leg of our adventure. We have packed up and stored our apartment in 2 oversized wooden crates that now rest out in front of 20 Bigelow Street. I am filled with feelings of nervousness and excitement for what lies ahead. It is an exhilarating experience to have come this far with our planning and preparation to move to a developing country for 3 months. In actuality I have been devoted to this idea from when I first started graduate school to become a physical therapist. I came across the Cornerstone Foundation on a web search for latin american countries looking for volunteer physical therapist. It seemed like an ideal fit and now here we are... off to San Ignacio, Belize. The following is a link to the organization my husband and I will be working for: http://www.peacecorner.org/cornerstone.htm

Here we will chronicle some of the good, bad, and interesting events that will occur over the next few months. Please enjoy our posts and photographs. Comments and questions are very welcomed. Thank you to all who have provided us with undying support, without you we wouldn't have come this far.

~ Betsy ~