Traveling to the Twin Cities

That's right folks! Greetings from Minnesota, one week later :) The first week of July my family and I traveled up to Minneapolis to visit family. While we were there, we got to see some amazing sites, such as the Minnesota History Center, Fort Snelling, the Minnehaha and Saint Anthony Falls, the Walker Art Center's outdoor areas and the great neighborhood around my relative's home. Fun was had by all! I toted along my road trip bag for the 10 hour car ride and got ready for  great vacation in the northern Midwest.

Now get ready for a lot of pictures!

On the first night we went to this great restaurant Town Hall Tap. OH MY GOODNESS THE FRIES. Just look at them with me- ahhhhh. Some of the best fries I've ever had. They had the perfect amount of crunch and a slight sprinkle of cheese and spices along the top that came together as a celebratory bite in your mouth. I could have eaten a whole extra plate of these beautiful things.

The chicken sandwich was also delicious, with a good ratio of condiments to chicken. This place was spectacular, and if you find yourself in Minneapolis I highly recommend stopping by.

Wednesday we headed to the history center, where the cool "Welcome to Minnesota" super-sized postcard comes from. We saw several exhibits on Minnesota, but there was one particularly cool one on toys of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I was surprised at how many toys I had played with myself. Sometimes this meant I played with the updated version of the late 90s, but other times the same toy was right there, on display. After going through the exhibit, I couldn't imagine why kids would want to be glued to screen all day when they could be playing with Barbies and Hotwheels.

That afternoon we went to Fort Snelling, my favorite place of the whole trip. It's like an interactive fort, with people representing the types of folks who would have lived and worked in the fort. There were presentations throughout the whole day that people could participate in and/or listen to, as well as a closing "parade" of sorts at the end of the day. A really cool history spot!

The next day (Thursday) was outdoor day, and we went to the Walker Art Center's mini golf course temporarily set up this summer. It's full of artist-designed holes that are both maddening and tons of fun. Every hole is different and brings a different challenge. The one above was like those coin funnels you see at the mall, only it was your golf ball doing the spinning.

Before and after the golf, we walked around the neighboring sculpture garden and saw the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry, as well as many other cool outdoor art sculptures. I especially loved this tunnel-like structure with all the different flowers scattered around.

That same afternoon we saw two beautiful sets of falls, one at Saint Anthony and the other at Minnehaha. Above are the Minnehaha falls- that is an insane amount of water tumbling off a cliff! It was both remarkable and very, very frightening to see the water plummet to the bottom. We don't have anything like this where I live, so the falls were a really cool experience.

Of course, you can't go to Minneapolis without stopping by the Mall of America. I was interested in a couple of stores we don't have where I live and to, of course, see what it's like when you put a theme park in the middle of a mall. You can kind of see in the picture how the rides fill the middle of the mall. I had to get a snap of the American Girl store, since I loved it so much as a kid (Samantha fan for life!).

After Fourth of July shenanigans (and some of the BEST fireworks I have ever seen- sorry Disney World), it was time to go home. Our drive took us into Wisconsin, so naturally we had to stop at the World's Largest Culver's to finish off our vacation. It was a great finish to a great trip. The  Twin Cities are really cool to visit (don't even get me started on the wonders of Caribou Coffee) and I loved getting to see them with my aunt and uncle.

Have you been to the Twin Cities? What are your favorite things to see there? What cool places have you traveled to this summer? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

How to Stay in Touch with College Friends

Last week I got to see two of my best friends, Jordan and Hattie, for Jordan's 21st birthday. We all met up at her house and spent the afternoon on the lake, visiting Jordan's grandmas, and wrapping things up with her birthday party! It was great to see them again (we'd met up earlier in the summer to see The Fault in Our Stars and to have dinner), plus I was pretty busy the first half of June and it was nice just to get away for a day and do nothing but hang out with my friends.

That being said, it's hard for me to keep up with my college friends over the summer. "Out of sight, out of mind" doesn't really apply. It's mostly just that I have so much going on that when I think about checking in with friends and seeing when we can meet up it's in the middle of something. But, that's no real excuse and being proactive about keeping in touch with my friends is something I need to be better about.

So here are a few things Jordan's Birthday Extravaganza taught me about how to better stay in touch with my college friends:

Friends that eat together, stay together. Meals are quick and easy ways to get together with friends who live in the same area as you. Everybody's got to eat, and you can make lunch or dinner last as long or as short as you need to. Plus, who doesn't like an excuse to eat at fun restaurants?

Group Messaging is your friend. Jordan, Hattie, and I have a group chat that's been going on for a long time. It's fun to shoot each other funny things we come across or things that happen during our days with each other. At school it's easier to tell each other these things in person, but during the summer, when they're not just a walk away, keeping up with your friends on text is an easy way to keep each other in the loop.

And Snapchat, if you're into it. I'm a occasional Snapchat user, but I love to see my friends' snaps of their everyday summer lives every now and then. I'm not the best at always snapping back, but if you like the app it's another great option to keep in touch. If your friends are out of the country, it can also be better than iMessaging depending on their WiFi situation.

Meet them in their element. You know your best friend's college room inside and out, but have you ever seen the park she frequented as a kid? Her childhood bedroom? The tree house in her backyard? Especially the summer after your freshman year, it's fun to visit your friends' hometowns and see where they lived before campus. I loved hanging out on Jordan's lake, seeing her family, and just experiencing a day in the life of my dear friend. Even friends who live close, like my friend Hattie, have their own personal places and neighborhoods that are a part of them. I think this is the best way to stay close to your friends over the summer, and even learn some things about them along the way :)

Plan day visits. If you live close enough, get-togethers don't have to be extended events. Hattie and I got to Jordan's around one in the afternoon and left later that night. We still had plenty of time for fun and for catching up with each other. While of course weekend-long adventures are also good ways to see one another, sometimes all you can squeeze in is a day. And even those days will stand out to you as a highlight in your summer.

I hoped some of these helped! But keeping in touch is a constant effort. I'm still trying to get better at hanging out with my friends instead of hiding on my couch with my technology (like I am right now... ;)). But when you're intentional about it, staying in touch with your friends is much easier. What advice do you have for staying in touch? How do you keep in touch with friends you don't see every day?

My To-Read Books of the Summer

Over the school year, I slowly collect any and all books I want to read on my Goodreads "to-read" shelf, waiting for their time to be moved to "currently reading." I start the summer with a mile-long list of books I'm thrilled to read and the excitement of getting to read books I actually want to read. By the time the end of August comes around, however, most of them are left on that "to-read" page for the next year. And I just feel sad.

So: I've decided to make a solid list of the books I can conceivably read this summer, in the hopes that I can not only stay on track for my 50 books in 2014 goal, but not feel so defeated when it's time for school again and many books remain unread. If I can check off at least one list of books, I'll feel a lot better about the countless others left waiting for another year, another time in my life. Hooray for short-term goals!

So, without further ado- the list:

• Boy, Snow, Bird, Helen Oyeyemi. I saw a lot of great reviews for this book, and with a cover that beautiful how could I resist? (My friend Danielle will tell you, I'm a huge judge of book covers). But the plot sounds pretty intriguing too and it's a long book- perfect for the summer when I can continuously read a book for a long period of time.
• A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines. My mom has recommended a lot of books to me lately, both from her collection and my sister's really great school summer reading list. I loved Gaines' novella "A Long Day in November," so I really want to read one of his novels. I recently purchased A Lesson Before Dying at the resale bookstore in my city, so it's definitely getting picked up this summer.
• The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver. Another author I read last semester is Kingsolver, who as a writer really fascinates me. I've only read her essays so far, and I want to get into her fiction. I thought I would start with a shorter novel than The Posionwood Bible before getting too committed, but if this goes well you might see next summer's list start with another Kingsolver novel.
• Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf. I want to like Virginia Woolf sooo bad. But after my struggle with and ultimate defeat by To the Lighthouse, I just wasn't so sure if Woolf was the author for me. But she's so important in the female writer world, I'm going to give her as many chances as it takes! My mom recommended Mrs. Dalloway as a good take two, in conjunction with Michael Cunningham's The Hours. We'll see how this one goes, but I'm determined to actually finish it- I hate leaving books behind, half-read.
• We Were Liars, E. Lockhart. Basically, I'm just really intrigued about this one. It's gotten a lot of hype, but I'm always nervous about young adult novels (they can swing in all sorts of directions, as far as quality of the novel goes). Is it good, is it bad? Is it really that mysterious? I'm curious enough to figure it out for myself.

So there you have it, the five books I want to be sure to read this summer. I'm currently reading Cry, the Beloved Country (um, AMAZING so far, by the way) and once that is complete I will start my mission to read all of these books. What books are you trying to read this summer?

Making the Most of Summer

The summer before your freshman year can feel like a strange lull. No one really wants you as an intern, and without a year of college under your belt or a high school job, no one wants to take you on for three months. So, I've complied a few ideas to help make your summer exciting when you can't work or aren't working:

• First off, don't do what I did. I sat around my house all summer, doing absolutely nothing until it came time to buy all the stuff and make all the lists before moving to my new home. I watched a lot of TV, read a lot of books, and did a lot of sitting. There was absolutely no character building, life skill making, or college preparing happening. Okay, yes, part of this is because I was in denial that I was moving away from home in August. But a large part was pure laziness. I look back at that summer and think, "what a waste."
• So, set goals for yourself. Maybe this is when you'll learn to cook. Or master decorating skills for your future dorm room. Maybe you'll learn to garden. Perhaps you'll even start a blog (that's totally not what's happening here... ;))! Whatever it is, you'll feel better about the end of your summer if you've learned something new or have improved a skill.
• There's also the age-old option of creating your own job. Be it lawn mowing, babysitting, car-washing, house painting, or dog walking, you can earn a little bonus cash before school. While this was never my thing, being the introverted person I am, I know a few classmates who went this route before heading to school. It's a good way to get some cash so that you can go into college ahead.
• Volunteer! There's a place for every passion, and very few places will turn down free labor. A quick Google search will show you what's available near where you live, and show you the kind of change you could make. This is typically pretty flexible too, so you would be able to hang out with your friends whenever you wanted and still have an activity.
• Speaking of high school friends, for goodness sake hang out with them. No matter what everyone says, things will not be the same when you come back from college. Of course there are exceptions, but things will be different once you all move away (not necessarily bad, but different). Even friends who go to the same college can end up meeting new friends and forming different lives. This is the time to live up the relationships you have now, and treasure them. You're about to embark on a crazy adventure, and having a support system the first few months, before you really get to know your new classmates, makes the transition much easier.

I hope these ideas help the incoming freshmen out there! What are you doing this summer? What are your suggestions that I didn't mention here? Let me know in the comments :)