Humidity makes quite a difference...

So here I am in the great state of Utah. I got in last night, finishing my 3 day road trip from DC. Long, yes. Fun, absolutely! I was a bit worried about this road trip because I was comatose most of the time when I made the trip out to DC with my mom in January. I'm so proud of myself because I did all the driving. Through the severe weather of Maryland (it was pretty intense) to the not so severe weather of the middle states.

Did you know that America is BEAUTIFUL? I think I take it for granted. But I'm so glad that I had this chance to see part of the country that I'd never had before.

But I definitely have to say that I prefer the dryness of the west to the humidity of the east. Why are you moving to Taiwan? you may ask. Well, let's just say it's not for the weather.

A Night at the Nats

Baseball is the American past-time, and I've loved it ever since I was a wee little lass. Being the first child, I may have had a slight advantage over my younger siblings in that my parents signed me up for everything. I did tap, ballet, gymnastics, swimming, soccer (bad experience, don't want to talk about it), basketball, golf camp, tennis camp, horse back riding camp...you get the picture. But some of my favorite childhood memories come from playing baseball with my dad, on a team, or a pick-up game with the other neighborhood kids.

When we were younger, my dad would take my brother and I to the Kingdome in Seattle to see the Mariners play. It was an absolute treat. I remember buying peanuts from street vendors to take inside, sitting way out in the out-field, and loving every minute of the game.

This past week i was reminded again how much I love baseball games. My friend Heather invited me to go with her work to the Nationals game. I thought it was very fitting to see the American past-time in the nation's capital. My childhood memories flooded back, leaving me with an intense sense of nostalgia.

Even though I've lived all over the world (kinda), there really is no place like America. I am proud to be an American! And I'm proud to be an American who loves baseball!

Connecting the Dots

So as you probably have noticed, I'm not in Taiwan anymore. Many are surprised that I made it out to DC so quickly. So where in the States have I been in the last month? Let's connect the dots...

This was our first stop. Can you guess where we were?

I said "Hi" to my good friend Jessica in her hometown...













Drank some Lithia water (so refreshing!)...

















Encountered some sunnier, warmer weather while visiting my grandpa. I was even able to break out my Chacos--my feet were happy to be in sandals again!













We saw some amazing cloud formations....


















Saw a gorgeous church...













Visited Bill Clinton's hometown (by accident. That's the house he lived in!)...













Fortunately it was in Bill Clinton's hometown (or was it birth place?) that I had my first encounter with a Waffle House. And it was swell!













We sped by Talledega Speedway...













Saw CNN....


















And some other interesting things in the South...















Fireworks were everywhere!



Finally, Mom and I made it to our nation's capital! The National Mall still bore the marks of the inauguration that occurred a week before. So did you connect the dots? How many states did I drive through? Ok, I'll go ahead and tell you: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Fourteen states in a week and half. And let me tell you, we could definitely feel it by the time we finished. I don't think I want to do a road trip that long for quite a while. But I'm grateful for my mom who so willingly made the trek out with me. I don't think I could have done it without her, despite what she says. :)

Here's to the greatest mom in the world: mine!