Summer Saga
So, termination dust has covered the mountains, snow has flown several times in the last week, and though I am not happy about it, it is indeed time to admit to myself that summer is over. Come to think of it, it means that Alaska's 47 seconds worth of fall has also ended. However, this also means its time for the big "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" blurb, and since I'm no longer in school, I'll just do it here :)
*So, it started with a bang, and a degree. I graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on May 3, with a bachelor's degree in Equine Business Management. Go Me! My family (including the oft-missing older sister) flew in for the affair, only the third time they had been to campus in the last 4 years (READ - Alaska is far away from Indiana) Also, at some point during this week I lost my drivers license and my iPod, which is an epic fail for someone planning a road trip in less than two weeks.
*From there, my family and I packed up my dorm room (without finding my license or my iPod - blow) into the back of Rufus (my truck for those of you who don't know) and trekked north to Chicago, looking like a bunch of white trash with a pickup bed overflowing with crap covered with a silver tarp held down by 17 (17!!!) bungee cords. Much was the embarrassment that was had, many were the jokes that were made, and I gave the ultimatum that I would not under any circumstances be driving across the country in that state. I also made the point that the truck weighed a ton and would suck up more gas, therefore costing us more money. I won. We shipped 9 boxes of stuff home.
*I had a blast in Chicago with my family, which included a White Sox game (which they lost in spectacular fashion) and (of course) a trip to Medieval Times, where the fam finally got to meet Mario, Javier and Miguel. Now they know what I've been babbling about all these years. :) Teegan and I had my parents knighted (mwahahaa) had our announcer buddy make a big deal about them being there all the way from Alaska, snuck them into the stables backstage for a tour, and drank margaritas the size of my head. Twas a great time. Two days later Popsie and I put Mumzie and Kathryn on a plane (because somebody had to go back to school) then packed up the truck. Then I went out and partied one last time with Teegan and the boys, and the next morning we struck out on...
*ROUTE 66!! Popzie and I drove every mile of Historic Route 66 from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier (contrary to the song, the Mother Road ends there, not in LA) Good lord was that a crazy-fun trip! We stayed in seedy authentic motels, saw countless giant roadside attractions, got lost at least twice a day, took 20 gigs worth of pictures and videos, met awesome people and just had a blast in general. I was appointed official navigator and photographer due to my lack of license, and Popsie developed this bad habit of slamming on his brakes and backing up every time I missed a picture he wanted. Lucky for us, 90% of the time we were literally the only people on the road for MILES. All in all, the trip was pretty damn cool for a couple of sappy nostalgic history buffs, but who knew it was over 4,000 miles from Chicago to LA? (NOTE - Illinois was rainy, the ENTIRE time. Missouri = Misery. Kansas was blessedly only 26 miles long. Oklahoma, sucks donkey balls. Texas...is...boring. New Mexico is pretty cool, especially Tucumcari - where I was invited to dig up dinosaurs. Arizona is flat, hot, and sandy. California, well, just outside of Barstow the drugs had not yet begun to take hold and boy did we need them after we saw the jump in gas prices) We made it from Teegan's in Palatine, IL to grandma's in Long Beach, CA in just under a week, which ain't bad at all. The morning after we arrived, I drove Popsie to the airport and proceeded to settle into pampered life at grandma's house.
*Grandma and I had a blast, even though she made me go to church twice a week (I think I went to church more times in the 3 months I was staying with her than I did in the last 3 YEARS) but I got all caught up with my family, and got to hear all the gossip first for a change, instead of last when Mumzie remembers nobody's told me yet. I also found out that I rule at Jeopardy, which we watched religiously, to the point where meals were planned around what time it was on. I spent my days sleeping late, sunning myself, reading, eating, watching movies and generally being a worthless waste of space. I went to my cousin Andy's hockey games every other Sunday and partied with him and his friends, re-establishing my "coolness level" on Andy's "Cool People In The Family" list. Around mid-June my parents sent me a replacement drivers license, I bought a new iPod and a TomTom. I also drove up to Santa Barbara to see my old equestrian team coach at his barn there, and stayed with him for a few days, riding his horsies and having some fun. I got a job offer in Pennsylvania for what was probably my dream job, but was forced to turn it down because they needed me there before I could be there. Logistics blow, but I was committed to my cousin's wedding first.
*My family flew in the second-to-last week of July for my cousin Jenny's wedding, which was an affair that rivaled some of the weddings on that Platinum Weddings TV show. Let's put it this way, she was born and raised in SoCal and the wedding was at Laguna Beach. I'm pretty sure my uncle has no more money for retirement. It was really cool though.
*After the wedding all of the family obligations were done with and my family and I took off to have some fun. I took my little sister and her boyfriend to Knott's Berry Farm, which was a blast-and-a-half, and resulted in her boyfriend getting a wicked sunburn (bahahaa) Popsie drove us up to his old stomping grounds in Redondo Beach and I learned he was a very naughty boy growing up, lol. It was a fun day at the beach though, and the stories were hilarious. Last (but definitely not least) we took off for Disneyland, where an old friend of my dad's who manages the Disneyland Hotel surprised us with the most amazing room ever - The Mickey Mouse Penthouse. I could have spent the rest of my life in that room and been perfectly happy. I would need a whole separate entry to tell how freaking awesome this room was. That's where we were when the earthquake hit. Boy, you think its freaky being in a 100-year-old dorm in Indiana, try being on the 11th floor of a building in California. THAT was an E-Ticket ride! It kinda sucked though, because they shut down the parks for a few hours to do damage checks, but we went shopping instead, so it worked out in the end.
*A few days after that, we threw Kathryn's boyfriend onto a plane, packed up Rufus yet again and headed north to Alaska. We drove Pacific Coast Highway (aka the Father Road) until it ended, only detouring to hit up Sequoia National Park, where there's some really fucking big trees. (NOTE - California drivers are INSANE. Oregon needs to learn what a decent speed limit is. Idaho smells funny. Montana has a smaller sky than they let on. Calgary is a really cool town. British Columbia thinks it's cooler than it is. The Yukon is a godforsaken place with zero cell phone reception. The Alcan is a scary, scary highway. There's no place like HOME) I'm going to go ahead and say that this trip was less fun than Route 66 simply because Popsie and I have decidedly different opinions from Mumzie and Kathryn as to what 1)suitable accommodations are, 2)how many times a day we need to stop to eat, 3)how many times it is necessary to stop for bathroom breaks, etc. These differences resulted in much bickering and resentment all around. Overall, we made at fun as we could, and nobody died or was left on the side of the road in the Yukon.
*A small note, within two weeks of getting home Vanessa found my drivers license in the riding arena at school and sent it to me, and I found my iPod in the pocket of a jacket I had packed before I had realized my iPod was missing. So now I have two of each. Go me (bangs head against wall) I have also joined a gym, and have been spending ridiculous amounts of time swimming laps and ice skating, two activities I had missed while in college. I've got my racing turns down again, and can almost land my double axles. We also now have a cat. Her name is Unstable Mable and she is more than a few fries short of a happy meal, but she's really freaking cute.
So yes, I'm back home, living with my parents until I find a condo. I need to do this simply because I have too much shit, and my grandma is going to be living in this house for almost two months, and really, there just ain't room. So, a home shall I find, a job shall I attain, a boyfriend shall I get, a dog shall I adopt, and life shall be good. Until then, I shall go on missing the Woods (and how beautifully long autumn is there) and all of my friends, and wishing (at least a little) that I was back at school, because real life kinda sucks, and summer is...well...over.
*So, it started with a bang, and a degree. I graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on May 3, with a bachelor's degree in Equine Business Management. Go Me! My family (including the oft-missing older sister) flew in for the affair, only the third time they had been to campus in the last 4 years (READ - Alaska is far away from Indiana) Also, at some point during this week I lost my drivers license and my iPod, which is an epic fail for someone planning a road trip in less than two weeks.
*From there, my family and I packed up my dorm room (without finding my license or my iPod - blow) into the back of Rufus (my truck for those of you who don't know) and trekked north to Chicago, looking like a bunch of white trash with a pickup bed overflowing with crap covered with a silver tarp held down by 17 (17!!!) bungee cords. Much was the embarrassment that was had, many were the jokes that were made, and I gave the ultimatum that I would not under any circumstances be driving across the country in that state. I also made the point that the truck weighed a ton and would suck up more gas, therefore costing us more money. I won. We shipped 9 boxes of stuff home.
*I had a blast in Chicago with my family, which included a White Sox game (which they lost in spectacular fashion) and (of course) a trip to Medieval Times, where the fam finally got to meet Mario, Javier and Miguel. Now they know what I've been babbling about all these years. :) Teegan and I had my parents knighted (mwahahaa) had our announcer buddy make a big deal about them being there all the way from Alaska, snuck them into the stables backstage for a tour, and drank margaritas the size of my head. Twas a great time. Two days later Popsie and I put Mumzie and Kathryn on a plane (because somebody had to go back to school) then packed up the truck. Then I went out and partied one last time with Teegan and the boys, and the next morning we struck out on...
*ROUTE 66!! Popzie and I drove every mile of Historic Route 66 from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier (contrary to the song, the Mother Road ends there, not in LA) Good lord was that a crazy-fun trip! We stayed in seedy authentic motels, saw countless giant roadside attractions, got lost at least twice a day, took 20 gigs worth of pictures and videos, met awesome people and just had a blast in general. I was appointed official navigator and photographer due to my lack of license, and Popsie developed this bad habit of slamming on his brakes and backing up every time I missed a picture he wanted. Lucky for us, 90% of the time we were literally the only people on the road for MILES. All in all, the trip was pretty damn cool for a couple of sappy nostalgic history buffs, but who knew it was over 4,000 miles from Chicago to LA? (NOTE - Illinois was rainy, the ENTIRE time. Missouri = Misery. Kansas was blessedly only 26 miles long. Oklahoma, sucks donkey balls. Texas...is...boring. New Mexico is pretty cool, especially Tucumcari - where I was invited to dig up dinosaurs. Arizona is flat, hot, and sandy. California, well, just outside of Barstow the drugs had not yet begun to take hold and boy did we need them after we saw the jump in gas prices) We made it from Teegan's in Palatine, IL to grandma's in Long Beach, CA in just under a week, which ain't bad at all. The morning after we arrived, I drove Popsie to the airport and proceeded to settle into pampered life at grandma's house.
*Grandma and I had a blast, even though she made me go to church twice a week (I think I went to church more times in the 3 months I was staying with her than I did in the last 3 YEARS) but I got all caught up with my family, and got to hear all the gossip first for a change, instead of last when Mumzie remembers nobody's told me yet. I also found out that I rule at Jeopardy, which we watched religiously, to the point where meals were planned around what time it was on. I spent my days sleeping late, sunning myself, reading, eating, watching movies and generally being a worthless waste of space. I went to my cousin Andy's hockey games every other Sunday and partied with him and his friends, re-establishing my "coolness level" on Andy's "Cool People In The Family" list. Around mid-June my parents sent me a replacement drivers license, I bought a new iPod and a TomTom. I also drove up to Santa Barbara to see my old equestrian team coach at his barn there, and stayed with him for a few days, riding his horsies and having some fun. I got a job offer in Pennsylvania for what was probably my dream job, but was forced to turn it down because they needed me there before I could be there. Logistics blow, but I was committed to my cousin's wedding first.
*My family flew in the second-to-last week of July for my cousin Jenny's wedding, which was an affair that rivaled some of the weddings on that Platinum Weddings TV show. Let's put it this way, she was born and raised in SoCal and the wedding was at Laguna Beach. I'm pretty sure my uncle has no more money for retirement. It was really cool though.
*After the wedding all of the family obligations were done with and my family and I took off to have some fun. I took my little sister and her boyfriend to Knott's Berry Farm, which was a blast-and-a-half, and resulted in her boyfriend getting a wicked sunburn (bahahaa) Popsie drove us up to his old stomping grounds in Redondo Beach and I learned he was a very naughty boy growing up, lol. It was a fun day at the beach though, and the stories were hilarious. Last (but definitely not least) we took off for Disneyland, where an old friend of my dad's who manages the Disneyland Hotel surprised us with the most amazing room ever - The Mickey Mouse Penthouse. I could have spent the rest of my life in that room and been perfectly happy. I would need a whole separate entry to tell how freaking awesome this room was. That's where we were when the earthquake hit. Boy, you think its freaky being in a 100-year-old dorm in Indiana, try being on the 11th floor of a building in California. THAT was an E-Ticket ride! It kinda sucked though, because they shut down the parks for a few hours to do damage checks, but we went shopping instead, so it worked out in the end.
*A few days after that, we threw Kathryn's boyfriend onto a plane, packed up Rufus yet again and headed north to Alaska. We drove Pacific Coast Highway (aka the Father Road) until it ended, only detouring to hit up Sequoia National Park, where there's some really fucking big trees. (NOTE - California drivers are INSANE. Oregon needs to learn what a decent speed limit is. Idaho smells funny. Montana has a smaller sky than they let on. Calgary is a really cool town. British Columbia thinks it's cooler than it is. The Yukon is a godforsaken place with zero cell phone reception. The Alcan is a scary, scary highway. There's no place like HOME) I'm going to go ahead and say that this trip was less fun than Route 66 simply because Popsie and I have decidedly different opinions from Mumzie and Kathryn as to what 1)suitable accommodations are, 2)how many times a day we need to stop to eat, 3)how many times it is necessary to stop for bathroom breaks, etc. These differences resulted in much bickering and resentment all around. Overall, we made at fun as we could, and nobody died or was left on the side of the road in the Yukon.
*A small note, within two weeks of getting home Vanessa found my drivers license in the riding arena at school and sent it to me, and I found my iPod in the pocket of a jacket I had packed before I had realized my iPod was missing. So now I have two of each. Go me (bangs head against wall) I have also joined a gym, and have been spending ridiculous amounts of time swimming laps and ice skating, two activities I had missed while in college. I've got my racing turns down again, and can almost land my double axles. We also now have a cat. Her name is Unstable Mable and she is more than a few fries short of a happy meal, but she's really freaking cute.
So yes, I'm back home, living with my parents until I find a condo. I need to do this simply because I have too much shit, and my grandma is going to be living in this house for almost two months, and really, there just ain't room. So, a home shall I find, a job shall I attain, a boyfriend shall I get, a dog shall I adopt, and life shall be good. Until then, I shall go on missing the Woods (and how beautifully long autumn is there) and all of my friends, and wishing (at least a little) that I was back at school, because real life kinda sucks, and summer is...well...over.