Food and Friends

So on our full day in Victor/Jackson Hole Kayla and I slept in which was great because we definitely needed it. Then we went for lunch at the Mangy Moose. It was nice to just relax and chat with Gavin the bartender. Then we went to Jackson and wandered around the town a little bit before getting ice cream at Moo's and heading back to Julie and Josh's. We spent the rest of the evening just swapping stories and eating homemade chili. We then put on Love Actually and had fun girl time as Kayla, Julie, and I watched it. Then we got our things together so we could get up early and head out.

This morning we got up early and packed up Conner and headed north to Montana. As we crossed the border there were snow flurries and a nice white background. We got into Missoula and went to the Bayern Brewery to sample a few beers and buy a few souvenirs. After that we headed further north into the mountains to visit with Kayla's uncle Bob. We had a nice visit and chatted about all sorts of things for a few hours before we headed back to Missoula. We got dinner at Cracker Barrel and sat in Starbucks for a while to use the internet. Our plans changed a little so instead of staying at Kayla's uncle's, we got a room in a motel for cheap a few hours north near Glacier Park. It's pretty cold up here right now so it made sense for the price we paid to stay there rather than camp out and freeze. So we're here for the night and tomorrow we head out for Glacier Park and then make the drive towards Seattle.

It's been a lot of fun so far but we're both pretty exhausted so I'm only describing the overall events here rather than all the other things that compile to create the adventures we're having because of it. Eventually I'll try to find the time to get a lot more detail in here. But until next time...later!

Super Busy Fun-Filled Days!

So following my previous post, Kayla and I headed out and drove through the night (alternating one of us driving and the other sleeping) to get to Badlands National Park in South Dakota in the morning. We arrived to a beautiful sunny sky which made our hike on the Notch Trail that much more amazing. The trail was fun and the views were great. We continued on and drove through the rest of the park stopping here and there to take pictures. After making a pitstop for coffee, we headed back out in search of Mount Rushmore. As we got close to the monument, we stopped for about an hour in a local Starbucks to do a little research and make reservations for some adventures that we had set up for the next day. Then back on the road. We saw Mount Rushmore and took a few pictures before heading back out to Sundance, Wyoming. We stopped there and found the statue of the Sundance Kid which Kayla thoroughly enjoyed. Then a little more driving to get to Devil's Tower. We stopped and took pictures a little way from the base of it because there was a thunderstorm threatening to break at any minute-which we got caught in during our next bout of driving anyway. Then it was a long trek to our campsite over a snow covered mountain. We didn't get there until two in the morning and since we had to get up at seven, we decided to use all of our time for sleeping rather than assembling and disassembling a tent, so we just slept in the truck.

The next morning we got to shower and all that and then headed for Crossed Sabers Rance where we had arranged for a two hour horseback ride. The people have all been so friendly, it's so much different from back home. Our guide's name was Jacob from Arkansas. He helped us with out horses. Kayla's was Smokey, mine was Rowdy. If I could've brought my horse home with me I would have, I loved him. We also had a girl named Bayley riding with us. She worked for the ranch but had never actually ridden before. So the four of us headed out and had a great time. We took some pictures along the way and Jacob offered to take a few of us in scenic areas. After I sadly had to say goodbye to Rowdy, we drove to Yellowstone National Park. The park is so beautiful and we stopped a lot to take pictures. We saw Bison really close to the road in a few spots so we stopped to take pictures. Then We drove up to the Falls and took some beautiful photos there. Then on to Old Faithful. We lucked out (again, not so sure I believe in dumb luck these days...) but we got there with less than a half hour of when it was supposed to go off so we were fortunate enough to see that. Then we drove out of the park through Grand Tetons National Park. As we were driving we saw a bunch of cars along the road so we stopped and found out that there was a moose just in the woods who had given birth to a baby moose just minutes before our arrival. The umbilical cord was still attached and everything. So after being super excited to see that, we drove into Jackson Hole to meet up with Julie, a friend of Kayla's. She led us to her home in Victor, Idaho where I met her husband Josh. They took us out for dinner and after downing half of a pie myself I was finally full after a day of not eating much but junk. When we got back to their house we talked for a few minutes before Kayla and I passed out. We slept for a long time which was much needed. Now we're trying to catch up on some things like our blogs before venturing back to Jackson Hole to tour and visit with Josh and Julie.

Everything has been so exciting and amazing for us thus far and we're only on our fifth day. I can't even imagine what is in store for us in the next few weeks. All I know is I feel truly blessed and and thankful for everything everyday. That's all for now though, I'll update again when I can!

Wow--Mind. Blown.

Not even sure where to start with all of this: So we took off yesterday, I drove for however many hours through all of PA, Kayla took over and got us through Ohio, then I took back over and got us to our campsite off the shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. We checked into our site, put our tent together, then headed back out to explore Chicago which was an hour from camp. We spent a few hours roaming and checking out Millennium Park, the Navy Pier, the Chicago Theatre and a few other places. Had a good time minus me getting us a little (slight exaggeration, haha) lost trying to get out of the city. Then drove back to camp to pass out for a few hours.

We woke up this morning and decided to take the morning a little slower than planned but still had fun. Went out to the beach at the lake-they were doing a lot of construction so we couldn't actually get out there but we were able to get to the sand and snag a few pictures without getting in anyone's way. Then we headed out on a seven hour trek to Minneapolis so we could see the Mall of America. We stopped for a quick lunch at Subway along the way, and besides a quick stop we had to take when Kayla got a warning for speeding, we made it safely to the Mall.

This is where my hyper-ness kicked in to a whole new level. I've always wanted to ride a coaster in the Mall of America so I was already stoked to be able to do that. So we walked in and wandered a bit before going to the rides. On our way back to the coaster we hear people talking over this loudspeaker so we stop to check out what's going on. (This will probably lose a lot of you, but I'm a big nerd and was sooo excited). There is a woman addressing a crowd and after I look at the screen behind her, I realize the woman speaking is an author who I like a lot (I'm well known for being such a loser that I follow the character's profiles on Facebook--yes, such nerdy things exist, and yes, I partake) and she's doing a book signing. So I'm thrilled at the dumb luck we have already. Then, we walk to the rides to decide which one we will ride, as we're walking, a woman approaches us and asks if we're planning on riding yet, long story short she gave us her leftover tickets which were enough to get us both on our ride without buying anything! Now we're stoked, so we put off deciding on a ride and go back to the book signing, Kayla, being a good friend says she wants me to go and get something signed, even though it means we'll be waiting in a line for more than an hour. (This is where things take on an even worse level or nerdy-ness). So to get in this line I have to purchase the author's new book. I did, not even sure of which one it was in the series, but just excited for all the dumb luck we've been having. As we stand in the line I discover the book is of one of my favorite characters, awesome, right? THEN, there's a woman (I would assume her manager but I'm not positive) who talks to the crowd and does a raffle to entertain us while we wait to get our stuff signed. They're on a book tour, so she asks who came the farthest to get there? Me and my big mouth, I yell from the back that we had just driven 21 hours...I win! I get a free shirt! I was so thrilled, within less than an hour we've had the craziest most amazing dumb luck. Well, probably not dumb luck at all, God must really want us (especially me) to be really excited for something, and I certainly am, He's just so amazing!!

So after all of that, I get my book signed, get a picture with the author. Kayla (who is now wanting to kill me I'm sure for saying 'thanks for waiting in this line with me' for the thousandth time) and I head back to the rides, pick one and ride it for free. Then I get a few more tickets to ride the upside-down coaster because I was stoked to ride that one too. (Which was another awesome thing because a lot of rides had closed by then, but these two had stayed open and we were able to get to them). We make a last pit stop to grab a few gifts, then head out into the thunderstorm.

Now, we're sitting in a Starbucks lot, using their internet, updating these quick before taking a long drive all night. Which is fine by me because I'll be running on an adrenaline high for a while. Again, I realize I'm a nerd but I'm excited so oh well, lol. So by morning we should be in South Dakota to explore Badlands State Park. For now, I'm off so Kayla can blog on her page and then we can head back out on the road.

Be in touch again soon!

And We're Off!!

...I think the title says it all here, right?

Details to follow as our adventures ensue!

Adventure, Here We Come!

Wow. The time is finally upon us and it still hasn't quite sunk in yet. But here it is, going on 1am, and in 4 hours we'll be on our way. I spent a good chunk of today packing up Connor with all of our food and supplies, and after spending some time with the second famm, I drove up to Kayla's to pack her stuff in too and prepared for leaving in the a.m. Like I said, it still has not sunk in at all, and I doubt it will until we get to the campsite. So here's the plan: first stop when we head out is get gas, ice, and bread. Then we're off for 12 hours of driving. Checking into our campsite on the shore of Lake Michigan, driving the hour to Chicago to check things out a little before calling it a night and going back to camp. The next morning involves more touring of Chicago and then more driving. We'll keep you updated as things unfold, and try to get our next postings up as soon as we find ourselves with some internet. Until then, keep us in your prayers for safe travels and everything else!

By the way, for those who may be following my blog but don't have or know Kayla's, her blog is: http://germanvagabond5.blogspot.com (I can't figure out how to make that a link, so just copy/paste the url to check it out). This way, anyone who may be following this can also follow her point of view on everything we experience. We hope to hear from all of you who are sharing this experience with us through our writings!

3 Days Left!

It's been longer than I wanted since I've updated this, but it's been a crazy week. So here's the rundown: I FINALLY finished out the semester when I turned in my paper on Monday night. Ever since then I've been running errands galore in preparation for our departure this Monday morning. I've had to spend so much money it's killing me but I'm hoping the experience will all be worth it. Connor officially has a cover for the bed so we can load it up and keep it locked and safe. He got a check up this morning, and has two new tires and otherwise is inspected and safe and sound for the trip. I still have to change the oil but that'll wait until the weekend. I got a hair cut (as did Kayla) so we don't have to manage with long hair (for the guys out there-you'd be surprised, but yes, it's quite a pain to deal with, lol). Started packing, still have some last minute laundry to do and all that but got a good chunk of that out of the way. I think we're set with food-ridiculous amounts of water bottles and soda and all that, the last thing left is to grab some sandwich stuff. So basically we're set. All the final preparations will be finished over the weekend and Monday we're off! It still hasn't sunk in that it's really happening, but I'm excited regardless. I doubt it'll even sink in until we're on the road for me, but that's just how I function.

It's come to my attention recently that there are a few groups of people out there who are concerned for our safety considering we're two girls taking on the country alone. I just want to say to everyone out there that both of us have a strong faith in God and truly believe He will watch us and keep us safe. We're not naive, we're still taking precautions and all those could-go-wrong things, but we're holding strong to our faith that anything that happens on this trip is part of God's plan for our lives. All I can say is for any and all who have concerns for us is to know that we'll have our cell phones with us at all times, and while we will be in national parks and things without service form time to time, you're more than welcome to text or call and we'll let you know we're doing just fine as often as possible. The goal is to update these blogs on a daily basis, however that depends on finding a place with wi-fi, but we will certainly update as often as possible which will also let everyone know we're doing ok. So keep us in your prayers and trust in God as we do to let us have an amazing adventure across this country.

I guess that's all of the updates for now, we'll keep you posted as Monday arrives!

Surprisingly Good Advice from 'Glee'

I have to admit, I have sadly become addicted to Glee, a musical show on TV. It's a lot of drama, and is completely ridiculous in so many ways, but I just get sucked in each week because I love the music. This week's episode was about finding your own voice, which naturally in Glee terms means a lot of drama, but there were a few insightful moments. Which is what brings me to the point of this posting. The teacher said to one of the students, "Don't lose track of who you are just because it might be easier to be someone else." I think it is so easy to fall into that trap. I know I do, daily I'm sure. Sure there are plenty of things that are "me" but there are plenty of things that I avoid because I'm afraid of what others will think or whatever. It's just easier to fit in with the crowd instead of standing out and being who you really are.

I'm not sure who all will be partaking in following this blog as Kayla and I make our way across the country. So I don't know if I will upset, offend, or surprise anyone with what follows here, but this is going to be a common theme so if you're not interested after reading this post, you might as well not bother to continue reading further posts. I do know however, that one of the "me" things that I tend not to project in certain circles is my faith. I know that the majority of my friends don't care about church or religion (which is another topic in itself--HUGE difference between 'religion' and 'faith' which I'll address at some point later I'm sure) or anything like that, and that doesn't bother me so much because that has to be a choice you make in your heart; the only thing I can do is share how it has changed my life and let you make your own choices.

Anyway, I digress, the point is, I don't lie about my faith by any means, but I certainly don't wear it on my sleeve all the time. Honestly? Yes, it's easier NOT to be a Christian in today's society. There are plenty of times at school or work or wherever that it's easier to blend in rather than coming right out with it and have people treat you differently. Being a Christian these days is harder than it used to be. There are so many people who claim to be Christians and do not even remotely follow what it means to be one. I mean sure, we're all screw ups, but there's a difference between screwing up from time to time and intentionally living an immoral life. So if you ask me, Christianity is an all or nothing deal, and all of these "luke warm Christians" give us a bad name. Being a Christian is about love. You love everyone, whether you agree with them, disagree with them, whether they've hurt you in some way, whether you've never met them before, and so on. You don't judge because hi, if you haven't noticed, there are millions of things you could/should be judged for too--so what right do you have to judge someone else? So these "Christian" protestors who point fingers and preach condemnation are hypocritical because they aren't loving. There is a way to tell someone you think what they're doing is wrong but still care for them and be there for them. The people who say they're Christians then go out and party and sleep around all the time are only kidding themselves. Basically, all of these people ruin the name of "Christian," so those who truly follow what it means to be a Christian are already so discriminated against based on beliefs that aren't even what we actually believe!

It's really frustrating to me because I feel like sometimes that's why I don't wear my faith on my sleeve. I feel like the second I come out with the title people think of all the negative perceptions they have and will never take what I say seriously. And you can tell me as many times as you want that that's not true, but I'm in a political science program at school. I've seen more slander about conservative views than I knew existed, let alone the crap I hear about church and other religious groups. Yes, it's disheartening, yes, it's frustrating beyond reason, and do I say anything? Do I stand up and say this is who I am and how I feel? No. Sad, annoying, but true. I don't mean to badmouth anyone or judge anyone, I love the people I go to school with, I think they're fun and cool and illuminate me on so many things I never knew about. But it's hard to see what people classify you as when they don't realize you're "one of them." With time it's gotten easier and I have slowly started telling people more about my beliefs, but it takes so much explaining. It's not just a matter of coming out and saying, "I'm a Christian." It's saying "I'm a Christian, but this is what that actually means..." Basically there has to be an entire teaching of what that actually means before people look at you and say, "Exactly! That's what it should be about!"

There is so much slander and discrimination that accompanies being a Christian that it's easier to blend in and lose sight of what/who you really are inside. I know I'm guilty of it, I'm sure every person on the planet is guilty of it in one sense or another. I guess what I'm trying to say after all of my babbling here is that I don't want to let things make me lose sight of who I am. Being someone else is easier, fortunately however, that's another "me" quality--I never turn down a challenge. So this is me, a Christian and proud of it. Say what you want, do what you will, but I'm not going to let myself be swayed off track. I'm not perfect, never will be, so I'm going to screw up, but I'm going to hold my head high the whole way because those moments will only solidify what it is to be me.

T minus 13 days!

The countdown has officially begun. Just a few days left of school for me and then before we know it we'll be off! The last...well, year (on and off) has included preparations and planning and way more excitement than two college girls should have during midterms and finals and whatnot. We've got junk food stock piled, playlists galore, journals, blankets, and loads of other nonsense waiting to be packed in the bed of Connor (Connor is my pick up truck for those who do not already know him by name, he will be escorting us across the country). I'm doing the best I can to stifle my excitement long enough to finish out my semester. There will be plenty more updates to come before and during the trip, but for now let me say the general plan is to head west from PA more or less right across to the Pacific coast, drive down the coast, and head back east through New Orleans and other places before heading back north. Monday, May 24 is our official day of departure and even though there is plenty we still need to get done by then it can't some soon enough!