highlights of my trip

1. Walking around Pentagon Row and Georgetown with Wendy and Erin. Realizing how much fun it is to have good girlfriends.

2. Finding a great jacket and tote bag on sale at Ann Taylor Loft and some fabulous jewelry on sale at Mexx.

3. Sitting next to an amazingly interesting man on the flight to Atlanta.

4. Striking up a conversation with an eighth-grader in the front office. Finding out that he thought that I was also an eighth grader.

5. Getting an incredibly shy student to voluntarily answer a question during my physics class. Have her teacher tell me how impressed he was, and that, in the 5 months he's been teaching her class, he has not once gotten her to say anything voluntarily. Feeling pretty good about myself for that.

6. Making the head of school laugh uncontrollably during my interview with her. Having her tell me that I have "a lot of adventure" in me.

7. Leaving freezing weather and several inches of snow for 70-degree weather.

8. Sweet southern comfort.

9. Going back to my hotel and sleeping for 5 hours after my exhausting 6 hour interview process.

10. Waking up just in time to watch Gilmore Girls.

11. Being tempted to answer (untruthfully) "yes" when a man invited himself to sit at my table at dinner and asked me if I had a boyfriend. Being unable to answer "yes" after my post about how lying is bad, period. Stupid conscience.

12. Having this man give me his phone number. Finshing my dinner and running out of the restaruant before he could invite himself to do anything else with me.

13. Reading an entire book of poetry on the flight home. Repeatedly re-reading some of the better poems. Feeling inspired to write poetry of my own. (We'll see how that goes.)

14. Only getting lost once on the drive home from Baltimore.

15. Singing along to Def Leppard. Without you... Can't stop the hurt inside... When love and hate collide.

16. Being reminded of my brother's ex-girlfriend, who also loved that song. Being very grateful that he married the dynamic red-head that he did.

17. When I finally get back to State College, instead of going home to my warm, soft bed, heading straight to campus to catch up on my emailing and blog-reading. Feeling incredibly pathetic for making that decision.

18. Being grateful that I've found a career that I truly love.

19. Realizing that I can change my career or location whenever I want without being afraid.