And now I wait *bored face*

It is currently 8:11am and I'm sitting by gate E11 at the Houston, Texas airport. I have nothing to do until my flight boards in about 3 hours. Sweet right? Hmm...I can use it to tell ya'll about my flight and such!

To start, yesterday was an emotional day. Wow. I think I cried/teared up about 5 times. I also had a half panic attack in the morning. I wasn't nervous up until that point. Then after 15 minutes I was fine (and have been ever since)! However, everything worked out well! I got to see my beloved BLC Volleyball tean play..and it was EXTREMELY hard not to run out on the court. I wish them the best of luck today in the St. Olaf tourney! I went to Olive Garden for my last meal in MN, with my grandma. Endless pasta bowl!! Yum:)
I ended up going to sleep around 9p and getting up at 1a. Due to coffee consumption, I'm actually not that tired!

My grandma and I got to the airport about 2:50a and when we got to the checkin they said it would not open till 4. What is the point of making us come 2.5 hrs early for a flight if you don't open till 4?? But I was happy to say, this girl was the first in line ;)

My parents arrived shortly after to say goodbye (which I was SOOOO greatful for..thanks mom n dad!) I got my bags all checked and said bye to my family and I still wasn't nervous! I can do this!

My flight was smooth and arrived like half an hour earlier than expected which was great. I have to say I'm sad I couldn't get my window seat. I gave to a boy who was traveling by himself and thought he might want it more than I did! While I was bored most of the time I did get to see the sunrise...it was GORGEOUS! I could see that more often and not get sick of it.

So far (and hopefully I'm not speaking too soo) it had been a pretty stress free process. We'll see how customs go when I get to San Jose! There are a couple people going with the same program on my flight so maybe I'll seek them out somehow abd won't be so alone!

One thing I do want to share though is a little thing that happened while going through security. This guy behind me asked, "Are you an athlete?" To which I said yes. Then he says, "I can tell in your build that you are, you just look like one." Uhhh..thanks? Haha I mean cool that I look like the athlete I am but I didn't know what to think! Maybe the yogas and running shoes gave it away..

That's all for now! Next stop...San Jose, Costa Rica!

Olive Juice Amor, xo :)

Allie

P.S. Thank you for all the support from family and friends. My phone and facebook were blowing up with warm wishes! I appreciate every one of them! I feel so loved :)

The Great MINNESOTA Get Together

It's that time again, people! STATE FAIR! Where you go to eat your food deep fried and on a stick. Doesn't get much better than that! This year my family and I went on Sunday August 25th. And might I say..it was HOT and HUMID. But I'm not complaining one bit. Despite the fact we sweat the whole time we were there.
Two years ago I brought my friend Jessica from Arizona. I feel it's important to expose everyone who hasn't gone, that I know, to the wonder that is the MN State Fair. That is why this year, I took one of my best friends from college, Emilie. She was pumped to go..and I definitely warned her to bring her appetite because we would be eating. All.Day.Long.
The thing is, I'm not joking. We ate all day. There were times when I thought my gut would explode from the amount of food and beverages I consumed.
To document, we took pictures of everything we ate. From 10am till 9pm..11 hours of walking, eating, and sweating..but having tons of fun...here is our State Fair experience in pictures!

The start of our day..EJ's first time at the fair! She was a little overwhelmed when we walked in. Lots of people! 

 First food of the day! I had a cinnamon roll and EJ had cheese curds. She's lactose intolerant..that didn't go well for her the rest of the day! After the cinnamon roll, I also had a bite of my dad's wild rice burger..mmm delicious!

 Up next for EJ was the foot long hot dog. Yes, I did have a bit as well! 

 No, this isn't food. But the dog was just SO cute :)

 Needed some "real" food..a break from sweet. Went for a classic-Pronto Pup!

I'm sensing a theme with dogs...

 Can't leave the fair without something deep fried and on a stick. So Reeses it was! YUM!

 I just love horses so much. Pretty Freisians!

 This boar though. HUGE! The biggest pig type animal I have EVER seen. 1,045lbs. Wow.

 It is a must if you go to the State Fair. Sweet Martha's cookies! But you have to eat them right away. And then hit up the all you can drink milk. Perfect combo.

 I just like baby piglets, ok? They're so freaking cute!

 Yes, I'm a fatty and double-fisting. While holding the rest of our cookies. At this point I was going to be done eating...

 Until I decided I needed to try sweet corn ice cream..which is actually pretty good!

EJ and my brother even got some corn toss in at the U of M booth. I was still recovering from my food coma.

I forgot to take a picture while eating a malt from the dairy building, so I had one of those too! Along with the last couple bites of my dad's BBQ brisket. Yeah..food coma..

Despite walking and sweating the State Fair was a great day with friends and family. If you haven't gone yet, GO. NOW! There are a million food options and activities. Always a worthwhile experience :)

That's all for now! Xo,

Allie :)

Let the OFFICIAL countdown begin!

It is August 18th 2013. And I am freaking out. Why?
Folks, I am leaving for SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA in 15 days. 15 DAYS!! Where has the time gone? I feel as if just a few days ago I was panicking about my application to International Studies Abroad (ISA).

There are so many emotions I am experiencing. First of all, excitement, I am over the moon about getting to meet my host family! I checked out my student portal this morning. All of the important information about my host family is provided...including pictures of their home. Talk about cute! I can just feel that living there will be great from the start! My family has 5 members, all around my age and all girls. One even has the same name as I do! Yup...this is the family for me :) Oh and did I mention they have a dog? They have a dog...how perfect!
On top of being excited though, I am nervous. Never before have I been outside of the U.S. much less to a country where the native language is not English! But then other people remind me the best way to learn is to be completely immersed. Well, hopefully they are correct! I remind myself daily that I want to do this to push my limits and expand my horizons. Yeah...done and done! My mind is swimming with thoughts: What is it like going through customs? How will I know where to go? What if I don't know how to say what I need to say? How will I communicate with people right away? Will I make friends?
I probably need to stop over thinking this, but I'm a worrier. Also, this will be my first time flying alone...and I'm going out of the Country? Good thing I try not to let fear get the best of me..or I might be re-thinking this trip ;) Even though I am nervous, my excitement overwhelms me and I calm down. But if anyone has any advice...or wants to accompany me :)..I am always open for it!
Another emotion that is mixed in with excitement and nervousness? Sadness. Not at all because of where I am going, but in things I will miss at home. I play volleyball for Bethany Lutheran College and will be missing the start of a new program this year. We have a new coach, John Olmanson (who is awesome!), and I feel the program will start it's upward turn this year. To be missing that is heartbreaking. But I wish my fellow teammates the best with their season! All I ask for is the big W over MLC! Missing the first part of the season for basketball is also hard...but not as tough because I'll be back for conference play. Good luck in pre-conference ladies (and gentlemen-for the boys team)! being sad about missing sports is not all...I will miss my friends, family, and school. SO MUCH! They keep my life in balance and it is already so odd for them to be starting their fall routines again. I'm over here, just preparing for the next 4 months and whatnot. Don't miss me too much people!

While there are about a billion other emotions storming, the biggest? Feeling completely BLESSED.
I get to finally have an adventure of a lifetime, completely unique to me. And what's better? This is something I decided to go out and do with no one else telling me to. Going abroad is about me and improving myself. Learning about myself and living life to the fullest extent. How blessed am I (and the other people going) to have this opportunity? Have to give my praises to the man upstairs for this one! Without Him, none of this would be possible.
I realized how blessed I am to have emotions like excitement, nervousness, and sadness. It means I have something to look forward to, I truly care about this experience, and I have people here who love and support me-who are a huge part of my life, to miss! Wow. What an eye-opening realization.

15 days? I am more than ready. Let's do this! Now I just have to figure out what to pack...

Olive Juice Amor, xo :)

Allie

P.S.
      Thinking about studying abroad or just want more information? Visit http://www.studiesabroad.com for more information about ISA, the program I used to study abroad. They are very helpful and friendly, every single step of the way!
      Want to check out Bethany Lutheran College Athletics? Visit http://www.blc.edu/athletics to follow my volleyball and basketball teams with their seasons! Some of our games are available to stream online!

Well..here goes nothing!

Ahh..my first blog post ever. Um, where do I being? My mind screams just go for it. But my fingers stop. What do I write? What if I sound stupid? I've never done this before-what do I even write about?

Why not write about how long it took me to design my bog. Finding the right design, layout, template...blah! I just want mine to look cute like all the others. I gave it my best shot..but somehow I feel there is so much more to learn. My perfectionist mind tells me that I have to get everything right on the first try....but let's get real. That's not really probable. This will be a work in progress.

The true reason I started this blog? To keep an running update of my study abroad trip to SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA!
People listen up. I have NEVER traveled outside of the U.S. in my life. Much less to a country that is not my native language. I'll be there for four months, learning Spanish and having the adventure of a lifetime. I'll be using this blog to keep my friends, family, and anyone else who wants to know, updated on my experiences there! Hopefully by the end, I can give some good advice to perspective travelers ;)

Best keep the first post short and simple. Thanks for reading my wonderful ranting! I'll keep working on this whole blogging thing ;)

Olive Juice Amor, xo

Allie