Welcome to Fresno, CA!

Hello from the sunshine state! It's been so long and I know I've been MIA, but for good reason. I have accepted a contract out in Fresno and will be a transplant until July. You have no idea how much crap I got about coming to this city; yes, it's nothing shiny or glamorous, but I've been to a lot of great cities and, you know, as a traveler (and you can ask all the other travelers), every city has many perks. So for those of you who are judging me right now (yes, I know there are some of you out there who are h8rs), I am having a blast out here.

When I first got here I was surprised at how little traffic there is. I mean, Fresno being the 5th largest city in California (the others are huge cities!) I was thoroughly surprised at the low stress level required to operate a vehicle. The blocks are really huge here, so very little walking is gonna happen from where I live. I am 1 hour away from the entrance of Yosemite! I live at the foothills of Sierra, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park! MAN this is going to be fun. I brought my sleeping bag, cooler, layers, air mattress for the wimp... all I need is a tent (which, a friend already has... yes! I have friends!). Rock climbing equipment, check- I hear there's a great indoor rock climbing gym called MetaMark. MUST. GO. Coast is a mere 3.5 hr drive to get to Monterey, Big Sur and camping on sand dunes. Yayyyyyyy~

I'm thinking of taking some classes- friends are peer pressuring me into taking pole with them, but I want to take Silks and Yoga. We'll see which one I really get into. :) I feel like all the restaurants I love are all out here. How crazy is that? Usually cities are missing one or two... but seriously: In-n-out, Marie Calendar pies, Pita Pit... those are some of the ones I don't eat too often but live close to!

My place is coming along. There are 3 golden retrievers at my house :) I have lots of furniture and a brand. new. kitchen. zomg. #heaven

Training for work is smooth. It seems like a low-stress place to be with plenty of gym space and computers to work at. Yay, no fighting for computers!! Haven't met my immediate boss, but the department EC is pretty chill.

My first week here consisted of looking for apartments, work training and lots of social/outdoor events! Went to a Thai restaurant, had wine and apps at a tasting, did the Art Hop in the Tower District and ate at food trucks with live music in a beer garden at Gazebo Gardens, hiked Upper Yosemite Falls trail (7 miles, 3000 feet elevation gain, 4 hrs 25 min!!!) and a new favorite pho place. Life is good. :)

Until next time my friends!