gone on vacay!

Heather and I are flying up to Seattle this evening for a much needed vacation! Jenny’s mom invited us couple months ago as a graduation present for Jenny. Happy Graduation Jenny! We’ll be driving up to Whistler tomorrow and spending the weekend in the mountains. I feel very lucky to be able to go to Seattle-ish twice this fall.

I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun pictures [and maybe videos] to share when I get back next week! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Roadtrip: Playlist

Heather and I came up with a roadtrip playlist last week when Jenny was in one of her classes. It had about 800 songs on it, about 48 hours worth of music. I checked my ipod when we got home and we listened to at least 750 of the songs on it. Here are a few of the artists that we included on it. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already!

Adele
Andrew Belle
Barcelona
Carrie Underwood
Burlesque Soundtrack
Honeyhoney
Joshua Radin
Justin Bieber
Landon Pigg
Owl City
Ray LaMontagne
Schuyler Fisk
She & Him
Taylor Swift
The Ting Tings
Vampire Weekend

source

HOME

First of all I just have to say, it's so nice to be home! Right as we were crawling into bed last night Heather said, "Maybe we should just pack up and go home right now." We were all so tempted, but also so tired.

As I've said during the whole trip we've been getting up every morning at 6:00 am and leaving at 7:00 am. This morning we were all so ready to get out of there and get home that we didn't eat breakfast and ran out of the hotel at 6:45 am. We looked up the closest Starbucks, but it ended up being in a strange outdoor mall. There were a bunch of homeless people wandering around and we walked forever and up some stairs before we found it.

We finally got out out Salt Lake and on the road around 7:15 am. It was nice to finally see Boise on the road signs!

We got to the Idaho border around 9:00 am or so and stopped to take a picture. Right after that it started to rain pretty hard. We made it to Burley around 10:00 am and stopped for fuel and a snack. We ended up getting french fries at the A&W connected to the Sinclair. Then I took over driving for the rest of the time. We finally made it home around 12:45 pm. It was so nice to be greeted by my mom (my dad got sent to Texas yesterday on a fire assignment) and see our kitty babies! We talked for a little while and then mom took us out to lunch. We came back home and just relaxed for the afternoon, watching Better Off Ted.

This evening we went to Boise Fry Company for dinner. From 6:00 - 9:00 pm tonight Boise Fry Company is donating 20% of their sales to my uncle's non-profit Wish Granters. Wish Granters is an Idaho non-profit that grants wishes to adults 18+ with terminal illness, currently serving Ada and Canyon counties. If you feel called, you can donate to Wish Granters HERE.

We had a great dinner and a fun time. Right now we're back home and we'll be relaxing for the rest of the night. Heather and Jenny are sitting next to me with wash clothes on their faces. They're trying an oil cleansing method, which I'm going to partake in once I'm done with this post. It's something they wanted to do earlier on the roadtrip, but we didn't have the oil. From what they've said it feels amazing. I'll let you know how it goes.

Anyway, Jenny is going to be staying with us tomorrow and then leaving on Thursday to head up to Seattle/Arlington. I think we might go see Bridesmaids tomorrow and maybe go to The Matador for dinner. I'm so NOT ready to get back to real life. I'm working Thursday and Friday and then will be going out of town for the weekend to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday.

I'm hoping to have some fun blog posts over the next couple days and in the next week. Maybe some roadtrip recaps and some other fun stuff. I can't wait to get my film developed from my HOLGA. Keep a lookout because I'll definitely be posting some of those photos.

Okay, time to oil my face, pour myself a marg and enjoy The Voice. Goodnight!

Roadtrip - Day 5: Boise

It's our last day! We have a [relatively] short drive today. Jenny will stay with us for another day once we get home, before she drives the rest of the way to Seattle. We're excited to get home and see our kitty babies and have dinner at The Matador, of course. I'm hoping that at the end of the week I'll have a roadtrip wrap-up blog to fill everyone in on anything I may have missed while we were on the road.

SLC

Today was a loooooong day. We ended up being on the road for about 13 hours. We're so glad to finally be in Salt Lake. I have to say last night in Nebraska I had probably the most restful sleep in a week. We went to bed early and got a little extra sleep which was definitely necessary to get through today. Anyway, we got up and got ready, ate breakfast and talked with Cindy a little bit before we got on the road at 7:00 am. We stopped in North Platte, about an hour outside of Lexington, for Starbucks! A little after that we switched into Mountain Standard Time Zone. We stopped for fuel and had to get a picture by the Sinclair dinosaur.

We finally got to Wyoming, which turned out not to be very nice to us. We tried to stop in Cheyenne for lunch around 11:00 am, but nothing was working out and we couldn't find anything. We ended up heading to Laramie, Heather had found a vegetarian place there. We got into Laramie around 12 and had lunch at Sweet Melissa's. It took a while to get our food, but it was really good. We finally got back on the road around 1:00 pm.

We stopped in Sinclair, WY for fuel and a snack. I took over driving from Jenny. It was soooo windy! By the time we got to Green River, WY area we were all going pretty crazy. We were singing and laughing. We stopped in Little America, WY for gas around 5:00 pm and there were wind advisories of 45+ mph winds. Not cool. Cruise control wasn't even possibly because the poor car was working so hard. Heather took over driving after that. About 10 miles before we got to Utah I called 911 and reported a crazy semi truck driver who was driving recklessly. It was so windy and starting to rain. He was speeding like a psycho and tailgating. It was horrible. We were thankful to finally make in into Utah, after what felt like forever. We got into Salt Lake a little after 7:00 pm and checked into our sketchy motel (Motel 6) by the airport and freeway.

We freshened up really quick and then drove to In-N-Out where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and Neapolitan shakes. We got back to our hotel a little bit ago and are unwinding and getting to bed soon. I am so excited to get home tomorrow and sleep in my own bed, especially because I'm really scared I'm going to get a disease from the one I'm sleeping in tonight. Okay, I should go. I still have a few things I want to do before I can pass out. Goodnight friends.

Roadtrip - Day 4: Salt Lake City

Getting close! We have another LONG day ahead of us. We're on our way to Salt Lake City today. As I'm writing this (last Wednesday) we don't have a place to stay. We'll probably just end up at a Motel 6, like we did in Springfield. We're looking forward to getting there and stopping at In-N-Out for dinner. I've missed my animal style! :)

We have our shortest drive of the trip tomorrow and are looking forward to it! Almost there!

Lexington

We made it to Nebraska! We left our hotel at 7:00 am this morning. We made our way west for a while and then up the 71. It was kind of sad to be so close to Joplin (literally like 10 minutes) and not be able to stop and do something. We stopped in Carthage for wayyy to sweet iced caramel mochas at McDonalds. After we passed Kansas City, we stopped to fill up with fuel and ended up getting a salad bar at a grocery store for lunch. After we ate I took over driving and got us through the rest of Missouri.

Missouri countryside

Iowa wasn't my favorite place. At this moment, I can't exactly remember why, mostly construction and a deceitful rest stop sign that did it for me. We stopped in Omaha for fuel and then made our way into Nebraska and finally onto I-80. We desperately needed to make a pit stop and unfortunately picked a stop that wasn't the greatest. Some college girls ran out of the gas station as we arrived because they plugged up one of the toilets. After waiting for what felt like forever (since there was only one working toilet), we were ready to get back on the road. As we drove by the next exit (York) we saw a bunch of gas stations and even a Starbucks. If only we would have waited!

Gas station in Omaha

We stopped in Kearney to fill up with fuel and then made our way to Lexington. We had dinner at San Pedro, a little Mexican restaurant. Yes, that would be the third night on the road that we've had Mexican for dinner. We can't help it, it just finds us. I think my favorite though so far would be the Baja Burrito in Nashville.

The Great Platte River Road Archway in Kearney

Anyway, we're staying with my Dad's cousin here in Lexington. We chatted for a bit right when we got here. Cindy is so friendly and fun! We're so thankful for their hospitality. We're slowly getting showered and ready for bed. We'll be up again tomorrow and on the road around 7:00 am. I'm excited that we'll gain an hour tomorrow: hello, Mountain Standard Time! Okay, it's almost my turn to shower! I can't wait to sleep tonight! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Lexington

Roadtrip - Day 3: Lexington

We left Springfield bright and early to start one of the longer drives of the trip. We're on our way to Lexington, Nebraska. Heather and I have lots of family in Nebraska, so we'll be staying with them. We've only been back there twice for family reunions and visits so it'll be kind of fun to go there again. I think it's my dad's cousin we'll be staying with. We're about halfway through our trip! I hope you're all having a nice relaxing weekend!

Springfield

We made it to Springfield! Our day started at 6:00 am. We all got ready, ate a quick breakfast and then left the Whittaker's house at 7:00 am. We quickly made our way out of Tennessee, enjoying the gorgeous greenery, and into Kentucky. I loved the drive in Kentucky, it was pretty much straight roads through with pretty fields. We took a short break in Paducah, Kentucky. It was a cute small town and they were having a hot rod show. We walked up and down the main street and then stopped in Etc Coffee for mochas. It was back on the road, but unfortunately the road we had planned on taking was closed, probably due to flooding. Luckily we were able to find another road and it met up with the other one. We made our way through Missouri with just a couple stops for fuel and bathroom breaks.

We rolled into Springfield around 3:30 pm. We checked into a Motel 6, freshened up and then we headed over to Red Velvet. It was so exciting to actually visit and meet the girls. We spent a while looking around and ended up getting a couple things. We were all so tired and hungry, so we got dinner at a Mexican restaurant, Cielito Lindo, that Elsie recommended.

We're back at the hotel right now. I took a shower and got my stuff organized so I'm ready to go tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sleepy so I think I'll have an early bedtime. For some reason I thought the drive tomorrow would be something long like 12 hours, but I just looked and it's only 9-ish hours. I'm soooo thankful! I have another blog post scheduled for tomorrow morning, but I can't guarantee a post tomorrow night. I don't know if I'll have internet access yet. Anyway, time to get some rest. I'll leave you with some pictures from Red Velvet. Goodnight friends.

Roadtrip - Day 2: Springfield

We're of to Springfield, Missouri today! We're leaving Nashville early so that we'll have plenty of time when we get there. We'll be stopping at Emma and Elsie's Red Velvet shop. We couldn't be more excited!

Don't worry, we'll be sure to take some pictures while we're there!

Mashaville

Day one complete! We made it to Nashville or as I have been calling it all day, Mashaville.



We finished loading the car and got on the road by about 7:30am. We made a pit stop and fuel stop before we got to Atlanta. We stopped at Pinkberry for lunch and then made our way up to Nashville, after another fuel stop.

Unfortunately, the Whittaker family is out of town, but they so graciously let us stay at their house anyway (which, btw is gorgeous and so creatively decorated). We unloaded our suitcases, freshened up and then went to Baja Burrito for dinner, thanks to a suggestion on twitter. We ended up downtown on Broadway. It was fun to walk up and down the street and stop in some of the fun tourist-y shops. My favorite shop was the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. I was able to take some pictures in there and Heather ended up getting Taylor Swift's Speak Now on vinyl.

We're all pretty tired so we headed back to the house. We're going to relax a little bit, re-group and then get to bed early. We have another 8 hour drive ahead of us.

Follow me on Twitter for updates from the road.

Roadtrip - Day 1: Nashville

We're on our way to Nashville today! We'll be making a pit stop in Atlanta for some Pinkberry. YUM!

We'll be staying with Carlos Whittaker of Ragamuffin Soul and family tonight. Heather and I met him last month when he was in Idaho and had dinner at The Matador. See Heather's blog post HERE about it.

We can't wait to meet the rest of his family. You may recognize them from the video posted below.



Stay tuned for updates from the road!

Greetings from Savannah

I just wanted to check in and say hi! We've been having a great time in Savannah and I wanted to share some of what we've been doing. Jenny has had classes and stuff to finish up with school so Heather and I have been exploring while she's busy. Like we said in our video, Tuesday morning we got up early and Jenny dropped us off. We hung out at the coffee shop and then wandered around town taking pictures. Heather and I came back and took naps and then went to a class presentation with Jenny. We had dinner at a little Mexican restaurant and then came back, unwound and watched some tv.

Wednesday we slept in a little bit. Jenny was able to walk to class so Heather and I borrowed her car and went back to the coffee shop. We read our Nooks and then wandered around until we found a mailbox to send off some postcards. After Jenny's class we had a fun lunch with some of her classmates at a cute cafe nearby. We've mostly just been relaxing at her apartment, which is nice. (I'm writing this late Wednesday afternoon) Our plan for this evening is after Jenny's meeting to go to Lulu's Chocolate Bar and enjoy some dessert and Sparklebombs! But she has a presentation and test in the morning so we don't want to be out too late.

Here are a few pictures from when Heather and I explored the city.

Today we'll be packing up Jenny's car and then we're leaving bright and early tomorrow morning! I'll do my best to keep up from the road, but I'm not going to make any guarantees. I have a few scheduled posts from now until we get home, so you'll all know where we're at or where we're going.

looking back

I was inspired by Heather's post on Monday. Three years ago this month change was stirring in my heart and would soon be working it's way into my life. On April 6, 2008 I posted a blog on my LJ that included an excerpt from Donald Miller's book Through Painted Deserts. This is what it said:

"It's a living book, this life; it folds out in a million settings, cast with a billion beautiful characters, and it is almost over for you. It doesn't matter how old you are; it is coming to a close quickly, and soon the credits will roll and all your friends will fold out of your funeral and drive back to their homes in cold and still and silence. And they will make a fire and pour some wine and think about how you once were....and feel a kind of sickness at the idea you never again will be.

So soon you will be in that part of the book where you are holding the bulk of the pages in your left hand, and only a thin wisp of the story in your right. You will know by the page count, not by the narrative, that the Author is wrapping things up. You begin to mourn its ending, and want to pace yourself slowly toward its closure, knowing the last lines will speak of something beautiful, of the end of something long and earned, and you hope the thing closes out like last breaths, like whispers about how much and who the characters have come to love, and how authentic the sentiments feel when they have earned a hundred pages of qualification.

And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:

Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed."

Little did I know that about a week after that Heather would find out her internship placement and Jenny and I would decide to move to California with her. Actually, I announced it officially on my LJ 3 years ago TODAY. My life changed so much when I moved to California and it's changed so much since then. Here are a couple pictures from April 2008.

Easter weekend fun with the girls.

Making dinner with Valerie for our friends. The night Heather called me with her placement.

Hike with Megan and Aimee at the end of April 2008.

plans

You may have seen my tweets from the other day. Sometime in the near future Heather and I will be flying out to Georgia to help Jenny move back to Washington. We don't know yet if it will be in June (praying!) or September, but in the last week we've talked a little bit more about our plans for the roadtrip back. I got really excited and did some searching on Google Maps.

That route isn't set in stone, well the last half isn't. We're trying to decide if we should go through Kansas and Colorado or Nebraska and Wyoming. Any thoughts on which would be better? I've done the whole NE and WY thing a couple times already. We definitely want to stop in Nashville, TN (PINKBERRY!) and Springfield, MO (Red Velvet!). There's also an In-N-Out near Salt Lake City, UT that we (I) would like to stop at if we have the chance. Are you getting an idea of how we're planning this? Definitely not looking for the fastest route, haha! We'd probably make Boise (home) our last stop before heading up to the Seattle area. It's been so fun to at least talk about these plans with the girls, even if they aren't set in stone yet. Things have been difficult for me lately and I've needed something fun like this to look forward to.

I don't think we want this to take forever, but let me know if there's some cool places you think we should stop enroute to Washington. Or if you live in one of the stops and want to let three girls crash for the night. ;)

#21: Go to Tablerock

Last week two of my friends came to visit. Jenny and Megan's trips overlapped one day so we made the most and explored Boise. I thought going to Tablerock would be a great way for the girls to see the city and I could also cross it off my 25 before 26 list. Luckily the fog lifted just for us and then it settled back in after we left. Heather and Jenny didn't enjoy the trek up to the top (the road was partially closed), but I thought it was worth it.