Holiday Blues

I can't decide whether I'm jealous of the 10"+ of snow that my hometown got overnight and the prediction of another 4-10" by tomorrow night, or if I'm glad that it's 80 degrees here today. Don't get me wrong, I hate the cold and the snow, but I've been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Maybe it's because my parents announced their divorce plans last month. Maybe it's the fact that I have no money to buy anyone nice gifts this year (I do not recommend doing an unpaid internship!). Or maybe it's just because there is one part of me I cannot deny - I am a New Englander and white Christmases are simply what I expect.

I'll be home late at night on Christmas Eve (as long as there are no blizzards between Gainesville and Hartford) and hopefully it'll still be white when I get there, but Christmas just isn't going to be the same this year. My parents told my brother and I not to get them anything. I'm in charge of cooking Christmas Day dinner. And there won't be a real tree. This is the beginning of the end of my parents' marriage and there will be many 'lasts' this Christmas.

I'm not looking for pity or anything, I just can't help feeling like I finally understand why people hate the holidays. It's just not the same when the people you love the most are hurting and can't put that aside for a week or two. I am still blessed with good health, a great family, amazing friends and wonderful opportunities. There are so many people out there that don't have one thing to be happy about this holiday season - people who are homeless, sick, broke, incarcerated or really, truly alone. I have so much to be thankful for and yet I'm going to be selfish for one Christmas and say that this year, the holidays suck.

UF #1 in Something Other Than Sports?

Today the Princeton Rankings announced that UF was ranked #1 party school in the nation. While we can argue for days about whether that's true or not, I think it is directly related to our football team and high Greek involvement. If you ask every student how many beers they drink a year, you will get a huge number. However, if you subtract the drinks that are consumed on Saturdays in the fall - AKA tailgating - I would bet that number would be drastically reduced. The same probably goes from fraternity/sorority "socials". And it's all self-reported so who knows...

In other UF news, our Underwater Hockey team took 6th in the US Nationals this weekend in Gainesville. Our UF/Minnesota mixed team took 9th (I played one game with them!). And the team that myself and two of the other UF girls played on won first in the women's division! And I scored my first goal!

Welcome Back to the Sunshine State!

Well I've been back in Gainesville for only five days now. I got back in late last Wednesday night. The drive was boring and depressing. It felt like as soon as I crossed the Florida/Georgia border, all my anxiety and homesickness came back. So you can imagine how delighted I was on Friday afternoon when Andrew told me he was coming home three and a half weeks early! I got his flight moved up to Saturday and he spent the entire day flying from Madrid to Newark to Orlando, where I picked him up late Saturday night. We drove to his parents lake house in Dunnellon and spent the night catching up, exchanging souvenirs from our trips, watching movies, and eating good 'ole American food. We made a big breakfast when we woke up and his sister, Ashley, met us at the lake house around noon that day. We all went out to lunch and spent the afternoon fishing (unsuccessfully) and watching Cars. When we finally got back into Gainesville, Rags went insane. It's safe to say Rags missed Andrew as much as I did and they have apparently been bonding all day while I've been at work. I'm sure he's been busy all day especially trying to get his apartment back in order three weeks earlier than he was planning on.

Anyways, I am so glad he is home. I'm glad he went but I think that two and a half months is an awful long time to be in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, especially since his classes there ended a few weeks ago. It's great to have him back. Patrick and Alli will be back from their honeymoon in a week or two and Christina will be moving back from Baton Rouge in two weeks, so all of our friends will be back where they belong in no time! And before we know it, classes and football season will start, along with internships/jobs and organizations that we're involved in so who knows when we will get to all hang out. I'm glad we have a month before all that madness begins. Best of all, Andrew is back in time to play in Underwater Hockey Nationals this weekend, which neither of us were planning on playing in, but now that he's home, he can and he can also continue trying to convince me to play too. We'll see ;)

I finally uploaded pictures from Patrick and Alli's wedding and the rest of my road trip. Here's a few I like:

Lazy summer days

I have not done anything productive since I've been back in Longmeadow. Well, I visited my old office, went to lunch with some favorite former coworkers, bought a dress for Patrick & Alli's wedding (for a whopping $16 I might add!), and mowed the lawn at my parents' house. But I was sick at the beginning of the week and have been pretty lazy most of the week.

I leave tomorrow around noon to head to Charlottesville to pick up KD at the airport when her flight gets in around 10pm. We have a hotel for the weekend in Staunton, Virginia. Patrick & Alli are getting married on Saturday and then I'm going to head out early Sunday to go back to the Kiszs's in North Carolina. I am supposed to be back at work on Monday but that isn't happening. I physically cannot do the drive straight like I did on the way here. I'm going to take my time and be safe.

I am not looking forward to leaving. I'm so relaxed here. It's really hot but much more enjoyable than Gainesville weather. When I get back, I still have about a month before Christina and Andrew get back from their summers in Baton Rouge and Madrid, respectively. It's going to be a long month but Kayla is moving in at the end of July so that will be fun! I might be working part-time at Target, too. I'll be at my internship Monday, Wednesday and Friday so I can work at Target on Tuesdays, Thursdays, evenings and weekends. Hopefully I can save up some money and keep busy during the last stretch of summer. If not, I can work on my tan a lot!

I wish I had something exciting to post about, but I don't!

Home Sweet Home

As nice as my vacation up in the Adirondacks was, it's good to be back to civilization.

Saturday night we went to watch the fireworks in the same spot we have watched them from for as long as I can remember. And yet we could only see half of them. So that was disappointing, but the half we could see over the tops of the trees, those were good.

Yesterday we went out to breakfast and then went fishin'. All I caught were three trout the size of my thumb but I got a nice tan while doing it! I am looking forward to going bass fishing again when Andrew gets back.

I've been watching all the old episodes of The Office and I am now completely obsessed with Pam & Jim's relationship. I'm only halfway through season two but I watched the end of this season so I know they are actually a couple now. Everyone at my last job was also obsessed with the show, except for Jason and I. Everyone called us Pam & Jim. I was the receptionist who always wore pants, blouses, and sweaters and he was always hanging around my desk. I also got told all the time (and still do) that I look like Pam Beesly/Jenna Fischer. I also get told I look like Amy Adams but I don't see that resemblance yet. I wish! Anyways, everyone at the office thought Jason and I were secretly in love or that he had a crush on me. Neither were true of course, but now I understand why they called us Pam & Jim! And I am pretty much in love with Jim Halpert/John Krasinski.

Independence (a) Day (late)

Well my dad and I celebrated the 4th of July in true American fashion - driving 30 miles to the nearest Verizon store because my cell phone decided to crap out on me just hours after I sent out a super important press release about Jon Reep performing at Growl Growl. So after that took up our entire morning, we decided to hit the beach. I slept on the sand for a few hours, took a few pictures, ate ice cream, and then we headed back to the cottage. I've been sleeping a lot. Almost 10 hours every night and lots of naps. That's fine, because I never sleep enough anymore, and I'm on vacation so why shouldn't I?

We went back to the beach at dusk to watch the fireworks that we thought were going to be directly on the other side of the lake, but instead we watched a bunch of drunk upstate NY rednecks set off their own right on the beach. It was entertaining to say the least. We are going to the real big ones tonight in this cute little town called Northville, also on the lake.

Today we went white water tubing. Much like rafting, but in your own inner tube. The rapids are class II and III (on a scale of I-V) and they would be lame in a raft but were badass in a tube. It was cold and hard work because you have to paddle like hell to steer, but so much fun!

I've gotten to talk to Andrew a bunch over the past few days. He loves Israel. Every time one of us does something neat we keep adding it to our list of things to do when he gets back - windsurfing, parasailing, white water rafting/tubing, ziplining, skydiving, and of course lots of fishing and scalloping. I think we are going straight to the lake when I pick him up from the airport so we can get up early and fish all day the next day. Sounds like a plan to me!

PS: Rags is finally a real dog - he plays frisbee!

Rain, Rain... Fine you can stay

As much as I normally hate the rain, it's OK because I'm on vacation. A rainy day on vacation means you get to sleep in, wear sweats around the house, go shopping even when you have the most beautiful things outside to see, and do puzzles and eat bad food.

Fortunately we were able to get four solid hours in at Six Flags Great Escape - plenty of time for my dad and I to ride the only three roller coasters (out of a usual six) that were running today, including one kiddie coaster where my dad thought it was slow enough for a hat. Well, rest in peace Florida Gators baseball cap. It fell off on the ride and we made completely inappropriate jokes about climbing over fences to get a baseball hat and then possibly being decapitated (see Teen decapitated by rollercoaster if you don't know what I'm talking about). I know, wrong. But we laughed anyways.

It started to pour around 2pm so we headed back to the car. On the way home, my dad stopped so I could take a picture of this lady's yard in town, where she has a yellow flag for each US soldier that has been killed in Iraq. Today's running total is 4,114. It makes me really sad to see that number but I am glad she is making such a beautiful display to honor them. I find it very appropriate on the eve of the Fourth of July. Thanks to soldiers from nearly 300 years ago until today, I live the privileged life of an American. While some may question how what the US military is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan and everywhere else overseas affects us at home, I find it irrelevant. Someone has to do it and it sure as hell isn't me, so I am thankful every day for what Andrew and all the other soldiers have done and continue to do. I just hope they all come home, safely and soon.

On that note, time to go heat up my leftovers. I bought a bottle of local strawberry white zinfandel and a block of local extra sharp cheddar cheese for Juls and I to share when she got here, but now it looks like she isn't coming. Something about her brakes and Justin said he will drive her but he doesn't want to drive three hours then turn around and drive three hours home. Well unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, he is not welcome here. So I guess it's just me, dad and the dogs this weekend! I was looking forward to having her here, A. because we never get to spend time together since we live 1000 miles apart and B. because my dad doesn't talk much, but oh well. Now we are stuck with a $15 one-day fishing license. Julia's name is on it but I bet we could pawn it off to some girl at the beach who wants to pretend to be from Boston for a day!

Mountain Air

I forgot how much I love the Adirondacks. Much like in Beech Mountain, the air is so much cleaner up here. It's a good ten degrees cooler on the mountain and everything just feels so pure. We got here around 7pm and went to one of our favorite local restaurants called I-Go-Inn. When I was little, I ordered a grilled cheese for dinner. I think was about five, and up until then, I had never had grilled cheese at a restaurant. My mom only bought white American cheese and when it came with yellow cheese on it, I apparently flipped out and refused to eat it so they brought me a hot dog instead. That was just one of my many public temper tantrums as a child, but my dad always reminds me of this one whenever we go there. This time, there was no grilled cheese but instead a massive orange creamsicle alcoholic beverage that I just could not make a dent in. I was too focused on staying awake and devouring my beer-battered shrimp basket, mmmmm.

My dad took the dogs for a walk after dinner. Up here, there's no need for leashes. But Rags must be really confused by all this traveling we are doing and he is being especially clingy with me, so clingy that my dad hadn't even gotten to the edge of the yard yet and Rags came running back, crying at the door to get to me. So I had to stop doing work for 10 minutes and join them on their walk. Now everyone is passed or passing out. I am going to bed as soon as I'm done uploading pictures.

Here are just a few from North Carolina. The rest are at http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm305/kpackard1/road%20tripp%2008/.

Luck be a Lady

Well, no lady luck for me last night. I was doing pretty well, keeping even on the penny slots but then I accidentally bet $25 instead of $0.25. Nice one Kelly! Then after many drinks we found the big Wheel of Fortune game with an actual big wheel with prize amounts. I was way up but I had a bad influence in the form of Bryan and Slick on each side of me telling me to keep upping the bets. Eventually I spent the whole $20 bill, but it was fun and took a while.

Of course my camera battery died when we got there so I bought a disposable one and we only ended up taking a few pictures... or so I think. I don't really drink much anymore and these drinks were free and flowing so I am feeling pretty rough around the edges today.

In a little bit my dad and I are loading up the car and taking the dogs up to our cottage in New York for the weekend. Julia is meeting us there tomorrow night or Friday morning. Tomorrow my dad and I are going to Six Flags Great Escape. It is tradition that every time we go there (which my family has been doing since I was a tot) we go to Pizza Hut across the street from the park for dinner. I know, Pizza Hut as a family tradition? But it is so I am looking forward to that tomorrow night. More looking forward to going on all the rides tomorrow though!

Andrew called today! It was the first time we got to talk since Saturday and that is the longest we've ever gone. He is alive and well and loving Israel. He sounds much happier to be with the guys and out of Madrid. I am going to attempt to call him at his hotel tonight. I'm glad we are both keeping busy for the next two weeks because this is the middle stretch of his trip... a long time to go and a long time since he left....

Alrighty, off to do stuff for Gator Growl then head to NY!

Lata money!

No boat today. Just catching up on sleep, work for Gator Growl, and my internship.

We are leaving for the casino around 3:30. Bryan's parents are going for little while to bring their grandson swimming at the hotel and "have a few dirty martinis" with us before we head down to gamble our lives away. Actually, I always bring a $20 bill and usually leave with a few bucks leftover. I play the penny slots and you get free drinks as long as you are playing, so it makes for a great combination!

I am hoping there is no drunk-at-2am-update but there will be plenty of pictures taken and I swear I will get the cords to post them soon!

Now back to sharing my twin bed with two puppies...

Busy Bee

Friday was such a great day. We had lunch in town at this cute little place called The Best Cellar. I had a turkey sandwich and the most delicious mashed potatoes ever. Afterwards we went into the town of Boone - home of Daniel Boone and Appalachian State University (which is the most beautiful college campus I've ever seen). We went to the Mast General Store and stocked up on old-fashioned candy right from barrels and souvenirs and even two little wall hangings that match my living room decor to a "t". Then we went into the town of Blowing Rock, another adorable town, and I found another antique-looking wall hanging that matches perfectly from the store Andrew dubbed "The Copper Store" that I was not allowed to go into. PS. It's actually called The Brass Exchange and I wish I had listened to him!

Afterwards, Mrs. Kisz and I visited Johnny and Virginia (and Zoe!) at their condo down the street. Virginia bought/found all this old furniture, stripped it down, painted it white for the bedrooms and black for the living room, then distressed it herself using a sander to make it look antique. I got so excited and inspired!

We were all tired, so we had sandwiches for dinner and then vegged out in front of the television. Mrs. Kisz and I pulled another one of our up-all-night-having-girl-talk nights and I think we finally hit the sheets around 2am.

Saturday we had a nice breakfast out on the porch in our rocking chairs. The skies looked a little scary but we didn't let them intimidate us. We took a drive to Grandfather Mountain and drove to the top. There is a swinging bridge that connects two of the peaks and it is a mile high up in the sky. I got lots of beautiful pictures and Mrs. Kisz spotted me from one peak to the other and I think she got a couple great shots on her camera, too. I got another souvenir (these aren't for me, by the way - I don't really do souvenirs - a certain someone who wished he/she could've taken the trip will be surprised when he/she sees the little souvenirs I picked up) and then we headed halfway down the mountain. There were animals in their natural habitats - bears, cougars, eagles, otters, and deer - and a historical/nature museum. Again, lots of great pictures that I will post as soon as I get the right equipment!

All the driving and sightseeing finally caught up to me and I passed out in the car on the way back to Beech. We stopped at Lowe's so the Kisz's could buy a new grill because theirs hadn't survived the trip from Florida. Then we stopped at Fred's General Store and picked up a bottle of North Carolina Scuppernong wine, delish! Johnny and Virginia ironically invited us over for beer and wine because they knew I was leaving in the morning, so we visited with them for an hour or so. We went home and Mr. Kisz grilled streaks and Mrs. Kisz made another fabulous dinner. We all went to bed early.

I woke up sad knowing I had to leave and my body insisted on being tired, but I knew I had a long drive ahead of me so I tried to get moving at a reasonable hour. Of course that didn't happen but we had a big breakfast and they helped me load up the car. Rags went swimming that morning, for the second day in a row. Now let me explain: Rags hates water. Hates baths, hates being sprayed or splashed, hates puddles (avoids them at all costs on walks) even hates when I take baths because he thinks the water is going to hurt me or something! Well Beech Mountain has a stream that goes along the entire walkway and Riley loves going in it. I think Rags got curious and started wanting to walk along the water on the first night. On the second day, he got brave enough to take a drink for the stream and decided it was good water and took lots of drinks from it. He got his paws wet and tried to get a drink from this little waterfall, but fell in and got wet. He didn't seem to mind that much. By Sunday he was all about it. He went in way over his head and swam around like a dog is supposed to! He secretly loved it but was trying to act all nonchalant about it. I was sad to put him in a car for 14 hours but knew he would love being around Shaggy (my dad's dog who is from the same dog parents as Rags, just a different litter) and going up to our lake house.

I got in the car around noon. After I took the "scenic route" off the mountain, I got into the center of Beech Mountain, then Boone, and then eventually got on 77 north. That led to 81 north in Virginia, which I was on forever. It also goes through West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It rained the whole way minus West Virginia, which of course we are only in for a half hour. Then I got on 84 east which was the worst road ever, literally. Potholes everywhere, no lights, trucks driving way too fast, constant construction meaning only one lane open. I wanted to cry. I also wanted to give up for the night and get a hotel, but I was so close (yet so far) so I hauled the last three hours as quickly yet safely as I could. After 14 straight hours of driving, I got to Longmeadow only to find my parents' house, and the entire neighborhood, without power after a lightning strike. My dad met me outside at 2am with a battery-powered lantern and helped me with my bags. Within ten minutes of pulling in the driveway I was passed out in the guest room. All the Red Bull and coffee was making my mind race and my body jitter, but I was so exhausted that I passed out anyways.

Power came back on around 5am and the air conditioning came with it. It's pretty hot here so that was nice but I had to get out of bed and turn it down - it was too cold! Around 7:45am the dogs woke me up wanting to come cuddle, so I got up and checked my email for the first time in almost 20 hours. I had an email from 6:30 Sunday night from Andrew, letting me know he arrived safely in Israel that morning and had spent the entire day at the beach. He's now seven hours ahead, so that means he wrote the email at 1 something in the morning so it must have been a good, full day :) We probably won't get to talk much over the next few weeks but hopefully we will both be too busy to notice.

I should be tired, but I'm not. I think I still have so much caffeine in my system. My body is tired but I can't sleep. I am going to stay in bed for a few hours just to relax. I still have to watch Army Wives from last night. I'm going to see if Jason or anyone else from the Springfield Falcons, my old job for those of you who don't know, wants to get lunch later. I am excited to see my mom when she gets home from work because she was obviously sleeping when I got home and I was sleeping when she got up this morning.

Tomorrow Bryan and I are going out on the boat as long as it's nice out and then going to Mohegan Sun and staying over for the night. There will be lots of pictures and another update after that!

Life's a Beech

Well I made to to Beech Mountain. The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. We left promtly at 4am, stopped around 6:30am in Turner County, Georgia for a short break where I called Madrid only to find out at 12:30pm over there, classes had just ended for the summer and everyone was at the bar celebrating! What a life! We got to Norcross (Atlanta suburb) at 9:15am and I got to Beech around 2:30pm after another Spanish phone call, several pit stops, and a tank of gas for $3.74/gallon in South Carolina.

Their house here is gorgeous. The air is so clean and cool. We took the dogs for a walk around the hiking path and then had dinner out on the balcony. Andrew called us on Skype so we all got to talk to him through the computer and we even got to see his new Umbro soccer - I mean futbol - shirt on the webcam.

I don't know how, but I never slept from 3am-11 something last night. Now of course I'm exhausted but we are going down into Boone for lunch with some friends of the family, including Johnny and Virginia who also live in Dunnellon November-May. We are going to call Andrew because we don't get international service up on the mountain. He's leaving for Barcelona soon and then flying to Israel tomorrow for two weeks, then going straight to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. Sick!

Bryan called me last night to tell me his mom could get us a hotel room at Mohegan Sun, world's largest casino which happens to be in Connecticut, Monday or Tuesday night. Yesssss. Free drinks all night and no one has to drive home! So depending on when we get it, I might leave here tomorrow instead of Sunday, but we'll see. Probably not :)

I forgot the cord to upload my pictures from my camera, but I'll get one when we're in town or as soon as I get home. I've already taken so many!

It's a Dramamine dream

Actually, unlike the lyrics of "Little" by Something Corporate, I took Benadryl. So I could sleep. At 8:30pm. And it's working.

I am getting up at 3am and getting on the road by 4am. Hopefully I will be in Beech Mountain, NC by dinnertime.

Please keep me, Rags (the dog), and Callie (the car) in your thoughts and prayers as we make the 600+ mile journey in the Southern heat. And Andrew, too! He is taking a bus to Barcelona and then flying to Israel for two weeks. My Jewfro is going to Israel!

I'm kind of a big deal

Not really, but my press release did make it to the main page of the University of Florida Web site. It's the "Heartsaver" one under the InsideUF header.











And this is proof that I actually got credit for it, unlike most PR interns (our bosses usually steal our byline).













Now back to working hard... or hardly working? :)

It's a long trip alone...

...which is why I'm glad the UF College of Journalism and Communications Graduate Program is coordinated by a woman as spectacular as Jody Hedge. Not only does she forward our roommate ads, job postings, and other random classifieds to the entire list-serv, she is saving me from driving 1/8 of my trip alone.

A journalism student about to graduate from the Masters program needs a ride to Atlanta so she's going to come with me on Thursday. I've never met her but Jody gave her the stamp of approval so she'll be my co-pilot on the five hours and 330-ish miles from Gainesville to Atlanta. She's going to give me money for gas, which I guesstimated that it'll take us an entire tank of gas, so $30 or so each. I'm more thankful to have someone in the car with me (other than Rags of course) from 4am till around 9am than I am concerned with the money.

I bought fabric and a pattern to make an apron today. If Mrs. Kisz can, she said she will help me sew it. If not, my mom will have plenty of weeknights to teach me while I'm home. The fabric is a gorgeous black and white toile. I am going to be a real Southern woman, cooking and baking in my kitchen in an apron! Hahahaha... me... a woman... that's hysterical!

Long Live Redbox

Since I am used to being spoiled by Andrew's ability to download any movie we want before it even comes out on dvd, I have been forced to give in and go to the movies and/or rent them like normal people. In the past year (up until the past month) I've seen three movies in the theater - Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War, and Jumper. In the past month I've seen Iron Man and Sex and the City and rented 27 Dresses, PS I Love You, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Bucket List, SemiPro and I have No Country For Old Men upstairs waiting for me for when I'm done watching the new episode of Army Wives tonight. A normal person might go broke renting all of those movies but I am Redbox's best customer. Whoever decided that dvd rentals should only be $1 a day is a genius. The end.

Another "It's Official"

It's June 20th which means it is officially summer. Really? I thought it was summer three months ago when we started seeing the temperature in the 90s every day. So now I guess it's acceptable for it to be this hot?

Happy summer... bah humbug.

Damn you Sunshine State!

I'm completely fed up with Florida. Maybe it's because my best friends aren't here. Maybe it's because I am anxiously awaiting my trip home next week. Or maybe it's because I have had a whopping three weeks outside of the state in the past year and it's time for a break. Either way, I'm sick and tired of the heat, the obnoxiously slow pace of life, and the goddam fire ants.

Last night I went to the post office to send a hilarious greeting card to a certain friend in Spain. It was late at night so I brought Rags, because he loves car rides, and used the automated machine to print an international stamp. We got in the car and were heading to the brand new McDonald's they built across the street from my apartment (baaaad news!) to get a McFlurry as motivation to finally sit down and write my final paper for Summer A. As I'm driving, I realize I've been bitten by a fire ant and it hurts like a very bad word. I could feel two places on my foot where it bit me and I literally stopped in the middle of the road to scratch it. It kept getting worse and worse after I got back home. I got all heeby-jeebied out thinking there were more all over me and then I realized there had to be, because I was getting bites all over. I mean, all over. I jumped into the shower but it wasn't helping at all. I started to get really warm and when I got out, I realized I had hives from head to toe. They weren't bites - they were hives. I'm talking everywhere... scalp, neck, ear lobes, armpits, stomach, chest, back, butt, arms and legs. My ears started to close up and I could barely hear and my ears were on fire. I called my mom even though it was around 10pm and I knew she was in bed. I told her I was going to drive myself to the ER but to call 911 if I didn't call her within five minutes. I knew something bad was happening and I honestly didn't think I could make the five minute drive to Shands. I did and as soon as I walked in, my throat was closing and they took me in immediately. I guess my blood pressure was so low that I was going into anaphylactic shock. I don't really remember what they did but I know I got benadryl and some other histamine blocker and lots of Gatorade (of course folks, we are in the birthplace of it). I stayed until around 3am and don't really remember driving myself home but I ate Doritos apparently... the crumbs are in my bed along with a half-eaten bag, now completely stale. I laughed when I woke up and saw that.

Turns out I am deathly allergic to fire ants. I guess it makes sense, because we don't have them up North so I've never built up an immunity to them. I have to carry an Epi-pen wherever I go now because it's such a common insect. I have to go see an allergist sometime just to be sure, but that costs a pretty penny so I'll wait till I have good insurance come mid-August.

It was scary being alone in the ER, but somewhat ironic. A few months ago, I had a meningitis scare that sent me to the ER and I had to be admitted. I was really sick for about a week and Andrew waited on me hand and foot. A week later, he got an abscess that got infected and he had to go the VA ER and then it was my turn to play nurse. Well last week he got another one and waited three days before going to the hospital in Madrid. He made the smart decision to tell his dad just in case anything happened, but made him promise not to tell his mom and he didn't tell me either. Good thing, otherwise we both would have worried ourselves sick and probably hijacked the first plane over there (because I'm weird and don't own a passport - yet - so I would be forced to take drastic measures). He's ok now, but sure enough, one week later, I'm in the hospital. It's clockwork...

Early x3

I realized I only work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from now on, and already took next Friday off to start the trek home. So that means I have all day Thursday to... to what? There is nothing to do in Gainesville during the day except rot by the pool. Anyone who knows me knows I am far too anxious for this trip to sit around all day by the pool when I could be well on my way. So that's just what I'm going to do! I'm going to leave next Thursday, June 26th same time (4am) and either spend an extra day/night in North Carolina or give myself an extra day to travel from NC to Massachusetts or just an extra day at home.

I also got splendid news yesterday that Kayla, one of my new roommates for next year, is going to move in two days earlier than planned. She thought she could move in on August 2nd, but the new lease at the apartment she is living in now starts on the 1st, so she has to be out by the 31st. I hope the girl, Michelle, that is living here for the month of July can be out by the 30th, but if not then we are going to have a very busy Thursday. I'm excited because Kayla is awesome and I am looking forward to finally having roommates that I get along with and that pick up after themselves and respect the common areas. It's been the year from hell as far as living styles go this year but I am optimistic that Kayla and our other new roommate, Christina, will be kickass people to live with.

Aaaand as if all that earliness good news wasn't enough, bff Christina is moving back to Gainesville from Baton Rouge a day earlier than planned! She has been there all summer interning for Exxon and she was supposed to come back on August 7th but now she'll be back on the 6th, woohoo!

Now Andrew just needs to come home from Spain early and my life will be complete...
Just kidding. He won't and I don't want him to. Europe is way too awesome and Gainesville is just not cool enough to come back early for. I mean, yes, I'm here and who wouldn't want to have me back in their life earlier than planned? but this is a once in a lifetime experience for him and I'm doing my best not to be jealous and bitter :)

It's Official

Well, I finally told my boss that I am taking time off for my trip from Gainesville, Florida to Longmeadow, Massachusetts. My family and friends are so excited to finally see me for more than a few hours. I got to go home for Memorial Day weekend, but I was in my cousin Jill's wedding so I only got to see Jason and Amanda for a few hours (pre-gaming and bar-hopping around Springfield, of course). Andrew and I got to spend a day and night in Boston with Juls, but that's never enough time with the bftf or in the greatest American city! And I only stayed with my parents one night out of the whole weekend and saw them for about three hours when they took us out for a Maine lobster dinner.

So needless to say, I'm ready for some quality time back home. I figured what better time to do it than while most of my Gainesville friends have left town for the summer (Andrew to Madrid, Christina to Baton Rouge, Stef to Ohio) and while the Florida heat is taking its toll on my hair and on my energy level.

Rags and I will be making the 2760ish-mile trek together in my 1997 Cavalier, sans air conditioning. Yeah, it'll be brutal. But if I can survive driving with the windows down in Gainesville bumper-to-bumper traffic every day, I think I can handle driving on interstates going 70mph.

We are leaving on Friday, June 27th around four in the morning. I don't want to drive at night or during rush hour, so hopefully we can drive all day, making plenty of pit stops to get out and stretch. I'm packing food, treats, water, and plenty of iced coffee and Red Bull, so hopefully all I will need to buy on the way is gas.I am hoping to arrive in Beech Mountain, North Carolina around dinner time. Mapquest predicts it'll take about ten hours to get there, but we have to add time for rest breaks. I have never driven more than three hours by myself, so this oughta be interesting. Beech is where Andrew's parents live from June-November and I hear it's a gorgeous area in the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Boone, where the Appalachian State campus is. I'll stay there for a night or two before getting in the car for another 12+ hour drive to Massachusetts. That is the leg that I probably won't be able to do in one attempt - I'll probably have to get a hotel or at least pull into a rest stop during the day and take a nap.

I am so excited and cannot wait to get in the car and go! I still have one more day of class, one 10-page paper to write, and four more days of work to get through, but it'll make my trip that much more worth it!