Wow. Looking back on this blog makes me sad. While I did not get to every state in the nation in 2010, i did go to more than the ones i blogged about. I went to Maine and Alaska. These trips were great but I just never got around to blogging about them. All of my memories only lay in the photos i took. Maybe i will get around to posting them sometime. I would like to continue traveling to other states, but for now i will keep working all the time to afford school and housing. oh the joys of growing up.

Missouri-- 8 of 50

Saint Louis Day 1 (05/24/2010)

When I woke up this morning I had plans to go to Minneapolis, Minnesota but you know what…. Just like last time I had plans to go to Minneapolis… it didn’t work out. I landed in phx and found the next open flight to anywhere that seemed cool. Forty minutes later I boarded a flight to Saint Louis Missouri. For some reason the flight was on a mechanical delay and we waited for about an hour on the plane before it pushed out of the gate. I am going on this trip with a coworker, Jeremy, but I guess he didn’t wake up in time because he didn’t fly with me to PHX. Haha! Well I didn’t want to wait and have the possibility of being stuck so I left and he should be arriving in about 40 mins. There is an interesting trend in airports these days to have rocking chairs (I have only seen this one in CA--- San Diego) and I am currently sitting in one watching people and hearing the announcements overhead. About thirty mins ago they paged a Michael Hall. I was very curious if it was THE Michael Hall from Dexter, but I guess I will never know. Oh and the airport doesn’t have free wireless! What kind of airport in the year 2010 doesn’t have free wireless?! Even Fayetteville, NC has free wireless.Well, Jeremy's flight is almost here....

Oh my gosh it is soooo hot here! UGH! We walked outside to get the shuttle to our hotel and it just felt like the hot air was sticking to your body with every step. After checking in at thte hotel and putting on some more breathe-able clothing we attempted to get to the downtown area. With every new city, finding your way around is the first adventure. We knew we needed to catch the metro, but it was across the 5 lane freeway by the airport. There were three options: 1) run across the freeway 2) walk to it or 3) get there via vehicle. The third sounded the best to me. The both of us waited for the bus for a while to take us to the metro. I got tired of waiting so I walked over to the National rental car place for advise. The kind man offered the rental car shuttle to us since the metro station was at the airport and all. Against Jeremy's wishes we took the rental car shuttle over to the airport metro station. Free transportation! Of course before we got on the meto we had to take a photo with Lambert Field.

The $7.50 Metro ride (all day pass) was a nice one simply because of the air conditioning in the cars. Watching the buildings and scenery pass along with the different people getting in and out of the cars was my favorite part of Saint Louis. I love experiencing a city through the eyes of its people. We werent in a brand new rental car, we werent being driven around on a tour bus... we were in the public transportation using it just like everyone else who was going to work, going to school, going from east side to west side. Yes, I admit. I would have been much easier to get around and see everything with a car, but this way made the trip what it was.

We eventually got to the down town area of Saint Louis, just one stop shy of crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. I could have very well crossed over and said "Hey look at me Im in another state!" but i didnt want to. I want to be in Illinois and see it more than just a few hrs.... I'll leave the few hr trips to the states that sound a little less exciting. But who knows... maybe ill be surprised with what i find in those "Few Hour States". Anyway, we walked around the downtown area and attempted to find Broadway Oyster Bar that Jeremy read about somewhere. The street we walked on was full of over priced tourist targeted restaurants. We didnt go to any of those places but I did spot this hilarious sign!

I loved what I saw next and only pictures can describe it:

Lets just say... I loved the arch and I could have spent hours there just taking pictures of it from all different angles

For dinner we found the oyster bar and I just had to order alligator. What a different taste that is! I guess you can say it tastes like chicken... but really, it doesn't. Chicken tastes like chicken. This tasted like alligator--it was tough, hard to chew and... when I thought about it... eating alligator was just so odd. Our late night stroll around Saint Louis after our local brewed beers was a warm, delightful one. Lets see how hot tomorrow will be and how many more beers we will need in order to forget the weather.

Saint Louis Day 2 (05/25/2010)

Tere's nothing like waking up in the middle of the night sweating from how hot it is! I feel like this is all i have to say about Saint Louis... HOT! After eating our luxury breakfast we hopped back in the Metro link toward the downtown area for the highlight of the day-- the Anheuser-Busch brewery tour. We smelt a variety of smells and felt a variety of temperatures but finally we got the sample some good ol beer straight from the source. Now if you remember from Wisconsin, I sure enjoyed this.

Classic.....

More wandering around the city and using public transporation that we would have other wise been unable to use without our smart phones we ended up at Schafly Brewery and Tap House. A very interesting place with a HUGE selection of bizarre beers and the food was no different. Jeremy, the "vegetarian" got a bratwurst and for myself i ordered a turkey burger, but it as no ordinary turkey burger. It came with two different kinda of never-hear-of-before cheese that I

of course told them to hold off on and a mango chutney which tasted sort of sweet-tangy-BBQy. It was surprisingly very good! In all these places I try to sample different things that are outside of my normal foods and I figure, if its on the menu then its gotta be good to someone! (lets hope...) I embarrassed Jeremy by asking a bunch of touristy questions. I used to be afraid to be a tourist, but now I love it. :)

We did a lot of walking and waiting for transportation for the remainder of the afternoon. We attempted to go to Forrest Park, but it is so huge that you need a car to get around and by the time you get the a place of interest, say the science museum, its closed :( But it was a beautiful place and if you didnt know if the humidity was at about 1000% percent youd think it was a beautiful day!

Saint Louis Day 2 (05/26/2010)

At the butt crack of dawn we got up. I was grumpy and tired cus Jeremy had this genius idea to walk to the airport since our hotel didnt have a shuttle on wednesday mornings and he didnt want to steal transportation anymore. We did anyways because about 20 ft from our hotel another hotels shuttle was picking up their customers. I sneaked in and told Jeremy he could meet me at the airport. He hopped in too. :) We got to the airport way too early because we didnt know about the employee line. With out that line Im pretty sure it would have taken us 2 hours to get through security! There was about an hour onboard delay waiting in STL and the people around me were bitching. It was kind of annoying. We got to PHX and had to bolt it to our gate. We made it just in time for our flight to SBA. I am so tired from the heat that I just cant wait to sleep... really wish i didnt have to get up tomorrow for work at 345am!

Unitl next time USA!

Texas-- 7 of 50

I'm going to Texas tonight with my friend and coworker, Ryan, and all I have to say is if I see anything like this I'm going to flip out! I hate snakes!! It's freaking me out just to look at this photo! gross. I'll be taking US Airways to PHX then on to DFW. I'm getting there really late because tomorrow is the Scarborough Fair. Should be fun. And it is definitely going to be hot! I also hope to find out if everything is actually bigger in Texas... if this snake is in fact real then I would have to agree whole heartedly!

Dallas Day 1 (05/08/2010)

We got to PHX just fine. I was so hungry so we walked over to my favorite PHX eatery, but it was closed! I couldnt believe it. ... I had to get nasty pizza hut pizza. If I didnt eat then I wouldnt be able to eat til tomorrow morning. The agent in PHX gave us two aisles across from each and as soon as we got settled the flight attendent came up to us and said "are you nonrevs? I asked the gate agent to put you in first but i guess he didnt. here move up to first!" We were stoked! Free first class!!! It was great until the mother decided it would be a good idea to rock her crying baby right behind the first class curtain. I heard a baby cry for nearly two hours. I got off the plane with a head ache. :/ It was nice to sit in first though. the chairs are so big! we got our rental car and made our way to our hotel. Its a great hotel. Not a 5 diamond or anything, but its quiet, cheap, and clean. Goodnight Dallas!

Dallas Day 2 (05/09/2010)

We woke up this morning and got ready for our fun filled day. After our continental breakfast in which i had a waffle in the shape of Texas we met one of our dear friends, Megan, for breakfast. We went to the Bread Winners Cafe and Bakery. On our way there we realized how crazy the freeways and roads are in Dallas. There are so many roads parallel to freeway that sometimes the GPS has a hard time deciding what road we were on. Good thing we re smarter than computers. Breakfast was really good. The place had such a great environment. I ordered the buttermilk pancakes and potatoes. OH Boy the potatoes were good!

One of the main reasons we decided to go to Texas was for the Scarborough Renaissance fair! Are we going to Scarborough Fair? Why, yes we are! We drove for about 30-40 mins outside of Dallas to Waxahachie. Ive noticed texas has this weird thing where they name their streets "Farm to

Market Street" and then assign it a number. I didnt quite figure it out but they appeared often. At the fair we shot long bows and arrows, threw hatchets, and eat lots of food! The most exciting part for me was getting to ride on an elephant! I never thought in my life that I'd ride on an elephant.... especially in Texas! I loved getting to hang out with Megan and getting to do something completely random that I never thought Id do was fun! That is way I love going places and doing new things.... I never would think "Oh hey lets go to a Renaissance fair", but I did and it opened my eyes to a whole new realm of fun and adventure.

After the fair Ryan and I had to go back to DFW to get our ZED fares to go on Southwest to SAT tomorrow. I forgot to get them when we were back home in SBA so we had to take time to get them today. The girl at the counter wanted to help us but she didnt know how to sell a ZED... I told her I'd walk her through it but people kept coming up to her needed help with their reservations... on of the guys i recognized and after both of us standing there for about 35 mins I asked him if he ever flew in or out of SBA and he said that he does on a regular basis. I knew i recognized him!!!! Well after about an hr I finally got our ZED fares. Geez! During that time Ryan had to leave to drop Megan off at work. He came back and then we went to down town Dallas to the JFK memorial.

We arrived to the downtown Dallas area where JFK was shot. I felt almost a tingle inside. I have been to historic places before where the tour guides say "This is where such and such happened" but I have never been somewhere where I could stop and think "something huge happened right here that effected our nation so much!" I guess it the history major in me.

After a little resting at the hotel we went out to this great dinner at Avanti. It was a little italian food place with live music and great food. All in all it was a long, fun filled, adventurous day in Dallas. On to San Antonio tomorrow for the second leg of our Texas Two Step!

San Antonio Day 1 (05/10/2010)

Despite not wanting to we woke up early this morning to make our way to the DAL airport. We kinda took a wrong turn and had to drive through a neighborhood to get to the airport. I was stressed that we were gonna miss our flight, but I'm glad we made that detour because the houses we saw were incredible! Some looked like castles, some like mansions. They were all really nice with nice landscape and a round about in front. All the little kiddies were walking to school and it just reminded me of something our of Desperate Housewives.... even though I've never seen that show. We got to the airport and had plenty of time. We even got there in time to make the earlier flight to San Antonio. Good thing too because the one we wanted to go on only had 2 seats and with Southwest you never know the totals til the door closes since they are so flexible with people changing their flight times. When we got to San Antonio we had to wake a bit in the airport to get our rental car. It was interesting to people watch, specially at a security screening check point.

When we got our car we made our way to these really cool caves outside of San Antonio. The are underground and called "The Natural Bridge Caverns". We hiked down with our guided tour group hundreds of feet below ground level to see these amazing structures designed from years of erosion and ..... idk Im not a geologist! but it was really pretty and really cool. I dont know if you can tell from the photo how big this room is but its gigantic and the pillars are towering! You almost feel like an ant....

We did so much walking around these caves and we barely had breakfast that after we were starved.... thankfully there was a Sonic about 1.5 miles from the caves! Ryan has never been to a Sonic so it was definitely an experience for him. After filling our stomachs we went to downtown San Antonio to find the Alamo! I was completely expecting it to be on some old slab of dirt in the middle of no where with tumble weeds blowing in the wind... but it wasnt like that at all. It was really hard to find free parking in San Antonio so of course we had to pay :/ Kinda pricey too.

The Alamo was great though. The trees around it were beautiful. In front of the Alamo I saw my first Texas Sheriff equipped with his very own cowboy hat!

San Antonio is sooo humid! We walked around the River Walk and it was really nice and a cool scene. Its below ground level and its lined with shops and restaurants with umbrella tents. I just wish it wasnt so dang hot! At one turn of the river we say these little girls getting ready to being a Mexican Dance competition. This area is so full of Mexican

culture... which in turn influenced the food. We had an amazing dinner at the Iron Cactus. It was soooo good!

After we went to Howl at the Moon which is a dueling piano bar on the River Walk. It was very fun and all the guys in the bad were very very talented. While there i saw a very

interesting vending machine. If you cant see those are cigarettes! At the end of the day, I had a great time in San Antonio. Only a few hrs here tomorrow and then Im back on a plane to CA.

San Antonio Day 2 (05/11/2010)

This morning we woke up again to a gloomy but humid day in San Antonio. We drove around for a little and saw the oldest cathedral in the USA which also held Davey Corcketts remains.

Once we got to SAT we patiently waited for our flight to PHX. It always feels so good to get back to PHX cus I know Im almost home. This time however I came to OAK instead to see Rachel and her family. Tomorrow Im going back to Vegas for a Southwest Spirit Party. Should be fun.

Until next time America!

And no, everything isnt 'bigger in Texas'. at least not the Texas I saw.

MAY IS THE MONTH!

well it appears that I am a little behind on my goal. only a few states in 4 months.... not good. This is getting ridiculous! I have some serious catching up to do! If I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do this! 50 states in 1 year!! Here we go!!!! When I got back from Oregon I kinda lost motivation... tired, worn out, sick of naive passengers... Its funny, when I was in Eugene I got this fortune from Panda Express "Hold tight to your dreams" kinda like "Dont give up Jessie.... Finish what you started!!"

its never official til you land in the state but this month I plan to go to Georgia, Minnesota, Massachusetts and at least 4-6 more. I need to get on the ball with this!!!

Oregon-- 6 of 50

04/08/2010

Well tomorrow I'm going to the great state of Oregon where there is no sales tax, you can't pump your own gas, and even the tap water tastes good! This will be I think my second or third time Ive been to Oregon. Im going to visit a very old friend, Roger. We met in Washington DC when we both went to an engineering summer camp... we're cool. And no I did not end up being an engineer, but he did! (kinda... physics is close enough right?). I have not seen him since July 2004! It should be a lot of fun. Of course I'm staying up late to do laundry and hang out with my roommates one last bit before I venture off again. Wish I didn't have to work at 5 am. :( Here's a photo of us loong loong ago. I'm sure we've both changed a little bit.

Eugene Day 1 (04/09/10)
After waking up at 4am, working 8 hours and flying for about 4 hours I finally made it to Eugene Oregon! Its a nice little airport. I watched Dexter on the flight over and I think the lady next to me was a little curious as to what I was watching. As I walked through the EUG airport I could help but laugh at the ridiculous wall decoration. It was some sort of pop out art of flying people dressed in really touristy clothes... idk. Maybe its a Eugene thing. As soon as I grabbed my bag off baggage claim I looked out the front door and there was Roger! I recognized him right away (contrary to what he said "You wont recognize me!") It was so great to see him.

His friend, Anna, picked me up and drove us back to Rogers apt. After I dropped off my stuff Roger and I went to get dinner at this cute little cafe, Cafe Soriah. It was sooo good! Our waiter was so nice. I love talking to people. To hear their stories. To see where they come from and how they got to where they are now. After our fabulous dinner we walked back to Rogers apt and got ready for my first Eugene house party. Roger failed to tell me that it was a themed party.... cut off pants. hahaha Lets just say my first impression of people from Eugene was... an interesting one.

Eugene Day 2 (04/10/10)

I, of course, woke up this morning very early. Even if I'm on vacation and stay up late... I still happen to wake up at 730, as soon as the sun shines its way in. I know not everyone is a morning person so I decided I'd let Roger sleep in... I didnt wake him up til about 10. We both got ready and made our way to the Saturday Market. It was sort of a farmers market meets peddlers fair. Lots of hippies selling tie-dye shirts, gadgets, meatless entrees, and hand made clothes. I love Eugene! Roger bought us some Oregon honey and handmade fruit roll ups. So good! After we went to this little sandwich shop called The 'Wich House. They make everything from scratch. Breads are made that morning, meats are roasted and cured by them, even make their own soups! I had a basic sandwich like I always get... hey, I know what I like. But this time I had them add their lime-herb dressing to it... it was so good! They need to bottle it!

Roger gave me a mini tour of Eugene. He showed me some street art work. We our way over to U of Oregon's campus. I loved it! So green. Beautiful brick buildings. He gave me the grand tour of his building, the campus, all the cool hang out spots, the recycling containers, etc. Oregon is serious about their recycling. You walk up to throw away your trash and you have like 7 different bin options. I ended up just giving the Oregon residents my trash and had them sort it out for me. It was great to see the campus. Last time I was in Eugene I only saw the basketball court. Its such a beautiful campus. I could definitely go to school there. On our way home we got some film to feed Rogers photography fix. :)

Later we went out to eat with Jessica, Rick, Anna, and Chuck. All of Roger's friends are so nice! They are all smart science people so it made me feel smart to be around them. haha! The food was good but I was definitely getting tired from stay up so late last night. After food we went to get gas in Jessica's car. Incase you all dont know, you are not allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon. So odd to me, but I guess it supplies more jobs and hey, you dont have to get out of the car in the rain! Jessica drove us to some sort of art show between a logging factory and some train tracks. Seemed pretty sketchy, but I trusted her! We walked in and heard this horrendous noise of some naked men drumming... besides that were was some interesting art on the walls and it was a definite experience.

The night was still young!!! (at about 9pm) so we went to their favorite hangout spot, Jameson's, it was this neat bar/pool hall place with some pretty cool reto decoration. I sampled some authentic Oregon Hefeweizen beer. It was really good. Had to teach Roger about adding an orange or lemon to it to make it taste better. Its still shocking to me that I'm here, after six years, hanging out with him! Blows my mind. Well with the help of my new pool teachers Nate and Roger I was able to win I think maybe three games of pool. Im bad ass. It was such a fun night. When we decided to leave we made a run for Rogers apt... my not so great boots pretty much did nothing to keep my feet dry in the rain and huge puddles. I might as well have been wearing socks!!! But it was great. So fun! If the rest of my time in Eugene will be like today I'm in for a wild ride!

Eugene day 3 (04/11/10)

I was able to sleep in a little bit more this morning which was nice. Roger still wasnt awake when I got up though so I watched a few episodes of Dexter. Gosh that show gives me a heart attack sometimes! I was too scared so I ran into Rogers room for him to protect me. haha. We went out to breakfast with the gang (Jessica, Rick, Anna, Chuck, Kim and Peter). The breakfast was verrry good! Of course I got pancakes and hash browns. I stick to what I like! This after noon was a very relaxed one, we just watched some movies (I've never watched so many movies in my life!) and walked about Eugene some more (I swear Ive walked like 17 miles so far!) Later that evening we met up with everyone again for some dinner at Laughing Planet Cafe. It was very good.

Seems like all the food here is soooo good. Everything is organic, made from scratch. Nothing like the chains in CA. YUMMM! After we went to this incredible bakery with a huge assortment of sweet yummy things to buy. That night we played Settlers of Catan. I shocked Roger yesterday when he said "hey wanna play Settlers of Catan?" and I said "OH my Gosh YESS!" ... apparently not many girls like to play settlers of Catan.

Eugene Day 4 (04/12/10)

Today was another wonderful day in Eugene, Oregon. Everyday I love this place more and more. Roger had school today so I got to hang out on campus alone for a bit and walk around. I really love it. We didnt do too much besides walking around and relaxing. It was a great day though. Makes me think that I could move here. Everyone is so nice, everything is so laid back, everything is with in walking distance, all the food is so yummy!

Eugene Day 5 (04/13/2010)

WOW day 5! I haven't spent this much time in one city in a long time!!!! This is crazy! I was going to go to another state today, but I having such a great time here I don't want to leave! The weather is a bit unpredictable. I've stepped outside Rogers apt every morning to decide what kind of coat to wear and I always end up being too warm on the walk to school. Today we were the subjects of Ricks photography assignment. We spend some time running around the science building in the rain posing like models for his pictures. Watch out! When were famous those

photos will be worth something Rick!!! :) Roger was very busy today. He had to TA a lab which I sat in on. He had class which I didn't go to but hung out with Anna and Rick instead. We were able to go on a nice walk around the lake before his photo class though.

Eugene Day 6 (04/14/10)

Okay Im really leaving today... I have to. I work tomorrow. I am leaving on the last possible flight though :) I don't want to leave. This place is wonderful! Roger had a talk today. I listened... I didnt really understand anything that he was talking about, but it was great! haha on our way back to his apartment I saw a palm tree! Probably the only palm tree in all of oregon! I am sad to leave. Back to the real world.

Well I just got home. What an amazing trip. its 1 am... thank you Skywest delay... boo. Im very glad I got to hang out with Rachel during my layover. That made it okay. Otherwise I would have been pissed. It was such a wonderful trip and Roger is such a wonderful guy. I cant wait to go to Eugene again. Maybe a detour before another Skywest Trip???

Wisconsin-- 5 of 50

03/16/2010

today is my little brothers birthday. Happy Birthday KYLER! tomorrow is Saint Patricks day, but it feels like the night before Christmas because tomorrow I'm finally getting to travel out of state with the basketball team! here is a background to this trip. I was in the band in college. When I first started they told me... oh we travel out of state every year. So I just assumed I would be able to go out of state for free every year, but noooo I didnt get to. My first year they didnt win the tournament. My second year... they didnt win the tournament. My third year they did... and they went to Virginia, but I was too late getting my name on the list to so I couldnt go. Upsetting. My fourth year they won the tournament... but the first round was in San Diego... not out of state. Now, by all of these tournament wins I mean the womens basketball team winning the Big West Tournament. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the mens team would win the Big West Tournament and travel to the NCAA tournament!!! So this is very exciting to me! Its in Wisconsin which I wasnt planning on going to this soon but it knocks it out early. Im getting to go with a bunch of friends. I get a free charter plane (I know out side of the scope of non reving around the country). I get a free hotel at the Double Tree Milwaukee. AND I get $100 in spending money! I love NCAA

MILWAUKEE DAY 1 (03/17/2010)

Well I could not fall asleep last night! and I missed my alarm! and I only had about 10 mins to get ready! but I threw on my green! grabbed my Saxophone! and shot out the door with Otto! HELLO WISCONSIN! I threw my stuff on the bus and met the rest of them at the airport. Of course I parked my car there cus its free and all. We all hopped on the plane, operated by Sun Country "The Hometown Airline", and made our 3.5 hour non-stop trip to Milwaukee. When we landed we expected to see snow, but it was warm and sunny. Easy plane ride. Definitely different flying with a bunch of friends rather than by yourself.

As soon as we got to the hotel we got settled and went for a

walk down the main street in Milwaukee. It ended at the Milwaukee Museum of Art, but it was closed. It was a nice way to get out and see the city. After, we went to an English Pub (I know English Pub on Saint Patricks day is wrong but the Irish Pub was charging to get in...) we ordered some beer (some of us got green beer) and discovered how cheap beer is in Wisconsin! They called them half pitchers but they were about one pint less than real pitchers and they were only $5!!! We all had a lot of beer and a lot of food. I think there is a video some where of about 10 band people in the english style phone booth outside of the pub.... that should be interesting to

see.

Alan and I met up with Otto at the Miller Time bar where I got my first taste of Linenkugel Sunset Wheat beer and my is that a heavenly taste. So good! They had some very interesting items on the menu including Beer Chedder Soup.... didnt try it. :/ We stayed there for a while and just hung out, took pictures, had more beer.... it gets a little fuzzy at that point. haha... HELLO WISCONSIN

MILWAUKEE DAY 2 (03/18/2010)

Today I woke up out of the most comfortable bed Ive ever slept in, threw on a sweater and when down to the lobby to work on some homework... Im so glad Im doing online school so that i can travel as much as I do. The people in charge made plans to go to the Miller Brewing Factory. We hopped on the bus and made our way over there. Cheer and Alan came with. It was fun. Im so glad Otto turned 21 a couple weeks ago so he could be apart of this beer adventure. After sitting/walking/climbing stairs through our *free* tour, we got to sample *free* beer. Otto had a final after so he didnt have too much beer. I took

care of his though. (otto--- proof of U Can Study Buzzed) This tour began the trip phrase "What time is it?" We were able to send post cards to our loved ones back home and I sent as many as I could remember to as many addresses as I could remember! We were herded on the the bus and made our way back to the hotel.

After a nap and some homework we were back on the run with the intentions of going to the Dueling Piano Bar in Milwaukee. On our way we got a bunch of free Red Bull which I know will come in handy later! Well we didnt go to the Dueling Piano Bar because they dont let people under 21...

we went to a Brew Co Restaurant instead and i had of course, the BBQ chicken pizza. While there we watched the Marquette, Lehigh, and Wisconsin games. We rooted for the under dogs of course. There were a lot of upset today and we are hoping for more tomorrow!!!! I had some sort of raspberry beer. It wast good and I dont recommend it. It was a lot of fun and on our way back to the hotel we all sang, as a chorus, the Hello Wisconsin song from That 70s Show. ... Just practicing for tomorrow.

MILWAUKEE DAY 3 (02/19/2010)

This morning i woke up, got ready, and hit the town with Alan. We went to the Milwaukee Public Market to get some cheese. I dont know much about cheese so i had the lady that worked there help me pick out which cheese to get. I got some for my roommates and some for Ryan, my co worker who that is working a double to cover for me so i could go on this trip. I ended up getting some sort of white

cheddar, gouda, and a cranberry chipotle cheddar.... idk. I wont eat it. After we walked to the Milwaukee Museum of Art. This time it was open. We walked around for a bit then went back outside to watch the architecture of the building move... every day at opening noon and closing the wings of the roof close and open. Alan recoded it... it took 10 mins. He was very excited the whole time.

The museum was very cool. There was a lot of art in it and we saw just about everything. It got a little mind number after a while. nearly two hours of looking at art can take a tole on you if youre not used to it. The coolest part about the whole place was this exhibit called the Infinity Room. You walked in and it was almost like being in a box of windows with mirrors on the other side and little lights between the glass and the mirrors.... seemed like how it would be in outer space. It felt like it went on forever... for infinity. It was neat! I tried to be a little artistic myself while i was there.

Some how between me going to the art museum and coming back Otto and a few others went to another Brewery and took another tour and got another round of free beer. He came back and he was so drunk that I wasnt sure if he was going to make it to the game! He rested up. I loaded up the instruments into the bus. When we were ready to leave I had to put his clothes on him cus he was so outta it. He snapped back as soon as he realized what we were doing! We were

on our way to the GAME!!! As soon as we got there we got off the bus and started singing "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Gauchos, Gauchos!" People were jealous of how cool we were. Some how I sneaked in a few Red Bulls... and between the afternoon and the start of the game i think i had 3 or 4 of them... i was wired! We walked in and it was so big. we were all so excited! we got to watch the end of the Georgia Tech/OSU game. That was a really good one! We were joined by some of the Marquette band members and it really made us sound pretty good! The game was

pretty good. We were pretty close for a while but Ohio St pulled ahead. I was really proud of the team. I think they played really well considering

they were up against Ohio State. Next year I hope we get a higher ranking so we get to play a school that isnt ranked number 2!!! But it was great fun and when we left the Bradley Center we were cheering things like "Your score is our temperature!" and "At least we have a real beach!" ... When they loose they have to go back to Columbus... we get to go back to Santa Barbara... I'm not complaining.

After the game we waited in the lobby for the team to get there and cheered for them like we always do. They had a great season. Otto and I met up with the Athletic Department in the Hotel Bar and had a few... more like 5... drinks. We got the Spotted Cow and it was really really good.

Beer in Wisconsin is soooo good. I dont think Ive ever had so much beer in my life. haha. We hung out there. Talked to the bar tender. Made some friends. After we went up to the rooms and hung out in the hallways like all good band trips end. Some lady showed up and told us she had a brautworst in her purse... Some douche bags from Minnesota were there and they tried to fight Otto... because of them I hate all people from Minnesota...

it was such a fun night to end a fun trip. Im still awake and it about 5 am... i uploaded all my pictures though so at least I got something accomplished!

MILWAUKEE DAY 4 (03/20/2010)

This morning was a tough one since I only got to bed at 5 AM!!! When we looked out the window there was snow on the ground! Otto had never seen snow fall before so we was very excited. We packed up and hit the road for the airport. When we got there we had to wait in the bus for about 40 mins. It was killer. We left through the private part of the airport where the chartered planes left from. We went through "TSA", which was no where near ligit TSA... I didnt even have to take my shoes off. The flight had free internet so that was great!!!! We got free turkey sandwiches and that made my day since i didnt eat breakfast.

When we landed in SBA we had to wait on the plan for another 40 mins for the guys to get all the bags off... we brought alot of crap! I then ventured over to the main part of

the airport to get the shuttle to my car.

My new friends from the Nexus and the Radio came with me cus they needed a ride to their homes in IV. I stuffed them into my car, got some gas, and dropped them off at their places. I came home and vegged for a bit... just to get back up and go out to downtown tonight! While i was there I saw someone with a Wisconsin shirt.... Wisconsin is following me!!! Im going to put blankets over my blinds so the sun doesnt wake me up and i sleep in tomorrow!

5 states down, 45 do go!