Roomie Love

As you may know, I moved into Tropicana Gardens last Sunday. I've heard plenty of crazy roommate stories so of course I was a little hesitant, being that I was diving into a living situation with five other girls while I had just spent the previous semester living alone in a studio. However, a few weeks prior to moving in, I got my list of roommates and with the luck of the draw, I actually got put into a room with the girls I had met when I came to take a tour of Trop.

There is three rooms in my suite. Bedroom A is empty, as one of the previous roommates moved out and the spot is yet to be filled. Bedroom B (my bedroom) has two people in it: me and my roommate Jess, and Bedroom C has four girls in it. I can honestly say I got really lucky being put in suite 257. I really love all of my roommates. They've really helped me adapt to Trop.

With that being said-for everyone that is planning on attending SBCC next fall, I highly recommend living at Tropicana Garden. The food may not be the greatest but it is honestly one of the best places to meet people and obtain the 'real college experience'. It's crazy how many people you meet. I've been here for one week and have already met so many people. You may think that you'd rather get an apartment with friends or you may even think you want to live alone... but college is a time to put yourself out there, and gain new experiences. Tropicana Gardens has already proven to be a great choice! Plus they have a great 24 hour study lounge- which has already been one of my most used amenities, a heated pool- a great area for tanning as well, and a gym!

Todays adventure...

Today my friends and I decided to take a mini break from Santa Barbara and head to Malibu for the day!

Our first stop:

Malibu Farms on the Malibu Pier. I don't know if you've ever been to Malibu but it is a very upscale area. Let me start by saying the food at Malibu Farms is phenomenal. I really recommend it to everyone! I got the breakfast sandwich which was very delicious. They have an array of very unique items, such as persimmon salads and fried egg sandwiches. Also, if you do happen to stop by Malibu Farms you have to order one of their unique lemonades or juices served in these cute mason jars! Aside from the good food, Malibu Farms is known to serve some very famous celebrities. Today my friends and I sat right next to Orlando Bloom. What are the odds? Of course we didn't want to seem like crazy fans so we just nonchalantly said hello and continued on with our lunch.... Now I am sitting here wondering why I didn't ask to get a picture with him... Oh well, it's the memory that matter right?!

 After we finished lunch, we headed to a private beach to get our tan on. If you ever want to beat the crowds while you're down in Malibu look for a row of condos right at the top of the canyon and you'll see an almost hidden white stair case. If you park on the side of the free way there's a little trail through the brush that will lead you to the stairs. There is just enough sand to be able to lay a towel down for some tanning, along with some rocks a few hundred feet down that make for some beautiful scenery and a very cool backdrop for pictures.

After we finished tanning and taking pictures, we decided to head to back to Santa Barbara. We were about ten minutes into our ride home when we look over and see a Mercedes G series. While we were admiring the car and dreaming about one day being able to own one my friend Chynna blurts out "Wait, pull up!!" As we crept forward we realized that the driver was in fact Robert Downey Junior! That's two Celebrities in one day. I have lived in California for almost seven years and I have yet to see any 'big time' celebrities..until today that is. So if you would like to get some shots of anyone famous I would highly recommend visiting Malibu! I'd say the odds are pretty good!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back fellow Vaqueros! I hope everyone had a great break, I know I sure did.
Just a quick recap of a few of my festivities over break:

• I went home to Minnesota for the first two weeks. My best friend Parris actually came with me for the first week. Highlights of my trip home included: multiple trips to the Mall of America, Snowboarding for the first time, family game nights and Christmas traditions of church and presents. I had a great time at home but I was excited to get back to the California weather.
• A few days after I got home I headed to Bakersfield for a week. I stayed with my best friend Parris. We had a lot of fun going shopping and eating at all of our favorite restaurants. We also made sure we had time to party a bit, and visit her sister in Long Beach.
• After I went to Bakersfield, Parris came down to Santa Barbara for a little last minute fun before the semester began. We actually met some friends playing volleyball and joined in on the fun, but thats another story.. haha. We hung out at the beach and did a few last things downtown before we began to pack up all of my things for my big move to Isla Vista.
• On Sunday, my old tutor and family friend drove down from Bakersfield and helped me pack up my remaining things and we hauled all of my things to Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista. I was excited to find out I actually knew my roommate, and my other suite mates are really cool. The only thing that isn't my favorite is the food at Trop. But other than that I think it was a great decision to move!

I'm not sure why but I was honestly ready to get back in the swing of things this semester. I was really excited for all of the change and to just be closer to other college kids in Isla Vista. It is definitely a big change from downtown, but I think it is a very positive change for myself!

I'm really excited to see what this semester has in store, It's definitely going to be a great one!

Have a great first week of class everyone!