summer according to my iphone

I'm still trying to figure out the beginning and ending points of summer since now school isn't in the picture. In terms of weather, summer is still here, but Libby is off to school next week and Kelsey the next, so in a way "summer" in school terms is ending...so I guess it's an appropriate time for a blog post reflecting on summer 2013.

My summer highlights include: my work's softball team (we played Thursday nights at Elings Park -- so. much. fun), family vacays to Washington and Lake Arrowhead, and beginning to play soccer Sunday nights on the Westside. 

Here are some pics to document!

post-running with the padre.

Trip to Washington! Perfect way to begin? BERRIES GALORE. We were in heaven with all those delicious raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. 

Visiting with Grandma -- Dad even wore an apron. It was very cute.

Aaron's wedding! Here the cousins are -- just missing Kels. The wedding was BEAUTIFUL. One of the highlights was the long days of sunlight ..sun doesn't go down until like 9:30! The wedding was in a beautiful chapel and the reception was outside and there were lawn games, delicious BBQ dinner and lawn games, and pie too!

It was a highlight to be with my dad's family and I treasured time with my uncles, aunts, grandmas, cousins, and cousin's baby! 

Stephie is getting married! My cousin is getting married in October and we had a fun time going down to Orange County one weekend to help in celebrating the soon-to-be Mrs. Mertz!

And my other cousins, Andrea and Scott, are home from Cambodia, with their adorable son Zachary in tow! He's pretty fun to hang out with

Lake Arrowhead: we celebrated Grandpa's birthday in style with a week in the mountains. I'm so thankful for good vacation benefits and was able to take the whole week off. We enjoyed swimming, jacuzzi time, reading, sleeping in, good food (too much of it!), and just being together. And, I didn't wear make-up for a whole week! That's definitely a highlight on my list :)

And Kelsey came home. The Baker girls are back together again. I guess I'm the only one who's excited about it.

welcome to california

I made it to California. 

After two weeks of long car rides, books on tape, periodic bathroom stops, hotel and hostel sleeping, and countless interstate signs along the road, I am back in Southern California. It's funny to me how much scenery changes across the states I traveled through -- from the Nautica/polo-preppy attire of Cape Cod and manicured homes along the beaches of Massachusetts, through the vibrant green trees aligning the roads in the south, to the bare-landscape of the interstate leading to Searcy, Arkansas where there were homes just "here and there" for miles and miles, to the insane heat of Dallas, Texas, to the cactus-hills of Arizona, and then to the hazy fog of mornings in San Diego. On one side of the coast you see signs for Waffle House and Dunkin' Donuts and then finally you reach Arizona and the sign for "In-N-Out" miraculously appears. I wonder how when someone from another country decides to visit the US how they go about picking their exact destination.

I am thankful to be here. And I am thankful that I can say that confidently, even though I sometimes wonder if I fit in with Southern California culture and wonder what it's going to be like as I make friends here and make this my home again. 

Highlights from the trip:

(1) Being with my mom and friend Allison (P.S. Check out her blog - she has tons of sweet photos). You can't do a drive like this with out someone sitting in the passenger side, or driving while you take a nap. We passed the time together by listening to books on tape, enjoying the scenery, reading books to each other, chatting about things like the upcoming election and gender roles and weddings and jobs and work and figuring out life (and lots in between - including a very short game of 20 Questions).

(2) Friends and family along the way. It was really special to see family in Virginia and friends in Arkansas and California as we traveled. Plane flights are expensive, schedules are busy, and reconnecting across the miles is difficult. Hence, road tripping proved to be the perfect way to just be together - by eating meals, enjoying the pool, making crafts, and driving around their respective towns. It was fun to meet some of Allison's family along the way and to hang out in San Diego with our friend from the semester in Costa Rica. And I got to see one of the families I hung out with during my week in San Diego for spring break. That was so so SO special

(3) McDonalds: this is more of a confessionary point. I think I went to McDonalds almost every day during this trip. Before you freak out and assume I have gained 30 pounds, let me clarify that usually the stop was for iced coffee (and sometimes for a fruit n yogurt parfait as well). I always looked for those golden arches as we drove along the road - it was the perfect bathroom/coffee stop. 

(4) The South. In Virginia I saw the city of Richmond which holds many stories from the Civil War, in North Carolina I ate grits and fried okra, in Arkansas people wore high heels to church, and in Texas I heard the long accent drawl "how are youuuuuuuuuu?" The south is different and fun, and while I'm not sure I would want to live there, I enjoyed being there -- and I really do love that accent.
(5) My car, Charlie (pronounced Chah-lie). He was a champ. Despite a few minor hiccups along the road (climbing hills was a bit difficult at some points and my hazard lights decided to randomly go off 

at different points throughout the trip), my car did great and I am incredibly thankful for that!

the end!

texas / new mexico / arizona

texas:

fort worth at night

 dealey plaza. hello JFK!

 

brownwood (allison's college hometown)

beginning the drive to albuquerque before the sun rises ...here we go west texas!

we stopped at allison's cousin's restaurant in plainview, texas for some delicious mexican food!

we did go to new mexico. no pictures to document that trip, but we stayed at a nice home through air b&b and then headed to the grand canyon!

it was breathtaking. i don't think there's any more words needed to describe it. 

trekkin' through the south

and the journey continues!

places i can cross off my list (well, sort of -- certainly not enough time spent in all these beautiful places!)

*nashville, tn

*searcy, ar

mom and i checked out the grand ol' opry hotel in nashville

 crossing the mississippi river en route to arkansas!!!

 crafting it up in searcy, arkansas with our dear friends the grimes!!

 katie and i made earrings holders, candle holders and picture frames

now i'm in dallas, texas and off for the second leg of the journey with my friend allison.

i've been slacking on the words part of this blog -- trust me, there will be plenty to come. thanks for reading and following my adventures!!

from the east coast to the south

we are on the road!!!

places we've been to so far:

(1) cape cod: hyannis and chatham

(2) richmond, virginia

(3) asheville, north carolina

 [en route to chatham, ma]

virginia!

we visited hollywood cemetery with my aunt. here is jefferson davis: 

 it was a beautiful cemetery..

richmond, virginia

 this is what the front of the car looks like. thank you mcdonalds

 asheville, north carolina!

delicious dinner complete with biscuits and honey AND a selection of southern specialties: grits, beans, fried okra, and swiss chard - delicious! mom got bbq pork egg rolls and tomato soup :)

 the vanderbilt's mansion in asheville: the biltmore (quite enormous)

 the gardens

and that's it for now! we're in tennessee and off to arkansas!