America the Beautiful

Since I last posted I have turned 22, spent 5 days in Boston, and celebrated the New Year full of friends, alcohol, and of course resolution making.  Last year my sole resolution was to make sure I appreciated every moment of being abroad, which honestly I think turned out pretty well.  This year, I pretty much want to do the same thing only the location is the States rather than beautiful Italy.

There really is so much beauty here as long as you take the time to appreciate it.  Another part of enjoying is slowing down.  I have a tendency to go go go but it can be hard to appreciate everything I'm actually doing if I go too much.  I'm a person who needs to be able to take a deep breathe and reflect on what is going on in my life, so obviously this blog is a big part of keeping my resolution.

Let's take a quick look at some of the beauty in the United States I've seen and experienced since returning from study abroad.

1) Colorado.  There is something so enlivening about being surrounded by mountains and being able to explore on hikes up mountains, through canyons, and even in caves.

The river running through the canyon we hiked through just outside Denver.

Hiking fun

A lake midway up the 15,000 foot mountain we drove up.

At the top of Mount Evans

2) Santa Monica Pier.  I visited during my freshman year of college also, but there is a liveliness to it that always makes it fun to visit.  This summer was warmer than when I visited in the winter of my freshman year so we were able to enjoy the beach more and even did our summer work dance on the beach :)

Santa Monica Pier

3) The Grand Canyon.  I know it's called the "Grand" Canyon, but it was so much bigger than I even imagined it being.  My jaw hung open in awe when I first caught a glimpse of it, but had to quickly recover since I was the one driving and all.

At the Grand Canyon, which I renamed King Canyon since it was soo big.

So beautiful

4) Yellowstone.  The hot springs were beautiful and we got to see Old Faithful erupt, but sadly, even with the spike in grizzly bear attacks last year, we didn't get to see one.

5) Boston.  I fell in love with the city full of history, beautiful old buildings, little streets like in Europe, and creepy but really cool old cemeteries.

A street view

Pretty building



Maybe I'll get to explore Europe again sometime soon, but until then, here's to the beauty of America.