Those of you that know me well, or read my travel blog from last summer, know my extreme distaste for New Jersey (despite my gi-normous love of New Jers-ians and the movie Garden State...though that's probably just b/c Natalie Portman is in it...). Mainly b/c they don't let you pump your own gas. Newark has become the nexus of all which is distasteful about N Jersey. I took the hotel shuttle back to EWR this morning to try and get into NYC. As the Spanish music blared, we passed through the ghetto of Newark. Newark is bringing ghetto back and in rather serious fashion. We passed by a man sitting on the sidewalk, busking. With an empty 2-gallon drum of paint. Please reference my journal depiction below. It was at this point that my driver switched ... read more

Got up super-early, late-night rains again in NE. The rest of the drive back home was probably the most boring leg of the entire bit, plus there were cops *everywhere* (mind you, the drive through eastern Colordado is about as desolate as it gets). Finally pulled into my driveway just before 11 am. To tell you the truth, it was kind of sad - I felt like I could have just kept driving, maybe out to the West coast or something. The Pacific NW is the only part of the country I haven't been to yet. But it's done, and I pretty much loved every minute of it! Absolutely worth it. I'm tired now, off for a nap. Thanks for reading!... read more

Woke up (once again) with the sunrise, still coming off the amazing experience of Boston. It was no mistake in my head that today was to be a travel day, seeing as I only had 2 full days to get the little rental car back to its home in sunny CO. So I busted through NY and all of Pennsylvania. The roads by this time were getting awfully clogged with holiday travelers, and the multitude of construction zones throughout PA sure didn't help. By the time I got through OH and back to my parents' home, it was 8:00 at night. This was probably one of my most exhausting, and least eventful days. The good thing about today is that I had plenty of time to just think, reflect on some big life stuff. So that ... read more

I got up really early this morning - I just can't seem to sleep past the sunrise! Which is great, since I'm maximizing my time enjoying the trip and not sleeping in. I knew I didn't want to drive into DC since the traffic is so notorious, so I found a road in Fairfax and just took it until I found the Fairfax Metro station. Easy! I was along with all the commuters as I boarded the subway into DC. I was always led to believe that DC was this kind of dirty, dangerous place with lots of crime - but that wasn't what I saw at all. In fact, almost everyone on the subway on their way to work looked nice and looked healthy, in-shape even! When I got downtown and walked to the Mall, ... read more

This morning I took off from Ohio and headed to Evansville (via Louisville KY), where I went to undergrad what seems like a very long time ago. I'm going to paraphrase what I wrote in my paper travel journal while I was there: "Hanging around UE (University of Evansville) this morning, and it's tripping me OUT! Making me really nostalgic, all these memories just flooding back. Studying Russian on the library steps, prayer walks around campus, RA staff meetings, archaeology class. Best of all, having all my friends within 1/4 mile of me. "It's so odd - being here is bringing up some very weird questions. What was it all for? Why did He bless me with UE, with so many amazing friends? Am I really making the best use of these blessings in my life? ... read more