the preamble

I'm back in California! Safe and sound. I'm thankful for parents that offer their homes, friends that act as tour-guides, friends that cook us breakfast and invite us to stop in as we're on the road, and friends that appreciate quality dance-parties in the car at 2 AM to stay awake.

24 hours ago, our cars packed and freshly brewed coffee in to-go mugs, we stood outside of a friend's house and readied ourselves for the drive from Portland to Los Angeles. The day before, we had acted similarly, except the scene found us leaving the Seattle area destined for Portland. Needless to say, my muscles tonight find themselves weary after driving nearly the entire west coast on the way back here to La Mirada. As I sit here listening to Ben Folds's voice coming from my speakers, I must admit that I would much rather be curled up in a chair in the Pacific Northwest reading. Each day I spent in the area, I found myself falling a bit more in love with the gorgeous scenery, the sparkling waterfront, the winding-road countryside, and, of course, the amazing coffee.

Having the chance to relax for a week at a home proved to be the most beneficial choice I could have made for Spring Break. While we managed to pack a lot into our journey, we definitely had time to rest and simply be. I read four different books and hardly touched homework. I'll be paying for that last bit tomorrow in the library, but I would not change how I spent my time.

=)

I will update with pictures tomorrow morning, but wanted to write a quick note to say that all is well! I'm not setting and alarm clock in the morning and going to sleep before 10:30 PM on a Friday night. I could not be happier!