I'm Ba-aack!

Since there is so much to say, I've decided to divide this post into sections. You know how when you read a book it's somehow easier to read more when the chapters are shorter (or is it just me)? Well, maybe you'll be able to finish what may turn into quite a long post if I divide it into subjects . . . maybe.

Cross-Country
Going cross-country was not awful and boring and hell like so many people thought it would be. Maybe it's all about mindset . . . like if you know you've got a long trip ahead of you, you see each day as an accomplishment and a part of reaching the goal. (I'm almost always the optimist.) Plus, each day had something pleasant in it to keep us going, whether it be the scenery or a place we were stopping along the way. It's an experience I'm so glad I've had now. However, it's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Actually, if I had a really cool person to go with, I might do it again . . through different states.

It took us six days to finish our journey (though two of those were not full days). It's a long time to spend with someone who, to be honest, is not very cool. Just being honest. My iPod was a lifesaver. The only day that was really horrible was Kansas. First of all, Kansas sucks . . . add to that the fact that Villanova and I had had an awkward moment the night before, and I didn't feel like having a conversation with him, and it makes for a looong, very boring day. When I got to my hotel room, I did a dance and reveled in my privacy.

I haven't eaten that much fast food in a long time and really hope I don't have to again. I now feel slightly overweight and lazy from not exercising in weeks. I'm going to have to kick it into high gear when I move back home, which should be no problem since I am now unemployed and have nothing better to do than devote my days to exercise (and finding a new job, of course).

Villanova
Although he wasn't the most fun person I could've traveled with (in fact, far from it), he's a nice guy. And, hey, he did let me play whatever I wanted on my iPod, even when I took him up on that whole country-in-Kansas thing. The first couple of days, he and I had nice conversations. We discussed politics and shared a few stories, etc, etc.

Then came Colorado. I made the dreadful mistake of wanting to unwind in the hot tub . . and telling him. What I didn't say was that I wanted him to join me. I made the false assumption that he was going straight to bed . . maybe because he said he was. Apparently he changed his mind, because in he came in his trunks as I curled up in the corner wishing I'd brought my one-piece. What happened next really threw me. He asked if it would be awkward the rest of the trip if . . . he kissed me. Trying to keep dinner down, I calmly (as if completely unsurprised that he'd ask such a thing) replied, "Yes, I think that it would, and I'd sure hate for that to happen." If only it had ended there. He later wanted to talk about it . . just making sure he hadn't made me feel uncomfortable, yet proceeding to make me more uncomfortable by telling me things he liked about me and sharing his hope that we'd be able to get to know each other really well on this trip. Hence my lack of desire for conversation the rest of the trip. I know it's bad, but I really didn't have an actual conversation with him for the rest of the trip. He blew it. Again, thank goodness for iPod. Now, I will say that I didn't feel awkward around him . . just had no interest in getting to know him more.

It's funny how little things really start to irritate you after you've spent so many hours with the same person. For example: Everytime he saw a cop, he'd switch lanes to be in the lane furthest from the cop, because surely Mr. Policeman wouldn't want to go to the trouble of changing lanes just to pull someone over. He would also randomly roll down the window for a burst of fresh air, which I'm sure was to help keep himself awake, but the odd thing was that he never said anything about it. Just random, frequent rolling down of the window. And one day he apparently decided not to shower because he went all day with bedhead, and I was embarrassed to be seen with him in public places. At the end of that day, he announced to me that he smelled . . . little did he know, this was not news to me, the person who had spent the last 12 hours sitting less than a foot away from his musty-smelling self.

*Exhale* It was good to get that out.

Sixteen States and The District
It's crazy to think I visited so many places in a week's time. I'll definitely be posting pictures later. For now, here's a brief overview of the states:
(* = First Time)

California: Oh, how I love thee. Except for the horrendous traffic we sat in for hours (near L.A., of course) . . not a great way to start such a long trip. But, before we headed out, we stopped by the beach where I had the pleasure of seeing dolphins!!, which was worth sitting through traffic (kinda). I love that in many places (in San Diego, at least), you can see both the mountains and the ocean . . what could be better?

*Nevada: Pretty cool for being mostly desert-y. And, I hate to say it, but I loved Vegas. I didn't expect it to be so clean and beautiful. There are so many things there that are slightly odd and serve no purpose other than being pretty or cool to look at. Being there made me want to dress up and just walk around . . . not gamble, though. We went up in the Eiffel Tower 'thing' and got the most awesome view of the city.

Arizona: We drove through some very awesome rock formations/mountains. I have enjoyed AZ in the past when visiting the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

*Utah: One word: amazing. Utah is beautiful. There is something new around every corner that makes you want to stop and attempt to capture it in a picture. I didn't know "awesome" could represent so many different things in one state.

Colorado: Brrr. It got cold here. Of course, Colorado is always beautiful, as well. Didn't expect to hit a snow/ice storm in Vail, but it is in the mountains. We stayed at a cute motel in Frisco since the road conditions slowed us down on our way to Denver. It made for some nice pictures the next day. I love visiting this state.

Kansas: Boooo. The Midwest is just not fun to drive through. Especially in between seasons. No pretty snow, yet no color, makes for a whole lot of nothing to look at. I was excited when I saw a cow. Also, the wind was stronger than I've ever felt. I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Making it through that state felt like a great accomplishment.

Missouri: Not bad. It was a great end to the awful day in Kansas. Just across the border, I convinced Villanova to stop at The Plaza in K.C. and we ate a fabulous dinner at a nice restaurant I've always wanted to go to. We stayed in Columbia that night, visiting *St. Louis (and the Arch) the next day.

Illinois: Not exciting. I was totally wishing Chicago was South rather than North. Villanova's never been there and I'm always game for going again.

Indiana: Only cool because we went through Indianapolis and saw the Final Four Championship game. Unfortunately, this meant paying nearly $200 for a room. Ouch! The game was fun, and though I wasn't rooting for a particular team, I was glad Florida won; they deserved it.

*Ohio: I have nothing to say about Ohio. Wait! There were trees there. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you haven't seen a nice amount of trees for the last few days, suddenly trees are magnificent. It was definitely more interesting scenery-wise than the last few states I'd driven through.

West Virginia: I love rolling hills. I also enjoyed driving through an old mining town on the border of W.V. and PA. At this point, things were looking up. Morale was good.

*Pennsylvania: Again, I love rolling hills . . . and windy roads. When you're on a long road-trip, these things are big. We made it to Malvern, outside Philadelphia, and stayed with a mom-like friend of Villanova's (his mom passed away a few years ago) in a very cute Pennsylvania-ish house. The next day, he gave me a quick, yet thorough tour of Philly. This included Chesnut Hill (loved the cobblestone streets and old buildings), Skuylkill River and boathouses, City Hall, and South Philly's own Pat's, King of Steaks (the creator of the cheese steak) and the Italian Market. Philly is a very cool, unique city.

*New Jersey: Our last day was unnecessary, but we thought we should do the coast-to-coast thing right, so we went to Ocean City, NJ. Looks like a very cute place for a family vacation. I even enjoyed some saltwater taffy and fudge on the boardwalk.

Delaware: I was dropped off in Delaware to stay with my friend, Delaware, until I flew back to San Diego. I'd never been to Wilmington . . and I learned that that is OK . . I wasn't missing out. But, I did enjoy hanging out with Delaware and seeing where she lived.

Maryland: We drove through Maryland to visit Rochester in the D.C. area.

Virginia: Rochester actually lives in Arlington, so we stayed with him there. I've decide that if I move to D.C., I'd like to live there.

D.C.: It was great to visit again . . especially since I had an interview! I also met up with my cousin for lunch. I was disappointed about the constant rain the two days we visited, because we didn't end up going to the Cherry Blossom festival, but Rochester did drive us by the Capitol, Washington Monument, etc. And, I was able to go out in Georgetown one night, which is an area I'd never visited.

So, that about sums it up. Sorry, I know it's boring without pictures, but I'm way too tired for that tonight.

Right now, I'm in the middle of vacation with my parents here in San Diego. So far, we're having a very nice time. My sister flies in tomorrow, which I'm really excited about. It's weird being here without my friends (from the job) and it will be tough leaving such a great place for good next week. There's so much unknown that lies ahead, but I know God has great plans.