Jacob's visit

Jacob had Friday and Monday off for the Memorial Day holiday so he came to visit us over the long weekend. We had so much fun together. It was the perfect way to celebrate finishing the school year and starting summer break.
I felt really bad that we didn't have very nice guest accommodations for him in our 700 square feet apartment, but Jache was a good sport about sleeping on an air mattress in our living room. We had a ton of fun while he was here. The following are some of the things we did during his visit:

San Francisco vacation

We spent a lot of time in San Francisco with Jacob this weekend. We did a lot of the things I've been wanting to do but haven't had time to before. First we drove over the Bay Bridge and into downtown.

Then we went down to the Pier by Alcatraz.

Then we walked down a pier by Ghiradelli Square which had great views of the city, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Point Lobos

Next we went down to the cliffs at Point Lobos to admire the ocean view.

It was a little cold and windy, but very beautiful and fun.

Golden Gate Bridge

During our day in San Francisco we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge, as any good tourist would. It was a fantastic day. We got there in late afternoon when the sun was setting and the bridge was shining.

We drove across the bridge to a lookout point. It was really crowded because of the Memorial Day holiday, but we still got a great view and pictures.

Stinson Beach

One of our last outings was a trip to Stinson Beach. I love these pictures of Keith and Jache. Aren't they handsome?

Keith took this gorgeous picture of the sunset. Doesn't it look like a postcard?

One of my favorite things about living in California is being so close to fantastic beaches and beautiful sunsets. I can take a mini vacation to the beach in just an afternoon.

Keith and I had a great time with Jacob this weekend. We are sad that he had to go back home and hope he'll come back soon!

Sam's visit

Sam came down to California for a week to go scuba diving with some friends. It was fun to see him while he was down here and to meet his friend, Jiwan. We drove up to Tilden Park in the Berkeley hills behind campus. It's a gorgeous park and a fun place to catch up and talk.

It was a beautiful Sunday to have some family time in the park.

We also went to campus for a while to show Sam around and to talk to him about going to graduate school.

We had a good time together. I wish we got to see him more often.

Bowling and Ice cream

Sam, Jiwan, Keith and I also went bowling. We went with some friends of ours from church who were also celebrating graduations and finishing the school year. I haven't been bowling in a very long time. I was pretty sure I was going to bowl a 40, but I ended up doing fine. I was no competition for our friend who bowled a 178, but I didn't embarrass myself either.

Unless, of course, you count this picture. I was in a celebratory mood anyway because I had just finished writing three term papers, but I was extra happy in this shot because I was on my way to bowling a turkey (three strikes in a row).

It was nice to go out with Keith and friends and relax after weeks of solitary confinement with my laptop writing papers.

No celebration is complete without ice cream, so we went to the best ice cream place in town. My ice cream was incredible and as big as my head.

I think everybody had a great time.

Losing Our Minds II

In response to LaDawn's story and her and Brooklynn feeling like they're losing their minds, I would like to submit a similar story. Actually, it's Keith's story. But he doesn't blog, so I'll tell it for him. As evidence, I submit exhibit A:

I woke up on Saturday morning and went to the fridge to get some milk for my cereal, only to find... the ice cream! Keith had made a milkshake the night before and put the ice cream in the wrong place. I died laughing. I guess our minds are a little shot after writing so many papers. I can't wait until summer vacation. I think we're a little low on brain power right now and can be considered dangerous to ourselves and others - not to mention innocent ice cream. I'll be sure not to operate any heavy machinery until this is over.

Good work, Professor!

In Keith's defense (from the story above), he has been strategically saving his brain for the things that really matter most. A good example of this is the Tort reform panel that he got roped into participating in a little while ago. These flyers were posted all over the law school advertising his presentation:

This is only the first of many times I expect to see Keith's name advertised as a headline keynote speaker. I just hope it isn't always accompanied by such goofy graphics. :)


Keith was recruited to be on this panel to present the things he learned as a research assistant at UW on a (now famous) book about tort reform. The other person on this panel was a history professor. The moderater was the Dean of Keith's PhD program.

The history professor spoke first, for about 20 minutes, and presented the background and history of torts in the american judicial system. Then Keith got up to present the current state of affairs and discussed the way in which the media shapes public opinion by the way they report the cases and therefore create the buzz stories that everyone tells (like the McDonalds coffee case). Keith had the audience enthralled. He spoke for about an hour and, seriously, all eyes were on him the whole time and people were taking notes. It was awesome. I wanted to take a picture of Keith lecturing because he looked so confident and powerful and "right" up there on the stage lecturing from the podium, but I held back because I was sure that it would embarrass him. I really think Keith has found the right profession. He was born to do this. I think everyone there learned a lot.

I'm not the only one who thought this. A lot of people thanked Keith afterwards and told him what a great job he did. But the best compliment was when the Dean of his program congratulated Keith afterward and said, "That was a helluva lecture, Keith!" Later on he told me that he thinks Keith is ready to start teaching tomorrow he's so good. I couldn't agree more. I'm really proud of him.