Hawaii Part III

It's Travel Tuesday (I know, it's Wednesday, but use your imagination!) and we've made it to the last segment of my Hawaii adventure. Is it time to go back yet?

The week was shooting by, but some of my favorite parts of this vacation were saved for the end. Finally, finally, the water was calm enough to go stand up paddle boarding! I had been waiting for this all week, and it was well worth it. My sister and I each had a paddle board, and my dad took out a kayak. It didn't take long to get the hang of it, and I was up and paddling in no time! My sister, on the other hand, kept thinking her paddle board's shadow was a shark and refused to stand up for fifteen minutes. But she was up and going soon enough! My dad, on the other hand, fell straight backward on his first attempt to stand up. I would kill to do it again, and it was an awesome leg and arm work out to boot!

Good thing my dad has connections, because his friend was able to hook me up with a helicopter tour of Maui and the surrounding areas! It was beautiful! After I got over the weird feeling you get in your ears when riding a helicopter, I was able to really take in the nature of the island. There were huge waterfalls, enormous sea cliffs, and mountain goats scaling the side of these vertical cliffs. We even flew into the crater of a dormant volcano - one that the Hawaiians have believed to be dormant for a million years. It was pure beauty, and an experience I wouldn't trade for the world!

My dad and I were also able to go snorkeling again - and this time I brought my GoPro! We went along Kaanapali beach and around Black Rock. My dad had a hunch that this would be the best place to find some sea turtles. We hopped in the water and I began to film. The water was incredibly deep - deeper than the previous snorkeling trip. It took me a good amount of time to stop looking behind me every five seconds to make sure a shark wasn't nearby. Once I calmed down, I was able to enjoy the nature that surrounded me. We saw a manta ray on the floor of the ocean, long needle fish, and even a scuba diver instructor handling an octopus! However, the highlight of this trip it when I turned around to see an enormous sea turtle just feet away. I handed my dad the camera and swam over to lightly stroke its shell. I marveled at how calm and peaceful it was, despite our presence.

But alas, all good things must come to an end...for now! I departed Friday night, just after the sun had set. After eleven hours of travel time, a stressful layover in San Diego, and a more relaxed pit stop in Dallas, I had finally arrived in Cincinnati. And it was just in time for a last minute road trip - stay tuned!

Hawaii Part I

Hawaii Part II

College Comes at a Cost

Ever since I entered college, I can definitely say that I have been living comfortably. Going to a university that only costs $10k a year and receiving scholarships that covered those entire costs greatly contributed to this comfort. The income I received from my job went straight into my pocket. This provided me with many opportunities - purchasing camera equipment, going skydiving, traveling to New York, and splurging while living at Disney World. It was a fun two years, and I am grateful for what I have been able to do. But now it's time to put in the hard work and earn my education - and I am also grateful for this opportunity.

I have now transferred to the University of Kentucky as an out of state student. This means about $25k per year in school costs, not to mention my rent (which is a heck of a lot more expensive than it was in Utah). Though I am currently employed and doing an unpaid internship, I am now in search for another job to decrease the amount of loans I must take out. Not only this, but I have started learning the craft of couponing! I still have a ways to go until I'm a pro, but I've saved a dollar here and there by using coupons, and it really adds up. I am really excited to learn some great skills over the next couple years - budgeting, conserving, and sacrificing.

What I may be most worried about when it comes to budgeting my money is my upcoming trip to Hawaii. Everyone knows that this is not a cheap vacation spot. Luckily my dad and sister live there, so I don't have to worry about paying for an expensive hotel. But I'll be there for nine days - I'm going to have to spend money on something at some point or another. My plan is to budget, plan, and record. I'll seek out cheap or free excursions or souvenirs, and share it with you all! When the time comes closer, I will give myself a budget and stick to it, then share the how-to's of vacationing cheap in Hawaii with the world! Stay tuned!

News!

Happy Wednesday everyone! It is my favorite day of the week, thus some good news is long overdue. As you all know, I love to travel. New York City, Orlando, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Seattle... you name it, and I'll add it to my list. This coming August, I'll be happy to add another adventure to my list: Maui, Hawaii! 

After my quarterly pit stop into Seattle to visit my mom, friends, and the rest of my family, I will happily make my way over to a vacationers paradise to visit my dad and little sister. I've already began concocting a list of to-do's for my trip. Snorkeling, hiking, maybe some skydiving? We'll see! And I get to add some more cities to my layover list (this includes cities that I have stopped in during layovers, but have not explored fully...still exciting though!) - Denver, San Diego, and Dallas. Stay tuned to hear all about this Hawaii adventure!

Vacation, Part 2

Well, I did it again. I got in a car full of very friendly strangers and took a trip up to Rexburg, Idaho for my vacation this semester, and it was a blast!! I was able to see some of my friends, eat some of the best junk food around, and have a great time. One thing that I regret from my last trip was that I didn't take very many pictures. This time, I took a ton! But it just so happens that they were all taken for Snapchat purposes, so they don't exactly exist anymore...except for this one:

Gangster Gnomes in Walgreen's

According to my countdown, I have 16 days left until the very last day of finals week! And only 6 days of classes - 8 classes total for me (although this is a rough estimate seeing as I tend to make a habit of skipping class to sleep... like today. But in my mind, this is okay as long as I still get a good grade in the class. So don't do this unless you are confident that you won't bomb all your finals!).

Okay, no more fantasizing about going home in three weeks - I have homework to procrastinate on. Ready, break.

Forensics

As you may recall from my previous post, Vacation, I took a lovely, impromptu trip to Rexburg, Idaho. And now I figure it's time for part two! But unlike last time, I have taken an entire 4 days in advance to plan the trip (that's like 2 more days than last time!). I'll be leaving this Friday, and it's the perfect time seeing as my next round of exams aren't until finals week, which starts the 19th. So until then, there's no need to study, and much need to party! Well, maybe there is a minimal need to study... I'll do that later.

Anyway, I had my photo shoot earlier this morning for the Circle of Honor essay contest, where which I won first place and a $300 cash prize! And then spent it all the next day on my flight to Orlando for the DCP, so it went to a good cause!

I applied for a Student Auxiliary Services grant recently, and made it into the finals! My interview is next Wednesday, so keep your fingers crossed!

But most importantly, I am well into season 2 of Numb3rs, my absolute favorite crime show! And it goes without saying that Charlie Eppes is the best character, hands down. Now I'm actually considering narrowing my career path within the field of psychology - forensics! Then I can go work for the FBI! I'll be sure to let you know if it all works out, or if I just change my career path again based on the next TV show I drown myself in...

Vacation

Everyone deserves a vacation at least once a year. That would make me long overdue for a carefree get-away, but not anymore!

Vacations are hard to come by, especially as the college semester is winding down and the homework is piling up. So where did I decide would be the perfect vacation spot, you may ask?

Rexburg, Idaho.

Not the first place anyone would think to travel to, but there was an awesome group of friends here that I so desperately needed to visit! The only odd thing about the trip was the journey here...

Step 1: See post on facebook day before trip about a seat available. Destination: Rexburg.

Step 2: Respond to post without considering the heavy amount of homework you have this weekend.

Step 3: Meet the driver and the passengers you don't know ten minutes before departing.

Step 4: Drive five hours, watch a movie, and make jokes about how you just met the driver.

Step 5: Meet up with the guys in Rexburg, then crash at their girlfriends apartment, who you have only met once before.

To the average reader, this may not sound like the safest process, but I was very confident in my safety. Just don't try this at home, especially if you don't attend BYU. I cannot guarantee your safety in that case...

Have fun and happy travels to you all!