VIVA LAS VEGAS (And Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas)

Well I stayed within budget so I’d say Vegas was a success! Of course as I drove east towards on Monday, it kept getting hotter and hotter. By the time I got to Excalibur it was at least 100 degrees and it was around 6pm. Monday night Chris and I walked up and down the strip and exploring a few of the casinos in our area. We also accepted an offer to tour a timeshare and receive free David Copperfield tickets plus $50. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn about timeshares but did not enjoy spending 4 hours of valuable pool time indoors being pressured into buying real estate. But we got the tickets and had fun at the free show on Tuesday night. Wednesday I got in some serious pool time and then we had dinner and caught the Knights of the Round Table show at Excalibur, where we were staying. Unfortunately, I think the fact that I was traveling and in the process of this move affected my energy and desire to do more in Las Vegas. So NEXT TIME I’ll have to do it as just a vacation, and not a stop on a cross-country drive.

Our next leg on Thursday was 600 miles and had lots of stops, but it was beautiful. After getting into Arizona, we drove through Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix, and then stopped in Tucson for dinner. Once it started getting dark near Tucson, we got to watch a really cool thunderstorm in the distance. We stayed overnight in a town called Willcox, in south eastern Arizona. Formerly I would have made fun of how “small-town” this place was, but I am moving from Depoe Bay so I have no room to talk.

Today was probably our longest straight day of driving at 12 ½ hours. What made it even stranger was going from Arizona, which doesn’t observe daylight savings time, through New Mexico, which is on Mountain time, and then ending in Texas, which is on Central time. For a short time in the afternoon, each hour of driving was two hours of time added to the clock. The most notable part of the drive was the section of I-10 by El Paso and Juarez. On one side of the freeway are your standard businesses and city housing structures, and on the other side are dirt hillsides covered in make-shift houses in Mexico. And even starting in New Mexico, most of the patrol cars on the road were not highway patrol, but border patrol.

Tomorrow we have a short drive to Chris’s parents’ and sister’s town of Justin, Texas. And you’ll be hearing from me again early next week. Sorry for my brevity on the last few days, especially Vegas. I’m committed to journaling regularly so I have more to write about next time.

Thanks for reading!

Hometown Love

When I first got to Redlands, it wasn’t quite as hot as Visalia was but I still wanted to jump in a pool right away. Luckily one of my friends was not working on Friday, so I got to spend some time cooling off.

I forgot how much I missed a skyline full of palm trees. While a lot of things have changed in Redlands, some things have stayed just the same. I have had such an amazing time visiting with some of my closest friends, seeing their new houses, and catching up on each others’ lives. It’s incredibly refreshing to be around people who know me well and can just pick up where we left off.

It has been a hard contrast of feelings for me here. I’ve been SO happy to spend quality time with my dear friends, but SO sad that this is my last stop on the West Coast. Today I’ll be driving east, and not knowing when I’ll be back is making this visit feel so final. At least it’s been a good one.

Rocking and Rolling

Only having to drive 200 miles on Day two was a nice change of pace. Of course I couldn’t sleep in on Thursday, so I got up early and headed to Santa Clarita to have lunch with my friend from UCSB. We had a delicious meal at an asian fusion restaurant, which was a great break from the heat. After lunch I decided to head to Macy’s and see if they had any shorts on sale since it was 90 degrees and I only own one pair. While I was looking around I felt the floor move, as if someone had jumped up and down right behind where I was standing. It only took me a second longer and one glance around to realize it was an earthquake. The shaking lasted less than ten seconds but it had an interesting feel to it because it was a back and forth movement instead of a roll. It reminded me of that moving sidewalk that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John dance on at the end of Grease.

My next stop was in downtown Los Angeles, to visit my college roommate who is attending USC Dental School. This was my first trip to USC and now I understand what people mean about the campus being beautiful, especially in contrast to the surrounding neighborhood. After stopping by the dental lab, Lola took me to a dental frat barbeque, which was pretty much as dorky as it sounds. But I say that with much love to all my new scrub wearing friends.

The main event of the evening turned out to be our dinner excursion to a place called Father’s Office. Lola’s lab partner had been talking about The Office Burger all afternoon, so I naturally expected this place to be a burger joint. It turned out to be this chic lounge and restaurant where you seat yourself, order at the bar, and pay $8 for a beer. But the burger was delicious. And now I’m in Redlands, and another update will follow shortly!

As Promised

Day 1 of the trip was a success even though it took 14 ½ hours. But I guess that’s not too bad considering I drove 800 miles. I finished up all my last minute packing on Monday by 12:30am so everything was completely ready to go in the morning. All I had to do was change clothes and brush my teeth, which turned out to be a good thing since I woke up for the first time at 3am. I managed to go back to sleep for a little while but around 6am I decided to just get up and go. After one last drive through town I said goodbye to Depoe Bay and was officially on the road by 7. It seemed somewhat appropriate that it was a dreary and drizzly morning (which was uncharacteristically rare for the Oregon Coast this summer).

Interstate 5, the part of the drive I was dreading the most, actually turned out to be the best. Between Depoe Bay and Albany (where I first reach I-5), there was some road work adding about 30min to my trip, and then in the last portion near Visalia there was also road work on highway 99. Other than a little slowing near Sacramento the trip was all smooth sailing, especially once I reached California and the speed limit went up to 70mph. I was surprised but grateful that I only had to stop for gas twice. With my new snug top shell and everything I own packed into the back of my truck I thought I would need more than that, but 2 ½ tanks got me all the way to Grandma Crisp’s.

Being back in CA and in Visalia is turning out to be pretty nostalgic. Just the smell of Grandma’s house and to a degree the whole town is extremely comforting. I’ve realized more and more how much I appreciate my family. It really started in college when for the first time I was around people who weren’t so fortunate in their personal lives. Regardless of economics or race, this was about the wealth of love and support, or lack thereof, which I had not been exposed to in high school. The more people I meet the more fortunate I feel to have such unconditional love and support from my family and close friends. I’ve known for a long time that you are what is most important in life and I truly feel like my decision to move and go on this journey will help me appreciate that even more. Despite how much of my heart I left in Oregon.

My New New Exciting Plan

Surprise, surprise—my plans changed again! Not only did I fail to log some of my summer adventures, but I also failed to move at the end of summer ‘09. It’s hard to believe that it has been over two years since I last posted (TWO YEARS!!!). When my job at the Sea Hag ended, I floated around a bit and bartended for a few months until I found a job at a bank in Newport, Oregon, which is commuting distance from Depoe Bay. I worked there for a year and really enjoyed my coworkers, but realized that I didn’t see a future for myself at the bank or on the Oregon coast. Finally I made the decision to set a date and move.

Because Depoe Bay is such a tourist town, there are a lot of seasonal job opportunities available. And even though I was leaving the bank, I wanted to stay for a few more months, save money, and enjoy the rest of my time in Depoe Bay. And since June, that is just what I’ve been doing. I work at the Chowder Bowl, which is a great family owned restaurant in Depoe Bay. But coming up here in about a week I am driving all the way to Pennsylvania. I bought a canopy shell for my truck and I’ve consolidated all of my stuff so that it fits in the back.

I’m excited to go but sad to leave this beautiful place and all the great people I’ve met here. It’s nice to be back on the blog and I’m looking forward to writing about my trip—thanks for reading!

My New Exciting Plan

I know my last post said that I was staying in Santa Barbara, BUT after a lot of thought I have changed my mind. Originally I was thinking, "If I don't have a plan, I should just stay here." But the more I thought about my options I realized, since I don't have plans I should go somewhere else, do something different, do anything! There is no better time than the present.

This all seems a bit cliche, I know. But I do have a temporary plan for the summer. My roommate Lola's Dad co-owns a restaurant in Depoe Bay, Oregon. They need waitresses for the summer and there is also a house on the property where I can live rent free. So I'll be saving money, doing something different and exciting, and living in a new beautiful place! Another great part about working there is that Depoe Bay is only 2 and 1/2 hours from Beaverton, where Megan and Trevor live!

After the summer, if I haven't found a job in Portland, I'll move back to good ol' PA and live with Mom and Dad. I was hesitant to do this before because I was worried about isolating myself on the East Coast. But it's always been a dream of mine to live and work in NYC, so I'm going to make it happen!

So I have three weeks left to enjoy SB and my friends here. It will be a whirlwind of final assignments, planning, packing, and of course GRADUATION. I'll keep you updated on my move and summer adventure!

Thanks for reading.

Hiatus Discontinued

Ok so I lied, I never came back and posted pictures from Australia-- I'm sorry.

BUT I have new and exciting things to talk about like the ever looming question, "WHAT AM I DOING AFTER GRADUATION?"

...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Currently my plan is to apply for jobs but rent a place in Santa Barbara. If I find something good that I want to take (basically anything right now) I will take it. But since I don't know if that will happen I want to stay here and work the jobs I have and enjoy California.

I will update as my job search and graduation plans progress. For now I hope you all are doing well and you will hear from me soon!