the little adventure.

we survived the trip!
and i got a couple photos. :]

we made it out just in time to see my parents for a bit before they had to head up to reno. i really wanted to make sure we made it while they were still there, so that my dad could show mike and james some of his collections. mike was on the rifle team at unr, so i knew he would probably enjoy seeing some of my dad's. we hung out at the house for about an hour before my parents had to leave.

then it was time to go to the corn maze. the rain didn't seem too threatening, instead it was just windy. [typical.] so i was able to somehow convince radhika, mike, and james that the corn maze would be a great adventure. so we headed inside.

and we were all smiles at the start of our little adventure.

we were told at the start that it typically takes about an hour to get through the maze.
so we kept on walking.

and walking.

and walking.

but after a while, we realized we were walking past the same stuff.
over and over and over.

i think they were getting a little frustrated. it had been over an hour at this point. but i refused to give up.
so we kept going, and we finally stumbled on a good path.

we were making progress, finding new check points instead of just passing the same ones.

then. before i knew what was happening, my friends were getting instructions from a man about how to quickly get out of the maze.
whaaaaa?
wait a second. we only reached six of the ten checkpoints!
we are not done!
but i guess i was the only one who wasn't done.
radhika, mike, and james were so done.
so we followed the instructions, found the bridge, and exited the maze.

later on, when we were back home walking helix that night, i told james that i felt like we failed at completing the maze. he asked me what i was talking about... after all, we made it out of the maze the proper way.
true.
but we didn't get to all ten checkpoints.
sigh.
i don't anticipate being able to convince anyone to go back and fully complete the maze. so. i guess i will have to find satisfaction in six out of ten.
the photos that i managed to get help a bit. :]

i don't really consider myself as having come from a farming community, but when we drove by all of the cattle yesterday, it hit me. i used to drive by those cows each day on my way to school... it's so strange.
sometimes i miss it, but i guess that's a good sign. i enjoyed my time there. i have to say, living there for several years was humbling. i would be a totally different person if i had never moved there.
it's also interesting to compare the things that have changed and the things that are just the way they were.
radhika said that my room looks like i was just living there... it really has stayed just how i left it. kind of funny. there are definite remnants of my past in there. and the folder with some papers from my college apartment was in there too. probably the left behind when i finally made the move into that apartment. [i could have moved in two weeks before i did, but i really was totally underwhelmed at the thought of moving into that place.]
the trees are all so much bigger at the house than i remember them. and i don't even know how to work the tv remote for my parents' tv there. ha.
it's sort of hard to put into words the feelings that a visit home brings up.
all kinds of memories and emotions. not too many words though.

i'm glad we went. i'm happy that i was able to show the people who are now such an important part of my life a little snapshot of what my life used to be like. it was a fun trip. and we were definitely all exhausted by the time we got home. :]