My Future Begins

Thought I'd put up a quick greeting from Florida! The flight was so much shorter than the recent one to Germany, so I didn't find it too difficult to deal with a 3 hr ahead time zone. It was glorious driving through Jacksonville in a Buick Rainier with the blue sky and nearly stifling heat. I didn't mind because there wasn't a whole lot of humidity to accompany it. We stopped in my sister's old stomping grounds, St. Augustine and visited some of our favorite places: Cafe' del Hidalgo, Savannah Sweets, and various chocolate, kitchen, and accessory stores. Next, we made our way to Daytona. I took a nap and woke up just in time to take pictures of the signs entering the city. I love how there is an overflow of green everywhere although it's different than WA flora and fauna. Upon arriving at the hotel, Ocean Walk Resort, we were delighted. The room is an amazing suite with 2 bedrooms each with their own full bathroom and every window has a beautiful view of the ocean. There's of course a common room, TV in each room, a stereo, and a full kitchen. I wish my dorm room was like it! They have indoor mini golf, gaming room, internet room, indoor pools, outdoor pools including a "lazy river" you relax on tubes in... I can't even begin to explain or figure out everything you can do here. It's just wonderful. Thanks to the guy on Craig's List who needed to use his points. Then, we went to another classy joint- the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club. We had a tasty dinner and were given amazing GPS, Wi-Fi Pocket PC's and enjoyed meeting profs and hearing their encouragment. I met a very nice girl named Kaliegh from Illinois and then eventually talked with my roommate Kerry and her family afterwards. What a fun evening. I'm finally starting to feel like I can make this place my home for 4+ years. Well, better get going and let Mom use my laptop. Goodnight from Daytona!