time for an update

So much for writing in this thing once a week. I am officially settled into my new place. My roommates and I all get along so that's a definite plus. Still waiting for one of them to move in though, but I'm sure that it's going to be a great year.

I started work last week and it had been really chill. So far I'm just getting familiar with how they run IMs and everything. I'll be in charge of Volleyball this coming Autumn quarter, so I'm starting to plan everything right now. Everyone that I have met so far has been really nice and helpful. I'm look forward to getting to know everyone and working with them. Our official start day isn't until September 7th, so there really isn't much going on. It's great that I'm getting familiar with everything now though. That way I won't be overwhelmed once everything gets rolling.

To be honest, I was already feeling kind of homesick last night. It could be the fact that I don't really know too many people here yet and I'm not used to not having a group of friends around me all the time or it could be the fact that I've never had to live more than 45 minutes away from home. Either way, I know it'll get better once school starts and everything. But to make me feel more at home, I put a bunch of pictures up on my wall of friends, family, and of course my dogs. I'm not sure if this will make it better or not, so I may take them down (haha). I miss everyone back home, but all the chat convos and skype/oovoo is helping a lot. December is going to come in no time!

I am going down to Cincinnati this coming weekend. Excited to check out the city.

Moved in

So, I arrived in Columbus, OH on Monday. It has been five days now and I am pretty much all moved into my place. I'm living in a house with three other girls. Haven't had a chance to take pictures of my room or anything, but I'll post it soon. Columbus seems like a great place and I'm looking forward to exploring more. The parentals are leaving tomorrow afternoon and I will officially be on my own! It has been easier having them around for a few days while I get settled and everything. I haven't done much in Columbus so far except buy furniture and what not so I really don't have much to say about the city yet. It is really easy to get around though. One thing that I don't miss about LA is the traffic. I really haven't ran into any traffic these past few days besides when there was an accident. It'll probably be different on football game days though. One thing that I did notice is that there is a sense of school spirit and pride wherever you go in Columbus. Buckeye gear is sold everywhere: Target, K-Mart, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Wallmart, etc. I never saw much of that in LA for UCLA or USC. Anyways, I hope everyone in So Cal is doing well. I'll update more later this weekend.

nothing but blue skies

I left LA for my road trip/move to Ohio on Sunday, August 8th. I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and I finally have the time and energy to update this thing. So far I've stopped in...Cedar City, Utah, Yellowstone National Park, Big Horn National Forest, Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The weather forecast had said that we would hit rain at every single one of our destinations, but so far we've been lucky because it has only rained when we were driving or ready to go to bed. The weather is significantly different from So Cal. One minute we could be driving on the highway and it's sunny, but after going down the road a few miles, it starts raining cats and dogs. I guess it keeps the drives more interesting.

Cedar City, Utah

I know that there are still parts of the country that are not racially diverse, but I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when we arrived at Cedar City to spend the night before heading to Yellowstone. I have never felt more uncomfortable being stared at. Let's just say I wanted to leave the minute we got there. I have nothing left to say about this place.

Yellowstone National Park

One word--AMAZING. The views were breathtaking and the geothermal features were really cool. The first thing I saw when I entered the park was a family of elk crossing a river. It's really easy to spot wildlife because traffic always usually builds up because everyone stops to take pictures. In terms of wildlife I saw: elk, bison, giant crows, a cool rabbit, and a bear. The bison pretty much roam everywhere and they often hold up traffic because they stop in the middle of the road. In a lot of areas in the park you can still see the effects of the wildfires that occur. Especially the big 1988 one. Overall, I had an awesome time at Yellowstone. I definitely need to come back again though. Spending one day there is not enough at all. Plus, my parents didn't want to go on any hikes. Here are some pictures from Yellowstone:

Old Faithful- Kind of disappointing. I though it would be more epic.

Geothermal Activity

Mud Volcano Area- Smelled like rotten eggs

Lower Falls- view from Artist Point

Remnants of the wild fires

Custer State Park, South Dakota

We work up early this morning to drive through Custer State Park before heading over to Mt. Rushmore. The Wildlife Loop was pretty cool. Custer State Park has the largest herd of buffalo (approx. 1500). Sure enough, right after I told my parents that we ran into the largest group of buffalo I have ever seen. There had to have been hundreds that were slowly making their way up the road. One even stopped and licked the hood of our car! I'll post some pictures of it below.We also saw a few different types of deer, prairie dogs, and a group of burros. The burros were not scared of people at all. When we drove up to them, they literally came up to our car looking for food. When we got out, we were able to pet them and everything. Custer State Park was a very peaceful and relaxing place. 

Buffalo- some of them were HUGE..and by huge I mean 2,000 pounds!

Burros- really cute, but all they wanted from us was food.

White Tailed Deer- look at those huge eyes!

Mt. Rushmore National Monument

We got to Mt. Rushmore at around 10am and it was already pretty crowded. The monument was nothing of a surprise since everyone has seen pictures of it, but it was awesome seeing it in person. We walked around on the Presidential Trail and got to see the monument from many different angles. I never thought about how difficult it must have been to create Mt. Rushmore back in the day. 90% of the sculpture was created through dynamite blasts. It's truly is remarkable how the workers were able to create the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln with such detail given the technology that they had.

Mt. Rushmore

Originally, only Washington and Lincoln's faces were suppose to be sculpted.

I'm really glad I took the time to see these parts of the US. If it wasn't for me going to Ohio State, I probably would've never taken the time to see these amazing places. It was a refreshing change being away from a big city, but I don't think I'd ever be able to live in a small town with nothing but highway between me and the rest of the world.

What's next...

Right now there is a tornado/thunderstorm warning in parts of South Dakota. Hopefully it clears up by tomorrow morning because we have a 10 hour drive to Chicago. It's probably going to feel weird being in a big city again, since I've seen nothing but natural wonders, countryside, blue skies, fluffy clouds, and an excessive amount of wildlife for the past 5 days. We are spending 3 nights in Chicago and then making our way to Ohio.

My next entry will be when I finally get to Columbus, Ohio...

Goodbye! :)