And just like that we only have 50 days before summer…I finally booked my trip home through American Airlines. Flying through Los Angeles. I don’t know how to feel about not being in school for 4 months. I’ll definitely miss this place!

The past two weeks have been filled with nothing. I think I may have settled a record for going to downtown Disney! A record 2 times! Just can’t get enough of it, I suppose…We tried out a new restaurant, though! A hometown favorite: Pollo Campero. Fried chicken at its finest, if you ask me!

Earlier in the day, though, we took a trip to Ikea. It was Jim’s first time! He had to buy some sheets, but we ended up with so many things!! Alex bought a chair, and I bought more rugs for my room. I absolutely love that store!! We spent hours over there.

It seems like everybody on campus left Daytona when they had the chance to these past few weeks. Remember when I said that Race Week was the busiest I’ve ever seen Daytona? Well, I stand corrected: bike week has been one of the worst things ever. Bikers everywhere! Estimates top 20,000 bikers in town. Student Village went on lockdown all day, too, giving access only to those with Eagle Cards (our University ID card). A few friends and I decided to go to the Speedway to check out what was going on. We went at the end of the day though (near 5 o’clock), so as everyone was packing up to go home, we headed to the Ford tent to get some free goodies.

The weather hasn’t exactly been cooperating these weeks either. Jim has had to ground himself because of weather. It’s been so cold (to you northerners—yes, 60 IS cold), too! Next week, though we’re supposed to be getting temperatures in the mid-80s.

This past weekend (well, technically this weekend), Jim’s friend from back home came down for Spring Break. We went to visit her and then headed over to Disney’s Boardwalk after. I liked the place. It’s one of the few places at Disney where I’ve never been. It’s so empty though, and we were able to catch the EPCOT fireworks from a distance. The day ended with a nice dinner at Bongo’s (Cuban food), once again.

So overall, things have been going great. School has been fine…although I’m thinking of changing my minor from Astronomy to Unmanned Aerial Systems. I have to go talk to my advisor tomorrow to see if they will accept some of those credits as my upper-level technical elective (so I don’t have to take too many extra classes). I also went to talk to my other awesome advisor, Stickney! To those of you who have him as your freshman advisor…kudos! He’s amazing. We’re looking into revamping the Latin and Hispanic Students Organization on campus! All you Latinos/Hispanics, join next semester!!! To those of you familiar with Miami—cafecito day, anyone??

I’ve also noticed many of you have been getting your acceptance letters. Congratulations!! If you send me your questions, I’ll answer those, and heck, I might even start addressing frequently asked questions on here, so ask away! I’m going home next Friday, so I promise next blog will be longer and better J I leave you with one thing: Sneak Preview.

Hi everyone. I hope that everything is well with all of you. I am doing well and just starting the last week of classes before spring break begins. I am looking forward to it and I think that it is a much needed (and deserved) break before we kick it into high gear for the end of the semester. Then, it’s summer! It is hard to believe that a whole academic year has gone by and that I will only have two years left. Time really flies here so make the most of it while you can!
I have had the opportunity to interact with many of you on the Facebook page for the incoming class of 2015. If you haven’t already, I would highly suggest joining the group as it is a great way to meet your future classmates and ask questions. I remember when I first came to Embry-Riddle, I already had “met” a good number of my classmates on Facebook so it made the transition and getting settled at college a lot easier.
By the same token, if you have been accepted to the university, I would also consider attending the Accepted Students day that is taking place here in April. The details of this event are on the Embry-Riddle website. If you have previously visited the campus and you live far from Daytona Beach, it is ok to miss this event, however, if you have never been here you should absolutely try to come. There will be presentations, professors, current students, tours, and more. If you are still trying to make your final college decision, this event is a good idea. I hope to see you there.
Since I last wrote, not very much at all has happened with me. I have continued working at the airport so that takes up a good portion of my time. Additionally, my classes have received a lot of my attention so during the week I have not done too much exciting stuff.
This past week in Daytona Beach was Bike Week. Hundreds of thousands of motorcycles converge upon the area for essentially a giant convention and party. For people who like motorcycles, it is apparently one of the best things there is to go to. Living here, it is a bit of a hassle as traffic becomes unbearable on main roads, and the noise levels rise significantly. It is fun to venture down to Main Street near the beach as that is biker bar central and there is a lot of activity there. Even if you don’t like motorcycles, I would suggest checking it out at least for a night if you end up going to school here.
As I may have mentioned in a previous entry, my parents recently purchased a house in Boynton Beach, which is down in South Florida near West Palm Beach. I have been averaging going there about every other weekend. The drive is about 3 hours and can be very boring, however one of my friend’s family lives there as well, so we carpool, making the drive much less boring. The house is just being completed and the furniture will be coming in within a few days. My spring break plans involve heading down there for the beginning, then going to Universal Orlando with my family, and then going back down to the house for the last few days prior to returning to Daytona. It should be a lot of fun as I haven’t been to Universal’s parks (except or Halloween Horror Nights) in several years.

My roommate and I sign the lease for our apartment in the middle of April, so I decided I would slowly begin to move my things over there instead of the craziness that ensued at the end of the semester last year trying to move all my things to storage and box up my clothes to send home. Even though it is annoying, it is a bit fun as school is done for the summer. I enjoyed having Apollo for a dorm (especially our airport view!) but it will be nice to have a bedroom and bathroom to myself next year.
Other than that, not too much else has been going on with me. This coming week will be pretty slow as well as I prepare for spring break, however I am sure I will have some interesting stories for you after that.
Again, please do not hesitate to ask me any questions at all!
Talk to you soon.
Pete