Heaven waits for me, I know, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I was once told that the best part about traveling is when you come home. At the time, I didn't believe them. Now, I'm starting to understand. After our tough loss yesterday, all I really wanted to do was get home. Don't get me wrong, Washington was fun... And the hotel beds were like sleeping on clouds, but it will feel good to be home and to be able to sleep in my own bed.

In regards to March Madness: go flyers and wolverines! And in regards to Spokane, I would actually suggest that you visit. The area is beautiful, the food was nothing but great, and I had a wonderful time.

And for now, I'm signing off. Talk to you soon!

The UC Band and Cheer Sqad visited Fairchild Air Force Base this morning and it was quite the experience. I got to learn about KC135 airplanes which actually fuel other planes in the air! We got to tour one of the planes and then play for the wing commander on base!

Our new AD then bought us lunch before we went across base to Michael Anderson Elementary to play a pep rally for the kids. I think they were quite entertained by us so it was great!

So last night I convinced CJ to come out for sushi with me. After long determination online I chose Suki Yaki Inn, only a 4 minute walk from our hotel.

When we got there, we decided to eat in a room. Needless to say, I was excited. We had to take our shoes off to enter and the decorations were phenomenal!

Reading the menu caused me to geek out multiple times because they served dishes that can not be found in Cincinnati. For starters I ordered myself a "House Kami Kaze" to drink. CJ got a crunchy roll and I got some Saba and Maguro (mackerel and tuna). Our main dish was sukiyaki and tempura.

After we left the restaurant, we passed by a public school that reminded me of the set-up of schools in Japan (oh the irony) and laughed about the fact that everyone at the restaurant thought we were dating...

And due to how full my stomach was, it was acceptable for me to be old and go to bed before 11pm. Yay!

This delicious breakfast was found at Madeline's Cafe and Patisserie.

Then we went to riverside park to sightsee and the mall. We went shopping at Atticus and Boo Radley's.

The Spokane river is so amazing! It made me want to go swimming and white water rafting.

Last minute details are so much fun! I had to leave work a day earlier than expected, but it is totally worth it to fly to Washington and cheer on my Cincinnati Bearcats!

It's 10:05 and we are off!

The absolute beauty of being in the air. First: the fact that I am in such a large vehicle and I am thousands of feet above the ground. I can't even get more than a few feet off the ground by jumping! Second: the sights I get to see while flying. This will be my third round trip flight and the first time I've flown at night and it is breathtaking. Flying above dark clouds and seeing the lights of subdivisions and cities at large is indescribable.

It's 2:03 in Ohio and only 11:03 in Washington. We have landed.

You had me at free travel. 

Going to football and basketball games, having a band family, and most of all getting to play music are all great reasons to join a band... But when they say free travel, you better sign that piece of paper immediately. Okay, so the travel wasn't the deciding factor on why I would join the UC Bearcat Bands, but it definitely caught my attention.

All the hard work of my first college-level marching band season paid off when our Bearcats ended up going to the Liberty bowl. I would get to go to Memphis, Tennessee for the first time ever. The trip fell over New Years Eve so not only would I be going on a trip, I would get to ring in the new year with my band family.

After a long bus ride, we finally made it to Memphis. The city was small, but had it's own beauty to it. I was very sad to find that we wouldn't be staying close to town. BUT our distance meant that whenever we had to transport the band, we had our own personal police escort. Needless to say, that was a cool experience.

After my very first "Battle of the Bands" the bearcats were set loose on Beale Street. It was pretty cool even though I wasn't 21 yet. I guess I'll have to return some day when I cam to enjoy that aspect. My group found a BBQ restaurant to go to and boy was the food delicious, or what? YUM.

The next day was GAME DAY! I have always loved game day in Cincinnati, and being the home team for game day in Memphis was just as cool! Our performance went well and I got to experience a new football stadium. And to top it all off, the Bearcats won!

After returning to the hotel to calm down and change out of our uniforms, I traveled with a group to a burger joint that I sadly cannot recall the name of because they're burgers were sublime.

All in all, it was a great trip and a great way to round out the year. Seeing the bearcats win their bowl game and celebrating New Years with new friends in a different time zone was the best experience a girl could ask for when she was a shy, freshman in college.