Toto, I Think We Are in Kansas...

So, I arrived in Tulsa Oklahoma at 2:30am and got to witness some pretty heavy rain fall and some really neat lightening. It was neat, but I won't lie, it was a little scary. We don't get that type of storm in Los Angeles. The sky lit up like it was daytime every time the lightening struck. I didn't get to bed until 3:45 and was up at 9:20 cause the clock was an hour off and bus call was at 11am; we woke up thinking it was 10:20.

11am rolled around and we set out for Kansas. I never thought places like this really existed in the United States. There was literally one farm every couple of miles, random herd of cattle and every now and again some horses. Sitting at the front of the bus I felt like I was in one of those videos of people chasing tornadoes. I was just waiting for some funnel to drop from the sky and see a huge tornado form, but fortunately for us no such thing happened.

We got to the venue, The Cotillion, in Wichita Kansas where the show is tonight. It is such a neat place; I was expecting some fine ballroom where I could grab Nick and waltz the night away and that is what I got. I guess back in the day it was a ballroom and then in the 70's it was switched to a rollerskating rink and is now a concert hall. The stage looks like a mini Hollywood Bowl setting on a skating rink.

The show is now over and all I can say is that it was such a great hour and forty-five minutes. So much energy and love floats around a 311 show. Nick was just amazing and even busted out some new moves. I rock out in awe watching him; I am a lucky lady. Now it is time to head on out to St. Louis, so until tomorrow.

xxxo

The preface to the story of my Summer

You got to love Southwest Airlines! While the tickets are reasonably and comparably cheap, you got to wonder why it is and today I have figured it out: they have a whole staff of incompetent, not nice people working for them and while flying with them you might get a measly snack pack that consists of a bunch of dried out and unhealthy food. I know what you are thinking, "Kristin it is airplane food"! But come on, we wonder why America is so obese and yet everywhere a person turns there is unhealthy food or a McDonalds: "Now Serving 1 billion."

Yes I am a bitter Betty today because I started my day at 6a.m. and it is not 7:31pm and I am stuck at Phoenix airport because of a bunch of incompetent people at the lovely Southwest Airlines. I initially boarded a plane today at 11:45 and sat on it until about 12:30 at which time they figured out they couldn't fix the computer that was broken on the plane. REALLY!? I mean come on, didn't they think of the full plane of people before they loaded us on the plane like a bunch of cattle and thought to maybe put us on a different plane considering our plane was meant to leave at 12:10, then try and fix the problem before a flight that leaves at like I don't know, 3pm? Noooo, that would have been way too easy. So, they unloaded us, like the cattle they thought we were, and told us to go to another gate. At this point it was 1:15 and I knew I would be missing my connecting flight to Tulsa from Kansas City and so I went to the counter to try to see if I could catch another flight somewhere that would direct me to Tulsa sometime before the days end. I came to find out that had I got on that Kansas City flight I would have been s.o.l. because there were no flights leaving until the next day. Awesome. After a zoo of people gathered at the new gate, panicking because of missed connection flights, I called Southwest to figure out someway for me to get to Tulsa tonight. I was very upset at this point because I missed Nick's show, which I was so super excited for, but at least I would still get to see him tonight. So they put those of us set out for Tulsa on a flight that connected in Phoenix and would arrive in Tulsa at 11pm. "Ok. I can dig," I thought; that was until I landed here and found out that the flight had been delayed due to storms and tornadoes and so now the flight isn't leaving until 10:15 and won't arrive in Tulsa until 2:15a.m June 27.

On a side note: I met a girl on the flight who was returning home from China. She was there for a year teaching English. If talking to her was why I was meant to get into this debacle then it was worth it because she inspired me. I mean she went into a completely different world (an Eastern society) and lived in a cement "house," in a coal town in a rural area of China. Now that takes guts. It helped me to believe in myself that I will be OK in Germany by myself this Summer and that it will only make me a stronger person.

Anyhow, it is now 7:45p.m. and I am sitting in a wheelchair near a plug-in writing this and hoping the time passes by. I am hungry, but torn because my choices are Wendy's, Mexican food or some Pub and Grill food. I know I am lucky that I even have a choice, and trust me I am grateful for that, but man I only wish there was a healthy choice. I guess that is too much to ask from an obese America.

So ciao for now. My travels continue and I will update from the road! xxxo

(NOTE: Not my picture. Not quite sure whose it is)

The Tale of the Travelling Summer

So, I know it has been about 3 months since the last post and all I can say is sorry. This summer though, y'all will be sick of how much I post because as of July 1, I will be a summer resident in Berlin, Germany. There are so many emotions that go along with this opportunity, but the one that is winning out is my excitement. I have never been to Europe and my first visit will be a long one; I will be there for 2 1/2 months. For the few of you who read this and the fewer that don't know, I will be a nanny for a 10 year-old girl, which couldn't be a more perfect age. Her name is Malina and she is as sweet as pie; we have already talked about all the activities we want to do. I will get some weekends off and when I do I want to go out and explore different places. Hopefully I will get to go see the Black Forest and buy a cuckoo clock!

The summer will be sort of lonely because I won't have anyone close to me with me to share all of the experiences with. The positive side to this though, is that it will be a great time for me to really find me and for me to grow as a person seperate from everything that I know and am comfortable with. I hopefully will also come back with some German under my belt. It is such a hard language to learn and tricky; it is after all the closest language to English and English is one of the hardest languages to learn (thanks Jen for this tidbit). I am also excited to see all the history there, the culture, the architecture, the art, the Berlin wall (or what is left of it) and everything else that is Germany.

I will miss all of my friends and family, but know that you will all be with me and don't worry because you will get to travel Berlin through the eyes of me. I will try and post very often and share lots of pictures with you all.

Guten Tag!

"[S]he who has health has hope. [S]he who has hope has everything"
-Arabian Proverb