Blogs from Minnesota, United States, North America - page 56

ok. so i started this blog thing... we'll see how much i really use it. i'm leaving monday june 2nd for my trip. i found out today i will be getting to kampala, uganda before the rest of the group, so i have an extra day to do whatever before all the school stuff starts. i guess that's cool, but it kind of pissed me off at first - i don't really understand why i'm getting there early and i have to pay for my own transportation from the airport to the hotel (they said about $40). but it'll be cool to have that extra free day - even if it is before the program starts.... read more

Well today is the day I have been planning for the last 6 months. Its funny how leaving seems like such a good idea until it gets here, and now I am filled with questions. I know it will be fine once I arrive in Melbourne (in 40 hours....) but right now I am just nervous and already missing my friends and home. My flights are taking me from Minneapolis to LA, from LA to Auckland (NZ), and then from Auckland to Melbourne for a total travel time of about 36 hours. Hopefully I can get more sleep on the plane than I did last night =) Check back here to hear about my adventures in Australia and beyond. I miss you all already, make sure to keep in touch!!!... read more

A very wet night gave way to a beautiful, clear blue sky, morning. The wet tent was packed away after breakfast and after our morning walk we headed west on Route 12 toward Chicago. Just outside the park was a beautiful doe, standing in the middle of the road. By the time I got my camera, she was gone. Back on Route 90 we drove through Chicago. It was Dave’s first time in the city. He was really impressed with the highway system that took us through the city and the great condition of the highway. In 35 years of driving through major cities in the East, he has never seen such a smooth interstate that rolled through a city. Well done Chicago! Oprah’s taxes are being well spent. Chicago’s skyline in beautiful. I have been ... read more

One week from now...GRADUATION! Two weeks from now...I fly out from the Minneapolis airport on my way to EUROPE!! For the last year or so I have been planning a two-month trip to tour Europe with two of my closest girl friends--each representing a different period of my life. Megan, a friend I met in 8th grade, at Centennial Middle School, has been with me through the good and the bad in my high school years, and now my college years (though that second part has taken place long distance). We've travelled through Spain together, we've been camp counselors together, we've experienced our first loves together but also our first heartbreaks, we've had our first drinks together but also our first true spiritual journeys...we've been through a lot together and even when we were distant (both ... read more

After Chicago, we went to Minneapolis to stay with Mitzi Overland, my roommate Melanie's mom. She was such a gracious host and let us stay long enough to catch the Sox playing the Twins. The Sox lost, unfortunately, but we had a great time at the game! We bought tickets the day of, too. Who knew? Minneapolis is a really fun city and we also did some exploring before the game. We saw the sculpture garden and the Guthrie, which is this crazy building with all kinds of theaters. We had a great time.... read more