I Love Barack Obama

I love Barack Obama: As portrayed by pictures and videos found on the internet. Enjoy!



Here is the thing - I want a love like Michelle and Barack

So precious, right? 

Also, my president is awesome because he gets on your level 

And last but not least: Obama is not impressed

I hope you enjoyed my short but sweet tribute to President Obama!

LETS GO MARYLAND!

If you didn't know this already - I love the University of Maryland! This past weekend the Terps opened their basketball season at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

From GoogleImages

Cool, right?!? Anyway, our first game was against the University of Kentucky, the #3 seeded team. NOT FAIR. A bunch of my alumni sorority sisters were going to the game with a group of alumni fraternity men, and let me tell you, it was the best night I have had in a long time. Needless to say we lost, only by three points. This weekend was the first weekend I have experienced the night life in NYC since I moved here, and I definitely felt like I was in college again, it was fantastic.

Now as you can imagine, this post is not just about Maryland Basketball and my nightly escapades. This post is about a variety of Maryland sports. For those of you who don't know this, during my senior year I was privileged to have an on-campus job that enabled me to work with student athletes, specifically Jill Witmer (women's field hockey), Christian Boley (men's wrestling), London Woodberry (men's soccer), and Alyssa Thomas (women's basketball). Let me be the first to tell you that these athletes are the most hardworking individuals that I know. Can you imagine working a full-time, traveling job while taking a full course-load of classes? I can't. Somehow these individuals, and many more, make it work. 

This weekend may not have been a success for Terps Basketball of Football, but as a loyal Terps fan knows I do not expect my team to win at these sports. 

The Women's Field Hockey team is in the midst of the NCAA tournament and this weekend won themselves a spot in the final four. 

From Jill's Facebook

Not only is Jill an incredibly kind individual, she is also the most humble person I have ever met. She has traveled overseas to play field hockey as a part of the US-under 21 team and you would never know unless you learned that on your own. She is hard worker and truly deserves all of her success (ps she's #10 in the picture above, and obviously I think she is amazing).

This weekend the Men's Soccer team won the ACC Championship against the University of North Carolina. AMAZING. 

From UMTerps.com 

I am proud to be a Terp and that picture is the soccer team posing with their fans after the game. Maryland spirit is something that transcends just the big, money making sports, which I am incredible proud of. Now let me tell you something about London - he is a very hard worker with a very, very silly side :-P.

This weekend the Men's Wrestling team also competed in the Brockport/Oklahoma invitational and placed second in the tournament! 

From UMTerps.com 

Four Terps including the wonderful Christian Boley placed first in their weight class at the tournament this weekend. The picture is of Christian winning the bracket. Now, let me tell you a little about Christian, and why exactly I think he is so wonderful. I didn't know anything about wrestling before I starting working with Christian, and I have developed an amazing respect for the sport. Every athlete works hard, and gives all of their blood, sweat, and tears to their sports, but can you imagine having to weigh a precise amount at a precise time? I don't know about you, but my weight fluctuates all the time, throughout the day, whenever. Weighing in at 197, Christian must weight exactly 197 pounds (or less), at the exact time the tournament organizers say so. If he weights 198 pounds, he is ineligible to play. How crazy is that pressure? In addition, Christian is the only person I know who can literally do anything he puts his mind to. He doesn't believe in trying, he believes in doing - failure is not an option in his life. 

This weekend the Women's Basketball team also rose to victory against Loyola in Baltimore. The women's basketball team is one well oiled machine, and I have never seen such amazing people as the players on that team. I worked with a few of the players, and they possess such a true dedication to their team and their school that is admirable. I have never met head coach Brenda Frese, but she is definitely one of the women that I admire. 

From GoogleImages 

Not only does the women's basketball team succeed at the collegiate level, but they also have alumni playing in the WNBA, which is just incredible. And because I worked with Alyssa, I will tell you that she is one of the kindest and hardworking people I have ever met.

I am an incredibly proud Terps fan, and as such, I know how important it is to pay attention to the "less popular" sports, because they have amazing players AND they win titles!

Hurricane Sandy and Other Adventures

Well, as you all know, this week was filled with tumultuous weather and Hurricane Sandy.

Seaside Heights: courtesy of LATimes.com

From NBC.com 

Now let me tell you a little about Hurricane Sandy. It was scary. I was technically my second hurricane, but Hurricane Irene in Maryland was just a rainstorm, so I don't count it. I rode out the storm in Westfield, New Jersey where power was lost last Monday at 8pm, and has yet to return. I can't even imagine not having power for a week! It's cold outside! From where I was staying, we didn't think the storm was too intense or that it would cause too much damage. It merely sounded as though there was a mild wind gusting outside. On Tuesday we decided to take a drive and assess the damage around town. Boy, were we surprise and astounded at what had happened. While some blocks were totally fine, other  blocks looked as though a tornado had been through and knocked over countless trees and power lines. We couldn't believe it - and immediately regretted our decision of sleeping in the bedrooms on the second floor as opposed to in the basement. It was just crazy.

Tree in Westfield 

Like what?!? How does this happen when we weren't even worried by the wind only three blocks away from this tree that looks as though the grass was lifted up like a carpet. 

I came back to the City on Wednesday and my apartment was essentially a shelter in itself. My one-bedroom-converted-to-two-bedroom was filled to the brim with SIX people living here for a few days. Here's what happened. My roommate's sister had no power, so she was sleeping here. Two of my friends who go to NYU were stuck in a shelter and came to stay here for a few nights (I'm nice, I can't let people stay in a shelter). And my best friend was already planning on coming up from Washington, so plus me that equals 6. It was kind of crazy (ya think?) and today is the first day since Friday, October 26th that I have had to myself (I'm serious). 

In other news, I have been thinking that I need a bicycle since I moved to New York in August. A bike- I suppose most of you are thinking, why do you want a bike? Don't you have a bike? Well here's the story. In college I have a bike like this:

Dahon Folding Bike via GoogleImages 

Yes, I had a Dahon folding bike in college, and let me tell you, it is literally the worst bike ever. This is why. Those wheels are, in reality, as small as they look. Because the wheels are so small it takes significantly more effort to ride the bike than it does to walk, and you don't end up going very fast. My original reasoning behind wanting this bike was that it folds and I would be able to keep it in my dorm room. While that seems like a good idea in theory, it was such a pain in the ass to ride that I never, ever, rode it. 

Now, you might ask me why I want a bike in New York City, since this blog originated as a running blog (oops). I am definitely terrified to go outside and run by myself for a few reasons. 1) I still suck at running. 2) I don't feel particularly safe running alone (read - I AM SLOW). 3) I don't look particularly cute while I run and I feel like New Yorkers might just be a tad judgmental (who would've thought). Now, reasons why I wanted a bike - 1) I wouldn't have to take the bus, subway, or walk places that aren't particularly far away (bikes are fast). 2) I feel pretty safe on a bike (read - bikes are fast, or at least faster than on foot). 3) I can be super cute and ride my bike around Central/Riverside parks. 4) I can ride my bide to school/work and get exercise while doing something I have to do anyway. 

My friend who was visiting this weekend is an avid cyclist (read - road biker/sometimes racer). I knew that if I wanted to buy a bicycle, I should do it while she was here because she is immensely more knowledgable than I am (about bikes). So all in all, we visited three bike stores on the UWS and only looked at two and a half bikes. 

The first bike store we visited (Friday) was Metro Bicycle, and were completely underwhelmed with the service. Later on Friday we went to Toga Bikes and thought it was awesome. We had an awesome salesman, and he taught me a lot about bikes. The only downside was that they didn't really have any bikes in my size, so I couldn't test drive the bike I wanted in my size. My friend insisted that we look at a third bike store so on Saturday morning we went to Bicycle Renaissance. Bicycle Renaissance was awesome for a few reasons - 1) the salesman we had was super cute and equally knowledgable to the salesman at Toga. 2) They mad multiple bikes in my size for me to test drive including the bike I was looking at buying. 3) The salesman taught me why it was so important to ride a properly sized bike, which I didn't really understand before. So, needless to say, I bought my bike at Bicycle Renaissance. 

Specialized Vita Women's 

Now before you make some snide remark, yes, I know, how predictable of me to get a black and pink bike. Whatever, it was one of only two bikes in my price range, and the color matters a little (like a car). Today I did a test ride of my bike to school and door to door it only took twenty minutes, it only took that long because a biker has to follow driver laws and cannot ride on the sidewalk. I'm a little worried I'm going to get hit by a car, but less worried about that than I was as a runner. I'm a pretty happy camper and am very excited to have a bike in The City.

Hopefully this week will get back to normal with school, work, and public transportation. I'll post again soon. 

Maryland Homecoming

So last week I (potentially) bored you with my thoughts on feminism, and this week I had some trouble finding a new topic to discuss. I have decided to stop just ranting about my life, so I have decided to become slightly controversial instead - yay. I will briefly fill you in on my life first though. I spent this past weekend at the University of Maryland for Homecoming and as you can probably guess IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Ok, so the main purpose of this post if about baseball, presidential debates, and football. As you all know, last night was the final presidential debate, along with the 7th game against the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals to get in to the world series, and an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.

Now, I have many thoughts on these things. First, why does all of the primetime television shows get cancelled for the debate while the sporting events get to continue as planned? This seems unfair to me. If the media is trying to encourage the public to really tune in to the debate, then cable channels should be either airing the debate or playing undesirable shows so people are basically forced to watch the debate. 

First: I will start with football. I hate football. Other games I understand and even appreciate, but football is just so, football. So basically, that is all I have to say on this matter. But I do love watching Maryland football, only because I love the Terps. 

Second: Baseball. For those of you who don't know, I love baseball. I am a true Dodger fan, but since they always disappoint, I take to watching the postseason regardless of who is playing. Oh, and I always root for the underdog. So when the Yankees were playing the Orioles I had a hard time finding friends here in New York. The Orioles put up a good fight and I was proud of them. But then the Yankees had to get and get swept by the Tigers? ARE YOU KIDDING?!? It's like they didn't even try! If only they played that way against the Orioles. ugh. So now that the World series is between the Giants and the Tigers I don't really care, but I will still probably watch the games just because they're on. 

Third: The debate. Did you watch the debate? I watched the debate! Even though I had already voted by mail i decided to watch the debate. If you haven't voted, or if you know who you are voting for, it's still good to watch because otherwise you won't get all the jokes being told for weeks after. So now I will post pictures of jokes from the debates. 

Well, needless to say that I am an Obama fan, and I am sorry if you are a fan of Romney in any way, but you did choose to read my blog. 

So the only point of posting about football, baseball, and presidential candidates in one post is that they were all on television on the same night at the same time. Which I feel is wrong, but it did give me something to write about. 

I Am A Feminist

Lately I have been compelled to write a post about the experience of being a woman in modern society. First and foremost, I believe that everyone should be a feminist, and that everyone should read the You Should be a Feminist blog. Second, I think people are confused about what it really means to be a feminist. I know what you are thinking - feminists are crazy people who think they are better than men and burn their bras- WRONG! According to google, the definition of a feminism is "The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." 

Do I believe that women are better than men? no. Do I believe that men are better than women? no. I believe that women and men should both be able to vote- which they now have the right to do but that was not always the case. I believe that men and women should have equal opportunity to run and hold political office, which is technically true, but not in practice. Do I think Sarah Palin would have been a good person to have in office? No. Is there any reason that Hillary Clinton can't serve as president? Nope. Hillary would probably be doing a great job. What about Michelle Obama, can you see her as the President of the United States? I sure can. Anyway, this blog post is not meant to be political, so I will move on. 

If I can perform the same job at the same level as a man, I believe that we should be receiving equal pay. In America, the average man makes $8,100 more than women on an annual basis. That's just not fair. I'm not saying that women should make more money than men, I just think there should be equal pay for equal work. 

Moving on. As you know, I have recently moved to New York. What you don't know is that every single Tuesday of my senior year of college was spent in the TV room of the sorority house watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.  This was probably the worst idea I could have ever had knowing that I would be moving to New York. While I know how unlikely it is to be randomly assaulted by a stranger on the street, I know that it can happen. So sorry men on the street, I automatically fear you because society has taught me to do so. Also, I live in a very safe neighborhood in Manhattan and only have to walk two blocks to the subway. Why must I pass a group of older men on the street thanking me for getting dressed up that day because they like to look at me? I didn't get dressed up for you, creepy old men! I'm just wearing jeans and a t-shirt to go to work - if I look good, it's for me! 

I guess what I am trying to say is that being a woman is hard. We are expected to be perfect - beyond perfect. We are expected to always look nice, which includes but is not limited to: hair, makeup, facial hair grooming, total body hair removal, clothes, and completely nonsensical shoes. Later in life, women are also expected to manage work, child-rearing, and housework while still looking nice. WE ARE NOT SUPERHEROES. Although, I do fancy my mom and my grandma superheroes. Maybe that's the secret. Maybe women ARE superheroes. Women find ways to take care of themselves and their families and make it look so easy. I personally think that my mom can do anything. Now, I know that's crazy and my mom is not actually a superhero and that kind of thought puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on her, but I still think it's true. Now think - are men superheroes? I don't think so. 

One of my favorite shows on television right now is NBC's Parenthood. I think it is a very realistic family dramedy that literally melts my heart every time I see it. Anyway, this last episode one of the main characters, Julia, had a total meltdown because she realized that she couldn't be a superhero. Let me fill you in: Julia and her husband have one biological daughter. They wanted to have more kids, were unable to get pregnant, so they adopted an older boy. Julia is a prominent lawyer at a respected law firm who was on the partner track. That's a lot of pressure, right? This week Julia realized that she needed more time to be a mom and take care of her family, which made her fail at work, which led her to quit her job. Now, Julia is lucky because she has an incredibly supportive husband who is a stay-at-home dad, but still, I can appreciate the panic attacks she had on Tuesday night. 

So anyway, all I am trying to say is that being a woman is hard. We all want to do everything ourselves and be perfect, but perfection is impossible. Striving for perfection is unrealistic and will lead to panic attacks, thanks Parenthood for that lesson! So think about it - what do YOU think the hardest part about being a woman is? Feel free to post comments!

Working Girl

Hi again,

so, as you know, yesterday was my very first day of work at the GAP! Let me be the first to tell you that it was just a little overwhelming. Since I used to work retail, I figured I was pretty prepared to work  retail in New York. HA! Could I have been more wrong? I don't think so. I have never seen more people come in and our of a store in my entire life. It was so crazy! From the time the store opened until I went home there were at least fifty people in the store at all times. Now that fifty is just a guess, but I'm assuming there were actually more people, but I have a hard time judging amount of people in an enclosed space.

So you know how sometimes you walk in to a store and everything is a mess and you are like, GOSH WHY IS EVERYTHING A MESS DOES ANYONE WORK HERE? Yes, people work there, and I will never judge a big, busy, store ever again. I spent half an hour folding clothes to make a table look beautiful, then move on to the next table. I would just go back and forth between tables all day because the second you leave the table customers come over and mess everything up! Newfound respect for retail workers - seriously. And when I wasn't folding clothes or helping customers on the sales floor, I was running up and down from the stock room to get different sizes for specific customers or to refill the stock that sells SO FAST!

After work I got to see my Big from my sorority, which was super fun! Today I was back to classes, and my next day at work is on Wednesday. 

Weekend Adventures

Hi All,

I hope I am catching you in the midst of a good weekend! This weekend was particularly enjoyable for me.

Well, let's back up a second.

As you know, I have been searching for a part-time job since my arrival in New York about a month and a half ago. Well last week my efforts were finally rewarded - yay - and I am now an employee of the Gap! To be completely honest, I used to dislike the gap. I thought it was a store for middle-aged people and blah blah blah. I could blame this on the fact that I grew up in the materialistic city of Los Angeles, and I'm going to. Recently, I have found myself stumbling in to the gap more and more often because of the super cute clothing in the window drawing me in. The clothes are fun, bright, cheery, fashionable, and most of all, reasonably priced (for the high quality of their items). I love working retail. I used to work at Nordstrom the summer after I graduated from high school. It's a great way to meet a bunch of people and actually have fun while you are at work. So my first day is tomorrow and I will definitely let you know how it goes. Also- I'm not going to publish the location of my job for everyone to see on the interwebs, but if we're friends and you want to visit me at work, just ask and I'll let you know.

Ok, back to this weekend. I found out I got this job and I panicked - if I have a part time job I will no longer have time for my friends in Maryland! My Thursday evening class was cancelled and I took it as an omen to impulsively go to Maryland to visit my best friend and my boyfriend because who knows when my next free weekend will be? (In two weeks, for homecoming, but still I was panicking). So I took the bus down on Thursday night and spent Thursday night and Friday catching up with my friend and going shopping. Who doesn't love shopping?! And I bought a new outfit for my first day of work, from the gap obviously. Then today, Saturday, we went back to the good old University of Maryland to tailgate for the football game. I don't particularly like football, so while my friend was at the game I spent the afternoon with my boyfriend - yay! Then we all got dinner together, and now I am sitting on the bus once again back to the Big Apple so I can be at work at 9:45am tomorrow (woah, early for me).

I wish I could say the fun stops there, but it doesn't! My big from my sorority is spending the night at my apartment tomorrow because she is down for the long weekend (not fair) from Boston. She's kind of a super genius and is getting her Ph.D in Biochemistry from Harvard - woah, right? I haven't seen her since LAST October, NOT OK - but that will all be remedied tomorrow. Also - I might be seeing another friend from Boston tomorrow or Monday, so all in all it has turned out to be quite an exciting weekend!

My Favorite Things

One of my most favorite things is...CHOCOLATE! Obviously. If you ever meet a girl who doesn't like chocolate, I would be weary of her. I am telling you this because yesterday I went to Hershey Park for the very first time. To be honest, I'm not super in to amusement parks and rides and stuff, but my boyfriend wanted to go with his family, and I do love chocolate, so we went. It ended up being a really fun day and I am very glad that we went! My favorite chocolate candy is Reese's, and I couldn't believe all of the different kinds of Reese's products that are in existence. Did you know that there is such a thing as a Reese's bar? I bet you didn't.

From GoogleImages

Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like. A hershey's candy bar stuffed with peanut butter! Let me be the first to tell you that it's delicious and dare I say better than a peanut butter cup?

Ryan and me at Hershey Park!

Anyway. School has been going really well, for those of you who were wondering. I feel like I am actually learning things in my classes that I can use in my career - it only took 16 years of structured education... My favorite assignment so far has been what is called a "pre-course interview" for my foundations of counseling class. We had to interview someone we didn't know very well (easy for me, just moved here) for 15 whole minutes, as a mini-therapy session. I was so nervous before I conducted the interview, but as I was doing it and after it felt so good and made me feel like I could really do this as my profession. It was an awesome experience and I can't wait for my future!

In non-school related news, I don't know if any of you know how obsessed I am with Erin Condren. Erin Condren is a designer who has an online boutique of basically anything you can think of that can be personalized. Now I know what you're thinking, tacky silver items that can be engraved - WRONG! She has iPhone cases, planners, stationery, note pads, note books, etc. I normally think this items are kind of boring, but hers are just so fun! She is super good at having specials on her items, which is when I usually order them. I just can't get enough!

My iPhone Case

My Planner (I can't rotate it, weird)

And now, because of her lovely sale promotion a few days ago, I have ordered personalized stationery to my collection!

My Stationery (mine will have my name, obviously)

How cute, right! I'm so excited for it to come! I love sending hand written notes of all kinds, and I think my new stationery will definitely help me continue my habit.

Overall, this week has been pretty fantastic, including the fact that I finally got a part-time job! I can't wait to start working and hopefully get a real routine going on here in New York. Ok, this is all for now, have fun shopping on ErinCondren.com! 

Back to the Grind

Hi bloggers and joggers,

Today, I decided to go to the gym. I know, I know, I have been in the city for the month and this was my first time at the gym! (please don't give me this lecture). A wise friend has told me that when it comes to running, if you don't use it, you lose it. Today I learned first hand that this is, indeed, true. I haven't run in about four months, and today I could barely run at all. I was on the treadmill for 35 minutes, and I only went 2.25 miles. PATHETIC.

From GoogleImages

Yup - that's basically what I felt like, a turtle on a treadmill. Whatever, I will keep with it and get back in shape, I promise myself. In addition to running, I also want to get in to biking. For now that means just alternating between treadmill and bike in the gym, but hopefully it will eventually lead to biking outside on a real bike. I think biking gives you a great opportunity to do something on your own, safely, and gives you the opportunity to really see a city. Lets just say it's something I'm thinking about. I'm also planning on starting this ab workout routine, I'll let you know what I think.

In other news - my classes are now in full swing and I am a little overwhelmed with the amount of reading I have. Everyone always says "Graduate school is a lot of reading," but you don't really comprehend the amount of reading they're talking about until you actually get there, trust me.

I perpetually feel like I have a never ending stack of reading to get done. For example, on the average week I have 200 pages of reading along with reflection papers and other various assignments. The good news? I have been able to keep up with all of my reading and assignments thus far, which is encouraging.

More next time, 

B

Fall In To School

Well, as you could guess by my title, school has started yet again! I am starting a brand new school for only the fifth time in my life, which I guess is pretty normal. I started off my educational journey at the ripe age of 3(ish) at Sinai Akiba Academy. From the time of mommy-and-me classes to the sixth grade I spent the majority of my time learning hebrew and other aspects of the Jewish religion while basically learning nothing about english grammar, or math, or anything else that would help me in the real world.   I started Harvard-Westlake School in the seventh grade and graduated from high school there in 2008. It was at HW that I came to understand how learning something new could be awesome. It was also where I learned that some subjects were just never going to make sense to me (i.e. chemistry). When I graduated from high school I started college at The University of Massachusetts, and let me tell you it was the worst four months of my life. I only lasted there a semester before I transferred to The University of Maryland where I had the best three and a half years of my entire life, so far at least. At UMD I was able to join an amazing sorority, find a major that made me excited to learn, and had experiences I will never forget. I was finally able to be confident in my academic life as well as my social life, and decided to study abroad (as you know), and apply to graduate school (as you also know). 

Today I had my orientation at Teachers College and I cannot wait to start my classes on Thursday. You could say that I am a nerd, but I really love school. I love school so much that I want to spend my life working within a school, but to do that I need to spend at least two more years experiencing more school for myself. On Thursday I will tell you all about my first class, yay!

Birthdays

Well, today I am officially another year older, and I can tell you that I do not feel any different.

Taken From Google

I feel like birthdays are super anticlimactic in that way - you are another year older but in reality nothing at all changes. Womp. Anyway, today was a super relaxing day in the city for me and Grammie. She had never been to Columbia before so we went up there and had lunch. We then came back to the apartment and relaxed before going for super delicious Mexican food for dinner. We went to Gabriela's and got dinner and a drink. It was perfect!

Since I am so good at being alone (NOT), I could not be more excited that Rachel is coming tomorrow to spend the weekend with me! I can't wait! She will stay through Sunday and then my roommate moves in (finally) on Monday. We have our orientation for school on Tuesday and classes start on Wednesday. I love school and can't wait to get back to it! First graduate school classes are a week from tomorrow!

Hopefully I'll have some more interesting things to share with you soon.

Where Am I, Again?

I am happy to report that my grandmother (aka GRAMMIE) has come to visit me and is spending time with me in New York this week. She was born and raised in the Bronx and arrived last Friday evening. She decided she wanted to to see the Eldridge Street Synagogue  in Chinatown. Ok, so we went down to Chinatown and ate lunch in Little Italy, it was fun. We then were walking to the Subway and were bombarded by an enormous mass of people. Immediately, my mind was confused and for a moment I believed that I was back in India. It was crazy, never in my life in the United States have I ever seen so many people moving in so many directions speaking languages I didn't understand. I was so overwhelmed.

We are spending today and tomorrow seeing various family members in New York. I am eternally grateful that Grammie has come to New York to spend my 22nd birthday with me :)

The Runner Takes Manhattan!

Well, I've done it! I have officially moved in to my apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan! If I had to describe my move in one word, it would be emotional. Now don't get me wrong, I am accustomed to living away from my parents, I have been doing that for the last four years. I have even lived in two apartments over summers basically alone, but for some reason this move just seems more permanent. That's probably because it is. When I would go to College Park in the fall I would know that I would see my mom soon for parents weekend, and then not far after that for Thanksgiving, and then Winter break. This year, however, I do not have my mom coming to see me in October, I can't really afford to go home for Thanksgiving, and I don't know what will be come December. In addition, I am no longer living in a sorority house filled to the brim with other young women and literally having no personal space. Needless to say, this whole experience is quite a culture shock.

Anyway - I flew back to New Jersey with my boyfriend and we spent the day at his parents house. Last night we drove in to the city and saw Potted Potter which was fun and incredibly silly. We then went out for a yummy dinner and they dropped me off at my apartment. As you probably could have guessed, I totally freaked out, and my boyfriend ended up staying with me (because he's amazing, even though he will probably never read this because he doesn't use his computer :-p). Today I saw a dear friend from high school, went grocery shopping, and made myself dinner. I feel pretty grown up right now.

Tomorrow my grandma is flying in to New York to spend the weekend with me and I could not be more exited!

Hopefully I have more exciting things to share with you all later. 

Keep on Driving

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY


Yellowstone was quite an interesting place to visit! We ended up driving around the park for about eight hours to get from the east entrance to the west entrance on Wednesday. By the end of the day, it would be an understatement to say we were tired. Before going to Yellowstone we were most excited to see the wildlife (if you didn't know, we LOVE bears!). And did we ever see a bear! We saw a bear, plenty of deer, and buffalo/bison (did you know that buffalo and bison are actually the same thing)?

A Bear! 

A Bison!

An Elk! 

Our second day in Yellowstone was much more exciting - we saw old faithful and took a hike! Old faithful was awesome and we were pretty silly on our hike.

Hiding in a Cave

Jumping off a Log

Mom jumping off a Log

We also managed to get the cutest picture ever of the two of us! 

My mom and me at Yellowstone! 

After we left yellowstone we drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to have dinner through a little town called Moose, Wyoming. My mom and I have a little inside joke about moose from our first road trip my senior year of high school. Lucky for us, we saw moose in Moose!

Moose in Moose! 

We then spent then night in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FRIDAY 

On Friday we ate at yet another Diner, Drive-In, and Dive. We ate lunch at The Red Iguana in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a mexican restaurant that is known for their seven variations of mole sauce. It was pretty good! We then drove to Bryce Canyon, Utah, which is in the southern part of the state. We got in early, but too late to really see anything, so we ate an early dinner and went to bed. 

SATURDAY

On Saturday we explore Bryce Canyon National Park and it was amazing! It might even be my favorite place that I have ever been! We did a three mile hike, then got lost, and ended up having to walk an additional two miles back to the visitors center to get back to our car - womp womp. 

Mom at Bryce

Me at Bryce

The sign for our hike!

My favorite thing about Bryce Canyon were the strange land formations known as Hoodoos. Hoodoos are strange formations that look like icicles sticking up from the ground made out of rock. They are bright orange and they are awesome! 

Hoodoos! 

After we explored Bryce we drove about two hours to St. George, Utah. In St. George we ate another incredible dinner by sheer luck and the help of the internet. We ate at Xetava Gardens Cafe which ended up being incredible! My mom and I shared an appetizer of fried avocado and fried artichoke hearts with a basil pesto sauce. It was amazing and I can totally replicate it if I bake it instead of fry it - panko crusted vegetables, so easy. For our entree we shared a New York Strip with avocado and potatoes with a veal demi glace. It was SO GOOD. 

yummm

We were the last customers in the restaurant, there an hour after the restaurant closed, and we really couldn't resist ordering dessert because we were so thrilled with our dinner. They are known for their bread pudding, but my mom and I are chocolate people, so we asked if we could have a half portion of two desserts. Our wonderful waitress said yes, but then surprised us and gave us two whole desserts and only charged us for one! And to let you know, it took us two separate occasions to finish all of this dessert.

Double yummm

TODAY/SUNDAY

Today was another amazing day. We drove forty-five minutes to Zion National Park from our hotel. My mom and I decided to be super courageous and go on a hike while through a river. We rented waling sticks and had a blast. We hiked one mile to the river, and one mile back. We think we made it about a half mile in to the river, and a half mile back. We wanted to go further but thunder started to roll in and we were urged to turn around due to a flash-flood warning. Regardless - it was the coolest thing we have ever done! 

Mom in the Water

Me in the Water

Mom Again

Me

Mom is so strong!

 We were even lucky enough to see some animals on our hike today!

Deer

Squirrel 

Tonight we had a pretty low-key time just hanging out in our hotel room. Tomorrow we are very excited to drive to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon! I will tell you about it tomorrow, hopefully.