When I was in school and working in forensics, I got really into human rights. After exhuming the mass graves in Guatemala and in Mexico, I realized how much it meant to the families and loved ones of those who were killed. We were exhuming skeletons and examining them for signs of military style trauma and executions with the purpose of pressing charges against their government. I know skeletons inside and out. I’ve seen more of them then some practicing anthropologists in the States, and was very fortunate for some of the opportunities I got so early on. I really liked the feeling of helping to bring justice to the dead and their families, but knowing and seeing and studying first hand what humanity does to each other was hard for me. Working in the medical examiner’s office made me afraid to go anywhere alone at night after seeing what people do to each other. Unfortunately, this is the downside to Forensic Anthropology as a profession. This is the reason I have put off getting a higher degree in the field. However, I have come to realize that there are pros and cons to every career path and despite my reservations about continuing on in this subject, it is what I’m good it and what I enjoy. The idea of helping to bring justice to those who have been wronged and solving mysteries draws me back every time I try to go in a different direction. Sometimes you just can’t fight what it seem like your destined to do.

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I was just digging around in some old DVDs and came across a recording from the canopy trip we took in 2006 in Puerto Vallarta for my sister’s wedding. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, and watching the video reminded me of what it was like. I have a lot of pictures, but it’s just not the same. Watching the video reminded me of how the view looked below us because they had one guy riding around on the the same zip lines as us with a camera to record what it looked like when we were going down them. I have a terrible fear of heights, and I can remember how scared I was on the first few zip lines. I just remember trying to make myself go through the motions and get it over with because I was terrified on each one. I eventually warmed up to the experience and I want to go and do it again. The views were amazing, and being able to be directly above a river, flying through the air, is something that you can’t experience any other way. I hope that one day I can get the chance to go again, and this time I want to make sure to take in all the views and remember the experience better, instead of being scared and just trying to work through it. If you’re ever on a vacation and someone mentions zip lines or canopy tours, don’t let the opportunity pass you by because it will be one of the coolest things you will ever do.

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I love the beach! The first beach I ever went to was in Hunnington, California when I was really young and I loved it. I remember getting in the water and swimming, digging for sea crabs in the sand and making castles. I’ve been to several different beaches in California because that is where my mom is from. My favorite has always been San Clemente, with Hunnington coming in at a close second place. I can remember the first thing we would do is get strips, which are fried corn tortillas cut into strips, then covered in cheese and a special strip sauce. They are my mom’s favorite thing to get when she was little there and we always have to get them when we go. I can remember when I was little loving to get in the water and swim around, but now it just seems waay too cold. I don’t know if I’ve gotten more sensitive to the water or what but it’s freezing in California. We also went to South Padre Island, Texas every year while I was in college for Spring Break. The water is pretty cold, and the weather at that time of year usually isn’t warm enough to where you want to jump in and then walk around all wet. A few years ago we went to Mexico and I loved getting into the water there, and when I was in high school I went to Myrtle Beach, SC and got in but didn’t really like it. The best part is just laying out in the warm sand, the smell of the ocean and the actual view. I can’t wait to go again, maybe this time I’ll be brave enough to make myself jump in!

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For her wedding, my sister had a Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. So, to sum that up quick for ya, it was awesome. I was only 19 years old, but the legal drinking age there was 18. So… it was out of hand for me at times, because I had never been able to just walk up to a bar and order what ever I wanted to drink. That one week, it was necessary to start every morning off with a bloody mary. Not only that part of the trip needs to be praised though. The beach was beautiful, the resort we stayed at was awesome, and, of course, the wedding was great. Everything was easy to plan, unlike most weddings. She had her closest friends and family there, just as she wanted, and then just had a stress free week of fun and swimming and hanging out. After everyone left, my sister and her new husband stayed there in Mexico for awhile to celebrate their honey moon. Everything we so smoothly, it makes it hard for me to not just go the same route when my time comes for that. A few people in my family have considered doing it too, because everything was so easy and it was more like a vacation for everyone than a stressful situation like most weddings can be. Right now that’s not anywhere near my planner, but it is nice to sit here and think about how much fun that trip was for everyone, and how perfect it went for them on their wedding day/week.

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