4th of July :D

Wednesday, July 4.

Happy 4th of July! Hope it was spectacular for everyone!

This year, I decided to fly home over the long weekend and surprise my family. They really had no idea that I was coming! I woke up pretty early to get ready and finish packing up all of my things before heading to the airport. My flight was at 9:50am. The cool thing was that Ramya and Xunjie were also flying out around the same time. They met me at my apartment at 7:15am and by 7:30am we were on the way to the airport.

When we arrived I parked in the outside long term parking: $15 per day. We drove around for a couple of minutes and then found a parking space between rows E and F. Then we made our way to the shuttle stop #5 and waited for the shuttle to take us to the terminal.

Okay, I love this picture!!

Ramya and I were flying US Airways, so we said goodbye to Xunjie and got off the shuttle at the first terminal. Unlike me. Ramya was prepared and had already printed her boarding pass, but she kindly went with me to print mine. Next, we had to go through security. Surprisingly, there weren't that many people there, so the lines went pretty quickly. It was already about 8:15am and having trained our stomachs to want delicious breakfast at Google in the morning, we were both hungry. Conveniently located right by the security check was a Mexican place called Tres Gringos, and a Peete's Coffee. Can you guess which one I chose? haha Yes! I chose Tres Gringos. If I wanted to I could have ordered the tacos or a bean burrito, but I was more in the breakfast mood, so I ordered a breakfast quesadilla. It was made with a huge tortilla, eggs, cheese, and bacon, and came with a side of guacamole. It definitely hit the spot! :)

It was SO huge!

What was really awesome was that Ramya and I were on the same flight! :P Our gate was right next to all the food places, so we didn't have to go very far. Once we got our food, we went to our gate and chatted until boarding. As we were chatting I realized that we were both at Grace Hopper last year. Moreover, our posters were right next to each other's at the student poster session! What a small world! Then somehow my YWiC girls came up and I was trying to find the video that they made me when I got home from Google last summer. I couldn't find it then, but here it is now. It's a music video for Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue" (my favorite song at the time). You should enjoy it's awesomeness as much as I do! :D

We finally got onto the plane. I was in a middle seat between 2 guys, and Ramya was in the aisle seat in the row in front of me, so we still got to chat some more! The flight wasn't bad. But then again, I slept the whole way and was oblivious to most of the turbulence as we were landing in Phoenix. It was nice to see some rain!

Hi Ramya :)

We got off the plane at around 11:50am out of terminal A. As I checked my second boarding pass I realized that my next gate was in terminal B. Ramya was lucky and had her next flight from A. In case you don't know, the Phoenix airport is pretty big, so I had to run to my next gate, because my next flight was scheduled to depart at 12:25. Grr... I got to the gate 5 minutes before they were going to close the doors. Phew! This time I had a window seat - my favorite. I closed my eyes and about an hour later I was finally in El Paso, TX!

Since I was going to surprise my family, I asked my favorite YWiC girls if they could pick me up from the airport. They agreed. :) I was pretty excited to see them. As I came down the escalator, I didn't see anyone... I turned the corner toward the exit and I saw Jen walking with 2 Starbucks drinks in her hand. One was for me! Yay, thanks Jen! She told me that they were all starving, so Janie and Nicole were in line at Burger King. lol These girls love food as much as I do. They ordered some fries to temporarily hush their grumbling tummies, and we were off!

Jen, Nicole, Janie :D

As we exited the airport, I felt the humidity and heat smack me in the face! POW! lol The girls laughed at me as I complained and told me that it was way cooler than it had been the past weeks. As we got to the car, the girls showed me how cool their long boards were and then shoved them in the trunk. The El Paso airport is an hour away from my hometown, Las Cruces, NM. I asked them if they wanted me to drive, but Nicole drove Janie's car instead - for some reason Jen is scared of my driving. haha On the road I enjoyed chatting, singing to random songs, and watching the overwhelmingly brown scenery that I've grown up with. I had been really craving some authentic Mexican food, so the plan was to go eat when we got to Las Cruces. Nicole had to go home, so we dropped her off at NMSU and proceeded to Andele's (my favorite Mexican restaurant). It was closed for July 4th. :( SAD DAY! Since it was closed, we went to Si Senor instead. We got a table, and ate some chips and salsa while we waited for Alyssa to meet us there.

I couldn't wait to order GREEN CHILE ENCHILADAS! :) I think it is safe to say that green chile enchiladas are my favorite food. If you look at the plate below, you might think it looks weird, but I promise you its delicious. Corn tortillas layered with cheese and green chile. And of course, the beans and rice on the sides. Yum!

The real deal!

Okay, I love my YWiC girls, but it was time to go home and surprise my family! I recorded most of their reactions so I don't have to go into much detail on the actual surprise. The people in the video are my mom, two little sisters, and cousin. My sister Nic was taking a nap when I got there, so I didn't catch her reaction. She looked confused and almost upset that I woke her up! haha Priceless!

I had obviously just eaten at Si Senor, but it was awesome coming home to the smell of home-cooked food. My mom had made ribs, corn on the cob, and pinto beans! My uncle Ado, who lives in Yuma, AZ was playing Aggravation with the kids. The name of the game suits it very well, but it is so fun!

My sister looks a bit aggravated hehe

After a while, my unlce Cuco and aunt Laura came over. They also had no idea that I was here. When they got there I went and hid in my sister's room for a couple of minutes. As I was about to enter into the kitchen I heard them talking about how bored I sounded when I called them the day before from San Jose. I wasn't actually bored when I called them, but I just had to pretend like I was so they could tell me what their plans and my family's plans were! lol Needless to say they were so surprised. A bit later my aunt Cruz and uncle Vince also came over. After everybody ate, my stepdad took most of the kids fishing and to watch fireworks. I stayed home with my aunts and uncles, and we played Aggravation and worked on a puzzle that Nic had started.

Cuco's shirt is so patriotic! :P

When the kids got back, we watched them dance around with Sparklers for a perfect end to our July 4th.

<3

I missed my sisters and family so much, and I was glad to be home. This will be a fourth of July that I will always remember. A big thanks to all of those who have served our country! :)

"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." - H.S. Truman