I would have to say that innovations in communication have greatly changed the world in the past five years. Like now with Facebook, you can easily keep in touch with friends who live across the country or just down the street with just a few clicks of the mouse. And this whole Skype thing just blows my mind. lol I know the idea isn't really new. But we just got it and it's great that I can talk to my sister 100 miles away at U of I. It's almost like she never left because I can see her and talk to her at the same time.

Also, I don't really know how long these things have been around, but USB drives and external hard drives are amazing and totally beat the compact disc any day of the week. It's like having a mini computer on a keychain around your neck anywhere you go. For school, we used to have to make big posters for speeches and presentations and lug them around while they got all wrinkled and the pictures started falling off of them. Now, we make a powerpoint presentation at home, save it to the flash drive and plug it in at school. It's that simple.

Music has also benefited in the same way. No need to carry around my entire collection of cds when I'm at school or on the go now. I just have my iPod and I'm good.

Technology is great, eventhough it still causes me a lot of problems, but I love it regardless.

I don't get to travel very often, but when I do, I like to go to really fun places (or at least I would like to)

#1 Pacific Northwest United States/Alaska

I'd love to see the beautiful scenery. The landscapes are just so much different than what I see around here. I think it would be so peaceful to sit and be surrounded by nature. Once I started going to school in Chicago and was constantly surrounded by people and tall buildings, I really grew to appreciate nature and how wonderful it truly is. The ultimate escape for me would be to just be able to sit on a mountain and reflect on things while looking at the sky. And of course, I'd like to visit Seattle, Portland, and Forks too. Plus I could see the ocean, which I have never seen.

#2 London and the English Countryside

London may be a huge city, but it's the old fashioned charm mixed in with the new and wonderous things that draw me in. I definitely want to take a ride on the London Eye, with views of the city as far as the eye can see. Plus I just love the accents. It would be a very magical vacation.

#3 Australia and New Zealand

Once again, these places are so drastically different from where I live, it would be quite an experience. I want to see the green mountains of NZ (a lot of cool movies were filmed there because of the gorgeous scenery) and the desert sand of Australia. I'd love to visit the Sydney Opera House, hold a baby koala (a tame one), see kangaroos, see the ocean and it's coral reefs. It would be an amazing vacation. The accents here are cool too.

I doubt I'll get to go to any of these places in the next few years, but hey, I can dream.