Book On Tape

It’s a driving day, people. You know what that means? I am rocking, for the first time ever, a book on tape. Or more appropriately named these days, an audio book. I have never successfully listened to one before. But I figure driving 14 hours on my own is a perfect time to start. It’ll be like reading with my ears instead of my eyes. How awesome does that sound?? (no pun intended, teehee…)

Do you want to know which book I picked? It’s ridiculous really, because I’ve never read a book by this author, and I usually think the movies are kind of mushy. But I wanted something with substance (unlike my normal teen fiction reads), I wanted it to last through the many hours of driving, and I didn’t want to listen to something I’ve already read or or seen the movie.

I present to you…  The  Last Song.

 

I hope it is good and not just sappy, because heaven knows it will be sappy. But perhaps it will still be good. And if I like it, I can see the movie when it comes out. Because I know it will.

I expect a full report by Tuesday.

She says to herself.

Wait….

 

Happy Road Trip Monday.

 

Roadtrip Review: Some Light Reading

You guys? My brother drove the ENTIRE way from Anchorage to Denver last week. That’s 3,400 miles people, and I promise you, the only stretch I drove was from dinner back to the hotel one night.

That. Is. It.

So, needless to say, I had some idle time on my hands. What did I do, you ask? Well, I updated a spreadsheet for work a bit, I listed to music and podcasts and took in the scenery, I even watched a couple episodes of gilmore girls. But mostly? I read.

The following 3 books, in fact.

 

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRIZONER OF AZKABAN

NEW MOON

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

To be fair, I’m only half way through Goblet of Fire. And I’ve read it before. But I never get sick of that series, and watching the most recent movie made me want to read it all again.

If I had to pick between driving forever or rereading HP and NM? I choose reading.

Not a bad way to spend a week, really.

On Why I Was Glad to Get Out Of Canada

Jeremy and I made the mistake of going to Tim Horton’s  two days in a row. Tim Horton’s is a Canadian restaurant famous for donuts, I think. And while the donuts are tasty and the coffee is sweet, their service is terrible!

And even worse than that, they don’t take Visa. Who doesn’t take Visa?? So when they politely decline my credit card, I am obviously forced to give them cash or go without. This wasn’t a problem in Whitehorse.

In Canada. Paid with American money. No big.

So the next day, we go back to Tim’s in Ft St John, and of course the guy behind the counter is impossible. When I asked him if I could get a donut instead of hash browns he said, “Go for it.” Like, um…  okay. And then he tells me they don’t take Visa, which I’d conveniently fogotten, so I pulled out my American cash, as I’d done so innocently the day before, and he LAUGHED at me.

And all of a sudden I was THAT GUY.

Can you imagine if you’re working at Starbucks and some dude comes in and hands you a Canadian dollar bill, like it’s nothing? I guess maybe I’d laugh too. But it’s not like we weren’t in the middle of nowhere, with plenty of people just driving on through; I would kind of think they’d be used to it by now.

In any case, with the embarrassment, and the constant worry of cash versus credit and the inevitable butload of conversion charges I’m going to end up paying, feeling like an “American Tourist” every time I got out of the car, let me just be honest when I say that I was actually relieved when we crossed the US border into Montana.

Oh. And I guess this means they probably sussed me out.

How Do People Live Without Mountains?

Everything has gone off without a hitch. My brother and I left Alaska early Saturday morning and have been driving, driving, driving… We made it safely to Yellowstone, and we intend to peruse it for most of the day tomorrow.

You know? The days have actually gotten easier as they’ve gone by; it has kind of surprised me actually. We spent 13 hours in the car yesterday, and 9 today, and I’m kind of thinking “eh. It’s not so bad.”

I’m reading a ton. And I really like roadtrips.

I’ve been trying to take some good pictures, documenting the terrain and such. I’ll be sure to post them and write details about the trip when I’ve got some time to sit and and think through it all.

For now, I’m going to sleep off the fettuccine alfredo I had for dinner….   mmmm……

Quick Update

So, I’m writing on hijacked, super slow internet right now. which means I’m not actually writing, I’m just stopping in to say, “hey.”

I’m in Canada.

But I’m half Canadian, so I don’t think anybody has noticed yet.

Roadtrip!!

You guys? Tomorrow I’m taking the road trip of a lifetime. I will in fact, be in my car for the next week or so. I’m very excited for this trip. How often do you get to drive across the country? Or two countries for that matter?

I promise to take some pictures. 

And if I get internet, I’ll keep you posted on the crazy antics.

 

WAIT. Are there going to be crazy antics??

Gosh. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…

Packing

Last weekend I thought I was going to get everything packed up. And just when I thought it was over, I had all this extra STUFF lying around. Where am I gonna put that??

I haven’t been eating right this week. Or sleeping regularly. I can’t seem to focus on the tasks at hand. My brain feels like fudge.

mmmmm….    fudge…

I’m training the new ‘me’ at work, and trying to get things ready for my final exit. It’s hard to prepare for all of that…

But I just keep trucking along, like we truckers do.

Or something.

And so I ramble on…

On Remembering to be Thankful

You know what I love?

ROADTRIPS

You know what else I love?

CAMPING

And what else?

GOOD FRIENDS

These girls are just a few of the friends that I have come to rely on every Monday night for good conversation and crappy television. Always such a good time… We’ve shared laughter and tears, ice cream, embarrassing truths, lofty dreams, and secret crushes.

Yes. I’m 29 and I still get secret crushes.

But this last weekend we took a relatively impromptu trip to Hope, AK. Five girls in one car, one tent. Camping on the beach. Bonfires. S’mores. And hiking. I realized that it had been 2 years since my last camping trip. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I live in Alaska for crazy sake. I need to always be camping!

Anyway, it was a really good time… I thank God for good friendships and good times.

 

Hope Does Not Disappoint Us…

Aaaaaaand…..  we’re back.

I am feeling oh so tired, but my heart is full.

Don’t you just love it when your heart is full?

Pictures to follow…..

Hope

Tonight I’ll be camping in Hope, AK, home of the Seaview Cafe…

Located approximately here:

[Which isn't as interesting as this little tidbit about Mike Huckabee, but which also, I think, happens to be a lie. Because clearly these people do not know the difference between state abbreviations for Alaska and Arkansas. Thank you, Sally, for your ever increasing attention to detail.]

A place in Alaska where the road literally comes to an end…

Hope to see you there! ha.