California!

After several hours spent at an airport and in a plane Kasey and I finally reached sunny California and met up with Jenna in her cool Jeep! It was so good to see Jenna again and even better news she told us that she decided to come back to University of Detroit Mercy next year! That night after we unpacked out suitcases, we went out to a pizza joint for dinner and then went back to her house and slept because we were pooped!

Music shop in Berkeley

Jenna and I against a Berkeley mural 

"I poop in the ladies room" 

UC Berkeley

All gussied up

Dinner and entertainment at Teatro Zinzanni

The three of us went to downtown Berkeley to walk around and look through shops. Being from Berkley (which was named after Berkeley California but spelt incorrectly) it was fun to see how much the two cities differed. On our way to Berkeley we drove under a mountain which was absolutely crazy! It is so interesting to drive through all the mountains when I am so used to flat land. Driving was never boring because the view is always pretty (especially at night). Jenna always made fun of Kasey and I because we were always so excited about the view. We went to Zebra Tattoo and Body Piercing and Kasey got her conch pierced! After walking around some more and taking pictures at the murals (at Kasey's request of course) we went to lunch at Smart Alex's where I had a delicious avocado and tofu sandwich. We then walked around UC Berkeley which resembled University of Detroit Mercy's campus with the terra-cotta roofs and clock tower. That night, Mr and Mrs Alberts took Me, Jenna and Kasey out to dinner to Teatro Zinzanni on the waterfront in San Fransisco! Teatro Zinzanni is a five course dinner with entertainment between each course. The performances we jaw-dropping, I was literally stunned the entire time. My favorite acts were  Vita Radionova's hola-hoop/dance act, Ling Rui's aerial straps act, Les Petits Freres "floating act"and Ann Bernard's yo-yo act. It was truly a night to remember!

laxin'

Santa Cruz Board walk

Jenna, Tara, Me and Kasey

We all wanted to meet up with our friend Tara who lives in San Jose and also goes to our school so we decided to go to Santa Cruz for a day at the beach! The water was freezing, but the sun warmed us up while we laid on the sand. I was the only one who decided to wear sunscreen and to everyone's surprise the only one who didn't look like a lobster when we returned home. We had lunch on the board walk which was neat, I had never heard of an amusement park on a beach before! We just spent the day chilling in the sun and relaxing. Tara and Jenna tried to teach Me and Kasey how to play some lacrosse, but that didn't turn out too well. 

Jenna's very best friend Alex Weiner went with us to the club in San Fransisco, going to the club with a guy always makes me feel more secure than going with just women. There can be some real creepers on the dance floor sometimes. We drove all the way to San Fran to meet up with Jenna's friend, whose friend was going to get us into the place for free (awesome, right?), well of course she told us to show up around 10:30 (which we did) but didn't show up herself until 11:30. We thought we were going to be the cool group who just strolled up and walked in for free, instead we waited outside for an hour and then walked in for free. Still cool, I won't complain. The dancing was fun as it usually is with pro dancers Kasey and Jenna, and we also enjoyed a live performance from a San Fran group that only had one lyric under the lines of "Beat the pussy up". Brilliant. Overall we had a great night full of even better memories. 

Whale skeleton

Huge fish! 

San Fransisco aquarium

Green roof

Trolly 

Knife photo bomb 

I was once told to go to the California Academy of Science because it was incredible, so I of course added it to The List. Here I am, about three years later, and I have finally been able to cross "go to San Francisco Aquarium" off my list. Fortunately, I was told to go there with good intentions because I felt like a kid in a candy store. We walked around the museum and saw all the stuffed animals (including giraffes, my favorite!) and walk through the rainforest of the world which was climate controlled in a huge glass dome. The California Academy of Sciences were centered around eco-friendly and healthy living, promoting recycling and efficient living through the living roof and the carbon cafe. The best part about the entire museum was the aquarium!! I could have just stayed and watched the fish all day long, I loved looking at the jelly fish which are way cool and there was a station where you could touch sea urchins and star fish. Surprisingly, star fish are kind of fuzzy (they feel kind of like wet moss). We were also able to watch the last planetarium show, which was really neat and informative. Being in the big dome and watching the screen was nauseating, but the awesome graphics of the world and the knowledge was definitely worth the headache. I could have stayed there all day, but Jenna, Kasey and Tara were about ready to go shopping in the city. We went shopping at Urban Outfitters and Forever 21, per Kasey's request, and I actually found a cute skirt and romper. Then we walked around the city going to the shops on the street and watching the trolly.

Mango frozen yogurt and raspberries 

Pomegranate frozen yogurt with mango jellies

We spent a couple of our days just laying out and playing with the Alberts' dog Rio. After we became acquainted, I really enjoyed playing fetch with Rio. One of our (my) favorite things to do in California was to go to frozen yogurt shops. We went to a couple different ones in Jenna's neighborhood and I was definitely inspired to maybe one day open my own frozen yogurt shop when I'm older. A new addition to The List! Our last day in California, Mrs. Alberts took me, Jenna and Kasey to the Blue Man Group. The show was unlike anything I had ever seen. I really enjoyed it, especially since I had no idea what the Blue Man Group was about before going.

An out of order escalator, also known as stairs.

Visiting Jenna in California was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it. It was all fun and games, that is until Jenna dropped Kasey and I at the airport. Our flight home was cancelled because of the tornados in the midwest and a large hail storm that damaged a bunch of planes, so we scrambled to find another plane ride home. We waited for several hours to see if there were two seats available on a plane in the direction of home. The whole time we were told that Kasey and I were first priority and that another person was also waiting for a seat on that plane too. We were told that two seats were available, but at the same time I struck up a conversation with a soldier. I suddenly felt worried that maybe he was the person who was waiting to go on the plane behind Kasey and I, and asked him if he was waiting to get a seat. He said he was and I immediately turned to Kasey and said that we were staying in the airport of the night or getting another plane because this soldier needed deserved the seat. She readily agreed, we are just two young adults, we didn't have anything pressing to return to at home. Without hesitations, it felt like the right thing to do at the moment, looking back I am really proud of my decision. The man was super appreciative toward us and told us that he was going home to his family who had gotten hit by the tornados. No matter how awful our day turned out, Kasey and I were humbled that we would eventually be going home to our home and family all there. After being bused between San Hose airport, San Francisco airport, and Oakland airport, we finally found a flight home... at 5am the next morning. Kasey and I debated where we should stay for the night: the terminal or a hotel. I was all for chillin the the terminal to avoid paying to sleep in a bed, but when Kasey's mom offered to pay because she felt so bad for us, I had no problem going along. We basically just slept and ate dinner at the restaurant right next door, and I enjoyed a long walk along the boardwalk. We looked so gross that at the restaurant we were seated in the back corner away from all the windows. I woke up throughout the night every 15 minutes because I was so worried we would miss our flight. Luckily, we got there bright and early and made it home by the afternoon! Our troubles weren't over yet though! Kasey's bag was lost and we had to travel to all the baggage claim areas throughout the airport to find it. Even though the end of our trip was bumpy, Kasey and I still managed to have a great time and that's what really matters! I can't wait until Jenna, Kasey and I are reunited at school once again!