So this was suppose to be the trip of a lifetime but life happens and we need to rearrange things. I am still planning on doing this trip but due to unexpected circumstances I have to head home early.
I gave myself 3 options for this situation.
1. to cancel everything and drive straight home.
2. to leave all my crap including my car and fly home for the time being then fly back here and continue my trip. (not knowing the length I will have to be home this didn't sound logical but thank you Jeanette for offering to store my stuff)
3. Re-plan the trip for a quicker ride home then when things settled down, start over again with the original plan.
I opted for option 3.
So here's the "New Plan." If all goes well I will pick up this trip sometime in October and will resume this blog.
In the mean time:
This week Jeanette and I are heading to Las Vegas. We'll leave Wednesday and return to Salt Lake City on Friday. I will start for home sometime this weekend. Not sure of the route yet but it shouldn't take me more than a week. I plan on seeing the middle of the country, a more direct route home, and be home the weekend of September 11.
I want to thank you all so much for keeping up with my blog. You've all given some great advice and I really appreciate the cheerleading you've done.
I do have lots more pics and stuff to post and will hopefully have them up this week.
Love,
Christina
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
The VERY VERY Tentative Plan for My Way Home
Ok... this is as stated the extremely tentative plan for the road trip home. Please feel free to comment! No dates are known at this time but plan on 3-5 days in each city... see you all sometime 2011 :) just kidding...maybe.
Seattle WA
Portland OR
Sacramento CA (Hi to Uncle Billy & Aunt Sandy etc)
San Francisco
then via the 101 interstate
Los Angeles
then via route 66 (lifetime dream... perfect timing!)
Phoenix AR
Santa Fe NM
Dallas Tx
off route 66
New Orleans La
Mobile Al
Memphis Tn (and to see Jim, Dawn and Paul)
Savannah Georgia
Charleston SC
Charlotte NC
Virginia ??
DC
Maryland
Eastern PA
Home
where to sleep for who knows how long.
So what do you all think? Did I miss anything huge? I really did want to see Chicago and some other northern states but I am only 30 with plenty of time.
Love you,
Christina
Seattle WA
Portland OR
Sacramento CA (Hi to Uncle Billy & Aunt Sandy etc)
San Francisco
then via the 101 interstate
Los Angeles
then via route 66 (lifetime dream... perfect timing!)
Phoenix AR
Santa Fe NM
Dallas Tx
off route 66
New Orleans La
Mobile Al
Memphis Tn (and to see Jim, Dawn and Paul)
Savannah Georgia
Charleston SC
Charlotte NC
Virginia ??
DC
Maryland
Eastern PA
Home
where to sleep for who knows how long.
So what do you all think? Did I miss anything huge? I really did want to see Chicago and some other northern states but I am only 30 with plenty of time.
Love you,
Christina
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Pictures Capital and Visitors Center
Welcome to Salt Lake City, Capital of Utah
Visitor's Center
Capital Building3 AM... well now 4:30
Ok... so its 3 am and I can't sleep. Thinking of all the things I've been doing lately and how different it all is from life back home.
The jist of this past week with pics of course:
Thursday August 5, 2010
Jeanette and I took off for Snowbird for what I thought was an easy going walk.... apparently not! Nothing is easy going at over 8,000 Feet! We walked more than a half mile up to a beautiful scenic overlook. Thankfully it was worth the overbearing exhaustion it caused. OMG... I will definetly have super powers when I get back to NY. 5,000 feet doesn't effect me at all now.
Later that night and after some much needed motrin we went to a free concert in the park. Great music and tons of cool people. They have this every Thursday and next week we're seeing Matisyahu and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. Good times!
Friday August 6, 2010
So today I couldn't move... we basically just vegged and watched movies.
Saturday August 7, 2010
Tonight we went to a BBQ at friends Chad and Cameron's (a fellow New Yorker who knows the value of real Italian bread and Hoffman hot dogs (nope neither in Utah!)
Sunday August 8,2010
I actually don't remember what we did.... funny what a vaca, no planner and fun times does to one! I think Jeanette and I played tennis?!?
Monday August 9, 2010
Apparently recovered from last week enough to actually go sightseeing with roomate Bernadette. We went to Temple Square (where the Mormans are), The Cathedral of Mary Madeleine... the largest Catholic church in Utah and the only one in the US named for her. (see pics)
We went on to the DI (Deseret Industries). Its basically the Salvation Army for Mormans. Great stuff though and super cheap. For dinner we got chinese food... yeah umm its definetly an east coast thing.
Tuesday August 10, 2010
Wow didn't even know that was the date till I looked it up just now. I think I'm becoming to laxed out here. Must be the air!
Today Frannie (fab roomate) and I went up to Park City. Jodie you're right... great shopping! We went to the outlets but somethings different... my shopping urge has been replaced (don't tell Dad it might come back) with life. Strange. Didn't know living could be this fullfilling. Just wish Mom could see me or that I cold see her. Thinking of her a lot lately. Know she'd be proud, a little worried I wouldn't come home, but most of all over the moon with happiness.
Plans for the rest of the week if I don't make it back here:
Wednesday errands, laundry and Jeanette's softball game.
Thursday Twilight free concert series in the park.
Friday PRIMUS concert!! WooHoo haven't seen them in about a decade! Feel very old right now.
Much love to all of you. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the Pics!
xoxo Christina
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Man what a workout!
Sunset in Park City
Rainbow at the ballgame
Jeanette at the ballgameSo I thought today would be a good rest day. Bernadette, Frannie and Jeanette all had to work. So around 3:00 I got this urge to garden... Jeanette's lawn was full of overgrown weeds. I pulled all but a few out. About half way through the sun came out and the temp went up. By the end I was drenched with sweat.
After a quick shower we all headed to Park City for Jeanette and Frannie's Wednesday night softball game. Jeanette had said I wouldn't even need a jacket its so hot here. I don't know if we brought it with us but it poured and was freezing. Thankfully I never listen to her and had a coat with me.
After soaking and freezing I felt strangely energetic so we came home and played tennis till they turned the lights off on us. After that we went walking... walking even on solid steady ground at 5,000 feet is like doing the stairmaster on turbo. I am going to be so freakin' strong by the time I get back to NY.
So that was today. Nothing to exciting. We're going to veg and watch a movie. night!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ahhhh the mountains....
Jeanette's street.... cottonwood Utah
The mountain view from close to Jeanette's house
So pretty..... and peaceful
and BIG!
entering Salt Lake CityWelcome to Utah... early morning sunrise
Sunrise driving into Utah
Windmills overlooking the sunrise, Utah
Welcome to Utah
On the Road.... Yeah Utah!!!
July 29, 2010
9:55am EST
On the road.... 12 hours and counting. In Illinois... just bypassed Chicago.
I started driving last night at 9:15. We got delayed trying to cram everything in the car. I knew I should've bought a bigger SVU. Thank you Mrs. F and space bags.
New York (17) to PA (90) to Ohio (80) roughly.
I drove till 5:30 am until my eyelids could no longer stay open.
It's obvious that Jeanette and I have vastly different tastes in music but we worked it out... who ever's driving gets dibs.
July 30, 2010
Finally... Utah!!!! We made it into Salt Lake City at about 7:30 mountain time (9:30 EST). We stopped for breakfast then sleep.... lots and lots of sleep.. about 25 hours worth. Got to sleep at about 1:00pm on Friday till 2:30 pm Saturday. To the point where I forgot where I was and why it was so freak'in hot.
Jeanette's house is so cute. Thankfully has central air. It's about 95* here and very little humidity. Some friends were complaining that it was sticky but the himidity was only about 20%. Not like the 95% we have back in lovely upstate NY. And what a difference the air makes. My hair and my skin are so soft and my allergies almost gone!
July 31, 2010
So after catching up on some much needed sleep Saturday we went to lunch at the famous Lone Star Taquirea (as seen on Diner's Drivein's and Dives) then to Sam's club. (OMG crap including gas is so much cheaper here... I guess that shouldn't be a suprise anymore.) Saturday night we went to some friend's for dinner. Umm yeah... Jeanette has extremely HOT fireman friends. Not only do they have god like abbs but they fight wildfires and even cook.
From there we went hiking... yes I went hiking! So Salt Lake City is at about 5,600 ft while say Syracuse is at 500 ft... I now have lungs of steel and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Got some great pictures of SLC at night. From where we were we could see the whole city lit up.
August 1, 2010
Today was a lazy day. I rested and then cooked for a cocktail party thrown by a friend we went to high school with. Weird seeing him after 12 years in utah. I made roasted red pepper dip with baked bruchetta. It was a big hit.
I met some amazing people including Amber and her adorable 1 year old daughter Aria. Amber says she knows all the hot spots for shopping in Utah... a girl after my own heart.
Jeanette mentioned that SLC was just a big strip mall but I had no idea its literally a shopaholics best and worst dream come true!
August 2, 2010
Today I hung around with Jeanette's room mate some, Frannie. She is such a great person. I love her energy and crave for life. I think she's going to be an unintentional faboulus influence on me.
Went shopping today... no where exciting just errands. Made lots of plans though to see different attractions around Utah.
Here's some of the list:
Arches National Park
Zion National Park
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Catherdral of the Madeleine (Roman Catholic Church)
Red Butte Gardens
SLC Olympic Cauldren Park
Temply Square
Family History Library and Family Search Center
Kennecott Copper Mine
Bear Lake Raspberry Festival
August 3, 2010
Today I met Jeanette's other roommate, Bernadette. She is faboulous and a cook like me. From the East as well so she understands my craving for authentic Italian food. (ie. pizza, macaroni, she even knows what beans and greens are and that I won't be able to make it here in Utah)
So the reason this blog has taken so long is my laptop decided not to recognize the wireless connection and after writing all this in a word doc I was unable to cut/paste so I retyped everything. Hopefully from now on I will be able to keep up on a daily basis.
love to you all. Christina
9:55am EST
On the road.... 12 hours and counting. In Illinois... just bypassed Chicago.
I started driving last night at 9:15. We got delayed trying to cram everything in the car. I knew I should've bought a bigger SVU. Thank you Mrs. F and space bags.
New York (17) to PA (90) to Ohio (80) roughly.
I drove till 5:30 am until my eyelids could no longer stay open.
It's obvious that Jeanette and I have vastly different tastes in music but we worked it out... who ever's driving gets dibs.
July 30, 2010
Finally... Utah!!!! We made it into Salt Lake City at about 7:30 mountain time (9:30 EST). We stopped for breakfast then sleep.... lots and lots of sleep.. about 25 hours worth. Got to sleep at about 1:00pm on Friday till 2:30 pm Saturday. To the point where I forgot where I was and why it was so freak'in hot.
Jeanette's house is so cute. Thankfully has central air. It's about 95* here and very little humidity. Some friends were complaining that it was sticky but the himidity was only about 20%. Not like the 95% we have back in lovely upstate NY. And what a difference the air makes. My hair and my skin are so soft and my allergies almost gone!
July 31, 2010
So after catching up on some much needed sleep Saturday we went to lunch at the famous Lone Star Taquirea (as seen on Diner's Drivein's and Dives) then to Sam's club. (OMG crap including gas is so much cheaper here... I guess that shouldn't be a suprise anymore.) Saturday night we went to some friend's for dinner. Umm yeah... Jeanette has extremely HOT fireman friends. Not only do they have god like abbs but they fight wildfires and even cook.
From there we went hiking... yes I went hiking! So Salt Lake City is at about 5,600 ft while say Syracuse is at 500 ft... I now have lungs of steel and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Got some great pictures of SLC at night. From where we were we could see the whole city lit up.
August 1, 2010
Today was a lazy day. I rested and then cooked for a cocktail party thrown by a friend we went to high school with. Weird seeing him after 12 years in utah. I made roasted red pepper dip with baked bruchetta. It was a big hit.
I met some amazing people including Amber and her adorable 1 year old daughter Aria. Amber says she knows all the hot spots for shopping in Utah... a girl after my own heart.
Jeanette mentioned that SLC was just a big strip mall but I had no idea its literally a shopaholics best and worst dream come true!
August 2, 2010
Today I hung around with Jeanette's room mate some, Frannie. She is such a great person. I love her energy and crave for life. I think she's going to be an unintentional faboulus influence on me.
Went shopping today... no where exciting just errands. Made lots of plans though to see different attractions around Utah.
Here's some of the list:
Arches National Park
Zion National Park
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Catherdral of the Madeleine (Roman Catholic Church)
Red Butte Gardens
SLC Olympic Cauldren Park
Temply Square
Family History Library and Family Search Center
Kennecott Copper Mine
Bear Lake Raspberry Festival
August 3, 2010
Today I met Jeanette's other roommate, Bernadette. She is faboulous and a cook like me. From the East as well so she understands my craving for authentic Italian food. (ie. pizza, macaroni, she even knows what beans and greens are and that I won't be able to make it here in Utah)
So the reason this blog has taken so long is my laptop decided not to recognize the wireless connection and after writing all this in a word doc I was unable to cut/paste so I retyped everything. Hopefully from now on I will be able to keep up on a daily basis.
love to you all. Christina
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