Happy Turkey Day!!!! a little late. I hope all went well with everyone. I had a pretty darn good time myself, but i must say, it's good to be home. There is this gorgeous area called Big Sur that takes up all of southern california and a few of my friends decided to go camping there for our Thanksgiving break. We stayed in Riverside campground where we pitched our tents no less than 25 yards from the free-flowing Big Sur River. We found our own firewood, cooked our own meals (and let me just say how impressed I was with the guys I went with, I was expecting to be living off of wheat thins and pop tarts all weekend but they made us grilled chicked, steak, really good hot dogs, corn on the cob...it was great!), and slept in our own tents that I set up all by myself. It was pretty awesome. After we got settled and ate our Thanksgiving feast, we took a little midnight hike and found this breathtaking 40ft. waterfall that began at the top of the hill we were on. It was interesting trying to find our way back just because it was pitch black by 5:30 pm. (what's up with that?!?!), but we did. then we went to bed Friday was beach day. We drove along the winding "mountain" road to find Pfeiffer beach. It's part of a small peninsula so to getting to the end of the beach is kind of like walking along a bridge. Oh my goodness was is beautiful. I found a huge rock that I could climb and just sat and watched the waves roll in. Talked to God for awhile and got some things straightened out. When I came down from my mountain, my friends were all laying down on the beach asleep...we literally put the term "beach bums" to good use, it was hilarious! I mean, we drove all the way out there just so we could sleep in sand. When everyone got up from their naps, we played a game of football and went back to camp then we went to bed Saturday we decided that since it was so unbelievably cold we wanted to go to the hot springs, so we took a 20 mile hike up to the Pipe Ridge hot springs. I didn't have my boot on so my foot was killing me, but as soon as we got up to the top of the mountain, all thoughts of pain were gone. These springs were just what my stupid swollen foot needed to make it the rest of the weekend. They were the most beautiful things in the world, but holy cow did they feel great. It's just two springs coming up out of the water falling into two seperate man made basins that you can sit in. It might not have been the most miraculous looking thing ever, but the idea of bath water just natually coming up out of the earth is a pretty cool idea. We would've stayed in those tubs for a good week or so if someone hadn't mentioned water log. When we got back to camp we went to bed Last night was the first night I didn't freeze in that tent so I was just soaking up the sleep bubbles thinking that we wouldn't get up until around 11 or so when my bestest buddy Harris woke all of us up saying he wanted to leave in 20 minutes. I knew he was kidding so I stayed wrapped in my little caccoon. When I woke up the next time, I was outside...on the ground. I took that to mean he wasn't kidding and got up and helped pack. We got back to the base around 8, I took a shower and went to breakfast, came back, did laundry and slept. I feel very well rested and ready to greet a happy day of Arabic bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Hooyah Arabic! love love love | 
