Mariah's Blog: Busy Busy Busy

So I know I haven?t posted in forever, but I have an excuse? I've flown out of state 6 times since October, while balancing school, work, and trying to have a college social life. Not that I?m complaining though, all my trips have been great and I feel very lucky to have been able to travel so much. The first trip was to Georgia to see my boyfriend for the first time since he got out of basic training. It was really great, especially after spending the last 2 months only getting to write letters to each other. It was actually kind of cool though, I felt like I was back in the old days before computers and phones, when letters were the main means of communication. The next trip was right before Christmas. I made it up to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to again visit my boyfriend who was home on leave. (Dating a boy in the military is definitely what I blame for all the traveling haha) After that, I took my first trip to New York City to meet up with my summer besties, Alli and Nadia. It was the first trip I ever planned and paid for myself, so I felt very grown up haha. It was sooo amazing to see the girls, and we had such a good time walking through time square and Greenwich Village, getting to see the Christmas tree and ice skating rink at Rockefeller center, going shopping on 5th Avenue (Tiffanys and the apple store were my faves), and, the best part of the trip, getting to see the Radio City Rockettes. It snowed one of the days we were there, which was actually kind of cool to walk through downtown New York while it was snowing. We took the train into the city everyday, which was another new experience in itself. The girls are doing great as well. Alli is going back to Microsoft this summer, and Nadia has just moved out to California for a Co-op at Cisco. You can read about her experiences at her blog here:

I made another trip out to Georgia for my boyfriend?s graduation from officer school and Military ball(YAY for pretty dresses), and recently to St. Louis Missouri to visit him again. St. Louis was great, and I got to visit the Arch downtown, the St. Louis Zoo, and a very interesting part of the town called the loop, which reminded me of a larger version of ?the Drag? here in Austin. I?m home for awhile now, but am planning my next trip to see my boyfriend at the end of May. Busy busy busy.

During all this traveling, I also turned 21. It was a great Birthday. It is tradition that I get breakfast in bed every year. My mom told me this year that I wasn?t going to get it because I was getting too old. Well my dad decided that I still needed it, so I got my breakfast in bed!! I was soo happy, I?m not sure I?ll ever be able to get over that tradition. It was so nice. Then my Mom took me to La Cantera Mall, and surprised me by walking into Tiffanys, and telling me to pick out what I wanted! I couldn?t believe it, and had wanted a bracelet from there, so I got my first Tiffany?s. We went to a restaurant and got Mimosas and Bellinis after that, I didn?t even get ID?d, probably because I was with my mom. But she made sure to ask him to check it. We had a spa day after that, and then my dad and mom and I went to sushi for dinner. It was a great birthday, and I?m now enjoying being able to go to 6th street on the weekends.