I'm Alive.

If your wondering, or maybe your not, how my moving/road tripping went, well... I am alive! The drive from South Texas to Salt Lake City is loooong. So very long.

Imagine this: You driving a little over 24 hours in a two seater truck with two other people that are male and both over six feet tall. So cramped.

I was really worried that the trip was going to be terrible, but I surprisingly had a really good time. There wasn't a dull moment. I took a bunch of pictures on the road, and have a few stories to tell but I'll save them for later. You see, I haven't full recovered from my travels and lack of sleep, and I haven't really had the chance to relax just yet. But I am enjoying Utah, seeing my Utah friends, and the cooler weather. It will be back to normal soon. I promise!

Carli

Road Trip Snap Shots

Amidst the craziness of moving. I completely forgot about Record Tuesday. I suppose I will post some music later today and call it Record Thursday for just this once... sorry.

Today was our third day on the road. I am so tired of being in the car right now. We are currently in the middle of nowhere Texas and I surprisingly have phone service. Basically I am trying to find something to occupy my endless amounts of road time... Why is Texas so big?! I mean really... Ok that was out of line... In all honesty, Texas should be bigger, and only a native born Texan would say that. All I am saying is that after a day and a half of driving we finally reach the Texas border and still have 10 hours to drive.

The following are some snapshots I took on my phone of our trip. I've been taking lots of pictures with my digital camera (and film camera). The plan is to post all of those pictures and adventure stories throughout the next week. I will also be introducing a new blog series!

Empty... Except for winter clothes.

Emigration Canyon, UT

Driving through Arches National Park, UT

Best lemonade. Seriously.

Route 66 Diner Albuquerque, NM 

(sorry it's a little washed out.)

Valley of Fire, NM

Best. Place. Ever.

A road trip is not a road trip without an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen.

You can check out some other stops from my Road Trip too!

Valley of Fire, Trinity Site, Route 66 Diner, Arches National Park, Salt Lake City, 

Snap Shots

Carli

Last Sunday in Utah.

I cannot believe that I am moving back to Texas tomorrow. My dad is currently on a flight into Salt Lake and we are going to embark on an adventure into the mountains soon after he lands. The past couple of days have been busy busy. I have been trying to spend time with all of my friends and pack my billion pounds of stuff that I have accumulated over the past year. Seriously. I had no idea how much stuff I really had until I pulled it all out and put it into the middle of the floor. The following picture illustrates not even all of my craft stuff. Good news is that I only have a tiny bit more packing to do later tonight.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Courtney, Ben, Kaitlyn, and I went to the park to enjoy the weather even though I still had a ton of packing to do. Since it was Earth Day we thought it would be nice to spend at least a little bit of time outside.

If you don't really hear from me in the next couple days, it is because I am driving a 24 hour drive back to Texas. Don't worry! I haven't forgotten about you! My dad and I will be making some stops along the way to explore the "in between". So expect some pictures soon! The "in between" is a term that I coined for meaning all the little places that you wouldn't ordinarily travel to, but are significant enough to stop at them on the way to your destination. Traveling is so much more fun when you stop and discover.

Carli

Pioneer Day

Dispite the fact that I love my Texas, I will say that Utah has it’s perks. They have a month long firework celebration! You can legally buy and shoot off fireworks for pretty much the entire month of July. Whereas Texas only allows you to light em’ up for a couple days each holiday. Sometimes you can’t even do it at all, but i’ve got Texas’s back… It’s not his fault that mother nature dries out the land making it dangerously flamable.

Yesterday was Pioneer Day. What is that you ask!? It’s Utah’s own personal holiday to commemorate Pioneers. Cool Right!?

Pioneer Day ended the legality of fireworks… but it definitly went out with a bang! Courtney, Ben, and I went to Liberty Park to watch the last Hurah. Unfortunatly it was lightly raining so I did not want to chance bringing my camara. The park was packed. Blankets of people scattered the ground making it hard to find an open spot. We settled down on my mexican picnic blanket by the pond and waited. Although the rain was not comforting, it was such a beautiful night. As we waited for the fireworks to commence, I looked around at all the people. So many different people from different walks of life all coming together to enjoy the bursts of fire. The people behind us were so very classy… That was sarcasim if you did not catch it. They renamed the holiday Pie&Beer Day and they were in fact celebrating it. But, nothing could ruin that night. The fireworks were stunning.

It’s those simple things that make me happy.

Carli

Baby Fever.

I just want to talk about babies. Little hands. Little toes. Little smiles. 

I get emotional.

Last night a little baby came into this world. Riley Christopher Collins. Unfortunately he is in Texas and I am in Utah. How can a little chubby bald guy with no teeth make all the girls swoon? That only happens when your a baby. Girls never swoon over chubby bald men with no teeth. Sorry guys….

It’s just amazing to me how these little people grow so fast and become actual individuals.

I could go on and on…. But I wont.

So here are some new things i’ve learned about Utah.

1. Pretty much every mini van or SUV has those family stickers on the back. You know the one with the parents and all 7 kids. Plus the dog Dingo and the cat Socks. I’ve noticed that a lot of them have the Mickey Mouse hats on. 

2. Most families here have been to Disney Land.

3. There are a lot of worms. I mean tons! They go on the side walk during a rain and then shrivel up and die before they can get back to the grass.

4. Most residents aren’t as over zealous about Utah as Texans are about Texas.

5. No one knows what confetti eggs are. Courtney told Ben we were making chicharones (i believe I spelt that wrong). And Ben says “ooh that sound yummy!” Poor Ben didn’t know that you actually crack them on peoples heads.

6. People are afraid of ice cream trucks. This baffles me. 

Utah is strange.

Carli

The Beginning.

Opening a new chapter, taking a step forward, diving in head first….

Is that what I am about to do?! Pioneering into a new situation? As heart wrenching as it may seem. Am I excited? Partly. Am I sad? Partly. Am I afraid? Yes. Am I ready? More then ever. 

I am moving in 16 days to a far off land called Utah. Why Utah I have been asked many times… I say why not? It is something I must do. So this is the beginning. The beginning of my adulthood. And with this blog I hope to record the life lessons I learn, the adventures I have, the wisdom I gain, and the time it takes me to realize that I have exceeded the expectations that others have set for me, but most importantly the expectations I have set for myself. Simple yet so complicated life is… Maybe I’ll figure it out, maybe I won’t. 

Carli