East Coast and Just Up North

Okay, so I realize that I lied about the whole writing what I did on my trip thing, but I promise it was unintentional. I actually started writing it all out about a week after I got back, but I never really got around to finishing it. I think it would just feel out of place if I did it now, as it has now been over three weeks since I got home. I will, however, tell you that I absolutely loved the little vacation. It was way fun to be able to spend some time with my sister, and Washington, DC was a total blast! We didn't do everything, but we crammed as many monuments, museums, and memorials into four days as we could without going insane, while still managing to get in one day at Six Flags. One of my favorites (yes, I'm a nerd) was definitely the Folger Shakespeare Library. So cool. Even my sister, whose expansive knowledge of Shakespeare consists of sitting through one performance of Macbeth when I was in it, enjoyed the tour of the library. The Shakespeare Library (bless you, Sir William) wasn't the only thing I liked though. I was actually surprised at how much I loved seeing all the monuments, museums, and government buildings when I have very little knowledge of American history or government. (Sorry, Mr. Hansen, but you were a horrible civics teacher.) I found it all very fascinating, and as cliche as it sounds, it made me feel proud to be a part of this country. And, not going to lie, I loved how many black people there were. Especially outside of the city where my sister lives. So cool.

I guess DC was kind of my "senior trip" since my trip to Guatemala got canceled due to the collapsing economy, drug wars, swine flu, and the giant earthquake. I did still get to go to Bear Lake a week-and-a-half ago though. Bear Lake, a.k.a. my happy place, is the one yearly event that is looked forward to by my whole extended family even more than Christmas. Nothing can beat a week at the lake with all my cousins just boating, swimming, jet-skiing, and playing on the beach all day and then coming back to eat, play games, and watch movies well into the night. So blissful. i haven't missed a year of Bear Lake my whole entire life. One day when I'm rich I'm going to build a huge cabin on the beach and just spend all summer there. Mmmm...

So, I guess what I'm saying is that even though I haven't really done much except work all summer and play with my little sisters, at least I've been able to go a couple places. The first trip found me in a part of the country that I'd never seen before, and the second reminded me of how lucky I am to have such an amazing family. All in all, not a bad summer.