Hi just a quick post to let ya'll know I made it to Albuquerque and that everything is going great. Work is good and I got to see a lot of old friends. This is a great hospital and I really enjoy working here. I had forgotten just how much I loved it in this city. Sure, it's deathly hot, especially considering where i just came from BUT it is so beautiful!
I won't have internet for awhile but am at my favorite coffee shop in town - Satellite Coffee - a branch of the Flying Star restaurant. I'd write more but I'm out of coffee and the sun is beating down on my little table. More to come soon and maybe some pictures, too!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Saturday, July 15, 2006
This is Texas
I'll leave tomorrow for Albuquerque, NM. It's just a 4 hour drive but I'm putting it off until the last minute. I've been having the best time in Texas and I hate to leave my family and friends but it will be nice to get back on a schedule and I do need to start making some money again. Wednesday I went with my dad to the town I grew up in. He works there and my grandparents and other family still live there. I got to catch up with my grandma and that's always nice because we are very close and I miss her so much when I'm away. Plus, she knows the good gossip. Thursday my sister came to Amarillo and the whole family went to barbeque hamburgers at our favorite park. Friday my parents and I went for a 5 mile walk at my old walking trail. I'd forgotten how hot and sans any shade or relief it is. And man, they are in good shape - I stayed about a step behind them the whole way. We also went to an art gallery and viewed some local art which was surprisingly awesome - I say surprisingly because I wasn't aware that Amarillo had so many working artists. Friday evening my good friend Penny and my best friend Sierra came to visit. We got a hotel room and drank a few beers - ate a 2am breakfast at IHOP and talked all night. Today my dad and I went and hit a couple of buckets of golf balls and I'm about 5 shades of red. Now, I'm just waiting for my little brother to get off of work and I'm going to make him spend some time with me. I really have missed Texas. You know the song "the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas"? It's really true and I'm not sure why the sky is so big or the stars so bright but it is unparelled anywhere I've been so far. I could just sit out all night long and star gaze.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
FINALLY!
I have finally made it to Texas this evening. I thought the drive would never end - especially today the last and probably most boring leg of the trip. I really want to thank everybody for the calls checking in on me. Always much appreciated! And I especially want to thank Debrah, Delinda and Lea Ann for letting me stay at their homes. You all showed me so much hospitality and it was really cool getting to see your cities and homes and families and friends and dogs!
Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures as planned to document the trip. I was just too focused on getting to point A, B, C and D. I did get a few so I'll post them here in a minute.
Day 1 -
I left as planned early in the morning - said goodbye to my ghetto apt and my favorite mountain and got on the road. Oregon and northern California were beautiful but hot and getting hotter as my little wheels ate up the road. I was really surprised at how awesome Mt. Shasta and that area was. Way different than Washington or Oregon. I made it to Davis, CA at around 6 in the evening and found my friend Debrah's house and we reunited after 12 years! I can't believe how fast time flies but we got caught up quickly. I got to meet her 10 year old son and they both took me out on the town which is the CUTEST town ever. We walked around looking at shops and ate pizza and walked on a path beside a canal and had Baskin Robbins. I loved it. The town has the greatest most easy going feel to it. We stayed up late talking and drinking a beer and of course I overslept the next morning - so thanks Deb for getting me up.
Day 2 -
The beginning of day 2 was runner up for most boring scenery because after Sacramento there is nothing but yellow grass and a few hills. Ok, some pistachio trees. I made it into L.A. in the early afternoon and went with my friend Delinda to a flea market at the Rose Bowl where she was working a booth. She lives in Pasadena and what a great city that is. We took a nap at her awesome little apt and then she and her friend took me out and gave me the world's most thorough 2 hour tour of LA. First we went to the Santa Monica pier and had dinner and a walk around. It was full of your usual oddities - people with snakes, musicians (one man bands) artists and tourist. We had dinner at the end of the pier at sunset but wouldn't you know it a few clouds rolled in and I felt like I'd never left Washington. We did a little walking on the beach then it was in the car to Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Blvd....uh, did I leave anything out? Rodeo Drive! They were really sweet to give me the tour and I liked it a lot.
Day 3-
Got to sleep in a little later that morning but poor Delinda had to go to work. So I took a walk around her neighborhood. I'm surprised at how safe and clean LA was - I had this notion that it would be murderous traffic, smog so thick you couldn't breath nor see but it was none of that when I was there. I chilled out with Phoebe a little and then started the drive from Pasadena to Tempe. Across the desert. A little twilight zone - those of you that know me know that I tend to get paranoid and so I must confess I constantly had a Unknown Mysteries commentary going on in my head "witnesses say the woman was last seen buying cigarettes at this convenience store" "she went into the desert and never came out" "attacked by a gang of cacti" yes, it got more ridiculous as the temperature climbed and delerium and dehydration took their course. But obviously I made it safely to my friend Lea Ann's house. She took me to dinner at her favorite little place and we had a great time talking and laughing and reviving some old memories. We spent the rest of the night under the full moon sitting beside her fabulous pool.
Day 4 -
Overslept, AGAIN. Cursed and beat my head against the steering wheel for 10 hours where I finally made it home to my family in Texas and now I'm beat so I'll write about that all later!
Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures as planned to document the trip. I was just too focused on getting to point A, B, C and D. I did get a few so I'll post them here in a minute.
Day 1 -
I left as planned early in the morning - said goodbye to my ghetto apt and my favorite mountain and got on the road. Oregon and northern California were beautiful but hot and getting hotter as my little wheels ate up the road. I was really surprised at how awesome Mt. Shasta and that area was. Way different than Washington or Oregon. I made it to Davis, CA at around 6 in the evening and found my friend Debrah's house and we reunited after 12 years! I can't believe how fast time flies but we got caught up quickly. I got to meet her 10 year old son and they both took me out on the town which is the CUTEST town ever. We walked around looking at shops and ate pizza and walked on a path beside a canal and had Baskin Robbins. I loved it. The town has the greatest most easy going feel to it. We stayed up late talking and drinking a beer and of course I overslept the next morning - so thanks Deb for getting me up.
Day 2 -
The beginning of day 2 was runner up for most boring scenery because after Sacramento there is nothing but yellow grass and a few hills. Ok, some pistachio trees. I made it into L.A. in the early afternoon and went with my friend Delinda to a flea market at the Rose Bowl where she was working a booth. She lives in Pasadena and what a great city that is. We took a nap at her awesome little apt and then she and her friend took me out and gave me the world's most thorough 2 hour tour of LA. First we went to the Santa Monica pier and had dinner and a walk around. It was full of your usual oddities - people with snakes, musicians (one man bands) artists and tourist. We had dinner at the end of the pier at sunset but wouldn't you know it a few clouds rolled in and I felt like I'd never left Washington. We did a little walking on the beach then it was in the car to Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Blvd....uh, did I leave anything out? Rodeo Drive! They were really sweet to give me the tour and I liked it a lot.
Day 3-
Got to sleep in a little later that morning but poor Delinda had to go to work. So I took a walk around her neighborhood. I'm surprised at how safe and clean LA was - I had this notion that it would be murderous traffic, smog so thick you couldn't breath nor see but it was none of that when I was there. I chilled out with Phoebe a little and then started the drive from Pasadena to Tempe. Across the desert. A little twilight zone - those of you that know me know that I tend to get paranoid and so I must confess I constantly had a Unknown Mysteries commentary going on in my head "witnesses say the woman was last seen buying cigarettes at this convenience store" "she went into the desert and never came out" "attacked by a gang of cacti" yes, it got more ridiculous as the temperature climbed and delerium and dehydration took their course. But obviously I made it safely to my friend Lea Ann's house. She took me to dinner at her favorite little place and we had a great time talking and laughing and reviving some old memories. We spent the rest of the night under the full moon sitting beside her fabulous pool.
Day 4 -
Overslept, AGAIN. Cursed and beat my head against the steering wheel for 10 hours where I finally made it home to my family in Texas and now I'm beat so I'll write about that all later!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Sad Goodbye
Augh, I can't believe my time here in Washington is over! I've been here for 6 months but it seems like mere weeks in some ways. I have grown so attatched to this area and the friends I have made. I hate to leave but I am definitely taking a lot of happy and crazy memories with me and hopefully this won't be the last I'm seeing of the Pacific Northwest. I've been pretty organized with my packing and haven't waited until the last minutes like I sometimes do. My car is packed to the limit and I've still got a few odds and ends I have to find nooks for.
I have a great couple of days coming up that I've been looking forward to. It's going to be a lot of driving but filled with new places and old friends. Tomorrow morning I will leave as early as possible and drive straight down I-5 through Oregon and into California where I will reach Davis, Ca. I have an old old friend there that I've recently gotten back in touch with who is gracious enough to let me stay with her. We'll have LOTS of catching up to do. Then Sunday I will leave Davis and drive down to Pasadena to stay with another good friend. I'm so excited to see that part of California and I know she'll show me some good spots. Monday I'll drive from Pasadena to Tempe, AZ where, once again, I'll stay with a friend who I haven't seen in awhile. Tuesday will be a long drive from AZ all the way home to my family in Texas. I'll try to keep posting updates and pictures of my 4 day roadtrip!
I have a great couple of days coming up that I've been looking forward to. It's going to be a lot of driving but filled with new places and old friends. Tomorrow morning I will leave as early as possible and drive straight down I-5 through Oregon and into California where I will reach Davis, Ca. I have an old old friend there that I've recently gotten back in touch with who is gracious enough to let me stay with her. We'll have LOTS of catching up to do. Then Sunday I will leave Davis and drive down to Pasadena to stay with another good friend. I'm so excited to see that part of California and I know she'll show me some good spots. Monday I'll drive from Pasadena to Tempe, AZ where, once again, I'll stay with a friend who I haven't seen in awhile. Tuesday will be a long drive from AZ all the way home to my family in Texas. I'll try to keep posting updates and pictures of my 4 day roadtrip!
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