Spring Breaks Past
I have major Spring Break fever. I’m supposed to be doing work (right now!) but instead all I can think of is Spring Break. On Friday I’ll be on a plane (at 7 a.m. to be exact…do you know how early you have to get up to be at the airport on time for a flight that early? 4:30!) to Washington DC. This will be my first time in our nation’s capitol and while I don’t think I’ll pull a Jefferson Smith and become overwhelmed at the purity of or nation, I am looking forward to the trip. It’s somewhat of a Colorado reunion between Kerry, Anthony, Shaw, Tyler (who actually now lives in Maryland, not to far outside of DC), and me. I’m hoping to see some cherry blossoms, some national monuments, and mayhaps the national gallery.
A couple of evenings ago I was reading for class; the light was coming in the window behind me and I had a flashback to Seattle. Why Seattle, who knows. But it was something to do with the light. It’s the light of springtime. Somehow it’s just different than winter light (probably because the sun is traveling higher in the sky). It feels especially magical in the evening and it reminds me of last year around this time. I was in Seattle. With Rob. By far one of my best vacations. I loved Seattle. Rob worked on his creative component a lot (while I read Harry Potter instead of grading student papers), but when he wasn’t working we explored the city and Justin took us to the Pikes Market Place and the mountains. I like having pleasant thoughts about that vacation and don’t even feel a twinge of regret. I’m not much one for regrets, though.
Still, this got me thinking about other Spring Breaks I’ve taken, ones that don’t remind me so sharply of an ex-boyfriend.
Vegas was my “Spring Break” trip two years ago. I was actually not in school at the time. I was taking a year off and working at Linens-N-Things (my-oh-my). This was probably my most exciting vacation. There were six of us driving two cars (Car A: those who don’t drive a stick shift; Car B: my car); Tyler, Kerry, Anthony, Greg, Becca, and me. On our way there we camped one night in the Grand Canyon. The entire way there I was dreaming about watching the sunset over the GC; we got there only to find out that there was a forecast of snow and the sky was so cloudy there was no way to tell where the sun was in the sky, let alone watch it set. Still we had fun shivering in our coats, building a fire, drinking, and huddling together in the middle of our huge tent because we didn’t want to touch the sides and let the snow moisture into the tent (because yes it did snow). We continued our trek to Vegas, driving over the Hoover Dam. Ty’s parents had purchased a time-share in a condo on the ritzy end of Las Vegas Boulevard (about three miles up from the highlife of the strip) and we had a much posher vacation than any of us deserved. Any given night could find us in the pool, on the strip, drinking, brushing our teeth (hehe), or going to Chipotle (that’s right, all those places to eat and we latched on to the one Chipotle on the strip and didn’t let go). If you ever want to suspend reality, Vegas is definitely the place to go.
The two years before Vegas were the same two years that I shared a house in Boulder with Kerry and Carrie, and both of these Spring Breaks found me languishing in the Tucson sun with Carrie. The first year we went we stayed with Chris and Niky (her brother and his Chihuahua) and drove. This was my first experience driving a stick shift (Care’s red Bianca) and I can’t say that I fared to successfully (after a few miserable streets in hilly Colorado Springs, we worked out a system on the highway where I would depress the clutch when told and she would shift the gears for me). The second year we flew (a much better idea, aside from the sketchy plane we caught out of Phoenix (we had to actually run out onto the runway—literally running because our last plane had been delayed—and climb up stairs to board the sucker)) and stayed with her dad. This trip also included my one adventure out of the country (two hours in Mexico with strong margaritas that everyone but Anthony refused to drink and a “Prada” present from Carrie’s dad). Both trips will filled with shopping and slushies and sunbathing. What more could we ask for (especially the year we skipped the entire blizzard in CO).
And those are my Spring Breaks past. Look for more postings about DC!
A couple of evenings ago I was reading for class; the light was coming in the window behind me and I had a flashback to Seattle. Why Seattle, who knows. But it was something to do with the light. It’s the light of springtime. Somehow it’s just different than winter light (probably because the sun is traveling higher in the sky). It feels especially magical in the evening and it reminds me of last year around this time. I was in Seattle. With Rob. By far one of my best vacations. I loved Seattle. Rob worked on his creative component a lot (while I read Harry Potter instead of grading student papers), but when he wasn’t working we explored the city and Justin took us to the Pikes Market Place and the mountains. I like having pleasant thoughts about that vacation and don’t even feel a twinge of regret. I’m not much one for regrets, though.
Still, this got me thinking about other Spring Breaks I’ve taken, ones that don’t remind me so sharply of an ex-boyfriend.
Vegas
Vegas was my “Spring Break” trip two years ago. I was actually not in school at the time. I was taking a year off and working at Linens-N-Things (my-oh-my). This was probably my most exciting vacation. There were six of us driving two cars (Car A: those who don’t drive a stick shift; Car B: my car); Tyler, Kerry, Anthony, Greg, Becca, and me. On our way there we camped one night in the Grand Canyon. The entire way there I was dreaming about watching the sunset over the GC; we got there only to find out that there was a forecast of snow and the sky was so cloudy there was no way to tell where the sun was in the sky, let alone watch it set. Still we had fun shivering in our coats, building a fire, drinking, and huddling together in the middle of our huge tent because we didn’t want to touch the sides and let the snow moisture into the tent (because yes it did snow). We continued our trek to Vegas, driving over the Hoover Dam. Ty’s parents had purchased a time-share in a condo on the ritzy end of Las Vegas Boulevard (about three miles up from the highlife of the strip) and we had a much posher vacation than any of us deserved. Any given night could find us in the pool, on the strip, drinking, brushing our teeth (hehe), or going to Chipotle (that’s right, all those places to eat and we latched on to the one Chipotle on the strip and didn’t let go). If you ever want to suspend reality, Vegas is definitely the place to go.
Tucson
The two years before Vegas were the same two years that I shared a house in Boulder with Kerry and Carrie, and both of these Spring Breaks found me languishing in the Tucson sun with Carrie. The first year we went we stayed with Chris and Niky (her brother and his Chihuahua) and drove. This was my first experience driving a stick shift (Care’s red Bianca) and I can’t say that I fared to successfully (after a few miserable streets in hilly Colorado Springs, we worked out a system on the highway where I would depress the clutch when told and she would shift the gears for me). The second year we flew (a much better idea, aside from the sketchy plane we caught out of Phoenix (we had to actually run out onto the runway—literally running because our last plane had been delayed—and climb up stairs to board the sucker)) and stayed with her dad. This trip also included my one adventure out of the country (two hours in Mexico with strong margaritas that everyone but Anthony refused to drink and a “Prada” present from Carrie’s dad). Both trips will filled with shopping and slushies and sunbathing. What more could we ask for (especially the year we skipped the entire blizzard in CO).
And those are my Spring Breaks past. Look for more postings about DC!
Update, yo!
Posted by
Alicia (Our Many Colored Moments) |
6:54 PM