Reuniones

On this day, one year ago, I was going shopping on the streets of Lima and spending time with new friends.  I still can't believe that that's what I was doing a year ago and although I miss Peru a lot, what I miss more are the people I met!  Fortunately, two weeks ago I got the chance to go to the Wisconsin Dells for the first time to meet up with two friends I met in Peru, Mark and Tonisha!!  If you read this blog while I was in Peru then you know that Mark, Tonisha, and I became very good friends and you know that we traveled all around Peru together!  And now we're fortunate enough to be able to travel together in the states because we all live fairly close.  I absolutely loved spending the weekend with them.  Mark and I went to Mt. Olympus, a water park, together all day and had a blast!!  Tonisha, unfortunately, couldn't join us until later in the night, but when she arrived, it was just like old times!  We spent the night camping, drinking Peruvian pisco, and remembering all the good times we had in Peru...like the crashport we flew out of to see the Nazca lines or that horrible hostel we stayed at in Puno!  It was AMAZING to see them and I loved laughing and talking with two people who experienced the same thing I did. :)  After a night of camping, we spent the next morning playing mini golf and we ate lunch before we all headed in our separate directions. :)  For about fifteen minutes though, we thought it was fate that we not leave each other because when we all got in our cars to leave, Tonisha's car wouldn't start!  None of us had jumper cables and so we went on an adventure to get some of those, then we were off!  Moral of the story, always carry jumper cables with you or just never try to leave your friends. :)

Tonisha, Mark, and I in the Dells :)

*Side note: A girl who attends Carthage College is now in Peru doing the same program that I did!!  If you are interested in reading about her adventures she has created a Tumblr: http://beckybuenviaje.tumblr.com/

Jess, Me, and Amanda outside the House of Blues!

Anyway, the next weekend was filled with even more reunions!!  Come to think of it..I've had an awesome last couple of weeks with my friends and family!  A little over a week ago, I got the chance to see my friend, Ian, dance in a Lady Gaga cover show (for the second time) at the House of Blues in Chicago!  I haven't seen Ian all summer because he is dancing in a show at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania this summer, so it was awesome to finally see him again!  I went to the show with my two friends, Amanda and Jessica, and Tim joined us later in the night!  It was an amazing show once again and as I said, it was great seeing my friends!!

Me, Ian, and Tim after the show!

Then, there was another reunion!!  Can you believe it?!  My roommate, Taylor, came to Kenosha and we spent the weekend together!  We spent the day at the beach!!  With the help from Tim and Taylor, I learned how to kind of throw a frisbee and with the help from Tim I got buried in the sand (against my will)! ;)  Then, we spent the night with some more friends!  Had a cookout and watched the Olympics! It was the greatest!

Taylor and I on the beach!

Tim buried me in the sand :(

The next day, we all ate lunch together, but then Taylor had to head home.  I wish Taylor could have stayed for the rest of the day's festivities, but even though she didn't, Tim and I had an amazing day!  We went to the local Renaissance Faire and had a blast!  I really didn't know what to expect when we went, but it was a blast!  We walked around for awhile and just watched all the different shows going on at the faire.  We saw a guy juggle fire batons while standing on a tight rope, we saw a guy hit a block off the top of his head with his own whip, and we watched a group of guys jousting!  Oh and we saw a guy who was getting tomatoes thrown at him (although a lot of them weren't hitting him)!  It was a really fun time and I'm glad we went!  It was the perfect day to go.  Following the faire, we went to the fair--the Racine County Fair that is.  Tim has never seen a demo derby so I was determined to take him to his first derby!  And I did!  We had a blast!  Although I did give Tim a hard time about picking bad derby cars to win the heats...in other words, my choices won 5-1 over his. :P

At the Racine County Fair :)

One last reunion occurred last week, which was the reunion of me with my family.  I got the chance to see my grandma, grandpa, sister, and my aunt and cousins from Texas!  I ate a delicious dinner with them and we gab!  It was nice to catch up with them and see my adorable baby cousin. :)  And it was nice to eat a home-cooked meal. :)  I love my family!  And I can't wait to see them again soon. :)

I hope you're all having amazing summers because I sure know I am!  Until next time...