This will be the last time I post in the United States of America. I'm taking a break from sight-seeing and getting ready for the trip to share a little bit of what's happened in the last day or two. I haven't been able to say anything until now, because of internet connection issues.
So, Katie and Scott, her boyfriend, came to picked me up from my apartment after 9a on Thursday, and we were officially on the road by 10a. We started out strong, and flew through Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and across California to finally end up at Katie's lovely home in La Crescenta. Pictures of the highlights of the trip:
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Good-bye, BYU!
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| Pretty, big Utah sky |
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| We drove through this little canyon in Arizona, it was really pretty |
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| I couldn't avoid the rearview mirror |
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| Finally, we made it to Cali :) |
After resting and spending some quality time with the Whites (the most wonderfully friendly family I've met), we finally got some sleep. And what should meet my eyes upon waking in the morning but this lovely sight:
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| I'm sleeping in the girls' room upstairs, and they have a balcony outside. |
Katie, Scott, and I took a trip with her younger brother to Santa Monica to see the ocean. We passed the time playing a rather intense game of beach soccer, eating a delicious picnic lunch made by Katie's mom, building sandcastles, and braving the waves of the Pacific.
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| While Katie and I were changing into our swimsuits, Scott and Josh took a liking to the bird wandering around our picnic, and decided to feed it... |
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| ...and they quickly attracted more hungry friends, who continued to plague us the rest of the trip. |
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| Scott then decided to pretend to be a fashion photographer. I then decided to take my camera back from him. |
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| Three heads put together, plotting our grand castle. |
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| We worked so hard on this castle... |
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| ...and when a gigantic wave destroyed the whole thing in seconds, Scott decided to be the rest of it out of existence. |
After the beach, we headed to downtown LA to see where Katie's dad works as a journalist. While we were waiting for him to finish up work, we took the opportunity to enjoy the view of LA from the 23rd floor of the building.
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| This is the view of the street outside his building. Thought it was cool. |
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| Cool, huh? |
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| Sunset over LA |
We headed over to Little Tokyo for dinner, and what a feast it was. I wish I could've taken pictures. Walking around was so fun, it was like a little taste of what Japan will be like, I think. We found a lovely little Japanese garden in one corner, and it was so gorgeous under the full moon. Again, I lamented not having my camera, but there was no way I could have sat with it in that little whole-in-the-wall restaurant where we hardly had room for ourselves. But I suppose I'll have plenty of time to take pictures of more authentic ones soon.
I'm worried that I don't have everything in order. But I can't think of what else I need. I'm packed, I've gotten my money exchanged for yen, I know when all my flights and stuff are...I just feel unprepared. Maybe anxiety. I guess I just have to wait for a couple of hours. Usually, I switch out of anxiety mode and into action mode when I have something to do.
I can't believe I won't be in the US for nearly 2 months... I'll miss you all a lot while I'm gone! See you on the other side!
