Remember when you were 17 and dreamed of piling all of your very best friends in your parent's Ford Escort station wagon and driving that bad boy across the country with reckless abandon? Yeah, me too. Our road trip to Iowa was kind of like that. Except instead of all of our very best friends we had all of our belongings, which inhibited our ability to recline our seats or stretch our legs. And instead of reckless abandon, we traveled with extreme caution due to the fact that the weight of our cargo had The Dragon riding approximately six inches off the ground, Warren G style. Like the true champ she is though, The Dragon delivered us safely to our destination. We should probably repay her with a nice wash soon.

Our visit to Northern California was lovely, as it always is. We spent nearly the entire four days laying around in sweat pants, eating ice cream, playing mexican train, and napping. There's just something about the Nana's house... it truly is the most relaxing place. Except for when I was ATTACKED by mosquitoes. I'm serious, I was attacked. Viciously. There I was minding my own business, getting ready for my mid-day lounge by the pool, when all of a sudden 21 of those nasty little things bit me all over my legs. As it turns out I must have been allergic or something, because each of those 21 bites swelled up significantly, turned purple, and itched for about the next five days. I'll spare you the pictures, since at least one of you is munching away on your Nature's Valley granola bar while reading this and I don't want to ruin your appetite. Needless to say, Benydryl became my BFF for a while there.

Yellowstone was attack-free and beautiful. John was ecstatic to see any and all kinds of wildlife, despite the Yellowstone Newspaper's warnings of bison, elk, and bears charging the park's visitors. I, the more practical of us two, stayed in the car to view the wildlife. We did almost hit a beastly sized bison who happened to be grazing on the side of the road as we rounded a mountain curve, though. That was nuts. Nearly the entire park smells like rotten eggs, due to hydrogen sulfide gas, but it's sort of a trade off since the whole place is so astounding. We had a great time seeing the geyser basins, mudpots, Old Faithful, waterfalls, and taking a dip in the natural hot springs. If you haven't been out to Yellowstone, we both recommend you fit that into your schedule. It truly was an amazing place.

So here we are now, in the great corn-filled state of Iowa. To be fair, they have an awful lot of soybeans too, but those often get overlooked. Anyway, we've arrived safely and are spending just about every last minute lounging around John's parent's house catching up on movies and primetime t.v. With the last few months being full of finishing school, working, packing, and then moving, we're enjoying our time off together and looking forward to our new Iowa beginnings.

John Galsworthy once wrote, "The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy."

The truth of the matter simply is this: leaving San Diego will forever be the hardest and most heartbreaking day of my entire life. To say goodbye to such truly phenomenal people was infinitely more difficult than I could have ever possibly anticipated. And although I know better than to think I won't see everyone again, the conception of time and reality can often feel defeating.

But as untidy as this ending may seem, I've got strong ties to the people I love most, dreams of a happy life, and a wonderful man whose comforting touch and loving words remind me, "I will follow you anywhere."

Maybe these beginnings won't be so untidy after all...