the golden gate is now...CLOSED

I am back from California! it was a really great trip. you can see how much of a good time i'm having in the picture below...woohoo!! that's me at Twin Peaks which is this awesome cliff/peak thing that you can hang out at and take pictures of the city below. my uncle drove us up there and it was pretty rad. you can't tell in that picture, but i'm SUPER tired. basically our flight left JFK at 930, and we landed at 1230 pacific time. so we spent the day in the city which was wild. we were so tired. i stayed up really late the night before just organizing and packing and stressing about the flight. the flight wasn't too bad. i definitely think the more i fly, the less i'm going to freak out about it. here's hoping that by the time we make it to europe next year, i'm an A-OK flyer, considering i'll have disney and maybe a nashville trip under my belt. and as always, i have nicaragua in the back of my mind...but that one is a little more expensive. it's not like momma will be paying or anything.. he he he...

Definitely the best part of our trip was our visit to 826 Valencia and the accompanying Pirate Store! it was so great to check out all the kids working in the back, doing homework and getting their tutoring on, while finally visiting a place i've read so much about. i really appreciate and respect the work they're doing there. plus, mcsweeney's is a gas.


we even got a chance to see Okta, the puffer fish. I bought some signs and a pirate flag, and allie picked up an 826 Valencia shirt that reads, "826 Valencia, Bring Your Own Citrus" and shows a pirate and a skeleton toasting each other. it's awesome.

california, how i miss you.