ROTC Dining Out + Glendora Hike

Posted by Nicole

The ROTC dinner last night was lots of fun…

Normal ROTC dinners are calling “Dining In,” and the cadets don’t bring dates. Last night was considered “Dining Out” because guests were invited. The dinner was in Cypress, and the traffic on the way was a little brutal. Eventually we made it!

The fancy building was only filled with military people, cadets, and their dates. And flags.

The night started with a lot of toasts and various military traditions. My friend Grant and I were seated at a special table in the middle of the room, while the rest of the cadets were at normal tables. It was pretty exclusive which was cool, but it also felt like everyone was watching us. I made sure to sit up straight and keep the iPhone action to a minimum.

Dinner was served while videos from each of the four schools played (USC, UC Irvine, CSU Long Beach, and Cal State Dominguez Hills…. if I’m remembering correctly.) I’ve been breaking my Lent “sacrifices” like crazy this year. Not having dairy is kind of impossible for me, especially when cheesecake is served as dessert. Woopsie.

After dinner, the guest speaker took the floor and told stories about combat, reuniting with soldiers after 40+ years, and his charity foundation for children in South Africa.

At the end of the night, we finally snapped some pictures.

All the USC ROTC peeps… and the “grog bowl” of juice (another tradition).

Because it was a formal dinner and there wasn’t any dancing or wild times, we went out to some parties back at school. It was a fun night!

This morning, I drove back to my grandparents’ house in Glendora. How cute is my grandpa and his beard? I might steal his USA hat :)

My dad and I had plans to go hiking in the hills.

We drove over to Colby Trail and up we went! The sun was shining, the weather was perfect with just a little bit of wind, and I’m hoping I didn’t get too bad of a sports-bra-lined sunburn.

About a mile in, we already had a great view of the city. This hike was very steep and I’ll probably be sore tomorrow. Worth it for the views though!

After about a mile and half, we turned to head back down.

And my dad even insisted on a selfie at the end of the hike hahaha…. maybe that’s where Lauren and I get it from.

My dad drove back to the g-parents, and I ran the 0.65 miles back. It was a fun afternoon. Now I’m sitting around and I’ll probably attempt to do some homework while I’m away from the college craziness (saving that for later tonight).

Hope your weekend is going well!

- Nicole