My First Road Trip!

This past weekend, I went on my first road trip sans parents.  My friend Emily and I headed down to the Bay Area to see Panic! at the Disco play in Oakland.  We decided to get a head start, hitting the road about 8 am and arriving in Berkeley around 1:30.  After a little food and shopping, we decided to visit the botanical gardens at UC Berkeley.

Then, we continued to head up the mountain and got completely lost in the search for steam trains in Tilden Park.  We eventually arrived at the closed building but we were rewarded with an amazing view of the Bay Area. It was absolutely spectacular.  We could see everything from downtown Berkeley to the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Once the sun set, we headed over to Oakland for the concert.  The Fox Theater was packed.  Panic! at the Disco definitely pulled out all the stops.  Brendon Urie's high notes were amazing and the atmosphere was just fantastic.  I absolutely love seeing a band perform.  Unlike listening to a CD or watching a movie, at a concert or show, you are sharing an experience with the artist rather than just enjoying what they made.  When Panic! played 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies', the joy on the band's face as we sang louder than them was fantastic.  Brendon actually stopped singing and just listened to us.  It was so wonderful to see us, the viewer, make the band as happy as they make us.  

I am incredibly happy that I was able to take this trip.  It was really exciting to be both without my parents and outside of my normal environment.  This was my first trip entirely independent and without much of a plan.  The fact that it went so well makes me more confident about the rest of the new experiences coming up this year.  Also, I'm already planning to go back in late July to see the Neighborhood! 

Trinidad, California // Car Adventures

The other day my friends and I went on a drive and found this wonderful vista point.  We were driving along the coast in Trinidad and just decided to park at this random turnout.  It had a little path which lead from the turnout to  a rock that jetted about 500ft into the ocean. It was really cool to be up so high and have waves crashing all around you.  Plus it was absolutely gorgeous even with the misty rain coming down.

I really love finding places like this in my own backyard.  No one has to travel hundreds of miles to find something exciting or beautiful.  If you look hard enough or just travel outside of you're comfort zone, you'll find something amazing. I used to be frustrated by living three hours from a decent mall or movie theatre but recently I've accepted that certain entertainments are not available where I live and I need to appreciate the ones I do have, namely nature.  

Now that I'm looking at where I will live next year for college, the idea of being away from the ocean worries me.  I go to the beach at least twice a month and drive past the bay every single day.  Living in a non-coastal town will be different, to say the least, but I want to make sure I appreciate the ocean while I have it.

 

Local Sand Sculpture Festival

This past weekend I went to the annual local Sand Sculpture Festival with my parents.  I went in the early afternoon and was amazed by both the sculptures and the amount of people who showed up.  In my town, you're lucky if 10 people show up to an event, there were at least twenty times that number on the beach for the festival.  It was very shocking.  Usually one has the beach to themselves. However, it was a nice change. Here are my favorite sculptures! Beware, picture heavy.

Bathing Beauties

Some sort of Hippo? I have no idea but I love it.

Turtle

Creepy face but cute toddler.  It's really easy to take pictures of children that aren't yours....now I sound creepy

Huge Octopus.  There were actually a few of these but this one was by far the largest.

Amazing Catfish

Non-native Caterpillar.  All the plants used for decoration are invasive species.  

This was my dad's favorite. A dwarf in the side of a mountain

Just a sun chillin'

This one was HUGE! To me it looks like a cross between a rat and a whale but apparently it's a sturgeon.

This was the only sandcastle so it stands to reason that it is the most intricate and impressive sandcastle I've ever seen.

I can't wait to visit again next year and see all the new creations.  It may have taken us a few years to attend this event, but I'm really glad we stopped by this year.  If you know of a sculpture festival in your area, definitely try to check it out for a good dose of culture, think of it like an art show!

University Of California, Santa Barbara

I am quickly approaching my senior year of high school.  I can already see the college applications on the horizon.  Being lazy, I had not thought about college until my mom took me to visit her alma mater University Of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB).

This was my first college tour, so I had no idea what to expect.  I was worried that I would be the only kid so all the energy would be focused.  Thank God that wasn't the case.  There were at least 50 kids with their families so it was easy to blend in.  Unfortunately I didn't take very many pictures so most of these are from the University's website but I can validate that it does look like this in real life!

"Is that really what my hair looks like from the back" (10pts if you know that quote) oh dear look at that tan line...

The tour started at 11am with an hour long presentation about what UCSB has to offer.  Somehow, I was not bored once.  The admissions worker giving the presentation was perfect for the job.  He recited all the important information but kept it fun with stories and an energetic personality.  He definitely loved UCSB and wanted students to apply if they felt a connection with the campus.  If not he wanted the student to find the best college for them, which I think is a great attitude to have toward prospective students.

During this presentation I learned what I would have from the website.  However, having never looked at the website it was extremely informative.  The main points that the presenter stressed was to put yourself into your application as much as possible and that UCSB is a fabulous university for students who want to participate in research as an undergraduate.  Apparently there are few graduate students at UCSB so the programs typically reserved for them at other universities are open to the undergraduates. Which is awesome in every way possible!

After the presentation we went on a tour of campus guided by a student currently attending the school.  I LOVED my tour guide.  I may just feel connected because we were both from North California, but he was also just fun.  He was easy to connect with and it never felt like he felt like he was just reciting pre-arranged words.  If you decide to visit UCSB and he is one of the tour guides, pick him, you won't regret it!

His name is Brennan by the way! You can thank my mm's ninja skills for this slightly creepy photo...

Something I really liked about UCSB was their lack of greek life and sports. Don't get me wrong, these are both fine institutions, they're just not for me and knowing my college doesn't spend too much time or money on them sounds like a bonus to me.    In fact UCSB doesn't even have a football team!  Their most popular sport is soccer where they have a tradition of throwing tortillas onto the field!!! Now this looks like fun to me.

Last, but definitely not least is the food.  Now, I didn't try any, but it sounds soosososososososo good. Our guide claimed that sushi and mexican food are a daily occurrence.  You can't get better than that!  It was also nice that everything at UCSB is in a centralized location.  It seems as if everyone on campus has a bike and uses it daily and with that instrument getting to all your classes doesn't seem too difficult. UCSB also has an amazing campus. A lot of the campus has direct access to the beach and there are beautiful hills in the other direction.  I feel that at UCSB I would never have an excuse for holing up in my room.  There is just so much to see and do. Ugh can I just go already!

Important Facts:
Average GPA: 4.07
Average SAT: 1922
Average ACT: 28
Population: 18,620
Undergrads to Faculty: 18:1
Application Available: Oct 1
Application Due: Nov 1-30
My Major of Choice: Anthropology BA (Cultural and Biological), Classics BA (Archaeology)
Application Fee: $70
Total Tuition: $32,233 (in-state)

10 Things // 14

I changed today's prompt a little opting to focus on things that make me happy on a daily level rather than things like Christmas which only makes me happy once a year.  So, without further ado:

10 (Little) Things That Make Me Happy

1. Using Things Up

Being able to throw away an empty shampoo bottle, an empty bottle of nail polish, running out of Kleenex  wearing out clothes, knowing you got your money's worth out of something.

2. Exploring

New places + new experiences + the thrill of finding something you never knew existed before + nature = happiness

3. Swimming

It may seem boring to preform the same stroke every couple seconds for 40 minutes, but it makes you feel so good.  I'd always viewed exercise as excruciating and unnecessary and while it's still hard to drag my butt to the pool, I always feel better after.

4. The Sun

Picture of my friend when we ditched class to go to the dock

It's been in the 60s here in northern california and the shorts have appeared.  All lunch my friends and I lounge around on the grass singing, tanning, and gossiping.  A needed detox.

5. Sleep

I know understand why it's suggested to get 8 hours.  

6. Late Night Adventures

My haul from a late night easter egg hunt

This goes hand in hand with exploring.  Sometimes it's really like when we explore and we end up having an easter egg hunt at 3am at a house or dropping people off on dirt roads at 11pm to find their way home.

7. Weird Clothes

I bought a jumpsuit and  plan to wear it in public, 'nough said.

8. The Beach

Something about the waves and the sand in your feet is so relaxing.  Maybe it's because I'm a west coast baby but the beach is always a good idea no matter how cold it may be.

9. Cards

If you can't play or learn a card game, we can't be friends.  It's such a good way to get to know people.  If you play cards frequently, it's hard to be a sore loser.

10. Finishing Tasks

With school ending in only 3 weeks, everything is wrapping up and I love it.  I had my IB math exam on the 9th and 10th and I practically jumped for joy when that was over.  On the 20th my academic year will finally be over with the completion of my IB french exam and I can't wait to party it up with my friends!


Well, there is definitely a pattern in what makes me happy.  Most of them are a form of detox or stress releasers, however the stress is caused by some of them because I explore instead of studying for a test, oops!

Weekly Photos #10

I've been pretty lazy this week, not gonna lie.  Besides being sick, I have had very little to do, so I'm sorry for not updating. On the bright side I had some good adventures and took enough pictures so without further ado...

graffiti under a bridge/birthday dogs eating a cake/weekend hike/french homework/PEEPS!/new reading material/beach day

I joined bloglovin' this week due to blogger follow stopping.  I really like it.  I no longer have to open 10s of tabs.  It's really nice give it a try if you haven't already!  

Good Things

Peeps

I don't think this needs much explanation past yum.

Redbox

I had never explored a Redbox machine before, I have to say it's nice.  I may have rented 5 in the past 3 days...I have a pretty serious movie problem.  I also love that the movie is 'due' the next day because it forces you to actually watch the movie.

Couches

I actually slept on my couch instead of my bed twice this week and I think I actually preferred it.

Onto my mock IB exams next week! How did your week go?

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Weekly Photos #9

I used to be so productive.  Now I have huge projects due tomorrow, it's 9pm, and I have yet to start. On the bright side I have a Harry Potter movie marathon going on with me friends this weekend and hopefully there will be very little homework to do!!!  I also managed to get enough pictures this week and I'm really happy with their quality.

beautiful sunset/sunday morning breakfast/my salad in a gelato container/backpack friend/paperwork for my TOK presentation/handshake after a boy's tennis game/beautiful valley I discovered

By the time I write these posts, I forget the nice things about the week.  I'm always wrapped up in the work I have to finish that I forget about the wonderful adventures I had the weekend before!  As predicted my hair dye has already faded, but I loved it and I might dye it again with something stronger in the future.

Good Things

Ernest Hemingway

We started reading Hemingway's short stories in English class and I really like them.  We're reading a selection from In Our Time and some others.  So far, my favorite is A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. He may not be the most uplifting writer, but I'm astounded by how he fits so much story with so few words.  I'm even considering reading the entirety of In Our Time this spring break I'm that entranced.

Boy's Tennis Season

Tennis is a big deal at my school, basically because it is the only sports team we have.  I was on the girls team last year, but was never competitive enough.  However, I still love going to the games.  It also helps when it's the boy's team.  A reason to stare at semi-attractive men for an hour or so? Sign me up!

The California Coast

May times, I forget where I live.  It's beautiful here.  Many people live their lives never seeing the beach yet I drive by it twice a day!  Add in the Redwood forest and beautiful valleys and it's like a movie.  I remembered that this week when I went exploring.  I have never seen a sight as beautiful as that valley.  I can't wait to return.

How did your week go?

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