The day of my departure. An solemn air hung over us all day, no matter how much we tried to pretend I wasn't really leaving. Sushi at Mike's favorite restaurant in Westchester cheered us up a little. It was by far the best sushi I've ever tasted. It's doubtful that'll I'll be able to stand sushi in Michigan for a while, because it pales in comparison. We got Tim Horton's again and said our goodbyes at the airport, which was ridiculously hard to do. It must have...

We had breakfast with Mike's mom and visited with some of his family in the morning, and then headed to Maple Ridge for some gelato. His dad made us salmon on the grill for an early dinner, and it was delicious. We ate outside and I met his dad's girlfriend's daughter, Megan, who is such a cutie. We played Dogopoly with her and I let her take pictures of herself on my MacBook. After escaping before the game was finished, Mike finally took me to get Tim Horton's...

Capliano Suspension Bridge just might be the coolest thing ever. It is so scary but so much fun. It is Vancouver's oldest attraction, originally built in 1889. It's a pedestrian bridge that's 450 feet long and stands 230 feet above Capilano River. It was so scary to cross, but so much fun. It leads to this tree top adventure where you can walk around on these other bridges that are up to 100 feet in the air. The best part was standing on one of the platforms and ...

This morning - the day of my flight to visit my best friend that I only get to see once or twice a year - I got an e-mail from my supervisor, stating that I had to be moved out of my residence hall within 4 days ... right in the middle of my trip to Vancouver. It was the most ridiculous situation. Luckily, through some persuasive arguing and eyes just about brimming with tears, I convinced them to let me stay until the regular semester starts back up. Heart attac...

Back from the craziest month of my life. Backpacking in Europe is quite possible one of the biggest things I've ever done. So here's what I learned: -Life is a rollercoaster. Sometimes you're waiting in line; sometimes you're at the top of the hill; and sometimes you're rushing downward at 150 miles an hour. So just take it all in. The best part isn't always the rush. -There is no right answer. Sometimes you just have to make a decision you can live with. -Tra...