This summer has been flying by like crazy!! I decided that I was going to spend the summer down in Los Angeles, because now that I am the section leader of the trombone section in the USC Trojan Marching Band, there are a lot of things we need to do to prepare for the coming season. If you are not aware, the USC football team is ranked number 1 going into the football season this fall (check out the team page here). I am insanely excited and I can’t wait for the postseason!
I am also going to be at the orientations during the summer to meet all the incoming freshmen and show them how awesome being a member of the band is. If you are going to any of the orientations, feel free to stop by our booth at the activities fair!
Outside of band, I have had the opportunity to do some pretty fun things. At the beginning of the summer, I took my girlfriend to Disneyland for an awesome day. We saw World of Color for the first time, which was really cool. I couldn’t believe how powerful some of the water cannons were. I also got together with my friends and had a chill day at Dockweiler Beach. It was nice to relax in the sun and have a good time. We decided it would be a good idea to bury my friend in sand, which ended up being hilarious.
Disneyland!
Buried Alive...
As I have mentioned before, I am on the USC Cycling Team, and even though I am not the most competitive cyclist, I really do enjoy the sport as a rider and as a spectator. Every year, the Amgen Tour of California takes place throughout the state for a full week. It is a professional bicycling race that is made up of multiple stages that are held all around the state. This year, they gave recreational cyclists the opportunity to ride the last stage of the race before the pros came through. This stage was held in downtown Los Angeles, which I was really happy about, because I was able to go and do the ride and then stick around afterwards to see some of the world’s best cyclists duke it out for the victory. That was a really amazing experience and I am glad I was able to be a part of it.
Tour of California
Probably the most fun thing I have done all summer was a trip I took with my family to Point Reyes last weekend. Point Reyes National Seashore is a national park about thirty miles north of San Francisco that holds some of the most breathtaking scenery on the California coast. I flew up Thursday night and we drove out Friday morning. It was great to spend some time with my family and get away from the city. On Saturday, my dad, sister, and I did a thirteen mile hike throughout the coastal mountains overlooking the ocean. It was so funny to be in Los Angeles one day – one of the craziest, most urban places I have ever seen – to being in complete silence the next, away from the manmade world, enjoying the nature all around. Overall, that trip was really nice, and gave me a chance to get away from the city for a couple days.
Awesome.
As good as summer is, I am really looking forward to the beginning of my junior year in the fall! It will be nice to get back into the swing of things and get to see all my friends again.
