Well, it has been a week since I arrived in Newport Beach, California and (needless to say) the past seven days have been full of excitement, a little apprehension, adventures, and new surroundings. I have always wanted to go live somewhere completely foreign and unfamiliar, to get outside my comfort zone and have to figure things out on my own...it just so turns out the place I ended up is a complete paradise! When people speak of California, all you hear about is how nice the weather is; the word "nice" is an understatement. Can you replace that with "glorious"? It is unbelievably beautiful here. Low 70's during the day and cool at night, no humidity, and the sun happily beaming down on the most pleasant summer days. Now don't get me wrong, Louisiana is my home, love, life, my Bayou State and will always have my heart, but this part of the country wouldn't be too bad to live in at some point in life! Just to get you guys caught up on what I've been doing, I'm going to do a quick recap of the past week so I can begin documenting this remarkable journey I'm currently on. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009 - THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2009
It was a momentous start to the trip at the Monroe Airport, seeing as my suitcase I was checking weighed in at a record-breaking 91 lbs at the Delta counter. Luckily, the guy helping me out was a ULM student and instead of having to pay over $150 in surcharges, Mom and Alan helped me take some stuff out of the suitcase and into a box which ended up
saving quite a bit of pocket change. Airplane ticket? $400. Price of checking an extra bag with Delta? $40. Look on a security guard's face as he ensures my 91 lbs luggage isn't encasing a nuclear bomb? Priceless! After that, the trip was smooth sailing...We arrived here at 5:45 pm, got my rental car--I drive an egg-- and had dinner with Ms. Donna (the woman I'm renting a room from), her daughter, Sherri, and grandaughter, Elizabeth, all sweethearts. I live less than 10 minutes from where Outside Eyes (the company I'm doing my internship with) is and I don't have to get on the freeway so traffic isn't bad at all.
saving quite a bit of pocket change. Airplane ticket? $400. Price of checking an extra bag with Delta? $40. Look on a security guard's face as he ensures my 91 lbs luggage isn't encasing a nuclear bomb? Priceless! After that, the trip was smooth sailing...We arrived here at 5:45 pm, got my rental car--I drive an egg-- and had dinner with Ms. Donna (the woman I'm renting a room from), her daughter, Sherri, and grandaughter, Elizabeth, all sweethearts. I live less than 10 minutes from where Outside Eyes (the company I'm doing my internship with) is and I don't have to get on the freeway so traffic isn't bad at all. Mom and I actually got to stay at Ms. Donna's friend's house, Mrs. Renee', for the 4th of July weekend and it was amazing! There are orange trees, avocado trees, and a rose garden in her backyard! Simply amazing.
On Friday and Saturday, we explored the area and drove around to get familiar with where all I'd need to go. We found my office building and went right up to the 5th floor where I'd be working. 
After suffering through almost an hour of traffic (it can't be TOO easy, right?) we ate at a fabulous Italian restaurant called Sabatino's on the bay and walked around local boutiques. Also, we went to Fashion Island, drove around charming little place called Balboa Island, and walked on the beach. We enjoyed some fireworks over the Pacific from our front balcony, all cuddled up in blankets drinking hot tea. There was a restaurant right off the beach called The Cottage where we had brunch on the 4th--blueberry buckwheat pancakes for me and a California omlet for Mom. The whole weekend went by too fast and before we knew it, I was dropping her off Sunday morning at the airport to head back to a different LA... I've never been gone for this long so it was a little emotional for Mom, which made it hard for me but we hugged, she wished me well, and she was off.
Until then,
Hope
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