Life: A True Story: travel time.

my family has always been extremely interested in road trips. with four kids, it's a little too expensive to buy a handful of plane tickets. our suburban got its fill of exercise throughout the course of my childhood, you can tell from the broken door handles and goldfish that have become permanently scrunched into the seat.

since my siblings were a bit too young for long distance travel, we didn't go too far out of our way until i was in high school. there were a couple scattered trips to disneyland, and a drive to eureka. then, when i was thirteen, my luck changed. i would no longer be able to claim the fact that i had never left my home state. not only was i going to exercise my love of history with a class trip to washington d.c., but my family was going to move around as well.

we were going to texas.

okay, okay. it's not that exciting, looking at the trip from this end. at the time? i was ecstatic. i packed up a "les miserables" cassette to play in my walkman (remember these?!?!), and with an old copy of "gone with the wind" on loan from the library, i finally got to travel. through the desert.

i still think that no one lives in new mexico, except the one random woman that keeps up that tiny old gas station somewhere in the middle of it. she must get flown in, i'm sure. and arizona? i'm sorry. i must have been in the wrong part because it was kind of dry...i mean. really dry.

texas was my first taste of family travel, and i loved every moment of it. in the years to come, my crazy family threw us kids in the car and made the trek to utah, colorado, oregon and nevada. we drove back down to los angeles.

somehow, it's so different now. i've been on my own for about four years, and long-winded travel suddenly became a fond dream, something i thought of on my ten minute breaks as i scarfed down a sandwich, or during the morning commute. thankfully, the Lord has opened a few doors for me, and the decision to travel lies in my own hands. and my friendships. in a couple short weeks i'll be flying out to nashville, and in december?

i get to go to africa for a month. with my best friend.
for an unseasoned california kid, that sounds pretty amazing.

i feel very lucky to have been blessed with such phenomenal opportunities, and i am excited to begin traveling the world i have only perused in books. i don't think "gone with the wind" will be going with me, sad to say. my nook will work just fine.

there's something nice about acting like an adult. buying your own plane ticket, providing for yourself. now that i have a phenomenal job? (check my company out!) many, many doors have been opened. for old times sake, here are a few photos from the past. don't laugh too hard at my blotchy skin or goofy, too-big teeth. i didn't quite know what i was doing, yet.