9.28.2010

On the Road to L.A.: Route 66

And the road trip posts begin! On the night of July 12th, Kristal, Jaime and I loaded up Jaime's brand new Honda Pilot (and I do mean we loaded it up... pack rats, we are) and rolled out of town just before midnight. Before we even made it 60 miles to the state line, Kristal had a new nickname, and clothes started coming off (I promise, this is not as risque as it sounds). We drove all night, thanks to Red Bull, gas station coffee doctored up with just about fifty packs of sugar and ten ounces of half and half, and good music. We drove all the way through Oklahoma, stopping at sketchy gas stations throughout the night, and made it toAmarillo, Texas just after the sun came up. And we made sure to sing "Amarillo By Morning."

After a little nap and a shower, we slipped on our sundresses, grabbed ourselves some Starbucks (Starbucks will be a common theme in this road trip story) and hit the road. Oh, and Kristal made sure to sing "On the Road Again" every single time we hit the road! Before getting out of Amarillo, we stopped at the Cadillac Ranch, which is a sad, rundown, muddy place, but we loved it.

We only drove 400 miles that day, because we took Route 66 for much of the way and stopped in lots of cute nearly abandoned towns to photograph old motels and restaurants. Route 66 is magical! It's such a unique part of history, and I'm so happy that I was able to experience it. We drove through the rest of Texas and made it to Tucumcari, New Mexico before dusk. Tucumcari is such an intoxicating Route 66 town. The motels and restaurants there are classic, picture perfect little places.

We continued to drive through New Mexico. We ate the best burgers and fries of our lives at a gas station in New Mexico. We also met a mean old man at a gas station and saw a crumbly, broken old church in New Mexico. We saw the lowest clouds ever in New Mexico! We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for some necessary iced coffee and treats in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We really just loved New Mexico.

We stopped at a hotel in Gallup, New Mexico very late that night for some much needed sleep and a shower. Ohh, that's right, our shower DID NOT WORK. Insignificant things like broken hotel showers are what make life interesting, eh? I do believe so.

The Cadillac Ranch

Pssst. Don't let them fool you. They're not Caddies!

The Vega Motel in Texas

There was all kinds of pretty antique furniture outside of the Vega Motel. I wanted to take it all home with me!

The halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles on Route 66.

Ugly Crust Pies!

This place was not so fabulous anymore. :(

"And this, dear friends, is how you do a cartwheel." Kristal, myself & Jaime in Texas.

Cutest motel I ever did see. Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Another abandoned Tucumcari motel. The beds were still made... very eerie. And the pool was full of grass.

Feetsies.

Busted church. Creeeeeps me out, still.

Oh, New Mexico.

(Sorry this is so long and detailed. I just love experiencing every moment of this wonderful trip all over again, and I feel like it's one of those stories where you NEED to know all the details to understand just how perfect it really was!)

9.27.2010

Road Trip to Los Angeles

In July, I went on the road trip of a lifetime with two beautiful, hilarious, smart, sassy ladies: my sister Kristal and her cousin Jaime (yes, it is possible for Jaime to be my sister's cousin, but not MY cousin... we come from a silly family).

We drove 1,580 miles to Los Angeles, taking Route 66 for much of the trip, passing through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and sunny California.

All we expected was to spend a few days in Los Angeles, visiting the Hollywood sign, soaking up the sun on the beach, and exploring the city. But it kinda ended up being a V.I.P. sorta thing when we were invited to work on the tv show Plain Jane and stay with the show's director.

I've never been on such a trip- we saw so much, laughed so much, ate so much, drank so much (Starbucks, duh), relaxed so much, and experienced so, so much. I have tons of good memories, good photos, and good stories to share, and I can't wait to finally be putting them all on this little thing! I will start posting road trip recaps this week.

9.24.2010

Weekend!

I'm trying to be a good person. Really.
I am always nice to old people. I attempt to care about what's on the news. I take my vitamins when I remember to. I have (almost) managed to control my temper.

But this week I ate a dozen cupcakes all by myself (at least they were tiny!). I skipped three days at the gym. I stayed up all night, every night, and as a result, I was really grouchy. I ate fast food every day. I did poorly on two tests at school.

Luckily I only have one obligation this weekend: writing an article that I'm convinced is never going to come together. I plan on spending the rest of it visiting with my family who will be in town, taking long naps, watching my little sisters perform as Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka, and reading the giant stack of magazines that my bedroom floor has accumulated.

9.21.2010

What do you do on the day your love leaves for a month?

You crawl back into bed, pull the covers over your head, & skip your class to sleep for hours because you are cold, sad, & sleepy. When you finally wake up, you immediately start shopping for plane tickets to go see him in a few weeks. Then you leave the house only to go get a gigantic cup of iced coffee which you drink while reading a stack of magazines on the couch. You fill the living room with flowers so you won't be sad every time you walk in the front door. You paint your nails, go to the gym, clean the kitchen. You wash, dry, fold & put away every piece of laundry in the house. You drive aimlessly, go to your parents' house twice, eat three cupcakes.

That's what. And that's only half of it.

There are 733 miles, 4 states, & roughly 30 days between us. I am not a fan of business trips. Not at all.

*photo via weheartit

9.17.2010

Have a happy weekend!


This weekend is going to be really good because:
a. I get to see my lover for the first time in three long days.
b. I got a 98% on the really awkward play I wrote for my theatre class.
c. I have no homework.
d. We are (hopefully) going to the mountains!
e. Weekends > weekdays.
f. We've been working out a whole lot lately... so we're going to reward ourselves with lots & lots of unhealthy food. Like cupcakes, pizza, a burger & enchiladas. Yay!

My love leaves for Michigan for a whole stupid month on Monday. So we will definitely be cramming as much as possible into two short tiny days. I miss that handsome fellow already.

I hope you all have a happy, safe, relaxing weekend with someone you love!

*photo of one of our favorite places in the whole state, Petit Jean Mountain. We're obsessed with those views!

9.14.2010

flowers from my dear

I kind of think gerber daisies are the loveliest things on this earth.
Thank you, darling. You're my favorite.


*And yes, that is a hamburger phone. It is maybe one of my most prized possessions.

9.10.2010

a love letter

Dear Lover,

I love your back rubs. back scratches. back massages. and foot massages, too.
I love it when you wear that blue v-neck shirt I got for you. It is very sexy.
I love your bed time prayers and words.
I love that you never, ever complain about always being the big spoon.
I love your silly songs, and I love that you love my silly songs, too.
I love it when you play with my hair while I'm driving.
I love it when you load the dishwasher/take out the trash.
I love how much you love my parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts, etc.
I love how much they love you, too.
I love how excited you get about cooking on the grill.
I love that you know how to fix everything.
I love that you don't mind having tea parties with me.
I love that you talk British sometimes.
I love your gigantic shoe collection, even though they're huge (size 15) & take up too much space.
I love how you tell me that I'm a good singer, even when I try to sound bad.
I love that you are always up for a spontaneous road trip.
I love that you are big and manly and tall and tough and strong.

I love your faith. I love your sweet spirit. I love your weirdness.
I love your kisses. I love your face. I love your hands.

And really, Lover, I just love you.