In Yellowstone!

This was my favorite part of being in Yellowstone: stopping to play in the creek alongside the road, collecting pebbles and feeling the smooth rocks under my feet. Reminded me of many summers spent playing in creeks with my family on vacation.

Welcome to Seattle!

I really love this city. If I didn't already live in the #1 coolest place to live, I might live here (#2 probably) but I'd probably miss the sunshine too much. We made it last night, with time to grab dinner at a local cafe and get settled into Jackie's new place. Being that we were so excited to be in Seattle and ready to conquer the world, we went to bed early by 10:30 p.m.

Today, however, we have enjoyed sleeping in, eating breakfast at some pancake house, visiting a friend's cafe which was really cool and walking the scenic-but-over-an-hour-long route from Jackie's house to her new school near the water. It is a beautiful city. I love the water, the hills, the color of the clouds and the excitement of the sun shining for some short period of time!

day two: the flat tire

yes, a flat tire. thankfully, we were off the highway seeking some lunch when thud-thud-thud. a shiny screw in my friend's lovely tire. having some experience with tire changing (two flats in the first 6 months of owning my car in orlando), i was quick on the job of emptying the trunk, finding the donut, jack and tools. what i couldn't find, however, was the 'reinforced area' underneath the car where you should place the jack. it was, of course, right in front of my nose but it just didn't look 'reinforced' to me. so, by the time i was working on the jack, a man named lee saw us (me) suffering and came to help. donut on, we went to a tire store down the street, got it plugged and were on our way with only a 2.5 hour delay. good times. good memories.

we made our way through columbia, missouri to kansas city, missouri to council bluffs, iowa (a short detour into omaha, nebraska) and finally to sioux falls, south dakota. what does south dakota look like, you might wonder (but who ever would)? well, there is corn everywhere, along with barns, some trees and a short green plant that we think are potatoes but another source says it might be soybeans. i am skeptical about the beans.

so, what is coming tomorrow?! a long, annoying and uneventful trek across south dakota going due west. to make it more exciting, however, we will make a quick stop at mt. rushmore. then we will keep on truckin' until we get close to yellowstone. but, we will also be stopping at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. yes, it IS a palace made out of corn. i know, you're incredibly jealous. you should be. it's even listed in the book we saw at Barnes & Noble called "1,000 things you must do before you die."

here's a preliminary viewing of the corn palace (which apparently becomes food for the birds from the time it is re-created each year!)

day one

birmingham, alabama...nashville, tennessee...paducah, kentucky...illinois...st. louis, missiouri...and a little further.

highlights of the day:
-rolling hills of kentucky
-looking for "exciting" water towers (pictures to come)
-getting to st. louis and walking around a little bit
-CRAZY MAN WITH A PYTHON ON HIS CAR! (in st. louis, picture definitely to come!)
-getting to a hotel...and sleeping in something other than a car

the night before

highlights of the preliminary day of travel:
-safe plane travel to Birmingham
-reuniting with my friend Jackie
-hearing southern accents in their fullness
-buying iTunes for my own playlist in the car (a treat from Jackie)
-watching "Don't Forget the Lyrics" for the first time
-going to a Super WalMart (brings back old memories)
-listening to my new playlist
-seeing stars!
-going to sleep...

define "adult"

I just realized that I'm 27; I'm in my 'later twenties.' So it makes me wonder: What does being an adult really mean? I feel like 27 crept up on me and that I'm too young to be this age but I couldn't explain why. I read somewhere recently that because of college and other things, adolescence has crept its way into the lives 20-somethings, meaning the uncertainty and turmoil of being a teenager doesn't only apply to those actually in their teens. So, should I feel like an adult? I have a full-time job, which is probably turning into a career without me really knowing it. I have my own little apartment to rent. I cook for myself. I have to clean everything myself. I am 'responsible' for all that stuff, so I guess I am an adult. I just wonder what little 10-year old me might say to 27-year old me. Probably something like, "Really? You like vegetables?"