California here I came

Update time! Yeah!

In April I moved to southern California, the first time I've been on the West Coast (not counting inside airports) in 24 years. Time to see if the state is all its residents make it out to be.

I'm living only about a mile and a half from the beach, and I have a bike, a bed, and a surfboard, thanks to this guy I didn't even know named Elijah, who gave me all of it for free. Also I think I've found a church here- it's a place where there not so focused on ceremony and timeframes, but really connecting to God, hearing from him, and showing love to others instead of just talking about it. I've really liked it the two times I've been there, and I think it's where I'm going to start attending.

I'm also getting over my deep-seated East Coast bias against the West Coast. The weather definitely is awesome here, and just about every ethnic group is represented here too- I look around sometimes at all these different-looking people getting along in such a beautiful place, and that American pride starts swelling up. Then some guy carrying a surfboard yells out some vulgarities at me while I'm sitting on some steps and eating some ice cream, and some kid flicks me off from his mom's SUV a few minutes later. And so my love-hate relationship with my country continues.


Anyway, here are some recent pictures:





















Irvine, aka the middle class suburban American Dream


















Santa Monica






















Hiking in some National Park near Pasadena

















In and Out- A fast-food chain here that Californians LOVE. It was pretty good.























Me in Santa Monica