Little house by the prairie dogs

It is spring! Let's rejoice!

The heat from the sun has made me feel lazy and tired, and I think that's okay. It's good to slow down. Speaking of slow, I went to San Luis Obispo (SLO) on a trip with two of my roommates (and one of their boyfriends, for the tail end of it). This was over spring break. It was SO. Much. Fun.
We stayed with Alissa's family (one of stated roommates) and it was sort of heavenly. This town is laid back like Flagstaff, but has ocean and calm breezes and Jurassic Park to run through and a wonderful climate and rolling green hills. There are vineyards speckling the countryside, a cute downtown with Lord of the Rings font on every sign, myriad coffee shops with creative themes. I want to go back, and I probably will someday. I think it would be so wonderful to bike along the Pacific Coast Highway one year with Jordan, and we would spend a good amount of time in this town. It served as the perfect break from my crazy life. I could slow down and enjoy friends, nature, a corny yet addicting TV series, coffee, wine, and most of all, GOD. I'm so glad I have friends who live there and a reason to visit! I took some ocean-y pictures while we were there which I will edit and post later.

And now instead of trying to make the end of the semester come faster, I'm willing it to slow down. I'm not ready for all of this to be over. To move out of this cute house. To go on a month-long trip to Romania. To graduate. To get married. I want all of those things so badly, but I'm holding on tight to my life right now, trying hold close to me the smells and sights, the memories and every feeling.

The flowers are going to start growing along the road. And just the other day I discovered a village of prairie dogs peeking out of their holes, staring at the train tracks. They may have just come out of hibernation. Maybe I can steal one to live in my backyard. That would be cute.

A list of life.

1. It's hard to do school and plan a wedding.
2. Especially your last semester of school.
3. The only blog writing I've been thinking about lately is food and travel, because it's the focus of one of my capstones. This one will have nothing to do with either.
4. I guess I just lied. I bought cardamom and cooked with it for the first time yesterday. I wonder why it costs over $70 a pound?
5. I love my friends but I don't have time to see them. I wish I could divide myself into three different people on weeknights so I could hang out, get stuff done, and have alone time all at once.
6. I love my roommates.
7. I love my fiance.
8. Flagstaff has been pretty beautiful this winter, with its unexpected warmth and good lighting.
9. Got my bike back, Maude, from the anonymous thief.
10. The other day I was riding home into a strong wind and a homeless man jumped off the bike path and started clapping and cheering me on. This made me ride faster.
11. Today I spent a lot of time thinking and praying, and I feel the most wonderful and rested I've felt in weeks and weeks.
12. Es más difícil leer cuentos en español que pensaba. Más difícil. Y mi profesor es tan intenso. Pero me encanta leer Jorge Borges en su propia lengua. Y Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Tal vez tendré la oportunidad que viajar por un país latinoamericano en el futuro, eso sería maravilloso.