Ryan B-Day

We celebrated Ryan's birthday over the weekend with a little party at the apartment. He had a great time and was glad so many people could make it. Thanks to those who came!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great time Labor Day weekend visiting with my mom, brothers, and grandparents in Naches, WA. It started off with a day in downtown Seattle. We were lucky enough to have a fancy dinner in the Space Needle, taking in the really cool views. On Saturday, we all went white water rafting which was really fun. It was especially exciting for Ryan and I because we got knocked out of the raft. It was temporarily scary but thanks to Christian and mom for pulling us to saftey. We were able to spend some time with Great Uncle Jim who is a renowned cowboy poet. We celebrated a boat load of birthdays with some good food. Overall is was a very fun weekend in Washington.

Budapest Pictures

I have been home for three weeks but I haven't gotten around to getting an update on here until now (jet lag is a very real thing). Budapest was a really nice adventure. I didn't know what to expect but it was a lot like the rest of Europe with cobble stone streets and outdoor cafes. We stayed in a really nice hotel right on the Danube River which seperates Buda and Pest, orginally two seperate cities. There are a lot of great architecture. Budapest has a very interesting and tuberlant history. It was has been occupied by the Romans, the Ottoman Empire, the Hapsburg Monarchy, and most recently Communist USSR until 1989. They are just now really blossoming economically with captialism. The people were friendly. We were able to visit an equestrian farm one day on the trip. The Hungarians really embrace an agricultural lifestyle outside of the major cities and horses and competition is a really big part of that. The food was overall good but they are crazy about paprika. They use it in about everything goulash of course, a spread for bread, in bread, and in soups and stews. Budapest is also a city of ancient baths so we checked out on the last day to make good use of the medicianal purposes. Our guide told us that insurance companies cover many spa visits and treatments a year. We also went to Vienna, Austria for a day which was neat. It is a much more glamourous city, very guilded. It is also the desert capital of the world so it's good that we only spent a day there! It was nice to spend some time with my mom. We did as much shopping as site seeing. It was also interesting to know how much American cutlure, economics, and politics affects everyone else in the world. Burger Kings, McDonalds, American music, and brands are all everywhere. Overall, it was a great trip but of course it is always good to come back home!

International Travel this summer, who knew!

My mom called me this week to ask me if there was any way I could go to Budapest in two weeks. At the last minute, my grandma can't go as planned because my grandpa is sick (not really sick but sick enough that someone needs to be there). Our other summer vacation trips couldn't work out as Ryan started a new job last month and can't get time off from work yet. Well, I have a passport ready to go and vacation time that recently became available. Who can turn down a free European vacation! Most of trip will be in Budapest, Hungary but we will also make a day trip to Vienna, Austria.

Graduation Day!

Graduation day was well over a month ago but I am still excited about it. I have never known a life without school and it is so great to reach this goal. Although I love learning and academics, my tenure at ASU was tedious and trying which means that I do have any immediate plans to pursue a Ph.D. Right now I am trying to figure out what I want to do next.

Beginning Blogger

I am new to this whole blogging thing but I have more time on my hands now that I am finally finished with school! I guess I will give it a try :-)