Post 21: One Week More

Tomorrow begins the last week of the REU here in Gainesville, FL. It also begins the busiest and slowest week. Busy up until Wednesday at 1pm, we have to hand in the final copies of our paper at that time. It is also Wednesday at 1pm that the final presentations begin. I have yet to decide if I would prefer to present on Wednesday or Thursday. My lazy side says Thursday, my lazier side says Wednesday. If I get it done and over with that means I have nothing to do on Thursday except listen to other presentations and say good bye to the students in my lab, as well as my mentor.

After presentations are finished the group of us have exit interviews and payday. We re kicked out of our apartments at noon on Saturday, and seeing as Rachel doesn't show up until 3pm-ish I don't know what I am going to do for the down time. I am looking forward to next Saturday.

This time next week Rachel and I will be in South Carolina, on our way to our first destination, Charleston! History for me and a beach for Rachel. :) On the 8th we will depart from Charleston and head north to North Carolina, where exactly I don't really know, but Rachel does and here's hoping she remembers her GPS. We will be visiting one of her friends in NC, I am not sure on what we'll be doing but I am okay with that. From NC we will be heading to the DC area, specifically Laurel, Maryland where Kimberly and Kenny have graciously allowed us to stay for a few days. Activities on the itinerary in the DC area include: a day in DC, a day at Busch Gardens, a day seeing CAU and UM... Okay that 3 days, how long are we staying there? On the morning of the 14th, that is a Sunday, we will be driving to Delaware where we have tickets to a beach side reggae show, and then to Christy's if she ever asks Scott if he is okay with Rachel and I sleeping on their floor. From Delaware we will finally return to Rachel's home state of Pennsylvania, where I will meet her adorable kitten and then visit my boyfriend for a couple days. Then FINALLY after 12 very long weeks I will return home to Central New York, and spend the remainder of my summer vacation walking with my mom, doing puzzles with Grandpa, and seeing Adam Levine and Maroon 5 at the NYS Fair!

A very large number of pictures will be posted over the next 2.5 weeks to balance our this very wordy post.

Post 20: Adventures Galore; The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The good: My day at Universal's Islands of Adventure. See pictures below.

The bad: Breaking down an hour from Gainesville at midnight on my way home.

The ugly: Being stuck on the side of the Florida turnpike for an hour waiting for a tow truck, having my car 'fixed' by one mechanic just to get back on the road at 4pm and have to stop again because my car was still grinding, having to get towed again, spending another night in a hotel and having to talk to yet another mechanic the next day, OH and all while my phone was living on next to no battery and finally dying after getting off the phone with AAA Monday afternoon. Currently I am back in Gainesville with a borrowed car, from the mechanic that has my baby. My car is in need of a transmission, and will be getting a used one but I won't be able to pick her up until the end of the week. I blame the heat for all the problems my car has been having.

Butterbeer = delicious

Me and the Castle 

The Sorting Hat

The Castle, itself

Jurassic Park

The good. My day at Islands of Adventures, at Universal, Orlando.

Monster book of Monsters

Flying Broomsticks

Sonya rooting for Potter

DINOS

First stop in Universal's Island of Adventure.

The reason I do not like ham.

One of my favorite books by Dr. Suess

On the Suess-go-Round

WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

Meet me at the Hogwarts Express

Got my sister something from Zonkos

Post 19: 6 Reasons I hate Florida.

1. The Summer Weather
     1a. The heat
     1b. The humidity
     1c. The lack of rain

2. The Highway System
     2a. The Florida Turnpike
     2b. Divided Highways
     2c. I-75

3. The Overwhelming love they have for the Gators
     3a. Your blood is NOT Orange or Blue
     3b. Gator Hair Salon, really?

4. The lack of things to do
     4a. Other than over-priced Orlando

5. Air Conditioning
     5a. It's hot out and freezing inside.

6. The Winter Weather, and what comes with it
     6a. Snow Birds
     6b. Tourists

Post 18: More Disney Pictures

On the Dumbo Ride

In front of Cinderella's Castle

In the Stocks

Epcot

In the Mickey Ears

Marie

Mulan is not amused

At the Haunted Mansion

Tigger and Pooh

Japan

Post 17: Adventures in Disneyland... well Disney World.

Me and Buzz Lightyear

My sister and I with Aurora.

Belle

Cinderella

English phone booth in Canada O.o