Goodbye Albuquerque (for now)

I said goodbye to my home and the beautiful sunsets for the summer. After only five days at home I am back on campus (my other home) for the rest of the summer. I am excited for the wonderful opportunities but said I won't get more time in my beloved Land of Enchantment. Look at how beautiful the sky is. These pictures were taken with my phone camera out on my street.

Hiking the La Luz Trail

While I was home in Albuquerque, Eli, Randy, and I hiked the La Luz trail. 

The trail starts at the bottom of the Sandia mountains and goes to the very top of the peak. At the top, you are at an elevation of over 10,000 ft. 

Disco got pretty tired. The next couple of days he was too sore to even walk. It was really funny.

The family at the top!

The view was absolutely spectacular.

Eli hiked the trail with his soccer team in the winter and it was a terrible experience for him with ice and snow and near death experiences. So this warning sign brought back bad memories. 

Cedro Mural

Every year at Cedro creates a mural for the lounge. Here is our years. The small objects on the side are inside jokes and memories. Our dorm theme was Cedrooby Dooby Doo!

#NerdNation

Finished with freshman year!

Hike to the Dish

Ben, Sarah, and I hiked the Dish on Sunday. It is about a 5 mile hike to some beautiful views of Stanford and the Bay area. It was a really nice way to reflect back on the year and all we had done and accomplished. I loved the time I have spent with my RAs and staff. They have been the BEST!

Biology Senior Art Reflections

When Sarah and I came back back from ice cream on Friday, we stopped in Wallenberg Hall to see her friends Senior Art Reflection for biology. In addition, I discovered many other beautiful pieces of art, some of which are depicted below.

Above is Sarah's friends' project. It is a whale made out of wood that is gathered from beaches around the bay area.

The panel above is a part of an entire graphic novel about a disease that is not well known but effects many people in underdeveloped countries. That is just an incredible project. 

I loved this piece. It was a part of a series called Street Science. The different lines on the piece say:

This is your heart talking

business as usual

in love

I'm struggling

adrenaline rush

If your heart could speak, what would it say?

You can't see the true beauty of the photographs above and below in my pictures of them. They were absolutely stunning. They were part of a series on bees. In the one above, I love the sparkling, glistening honey. It is so rich. In the one below, I love the drip of honey rolling down the jar. It just creates beautiful movement in the still life that makes your mouth water and your hands feel sticky as if they were going to run up the side of the jar to clear the honey. 

The students here are so talented and I am so fortunate to be able to see such incredible art in the halls of the classrooms where I learn. 

My CS Final :) and Wonderful Friends with Encouraging Words

We got to have one sheet of notes to take into our CS 106B final. Nick left Maia and I this note (above) at the top of our cheat sheet. It was so sweet really made me smile. It is amazing to have wonderful and supportive friends here during stressful times like finals. Thanks Nick! Love you! And thank you to all the other wonderful friends helping me. 

Maia staying up with studying for CS all last night made the practice problems less daunting. 

Thank you to Sarah for celebrating the end of the final with Tin Pot, an amazing ice cream place in Town and Country. I got coffee and early grey. It is an ice cream shop that actually blows my mind. The flavors are so rich and incredible. 

My parents have also been so supportive and amazing this year. My dad has been up with me every night talking through problems. My mom has been there to talk and listen as I have been missing home and finishing off this great year. I love you both so much!

That last Cedro house meeting

We had our last dorm meeting last night. Everyone came together to get our Cedro tank tops, eat ice cream, and listen to the staff say goodbye.

Aaron always writes these punny emails each week reminding us of house meeting and using the weeks theme to integrate cool puns into the email. Here is yesterday's email, with everyone's name in the dorm integrated into the email :)

.Tonight is our very last house meeting. Wellch, I don't want to Bora you with the Bradleytails, but Adamstead say that I Khan't Amabelieve that it's Aliready the Mirenda of the year! It feels like yesterday Zweig wereFrantically Gearying up for your arrival, all Cassideager but shyeiber, worried that Yu might be roommates with one of the Dylannoying Facebook kids. From day one, we were Danielated to meet you Powall. At MartheJacobeginning of the year, Jowey just wanted you all to have the Quinntessential freshman Kayear experience, but honestly, from the moment you Mondried off from that first time fountain hopping it was DeClearck we knew we couldn't Hahmdle. You guys Ari more than Triple what we could have expected. It's beengelso Kevincredible I could Maddie happy now.

And Teo think, when you first moved Kim, you didn't know Jack about Stanford - you didn't even have aClute. But take a Meagander Bertherat how Liamuch you've grown! Now that you've Rose to a higher level,Bagamiand you're Alyssavvy to the Xues of the world, you're the Thomaster of your own fate; you'll be able to eduKate next year's freshman (or just Karlie to them - I wouldn't Blaney you). It's been amazing to Seeton you grow.

Sur, ya haditya some rough times, but whether you were studying Christopherrous metals or struggling through the Pavanswers to a problem Vazqueset while Chowing down on late night Christinachos, it's always been a Martinsteresting year. Das what's Guilloreally matters. Thank you for making this feel like an excluShiv family, from when we're using the AV system to show you our silly videos, or we're talking together at Dionner.

Soon, you won't have to worry about us trying to Coraal you around anymore, or sending you so many Vogeley-mails with stupid puns. But don't be so Spencerious - Chinyi up! This Dennis Nate the Laurend. Even when you're Kylieaving, we Shahn't Bradforget you. Maia door will always be Pedropen for you all,Jordand we Wood all be Reilly excited to see you all next year, andrea to Taahir about how your lives are Going. Just pop on by Annand say Jorgey! I know we Josey this Feliciall the time, to the point where it's a bit Aashnentatious, but we hoNishtly love you. Thank you all so, so much for making this such BrianAlextraordinary, epic Nguyen of a year. It's Ben great.

Aaron

The staff told some secrets, cracked some jokes, but most of all, reminded us of what an incredibly year it has been. They are, by far, going to be the most difficult part of leaving Cedro. I was in tears at the idea of not having their rooms across the hall or up or down the stairs to always go to as a safe haven. They honestly absolutely mean so much to. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye on Tuesday. I can't thank them enough.