Day 16: Going out with a Crash!

Some of you know, but for those of you who don't, I got in a little car accident. I am totally fine and so is the other driver. My rental car wasn't hurt and the only damage was to the other persons car. I just can't believe it happened on my last day in California. Thankfully I was with family and they gave me a home base to calm down. First accident ever! I love my aunt and uncle they were superstars. And we have a GREAT team at Corban! So much help! Thank you so much Heidi for all the guidance through a crazy time, thanks to Ashley for explaining to the last two schools why I would be able to make it for a visit. And thanks for the prayers from the others in the office! But let's not talk about the unfortunate indecent anymore.

I at least got to visit my cousins school. The boys didn't show up but they stopped by after the visit. And guess what!? I actually used "because I like tacos" in my presentation. (For those of you who don't know this saying is used whenever some asks "why" in my family) a girl had asked about ASB and I said you typically run with a campaign and then in chapel, students give speeches for what they are running for. I said "for instance you can say, I am running for president because I like tacos." Oh my gosh, the class laughed but you could tell they were kind of confused. I just can't believe I actually worked it into the presentation. I also told them I was going to their football game and they thought that was so cool.

After the craziness of the rest if the day I was so tired so I a small nap. Then my aunt and uncle said "let's go get car crash cupcakes." So we went to this cupcake shop where the person who bakes them is a Cupcake Wars winner! I have so many ideas for new cupcakes now! I can't wait to test all of the creations on you! And these cupcakes were amazing. Soooooooooo good.

After cupcakes we drove the boys to the football game where they got ready for marching band. It was a wonderful night. I loved watching my cousins doing what they loved. For once I get to be apart of their lives! It's rare for my family to see other family members because everyone lives in California and Colorado. So I was excited for them to show me their high school stuff. They are awesome boys and I am proud to be their cousin!

As of right now I am in the airport and I got here super early! I am almost tempted to buy the new J.K. Rowling book but its so expensive. I think it could pass the tome a lot faster but I can get is cheaper on amazon. This is why I started the last blog for California! Don't be too sad, I still have Idaho! I miss you all but I will see some of you soon. I am so excited to come home! 2 more hours till I board the plane... I really did get here early! But I didn't know how long the rental car place would take... Plus part of the freeway is close in LA so there might have been a lot of traffic. Soon very vey soon I will be back in beautiful Oregon!

Cupcakes consumed: 3
Hours till I am home: 5
Level of excitement to see mom and dad: unmeasurable!

Happy Travels,
C Baker

Day 15: Because I Like tacos!

Santa Barbara is BEAUTIFUL! I should have spent my weekend here. I will remember this for next year. And Ventura! They have the cutest downtown ever. It actually reminds me of Oregon which is probably why I liked it so much. I wish I could have stayed here longer. I would have had a shopping day in all the cute bookstores. I didn't stay because I was so anxious to see my family.

I am staying with my aunt and uncle and it's so fun! I have two cousins here both in high school, one is a freshman and the other a junior. They both want to come to the Corban presentation when I visit there school. We have the running joke that when ever someone asks you why, for anything, you always say "cause I like tacos!!!!" I know it's weird but it's family. The boys want to ask "why should we come to Corban?" and they want me to answer with "because I like tacos." oh boy... We will see. It would be kind of funny but I will feel out the crowd first.

I love being here. I had breakfast like a normal person! Usually at Starbucks I stick straws in my ears and shove food up my nose, yelling "elephants are awesome!" it was nice to not have to do that this morning and instead just enjoy a nice bowl of cereal.

I also get to see my two cousins perform in there marching band! Yay! They are really excited about it and so am I. I think I mentioned this in my last blog so I won't keep talking about it.

I get to have Dinner with my friend Kammie tonight! It will be great to see her. German friends unite!

I hope all is going well for you! I get to come home in two days! Got to run to my next school! See ya!

C Baker

Lotion not Conditioner...

Just thought I would let all of you know what I discovered today...

I have been at this hotel for 6 nights and ever since I got here my hair has had this really weird feeling to it. It was gross. At first I thought it was the water but what I realized just now is I have been using the hotel lotion as a conditioner in my hair! I totally thought it was conditioner this whole time! Oh geez...

C Baker

Day 14: Goodbye Bakersfield. Hello Family!

Last day in Bakersfield! Yay! I finished up with visiting all the schools that are left in this area. I should have checked out of my hotel today and left for Santa Barbara but I accidentally made the wrong reservation. I get to get up at 4 in the morning tomorrow to drive to a morning School visit. Oops.

The schools today were great visits, lots of interested students. I got half way through the call list today as well. Hopefully I can finish that tomorrow but I have a lot of driving ahead of me.

After my visits I drove to Target to buy a CD to make the drive tomorrow a little more Fun. I actually bought the CD FUN. Ha ha ironic? I also got Mumford and Sons. Maybe my drive will go a little easier with better music.

Remember Marjorie? The woman who couldn't for the life of her remember when Corban was coming to visit. The woman who wanted me to visit on Saturday with the students? Yeah she emailed me this morning canceling the visit. I was so sad I would never meet this woman but I was impressed that she did remember me. Next year I hope to meet the famous Marjorie!

How is everyone doing in the office? I miss you all but I will see you next Monday! That is either exciting or daunting for you... I hope you are all doing well! Early bed for me!

C Baker

Day 13: I am Sick of It!

I,much like Ashley, I waiting for my next school visit. Ashley, i just read your post! So lucky to have a friend to visit. I hope you had fun. I cant believe you leave california in two days!
My other two school visits in the morning were fine. It looks like I will be having more coffee dates tonight with students.

I am sitting in California Pizza Kitchen eating a chicken thai pizza. It's good but I have to say i am Sick of it! Not California pizza kitchen but eating out. I want a home cooked meal. I have tried the whole going to the grocery store and buying stuff but it's hard. I don't know what to buy that I can keep carrying in my car and hotel room.

I haven't had pizza yet so I chose this place and its a lot nicer than fast food. Yeah it's a little more expensive but I am going to go crazy if I have to eat at McDonalds or Baja Fresh again. Plus the meal is really like two and I will just save it for dinner tonight.

I am tired of eating out and being alone. But I get to stay with family on Wednesday so that will be GREAT! I get to spend time with family that I don't get to see often. My little cousin is going to perform at a football game in the marching band and I am so excited to see his show. And this Thursday I get to see Kammie who is my friend from Ambex. I haven't seen her in two years and I finally get to have dinner with her! I miss her so much and it will be great to catch up. So at least there are things in my week that I am looking forward to. It just seems like forever till I come home. U hear Cara is in the office and Ashley is headed there soon. Everyone is so lucky to get to back in the office and home. I can't wait for Saturday!

Days left in California: 6!
Slices of pizza left: 4
School visits left in CA: 18

C Baker

Day 12: Oh Coffee...

I had another coffee date with two students. They were great and we had a fun time talking about high school, Corban, and study abroad. Amber is really excited to attend Corban experience and Susanna has two schools on her list and Corban is one of them. She is a little worried mom will move to Oregon if she goes to Corban.

Okay, the other thing about Susanna is her last name is Fontana. Say it out loud! Susanna Fontana. Coolest name ever! When she said it out loud I started laughing, which was bad on my part but then she said it's fine because everyone does. She loves her name and so do I! Best name ever! I told her she needs to be in a band.

Another cool thing at Starbucks happened. While I was talking to the girls a woman asked if she could sit next to us because our Starbucks was getting crowded. As I was talking she was asking if Corban had online classes because she was interested in in getting her masters done. Wow look at that! I am a recruiting maniac! I tried to answer her questions as best I could but I didn't know much about what she was asking. She said she will contact the school and get in touch with the right people.

It was a nice day.

Coffee: I am going to stop counting

C Baker

West Starbucks

Hello all,
Currently I am sitting in Starbucks waiting for my next school visit. The people beside me are gathering their things and heading out the door. I have only one thing to say about that...GOOD! Right as I sat down they started talking about how ridiculous the Christian faith is. It's like they knew I was a Chrisitan or something. I didn't say anything, but I looked at them for a while. They finally saw the discomfort I had with the words they were saying and they quickly changed the subject. I guess my inability to hide my emotions on face can come in handy sometimes :) I am somewhat kicking myself, though, because that could have been a great opportunity for me to witness! Agh! Nex time!
Yesterday was a great day! I was able to see my friend Chantel! It was so good to spend time with her! We went out to lunch and I had the best salad ever! Spinach, feta, beets, candied walnuts! Yum. After lunch we went shopping!!! Have I ever told you guys how much I love outlet malls? Oh man! I got some pretty great work clothes for SUPER CHEAP! It was a great day.
After spending time with Chantel I then checked into my hotel room. Not the worst place in the world, but a little run down. And the check in guy...yuck! As I was walking away from the desk toward my room, I just happened to look up in one of those corner mirrors, you know the ones they put up so you don't run into someone on the other side of the wall. Anyway, he was totally checking me out as I walked away! I was anything but flattered! Sick man!
On a more happy note, on Friday the counselor at Dublin high asked if I could stay a few extra minutes so a sub could talk to me after school. Of course I said sure :) Anyway this sub was super nice...I forgot her name, but she was super duper close with Doug West! When she heard a rep from Corban was coming she got all excited! She said, "I know talking with me doesn't mean much to you, but talking with you makes me feel like I'm talking to Doug. So thank you!" She had tears in her eyes and it was the sweetest thing ever! I told her I was glad to meet her and then she hugged me goodbye. Because she was so encouraged my day was phenomenal!
Well, time to talk with some high schoolers! For those of you in the office this week, I'll see you on Wednesday!
-Sis Ash

Day 11: So this is what Admissions is About...

I wish I brought tennis shoes. I have my toms but you can't work out in those. On weekends I would work out but I didn't pack my shoes!

I got to sleep in today which was nice. I got breakfast and lunch and organized my luggage. At 3:00 pm I had a coffee date with students. It was great. Kim brought her mom and brother. And Cheyenne was there waiting for me. It was funny cause I think Kim didn't really want her mom there. But mom had questions and wanted to learn more. It was funny! I got to use the prezi campus tour with they students and they loved it. They both enjoyed the videos and pictures. Cheyenne's brother said they had to get going but you could tell she didn't want to leave so I offered to drive her home. She was so excited to stay longer. She really wants to come to Corban! She surprised her parents with the idea. They are a little worried for her but ultimately they are excited that she is excited. I am so happy! Kim is a junior and she wants to know what college she is attending by her senior year. Go Kim! There are two major schools on her list and Corban is one of them. Hopefully with contact and the right answers she will make it to Oregon.

These two girls were amazing and I loved hearing from them that Corban was a school they really wanted to attend.

Now I am back in my room and talking with Ashley and watching Friends. A nice relaxing day. Tomorrow I have another coffee date with more students. I am excited. I LOVE MY
JOB!

Coffee: 11
# of times I left the key in my room:1
Almost car accidents: 2

C Baker

Day 10: Typical...

Typical Friday night! Sitting on my king bed, eating junk food, watching a chick flick, and shopping for shoes. And now there is sour patch kids sugar all over my bed! Great... I blame Matthew McConaughey! Yep, it is because of his attractive smile in the Wedding Planner that made me drop my sour patch kids!

Three school visits today. One of them I was late but I still got cards because of Kim! She had all of her friends waiting for me! Good job Kim!

I am having coffee with her tomorrow and her friend Lauren. Another girl is meeting up with us from East Bakersfield. It will be fun!

Have a great weekend everyone!
C Baker

Day 9: Whoa, we're halfway there, Whoa Livin on a Prayer

Good morning everyone! Yesterday was interesting. I only had one school visit and a fair yesterday. (tons of driving) the one school visit was so awkward. Oh my gosh! It was a lunch visit so I set up a table outside where the students eat. I Kid you not I was just starring at them and they were starring at me right back. So awkward... Then I hear this group of girls say "that Corban girl has been sitting there a long time and no one has talked to her. Let's talk to her for a little bit." in my head I was like "I DO NOT NEED YOUR PITTY INTEREST!" but they came over and I was nice and two of them filled out a card. Once they did that I was like "ha ha! Now your going to get all of our mail because you felt bad for me!" ( for the record I did not say that out loud to them.) not that that's a bad thing... It was just weird.

The I got to my hotel and checked in and prepared my my last fair. The fair went great! I had multiple people come up to me when the fair was starting to end and say I was the only counselor who had energy and really related to the students. Okay so now I am worried... Do I need to act more professional? But these students are high schoolers they want a college that is fun and a place where they can grow in their education. Part of it might be that I am one of the youngest college recruiters there. So when Kim visits my table and asks if she can follow me on Instagram of course I am going to say yes!

Guys I love Kim! She is great, when we were talking she would always say "oh you just bumped up to 4, oh, now your a 2" I bumped Corban up to #1 on her list! Yes! And I get to see her today at her high school. She told me she is bringing friends. Yay! I told Kim that if she can get her friends to sign up she will get a free t-shirt!

... Back to the professional thing. I am dressed up more professional than school visits and I have great posture. I feel professional then last night I was watching the others, it's okay to laugh right? The NACCAP people aren't going to kick you out if you have fun right? :) I have also noticed my theater voice comes out at fairs. Especially when I say $500 visit scholarship. It's like parents ears perk up and they come running to the table. Love it!

I love and dislike fairs... I love meeting the students but the awkward moments when you setting up your table and you displays are falling down is the worst. The counselors just stare at me. "no no, I got it, I've only NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE!" Paul was there last night again. I like Paul. He kind of reminds me of my dad. Squirrel! (I feel like my thoughts just jump all over the place when I write on the blog.)

I am kind of dreading the weekend. I wish hotels had DVD players. Then I could at least watch movies. I set up a coffee date with Kim because she is awesome and wants to do it! New best friend! And there are two girls at the fair (and I can only remember one of their names) who want me to attend their church. They said I should bring my Corban stuff and talk to their high school group. "everybody is working on the weekend..." so I have that on Sunday, but then what? I will take suggestions! What to do on the weekend in Bakersfield?

Sorry this blog post was all over the place. Have all of them been like that?

Coffee: 9
Friend requests: 3
Ideas for the weekend: 0

C Baker

Day 8: A Contest for YOU!

Hello all! I am loving the contests! Do the people in the office have contests to compete in cause if not I got one for you!

Hears what you do. I have my Zune on shuffle and I am going to post a few song lyrics from the beginning of the song and then you have to guess what song it is. If you guess the most correct I will bring you back a gift from California! Yay. This is way fun for me too. Here we go!

1. I won't do what you told me, I won't do what you said...
2. Hey, I wanna talk to you. The last time we talked Mr. Smith you reduced me to tears...
3. I've been working so hard, I'm punchin my card, 8 hours for what...
4. Today I don't feel like doing anything...
5. Don't want a lot for Christmas, there's just one thing I need...
6. I say hello to anyone who's listening...
7. Just a small town girl living in a lonely world, she took the midnight train going any where...
8. Don't wish, don't start wishing only ruins the heart, there's a girl I know...
9. Hey mama, hey mama look around everyone is groovin to a brand new sound...
10. Daddy can you hear The devil drawin near? Like bullet from a gun?...
11. You think I pretty without any make up on...
12. There's nothing you do that can't be done, noting you can't sing that cant be sung...
13. Here's the thing we started off friends, it was cool but it was all pretend...
14. All the Girls in the bathroom
Talking who they gonna take to the...
15. Easy come, easy go that's just how you live, oh, take take take it all but you never give...
16. There's a song that's inside of my soul, it's the one that I tried to write over and over again...
17. I'm taking a break because I am losing it again...
18. I'm not surprised not everything lasts I broken my heart my so many times I've stop keeping track...
19. High on the hill was a lonely goatherd...
20. Seems like everybody's got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night..

Okay that is it. Have fun!

Yesterday was good it was actually pretty relaxing. All I had were school visits and drop offs. I also got to Skype with my parents and that was great. It was just a working day.

Coffee: 9
In n out burgers: 2
Times I jumped on the bed: 4

C Bake

Day 7: My Fair City

This was a fun day. Best school visit ever. Some of you got the pictures sent of the class I spoke with. This was at Fresno high school and what happened was I didn't get any sign ups so the high school counselor asked the international baccalaureate class if I could talk with them. None of them had heard of Corban before and once I starting talking they loved it! I had never seen this much engagement with the students before and it was great. They thought I was funny too so that made me feel good. Out of the 30 students I talked with, 20 of them really wanted to know more and they gave me their cards. This was the best way to spend my first day in Fresno.

After the amazing school visit I headed over to Fresno Christian. The funny thing about this visit was I didn't set it up. It was just in my calendar. It was a mini fair which is what I kind of expected. I had showed a hour early but it was fine. I got to pick the best table. This was my first fair! It was great I was sharing a table with Messiah University and mostly talked with a guy named Paul. I love Paul he is awesome. I told him I was new and he gave me little inside tips and helped me out a lot. We were both going to the fair later tonight so when I saw him again it was good to have a familiar face.

The Fresno fair was AWESOME! At first I felt awkward but then Sarah from Trinity Western set up next to me and she was so nice. Most of the people I talked to knew Ashley and so it was easy to start the conversation. Actually there was this girl who at first I thought she didn't like me so I went up to her and I said "hello my name is Courtney, I believe you met my coworker Ashley and she said you were great and that I needed to meet you!" after that I had a new friend! Yay! Did I lie...maybe... But you become desperate for someone to talk to so you aren't awkward.

After the fair Sarah and Paul both said I did a wonderful job and I didn't look like I was new at all. They said I looked very natural. Aww thanks Paul and Sarah! I needed some words of affirmation during this travel season .

Once the fair was done I drove back to the hotel, organized one of my suitcases and fell asleep. It was a good thing I had read Ashley's post before I went to bed because I almost forgot to text my mom and I wouldn't want the front desk to call me. Ashley your story made me laugh but I bet it scared the pee out of you.

Well, it is now morning and I am in Starbucks hoping my credit card will work tomorrow. I love my little town of Fowler. There is only a hotel, a Starbucks, gas station, Quiznos and Carl's jr. It's perfect. I like being just out of the big city.

Well I hope everyone is enjoying there travel season or time in the office. Have a great day everyone! It crazy to think I am not even half way down with travel... Oh... Now I am depressed.

Cups of coffee: 8 (if you can even call the coffee I had in the hotel coffee!)
Friends made: 3
new favorite student: Grace

C Bake

Nobody likes a Mr. Sniffles...

First of all, can anybody tell me what movie the title of this post is from? (Fake) Bonus points for whoever knows :) I suppose I should have said "nobody likes a Miss Sniffles"...you guessed it, I'm using tissues like they're going out of style! At first I thought I was getting sick! But then I realized I have allergies. I didn't put two and two together until...well...until a student told me I wasn't sick, that I just have allergies because everyone has allergies in Modesto. My nose is like a faucet and my eyes are puffy and it looks like I'm crying all the day long! No fun! What's a girl to do though. I'll just suck it up (no pun intended).
So, I have a super encouraging story. At least I know you ladies will think so. I went shopping today because I have no more fairs in the evenings! Anyway, I was at jc penny's looking for work clothes because I'm just so professional ;) and a lady walks up to me as I'm holding up a dress and says in a cute old lady Russian accent, "oh yes, that would look so good on you! You have great taste! You the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and you need to buy dress (points to the dress I'm holding up)." that moment made me feel like a movie star! I then saw her in the shoe section and she said, "oh looks like I follow you...ha I do cuz you just so pretty haha. Now you help me find purse?" of course I tried to help but we had no luck. The point of this story is to tell you I think I'm in the running for the most encouraging encounter ;) but also to encourage all of us to do something similar to a stranger, we might make their day :)
One last thing to tell you. So...my mom asked me if I could text her every night once I'm settled in my hotel for the evening, and Ive done great with that up until last night. I got to my room ate dinner, checked emails, the usual. I then dozed off for a wee bit, which means I didn't text my mom when I typically do. Now she was waiting for my text and when she didn't get it, she texted me and because I was snoozin, I didn't text back. So then, she called me, but my phone was only on vibrate so it didn't wake me up. Now at this point she got a little worried. She called the hotel and asked if I was in my room. Now of course the hotel receptionist can't give out that information for safety purposes but the receptionist told my mom she would see what she could do. She called my room phone which is obnoxiously loud and I jumped out of bed startled. Long story short she told me to call my mom because she was worried about me. When I called my mom she was crying and I felt terrible! TERRIBLE! I told her I was fine, but, man alive she was so worried! That was my first major oopsie!
Anyway, that's all I have for now!
-Sis Ash

Alright here is a picture for the contest...
I couldn't decide if this fits under 'best “self-defense/safety ” moment,' or 'best “how am I alive right now” moment.'
This is the AR (Assault Rifle) 15 that I shot on Saturday while up in the mountains. Do you think anyone would notice if I "packed" this into my suitcase for California? Just for self-defense safety of course...

Day 6: Just keep Rollin along

Wow. What a day. This morning I got up and drove 45 minutes to salinas. Great school visit then I got back in the car and drove 45 minutes to Watsonville another nice school visit. Then I got in my car and drove yet again another 45 minutes to Monterey. After that school visit can you guess how long it took me to drive to my next school visit? Yep 45 minutes. I was exhausted. But at the end of all of those visits I got to go to Safeway and get my favorite soup and sit in my rental car and relax. I was wonderful.

After all of that I drove 3 hours to Fresno. Where I went to check into my hotel and my credit card was declined. Yikes. Hopefully that will all get fixed (thanks Jared) and I can use it soon.

Oh my gosh! I almost forgot. I was watching tv last night and there is a tv show called Broadway or Bust! I have never heard of it and it is great! It's like reality tv mixed with show tunes. Two of my favorite things! Not that any of you care it just made me happy.

Well I am super tired and I have another busy day in the neighborhood tomorrow.

And Heidi I love the contest. Here is my first picture.

Cups of coffee: 6
Number of hours driving: 5
Shampoo bottles collected: 9

C Baker

Word of the day: Unconventional

Word of the day: Unconventional =)

A big "Hello" to all of you!! Wow, you do not know how wonderful it has been to hear about the "going-ons" of your days. COURT - atta girl on your 5 zillion posts! Each one of you bloggers have provided me with a good amount of chuckling... as I sit all by myself in the Corban mini van, of course.

It's crazy to think we're all doing the same [unique] job: we're out in the same big wide world, sharing about the same amazing school. But each of us has completely different experiences awaiting us just around the corner of the high school hallway. Oh, and completely different reactions to those experiences. Actually, I think it'd be aaawesome to have something like a national admissions counselor bizarre experiences travel season blog page. Yes please. We'll work on the title later (but honestly it can't get much better than "Admissions Adventures")... =)

We're traveling by car, plane, ferry, bike (that's me!)... Okay not actually to school visits... yet... (I have to be able to tell Jordan SOMETHING unconventional I did during my travels by the time I get back!) If not a bike ride visit, I guess I'll just have to stand on a lunch table during a presentation or something VERY cool like that... (just kidding Jordan!!)

Okay enough chit chat. Obviously I'm not a seasoned blogger.
So onto my travel season so far (all 4 days of them!)
Unconventional. And by unconventional I do not mean I have been standing on top of tables. I mean "not by the book"... and by "book," I mean my planner.
I'll tell you that this girl has had to do a lot of "rolling with it" - schools mixing up the visit date, schools asking to reschedule last minute, schools asking to change the type of visit, schools asking me to stay twice as long for an extra presentation, schools asking me to wait 30 minutes before meeting with students... you get the idea. And "rolling with it" is not how I would describe a typical day in the life of Callie. But for travel season, I guess it's the brand new me!

So my first mini-trip was on the Oregon Coast and I now find myself in Western Washington (Gig Harbor to be exact... Wahoo!)
As for the visits themselves - I LOVE MY JOB!!! Cara, I finally understand all your hype about going back to the same schools with the same counselors! The little things like knowing where to turn without Googlemaps, knowing where Starbucks is, knowing where the Career Center is, knowing who the hs counselor is, or knowing that a lunch visit at the 5A high school means you get to talk about yourself into a microphone from your table (front and center of course!). A year of learning and learning some more has brought me up to a new level of "ecstatic" mixed with confidence... Even in the unconventional situations. Praise You LORD!

Now I will tell you one story that I probably won't tell a tenth as entertaing-ly as any of you would, but nonetheless, hopefully you'll catch the drift...;) Oh, and Heidi, I think this falls under my attempt at "best high school counselor and/or youth pastor encounter"...

First, did you know there is a Seaside HS located both in Oregon as well as California? I did! Well, as of last Wednesday I did. Before that: no clue.
So for the past month I have had a Career Center visit confirmed with Kaylynn from Seaside HS, OR, for 10:30am on Thursday, Sept 13. One day before leaving for my trip to the Coast, I received a call from Seaside HS (a different counselor - Angela), saying that she was very sorry for not calling back for the past month, but would love to have me at 10:30am on Wednesday, Sept 12. "No worries! A different counselor already got back to me and we are all scheduled for the next day," I told her. She didn't see me on the calendar, apologized again, and asked if I could arrive on Wed. instead. "Also," she said, "Would you mind if we changed that Career Center to a Presentation visit? We'll set you up in the cafeteria instead, I'll make 3 classes (a minimum of 60 kids) attend, and you talked to them for the whole 75 minute period?? We've never done it before at our public high school, but this will be a great test run!! I'll try to get MANY more students if possible..."

Okay, so you know when I said I had confidence this travel season? In that moment... NONE. It would be my first presentation, and I really was looking forward to easing my way in - not acting as a guinea pig for in a high school cafeteria. For 75 whole minutes.
So I prayed. And prayed and prayed and prayed, and little by little, the Lord replaced fear with His truth, and the fact that THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME!
So I woke up Wednesday morning, kind of nervous but [unconventionally?] excited, bought a bunch of donut holes (they looked like the perfect "please like me real fast big scary high schoolers" donut holes), and showed up to the career center with enough Fast Facts for an army.
But guess what (I'm sure you already did as I tend to give the punch line BEFORE the story)... My name was still on the sheet as arriving at 10:30 the next morning - in the Career Center. Surprisingly it took me only 20ish seconds and 3 "you are crazy" looks from those in the office before putting two and two together.
OH NO!!
I just bought donut holes for the wrong Seaside HS.

Sweet Kaylynn helped me feel a little better about myself regarding the blond moment, I told her I'd return tomorrow, jetted out of there, and quickly looked up the counselor's number who had called me just a few days prior.
"California" - that's what it said when I Googled the words "Seaside High School." I punched in the number I found, pressed send, got ahold of Angela, asked her right away if she was located in CA, apologized, and we chatted for a good 10 minutes as she told me stories of things that had happened in the past with people leaving voicemails for their school when they meant to reach the Oregon high school. I hate you Google. I liked Angela. I think I'll bring her donut holes if I'm ever in the Seaside, CA, area.
Needless to say, I didn't get my experience in that moment presenting to a bunch of public high schoolers, but I did about 3 hours later... I was so thankful for our God's goodness. Honestly, it is the times that I forget about myself, potential awkwardness with off-the-wall questions/responses, and focus on being not only an ambassador for Corban but one for Jesus Christ that I find success at schools. It is my goal to have that attitude at every single visit this year - all for HIM!!

So speaking of, my days on the Coast could not have been a better timed getaway. In the (super) early mornings, afternoons and evenings, it was sunny and cloudless and my little hotel on the beach at Seaside made for a picture-perfect retreat full of... Well, saltwater and sand.
I was on the beach literally (that word is for you Sars!) every second possible for walks and runs and prayer and journaling and reading and Skype Bible studies with Tyler and watching the sunset with a salmon dinner (bought not caught) and an ice cream cone as an appetizer. Like I said.. Picture perfect. And a little unconventional, too. :)

As for my trip to Gig Harbor, my weekends and late afternoons consist of mowing the lawn, going shooting with an Assault Rifle 15 and Magnum 35 up in the mountains outside Olympia with Dad (NOT unconventional), going on a 10 mile bikeride with Matt (you would think he'd take it easy on his sister!), chores, buying Go-gurt and ice cream and pudding for Matt (bye bye wisdom teeth), going on boat rides for some last minute sun, Farmers Market with old friends, and watching the show Jericho with my mom (she hopes to have me beyond addicted before I leave this house).

Again, I'm a rambler, not a blogger. Hope you got through this, and if not, ask me for the Spark Note version once we're back.:) Miss you guys - I feel as though we're a family that's out doing their own thing when we should be together! Honestly, some of the most encouraging things have been seeing pictures from Cara, getting txts from Jared, getting everything from Courtney (Amazing), a phone call with Ash (a voice means so much!), hilarious posts from Jordan, email convos with Heidi, big fat hug from Sars. You guys are great. It's been an awesome time, I'm so ready for more, but you will each continue to be in individual prayer. Let's continuously remember why Christ has us doing what we do. See you.:)

Callie

Special Ed

Yay!!! It's what you've all been waiting for...a post from yours truly! For those of you who have been worried about my well being, I am alive and kicking.
Ok, let's start from the beginning...my flight last Sunday was really great! I had friends drop me off at the airport, I looked like a real adult with my briefcase, and I was feeling super confident! The flight was quick which was nice because my feet didn't have time to swell (my feet usually look like puffer fish on long flights). Once I landed I took the shuttle to get my rental car. After I took a long look at the beautiful Dodge Avenger just sitting there waiting for my tushy to sit down in the drivers seat, I drove off to my hotel. I finally got to my room, plopped my things on the ground, and laid on the bed with a sigh of relief. Now what happened next i did not see coming...I started sobbing! What?!?!?! I was so scared. Travel season became real at that moment and it scared me! It SCARED me! I called my mom and thank God for her! She calmed me down. After that I crawled under the covers and slept as best I could.
I woke up the next morning somewhat refreshed and ready to start the day. My first visit went well and built up my confidence! The movie "The Help" came to mind as I repeatedly quoted "you is kind, you is smart, you is important." After that my visits were wonderful as were the fairs I went to.
Now for something that made me laugh! Many of you have heard me mention Sis Sue, for those of you who haven't heard me talk about her. She is a middle and high school teacher at a school I visited. At this visit I presented and might I add that I did pretty good :) Anyway, at the end of my presentation I opened it up for questions. There were several great questions, but then the students started acting like...well students. One student raised his hand, so I course said, "Yes, young man in the front." He answered "Corban sounds like a cool place, but do you offer special learning services? Specifically special Ed classes?" "We do have a specific contact person for student services, I can talk to you about it if you'd like to come see me after." "Well the reason I ask is because (points to friend next to him) he's gonna need those classes if he goes to college." The class starts cracking up and surprisingly Sis Sue was over in the corner laughing hysterically saying "Good one! Good one!" I had no clue what to say so in uncertainty I said "Yeah, good one ha." After collecting herself Sis then got the class to calm down. Was it funny? Yes. Was it uncomfortable? Absolutely!
Since that comment I've had some great visits, some no shows, and some visits I wish were no shows. I've connected with several students and tons of parents! I don't know what it is about me, but parents just seem to love me! And I am totally ok with that :) 
I just got to my hotel in Modesto and I'm preparing to start my 2nd week in the not so impressive Cali (I really don't see what the hype is all about). I had such an awesome time with Courtney this weekend in San Fran, full of laughter, walking, frigid air, and long lines. It was definitely the highlight of my trip! 
This is Sis Ash and I am over and out! 

Day 5: GOD is BIGGER than my FEAR

Rough night. Oh man. Worst night ever. I am going to start off with this then tell you about the fun adventures Ash and I had in San Fran.

 So around 1 o clock in the morning I woke up just plain scared. I have no idea why. I was terrified. Maybe it was because I knew Ashley and I were parting ours ways tomorrow (or today seeing as it was 1 o clock in the morning) and I am going to miss her. Or maybe it's cause I miss my family. I also had a weird dream. Not a nightmare it was actually kind of cool but maybe that somehow freaked me out. But I could not get back to sleep. So I got my phone and text my mom and then went to Netflix And watched How I Met You Mother. It always helps to watch a show that you don't really have to pay attention and you feel like your best friends with all the characters. Oh Barney... Silly Lilly... You know things like that. Well I watched three episodes cause I could not get back to sleep and my heart was racing. Finally I fell asleep but it happened again at 6 in the morning. So weird. But I got back to sleep faster than last time. I don't know what is happening but I hope this doesn't continue. I don't really like it. 

This morning I got out my phone and my mom text me back and said "Remember Courtney God is bigger than your fears." Now I keep chanting that every time I feel a little frightened. 

Well, let's talk about fun things now! 

So yesterday morning Ashley and I found a Starbucks and mapped out what we wanted to do that day. She wanted to see the full house houses also known as the Painted Ladies. We drove out there and it was pretty difficult to find parking. I think we circled the park three times just trying to find a spot. We managed to park in a spot that I am not entirely sure is a spot but oh well. We didn't get a ticket and we knew we weren't going to be there that long.  We loved it. It was fun. Plus me driving in the city is a scary thing but I am starting to get the hang of it. I find the more people you hit the more like a city driver you become. I am finding much success in this. 

Then we put the car back in the parking lot and bought cable car tickets to go see the golden gate bridge. There were huge lines to get on the cable car but we felt this was important to the San Francisco experience so we waited. As we waited, there was a group of people with a mega phone to tell us and many many others how we are sinners and we are all going to burn in hell. I felt like they were really bringin down the fun atmosphere in the city... Plus I think they were going about it all wrong. Ash and I were about the rip that megaphone out of their hands and yell at them a little while about how they are not very effective. Talking about humbling yourself while you are standing on your soap box condemning others and not walking with the people just as Jesus did is a little hypocritical don't you think? 

Riding the cable car was fun though! It isn't really like how you see it in the movies. You can't really just jump on and ride away in to the sunset. You CAN sit in a strangers lap with someone's bottom in your face as you ride for half and hour. We got off the cable car and walked to the fishermans wharf. Oh my gosh it was freezing. We did not prepare for this. I went into a souvenir shop and bought a fleece because I was so cold. It was 11 dollars and the price was worth the warmth. Ash bought a scarf but I don't think that kept her that warm. We walked around and saw the golden gate bridge and Gheradeli square. It was fun. Oh we also saw Alcatraz, Ashley did not know that the island was mostly a prison. So I taught her something new that day. We both found it really funny. Then we did what any normal Oregonian would do and cased Segways and seagulls. Oh I kinda want to put that as my title. Okay two titles! 

Day 5: Segways and Seagulls 

We went to get back on the cable car and oh my gosh! Jared did you pray for patience for me? If you did you made Ash and I very very mad. We were in line, in the cold, for over 2 hours. It made us so mad! But we did play games that were very entertaining. If everyone in the office was a FRIENDS character who would they be: 

Heidi- Monica 
Sarah - Joey 
Jared - Monica 
Jordan- Chandler 
Cara- Rachel 
Callie- Ross
Ashley- Monica 
Courtney- Phoebe 

We then played What Movie Would People Be and that one was really hard but when we were trying 
to figure out Jordan's I jokingly said What Women Want and we laughed in line for like 8 inches. (8 
inches was like 10 minutes). So funny. We were in line from 4:20 to 6:30 so we needed entertainment  badly. So we finally got on the cable car and back to the hotel where it was warm. But we needed dinner so we headed out again. We weren't that hungry so we grabbed something small at Starbucks and there was a bakery next to our hotel so we loaded up on baked goods. Sooooooo yummy. My favorite was the chocolate macaroons. We relaxed in our hotel room watching Baby Mama and Date Night. Apparently on the TV it was Tina Fey night and we were okay with that. 

Then I fell asleep quickly and well... Didn't sleep that well. Now it's 10 o clock and Ashley is still sleeping and we have to check out of the hotel at 12. I hope she wakes up well when people suddenly jump on her...

Coffee cups consumed: 5 
People hit by my car: 17 
Actual number of people hit by my car: 0 
Desserts eaten last night: 5 

P.S. the blog template makes it so you can't read the blogs...
Now a picture!

Full house houses ....

C Baker

Day 4: Half Filled Tank and Gold Grillz

Good morning everyone. While Ashley is still sleeping I again have found the time to blog. Yay!

So recap on yesterday.  I visited my schools and went to plug in the address for the hotel in San Francisco when I realized my car is half way hungry. Oh no... Now I learned how to drive in Washington a little bit but most of my driving years have been in Oregon. So now I am standing at the gas pump looking at it like its some kind of robot waiting to attack. Thankfully chevron realized there might be more people with my hair color and lack of experience with a gas pump so they put a handy dandy picture guide. And guess what... It worked! Yep, I pumped my own gas. This is a true test that I am a grown up. I did it! Ha ha TRAVEL I knew you would challenge me but now you must accept your defeat.

So now that my tank is full and the gps is ready to go, I hit the road jack! But I will actually be coming back... So my gps is actually my iPad because it works faster than my phone plus i do not want my phone to die.  The ipad said there was 30% of battery left and I thought okay that should work. Well it was kind of a race against the clock. Because then I hit traffic and I was worried it was going to shut off, but it didn't. Thank you!

Arrving to the hotel was an experience. Ashley had a glamorous time driving through the upscale part of town where I drove through union square and I am pretty sure I was offered drugs. I am not kidding, I was waiting at a red light and this woman opened up the hood of her car. I didn't think anything of it until I made eye contact and she pointed to a black box in the hood of her car. She flashed that winning smile filled with two gold grillz and nodded as if to say "gurl, I know you, you want some of my pixi stixs." I smiled back saying with my eyes "no thank you crazy lady with the creepy candy in your Honda." Thankfully the light turned green and I was on my way through scary town. I was so worried where we booked our hotel. But luckily the more I drove up hill the more classy San Fran became.

I met Ashley is the parking garage and you guys... Parking is SO expensive here. Ashley and I are kind of worried about it. We don't know what the rules are for money and parking lots. Do we pay for it does Corban? We will figured it out.

OUR HOTEL ROOM IS GREAT! We love it! I can tell we are going to have fun on this weekend. We just hung out in our room relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow. It was fun to recap on both of our travels as well. I am so thankful I get to hang out with Ashley for this time. It is so nice seeing someone I know. Well, it is fine to get some coffee and explore San Francisco!

Coffee cups: still 3
Gas tanks filled: 1
Number of times Ashley made me laugh: priceless

C B

My Turn

Permit me to be playfully poetic, provided my proclivity with scattered patterns of prose.

Wednesday, September 12th:

They were Japanese
Haiku seems appropriate
Minimal English

Ridiculous videos viewed: 2
Awkward visitors: 4
Inches of hair growth: 2.5
Times Sarah has put her foot in her mouth: Innumerable

Day 3: WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

Jordan I am enjoying travel and the blog is fun. that is why I post everyday. Or at least I am trying to. And Jordan your post was great it really made my morning which is what I needed. I know I just said I am enjoying travel but this post is going to say otherwise.

Okay this morning seemed to start off great. Got up on time, my hair all done (and it looks good today), checked out of the hotel and was on the road when I needed to be.  I arrived in Watsonville on time and even had time for coffee. So I typed in Starbucks in my GPS and went to drive there. First of all where am I? I do not like Watsonville. Next year there is no way I am coming here it is scary and I don't want to get out of my car. But guess what genius scheduled three schools here... This is what I get when I try to beat Jordan in school visits.

So now I am at Watsonville High School where I can't find the office and there is no parking and now I am sitting in a room where the secretary doesn't even bother to show up. Seriously the room is locked and I am sitting here inside. What the heck?! Want to know how I was greeted today? By a white woman in a sombrero it was the weirdest thing. Maybe there was some holiday that I didn't know about but she was the only one.

I hated it. I did! When I got in the car I couldn't stop laughing and I kept saying to myself. "I hated that. I hated it!" so now I am in the parking lot at what I don't think is a school but a bunch of offices. It's weird all I keep saying to myself is "you get to see Ashley today, you get to see Ashley today and have fun."

More later...

So that was weird...  I think I just talked to a class full of zombies... Awkward... Oh well it had to happen sometime.

Now I am at Aptos high school and I met with one girl she is nice and seems very interested. I hope I
am good at talking about Corban. I feel like I talk to fast sometimes. Slow.....down.....

Now I only have one more visit and then I am off to San Fran with Ashley!!!!!!! I am so excited and
tired. I actually haven't eaten anything today and not even one cup of coffee, it is truly amazing that I am still walking at this point.
.............................................
Okay on more visit and I am done! I am enjoying subway in the car listening to pandora waiting for my visit. There is a girl in the car parked in front of me and now we keep making weird eye contact. I think she wants to eat my sandwich... Or she is confused on why I keep recording videos and sending them to people. Hope you enjoyed yours Sarah! 

Oh my gosh there is a man in the parking lot driving one of those scissor jaxs. You know the ones where James bond jumps on in casino royal in one of the first scenes? Anyways I don't think he knows where he is going. I am trying not to laugh because he can see me but he is spinning in circles. Ha ha ha ha. What is he doing?  this is so funny. Oh no.... Now he is in the middle of the street stopping traffic... Poor guy he doesn't know how to control the thing. This is to funny... Oh man I wish you were all here to see this. Ha! Good luck scissor man! 

Cups of coffee: still 3 
Videos sent: 3 
Potential zombie attacks:1 

C Bake 

Montana: Big Sky Country

Wow, good job Courtney. Two posts in two days. I'm not sure what Courtney's doing because she is sounding way too excited for the normal travel season that I'm accustomed to. I'll have what she's having, know what I'm saying? What's your secret? If Corban was my wife, travel season would be the killing giant spiders, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom part of our relationship. It's something you have to do but it's because you love your Corban and you want to see Corban happy.

Montana. I've been here for five days now and I thought why don't I finally blog and tell you how it's been going. These aren't necessarily the highlights; however, these are the stories I can remember at this time. I'm sure I'll tell you more when I get back.

The flights. So I flew from Portland to Seattle and then from Seattle to Kalispell, MT. First off, I was in the front row of the flight from Portland on a tiny plane where I had to give my consent to helping out if there was an emergency. Plus, because I was in the front, I was 26 inches from the stewardess whenever she's sitting down. Now that may not sound like a bad thing but go and sit facing someone 26 inches away and tell me that's not uncomfortable. It got really weird when she was giving a free credit card promotional speech while she stared into my soul. Now I'm not going to just ignore her, it feels like she's talking to me specifically. So there I was. Looking straight into her eyes, with an occasional smile, as she stared right back telling all of us about the free miles we could earn. after that lovely experience, I made it to Seattle.

On the flight from Seattle to Kalispell. The stewardess listed all of the appropriate carry on items for the plane  like backpack, purse, small luggage piece, etc. but what I thought was interesting is she mentioned specifically that it is okay to bring your "European Man Bag" on the plane. Well, you can imagine how relieved I was to hear this. Thank you stewardess. Ill be sure to pack my feather boa and glitter chapstick next time as well.

Rich Old People are the worst. There I said it. I don't know what happened with some people where they believe that all rules don't apply to them. Here's what I have to say. If you're old...you're not automatically endearing...you need to have a couple qualities such as a simple disposition. A smile here and there. An unsuspecting "I'm lost" persona. These are endearing. Wearing cargo shorts hiked up to your navel with white socks up the calves and a visor for the lady only accompany a snobby attitude that belongs on a yacht only but not in public. Okay, here's the story. Getting on the plane, I let these two older people ahead of me and they say thank you as they turn away but they obviously expected me to let them in line. Then as we are scanning our boarding passes. The older gentleman seems confused that his GIANT duffle bag is too big for carry on. This bag is big enough to fit a person and he acts like the checker is insane because she tells him it needs to be checked. The airport tells you over and over again about the bag limitations...how did this get confusing. So, he begins to start walking through the terminal when the checker finally says okay, we'll find a place for it. Now I'm thinking no! That's just what he wants. Then his wife has three bags and she says she can't consolidate to two carry on items! Ahhhh! I wanted to jump in and say sorry granny! Rules are rules! But I didn't.

I don't know what it is about Montana but within one hour of being in the state I heard this phrase "I'm busier than a one-legged man in a fanny kickin contest." I'm not sure why people don't just say "I'm busy" but hey, Montanans probably wonder why we wear skinny jeans.

Driving. I was driving and saw a billboard for State Farm Insurance that said "For when you get buffalo'd." I'm not sure if this a joke or not, but needless to say I'm keeping an eye out for any buffalo.

I also saw a billboard that said "Testical Festival." I'll let that sink in for a second. It caught me completely off guard so I tried to do a double take four times but all I could figure out was this: there 
was a cartoon bull on the billboard next to it and he seemed to be very angry. I don't know if the bull 
was angry because he lost his or if he still had them. Oh, and I'm too scared to google it and find out.

It wouldn't be travel season without the GPS taking you to a Ford dealership instead of your hotel or taking you to a plot of rocks instead of a giant high school. All I can say, is thank you Mr. iPad man. Between the two of them, they are a lifesaver. 

Irony. I thought this was kind of ironic in a morbid way. So, I'm driving on a freeway which is four lanes across and the speed limit is 75. Two girls on bikes are looking back and forth from another road that feeds into the freeway trying to get across. You know what's at the corner of the road and freeway? Three crosses adorned with flowers and wreaths, apparently where three individuals had been killed. See the irony? Moral of the story is don't try to cross a freeway without a crosswalk...and don't ignore three crosses.

Casinos are like water in Montana. I counted five on one street. Everything is a casino or has a casino attached to it. It's literally crazy. Much to my surprise I visited two, and spent hours inside them, while down here. You know why? Two of my hotels were casinos. Yay!!! You know the type of people that are drawn to casinos? Not the older rich folks I talked about earlier, people who like alcohol and like a lot of it! Needless to say, I wasnt too pleased about that. At least I'll be prepared for next year. Actually one of my hotels had a pool and casino on the main floor and then all of the rooms were facing the "party". It was interesting and I'm still alive, but it wasn't great. Plus it was kind of sad to see a lot of the people gambling who didn't look like they had a whole lot to begin with. 

While visiting one school, I asked them what they knew about Oregon and you know what the response was? "everyone drives a Honda Civic there." then the class laughed and I couldn't disagree with him. Everyone seems to own a truck here, so I fit in great with my rental Nissan Sentra.

My very first visit, I walk into the main office and one lady says to me, you know Daren? I say Daren Milionis? She says yes, tell him I say hi. Before I begin to wonder if Daren has families stashed all around the country I remembered that he has family in Montana, whew! But he does have quite a fan club over here. Daren's like the Wayne Newton of Montana.

I did have a close call and it really shook me up a little. For everyone in travel right now, stay aware. 
It happened Tuesday afternoon and I was on my third hour driving. All of the highways n Montana have a 75 mph speed limit. So we were going about 80 and the highway was just a two lane highway. One lane going north and one going south. There's not a whole lot of traffic in Montana, so it's often just a couple of you on the road at a time. Anyways, something happened where I thought the yellow dashes between the lanes were white dashes. I'm thinking it may have been the sun which whitened the color a little. Anyways, I was driving in the on-coming traffic lane just taking my sweet time when I see a car in the distance coming at me which shocks me into consciousness and become aware of whats happening. The only thing I can think of is gunning it and trying to shoot the gap. Well, something amazing happened and i honestly think an angel intervened because for no apparent reason the car I was trying to get in front of went on the shoulder of the road and I went right in between both cars completely unharmed. It was pretty crazy and could have been really ugly at 80 mph. Anyways, God kept me safe but it was a close call. 

So I visited this one school that really made me laugh. So it was a building without a sign, seriously. 
There were about eight cars on a gravel road. I walked in and it was a couple rooms and a big room. 
When I say big room, it was probably as big as the Emitte Center. Anyways I'm in a place where 
there is about 15 plastic chairs and 5 kindergarten plastic chairs, you know the ones I'm talking about.
 Anyways there is  a pulpit where the receptionist tells me to set up. The room is partitioned off 
with cubicle dividers and there are some kids on the other side not saying a word. Next thing I hear is it's time to go over to the chapel where 12 students saunter as a herd over to me. The chapel is one 
side of the room. 12 students, all in uniforms, sit down and stare at me. There is a podium, and the ten commandments...along with 10 posters, each highlighting one commandment. No windows. Now, I 
start thinking they may not get any of my pop culture references or jokes. They all don't speak. I got 
them to smile and talk once in a while, but it was like Corban was still probably the most liberal school they have ever heard of. They were great students but it was like I was stuck in the Little House on the Prairie and I was John Boy. I'll leave you with my favorite part of the visit. When I asked " who's a junior?" they responded "She's gone." 

Well, I miss you all a lot and I'm excited to be back in the office on Monday!

Day 2: just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Wow. First night all by myself. A little nerve racking but it was great. So recap on yesterday:

I did two school visits and my very fist one was great! I was so happy. The high school counselor got 20 students in a room for me and I got a bunch of them to fill out cards. They thought I was funny and it really tested my skills. I messed up on a few things but now I have learned my lessons.

After the two school visits I met up with Ashley! It was so wonderful. I was so happy that I got to see someone I know on the first day. We went to In and Out and it was sooooooo good. Ash had never been. Glad I got to experience that with her. Then she headed back to her fair and I went to my hotel. I was exhausted. I checked in and Organized my luggage. Then got ready for bed because being up at 4 am can't really wear you out. I ended up snuggled in bed at 7 and fell asleep with the tv on. I think I am all caught up because I am great this morning! I naturally woke up early which allowed me to finish scheduling some schools and map out the ones I am meeting today.

Oh in my room I checked for safety and everything was great except for the windows. They wouldn't latch shut. So if someone could manage to climb up three stories they could easily get in. But not to worry I played macgyver. Seriously, the window latch wasn't getting close enough to the lock so I took my hair ribbon and pulled from the latch to the lock. I am really impressed that I did this so don't laugh. It probably doesn't make sense with me explaining it but all you need to know is my room is safe.

Okay I told myself I wouldn't stay long at Starbucks.... So blog later.

Coffee cups consumed: 3
Texts to mom: 27
Resturants I want to eat at: 4

C

Day One: Ready, Set, FLY

Well finally I get to join the crowd and start my travel season! It's about time, I know. I am so excited. I spent the night in Portland with a friend and didn't get any sleep at all because I was thinking about my possible death on this trip but hey let's not be pessimistic. We left for the airport at 4:30 in the morning. Thank you dear friend for driving me! Everything was fine and actually I arrived on perfect time. I didn't have to wait  and I still got a bagel before boarding. Go me! Then once the bagel was consumed in my chair I fell asleep for the whole flight! Didn't even wake up for the ginger ale.... Sad... I was honestly surprise how quickly everything happened. I found my bags with ease and the car rental place was right there. I have a nice car. I love it! Then I found my hotel and got to cruise around finding my high schools early cause I had the time. It's all so strange almost like this trip is too easy... Ha! You can't fool me I know things are going to go wrong eventually.

My hotel is a little bit questionable I was worried about the surrounding areas but when you cross the bridge... Oh my... Rich people galore! Where are my Prada shoes and Gucci bag? Dang... I clearly don't fit in here but it is nice. I am chillin like a villain in Starbucks. Ash texted me and she is close by so we are going to have lunch together! Praise the Lord! I am glad I am going to see someone I know on the first day. I was actually sitting in my car with tears on my face when ash texted me. My mom wrote me a letter and hid it in my bag. It's such a wonderful encouraging letter. Thanks mom! Your the best! I am so grateful Ash wants to meet up. This lunch will be needed! Plus it's In and Out soooooo yeah... You know you're jealous.

I hope every thing goes alright with my first visits. I am nervous mostly because I don't want to look like an IDIOT! Although I must admit, I am pretty good at it... Right.... Right? You all have helped me prepare as much as possible and it is time for this bird to fly!

Coffee cups consumed: 2
Car accidents: 0
Guys phone numbers: too many to count!
In and Out burgers: pending...1

C Bake day