Road trip home!

So Angie made it safely to San Diego and we are successfully on the road! After a day of visiting the city of SD, and saying some very hard goodbyes, we made a short 6 hour drive to San Luis Obispo, on the central coast, where I go just about every other weekend. Totally knowing my way around, I took Angie to my favorite place, Montana de Oro, where we hiked the cliffs and enjoyed the waves one last time.

After a busy day in the tidepools, we returned to clean the car and say goodbye to my little cousins. It was really tough saying goodbye to them, even though I know I will see them in October. Here's one final picture of my beautiful AJ showing me how much she loves me:

After a final night in SLO town, we drove to Fair Oaks, CA, outside Sacramento (where Aunt Susie and Uncle George live) for the night. Bot going in that direction I had to visit Google one last time, so that's where we made our lunch stop.

Next day we finally hit the road out of California, and made our way into Boise, ID, with some beautiful scenery through Lake Tahoe:


and some not-so-beautiful scenery through all of Nevada:


Today we got up and drove another 9 hours to our current location, Bozeman, Montana, known for Montana State University and it's big-horned sheep (which we saw at a rest stop). Driving through the mountains of Montana is one of the most gorgeous and scenic places I've ever been, and though the towns may be small and often abandoned, they don't take away from the views out here.

Tomorrow we are off to Yellowstone for the day. We can't wait for more picture-worthy scenes, and are confident that tomorrow will have plenty.

I hope everyone is doing well! I am going to be home uber-soon and can't wait to see people :) Miss you!

Love, Shub :) (and Angie!)

PS, the guy we are staying with here in Bozeman was in the Peace Corps! Hooray!!!

Homecoming.

The time has come, the walrus said, for Shub to come home.

Yup! After a very fast, very busy, and VERY happy year in California, I'm heading back home in two weeks. Two weeks! Yikes! It seems like yesterday I was packing the car in my front driveway and saying goodbye to my mailbox and my tire swing and stuff.

Here's why I'm comin' home: The job I have, though wonderful, is not enough to support me, and the people I live with need to have less of a burden; My parents' new boat needs lots of work, and who better to help than their soon-to-be unemployed daughter?; I would regret more than anything not being able to go to church camp this summer :); OH, and that whole Peace Corps thing.

At first I was unsure about how certain a "nomination" for the Peace Corps is, rather than an "invitation." I only have the former so far. I have been cleared legally, and my dental forms have passed. They told me my medical forms will not be reviewed until August, and since my potential date of departure is November, I'm supposed to hear by September about whether it's a done deal. They tell you not to make any rash decisions before getting an official invitation, such as quitting your job or moving, but I plan on doing both. If there is a chance I am going to be in Africa for the next two years, I want to spend summer at home with Mom and Dad, and my friends. As much as I love San Diego, I'm a Maryland girl, and always will be.

But WHO KNOWS, maybe after Africa I'll come back to SD for grad school or something :)

SO, AngiePants flies into SD on June 1st, and we drive out on June 2nd. Two weeks and a few thousand miles later (assuming leetle Saturn can handle the Rockies), we'll be back in MoCo. Instead of the southern route we took out west, we are going north to get back east. I'm thinking of keeping daily posts like LaceFace and I did on the way out here, just because it will probably be an interesting trip.

I can't wait to see everyone again, and I just can't wait to be home.

See you soon! (Eek!)

Love, Shub :)

Happiest place on Earth!

So a few weeks ago the one and only Peggy Tiffany (my old boss from the admissions office at University of Maryland) decided to come to the west coast for a visit! And by that I mean she was here on business and let me tag along. I drove up to Los Angeles to meet Peggy and her friend Courtney, and we made our way to Disneyland.

In all my years and travels to Florida, and in the last year living in California, I had never once been to Disneyworld or Disneyland. Now I know what I was missing.

We spent the day enjoying all the rides we could, and stalking the Disney characters if we got a chance. The cleanliness of the park continued to surprise me and the visual effects on the rides kept me saying every time (without fail) "How do they do that?" It was AWESOME, and I had an absolute blast. Here's proof:

See? I told you I'd never been before!

The Disney BAND!!!!!!! (way to go C-Nets!!)

Here's Peggy and I and Walt:

And here's some kids that became baby Jedi while we were there:

AND THEN my favorite part of the day happened. Peggy got mad at me for enjoying this more than Disney, but it is what it is. Halfway through the day Peggy took me along with her to the NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counselors) that she was in town for. I didn't realize how happy this would make me, but I jumped right back into tour mode and talked prospective students' ears off about the wonders of Maryland. It made me miss giving tours MORE THAN I already do, but it was so worth it. GO TERPS!


All in all it was an awesome day and an awesome weekend. Lessons to be learned: Disney is fun for ALL ages and the Terrapins are truly my first love.

More posts will follow regarding my homecoming :) Hope everyone is well!

Shub out.