They're so tiny!

After my workout today, I went home to feed clean up after Mr. Woodstock (he's still getting the hang of this potty training thing, it's getting difficult since he almost was perfect at it earlier this week). On the way back to work, I drove by two schools in the one mile it takes me to get home. And both were letting out for the afternoon.

I couldn't help but think how tiny they all looked! I swear, the middle schoolers here look like six or seven year olds! Not sixth or seventh graders. And high school students, don't get me started on how young new drivers look.

I couldn't help but think how awesome it would be to go home at 2:15 every day. Bring a bagged lunch to class, hang out with your best friends and worry about nothing at all. Well, except how much you hate Mr. X and that "yard" lady who always yells at you.

But then I realized something. Middle school - well mine at least - was the point in which girls started calling each other bitches and sluts, boys start making sexual jokes and began using marijuana.

Which BLOWS my mind! How do people that tiny get into that mentality?!?! I realize I was slow in my maturation process (first drink and first kiss in college), but seriously?!?!?!

It's so weird to think about that when you frame it into such a perspective.

It's still pretty hard

Almost all of the time I'm reminiscing about living somewhere else.

Back at the beach where I spent my college days in Santa Barbara? Living in Nice, France, on the beach as a student studying abroad? In the middle of a residential community in the hills of Antibes, France, where I taught English for a year? Traveling through Europe a number of times during my life?

I really want to keep traveling. I don't want to be fixed stationary in one place. I don't want to keep doing the same job day-in and day-out because it's "safe." I want to explore, travel for work, become physically exhausted every day but know that I've seen everything.

I mean, I'm only 24 and I'm not married.... now's the time for job like that more than ever.

But since I committed to a full-time position in the athletics department, that dream's going to have to wait. How much longer? I'm not sure. But I do know the longer I postpone it, the less realistic it becomes. And let's not talk about how badly I want to write books and become a published author. I've got stories and stories piled up, waiting to be put together on paper and bound up for sale.

Sometimes I wish I could fast forward momentarily to see how it's all going to end up and whether or not my dreams will come true.

But in the meantime, I realized I've yet to post my new condo pictures and I've been there for over a month. So rest assured that when I come back from being at home for Father's Day this weekend, I'll get right on that and show you all the progress on my new (temporary I hope) home!

Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up

It was an interesting trip this weekend to say the least.

I'm not talking about from a work standpoint or anything to that nature, but more so as a trip down memory lane if you will.

Other than for Aimée's graduation in June, this was the first time I went back on campus in Santa Barbara. Then, we only hung out on the University Center grass by the lagoon. This time, I went into buildings to meet up with friends and hung around Isla Vista where all the college students live.


Classes just started two weeks ago so there was a frenzy of activity throughout the campus, with new freshmen racing their bikes throughout the bike trail to get back to their dorms and eat in the dining halls. Our volleyball match was held inside the Thunderdome and that was the first time I'd been in there since my graduation two and a half years ago!

So weird.

Especially eating lunch in IV, while my friends got pitchers and tried to recreate what once was. We all kept saying how weird it was to be there, even though all of them still live in Santa Barbara.

Now I can finally understand all the parents -- and former alumni -- who would accompany their children on the campus tours I used to give. Unless you're still a student, Santa Barbara just doesn't have the same magic it used to in my nostalgic memories.

Does that make me old?!

I'm getting the itch again!

Well, after the family wedding extravaganza weekend I can say that I'm back in French-speaking mode. For two straight days I found four different people who wanted to hear me speak French (because they all are native speakers).It was fun and is making me nostalgic again! But I think I keep realizing, I don't necessarily want to live in France all alone. I'd like to travel with people I know and enjoy all the world has to offer, while still coming back to California from time to time!

So this is where my revalation kicked in: My six trips to and from California/France over the past three years has racked up quite a few skymiles with Delta.

So I'm doing some research and trying to decide where I'd tentatively lik

e to go over Christmas break (maybe after Christmas until New Years-ish?).

Anyone wanna join me in .... ____________???

Haiti:

Martinique:

Costa Rica:

Brazil:

I would travel to any of these destinations in a heartbeat! So I think before I travel back to France again, I'm making it my goal to have already seen these four locations!

Already?!

The lack of any recent posts has been due to me living my life up over the course of the past 10 days. And for that I make no apologies.

Being home was amazing, but everything felt so rushed and crammed into an insufficient amount of time. Hmm, kind of like how I felt as soon as I had my visa, blinked, and then was suddenly in France back in late September.

Now here I stand, ready to go back tomorrow. Maybe that's why I'm still up past midnight; could I subconsciously be trying to cherish every last second in the United States?

However, I do have a lot to look forward to when I get back. As much as this whole teaching thing is weighing down on me, there are still lots of cultural goodies in my favor.

March brings two visitors from the 13-16th and then the 21st-31st. And as soon as I get back, March is not even one week away! Oh yeah, since I'm flying into Geneva tomorrow (technically Thursday, but who's counting?) I'll be with my dad for the rest of the week before getting back to work on Monday. I think for the first time in my life, we're going to be skiing in the Alps! That should be amazing -- regardless of how I fare on the slopes.

While April is not only my 23rd birthday -- wow, when did we all get so old?! -- it also brings the last school vacation of the academic year: SPRING BREAK. For half of the month of April, I will be soaking up the European sun, food and most likely booze in Spain and Germany, two countries I've never visited before!

May most likely will involve my mom taking another trip to visit my dad, leaving a weekend or two for me to see them! But the biggest deal for me, living in the South of France during this month is a no-brainer: THE INTERNATIONAL CANNES FILM FESTIVAL! I vow, right here, right now, to get into a theater and see at least one movie during the festival -- no matter how much I have to pay!

And June... I break my contract two weeks prematurely to come back home for my sister's college graduation from UC Santa Barbara. Pointless to go back to France really, so that's it. The end of my journey is in very clear sight.

But what will I be doing in June?

I feel a little bit better about my situation, because part of my time back home in California was spent researching all kinds of job opportunities. I actually found three jobs from online job boards and went ahead and applied, knowing full well that without any contacts, Internet-based job searches are futile.

But after a fabulous afternoon with Meghan, another opportunity to "apply" for a job presented itself. So, I've taken the first step and have been ensured that someone is actually going to look at my resume, furthermore it's the person who will be doing the hiring!

I hate getting too excited about things like this, because I always do and they usually don't work out for me. So fingers crossed :)

Even though I'm not ready to leave just yet, Goodbye California.

Where has the time gone?

Being back in Santa Barbara for a week of non-commitment is extremely bizarre, like I've been constantly reiterating.

But more so now, because I see all the incoming freshman excitedly getting lost around campus during their summer orientation sessions.

What I would give to be back in their shoes. Lisa asked me if I would do anything differently, going back to relive freshman year in the dorms, knowing all that I know now.

My answer then, and now, was no. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to go back and do it all over again. Every single moment over the past four years, the good, boring and the disastrous, has made me exactly who I am today. I regret none of it.

But I do have this wistful feeling of days past. Knowing where everyone is at right now and how in the very near future, everything is going to become so intricately different from anything I've ever known. Are the best years of my life behind me? I sure hope not! But it did fly before my eyes and I would give anything just to hold on to some of those moments and live them over in slow motion.

These freshmen have no idea what they're in for. It's going to be a life-changing ride for all of them. And I'm pretty sure I still have a few more of those up my sleeve in the next upcoming days, weeks, years...