My Life Here In Nashville

Well I've been here since March and my life has been non-stop. I've made new friends. Found my self a handsome boyfriend. Lived in a couple places. Survived the flood, had an amazing 4th of July and now its HOTTER then ever.

I do however miss my family. My brother is about to make me a Aunt.

Little Miss. Mikayla due Oct. 6th

Oh I cant wait. I really wish I could be there for the 9 month pregnancy but trying to stay afloat in Nashville is hard enough right now. Speaking of staying afloat my car is trying to do the same. Travis came in town to visit me a couple weeks ago and sure enough there went my car. Its fixed now thanks to Larry and Trav but first it had to be sweat over and towed for 5 hours straight.

Moving on though my life here is full of adventure and new things. Im happy to be here and plan on staying a long while.

Its been a good while since I posted any thing. I hope I keep this up.

Larry

Friends

Family

Flood

My Aunt Gin

She hated that I took this picture but she passed and is sitting up in heaven smiling down on me for posting this.

I guess I've skipped the Grand Canyon. No clue how that happened but here it is.

Oh Lord all might... It looks so fake. Never would have thought it looked like that.

We slept out side of the National park and drove in to the park to make our breakfast. An omelet, very good compared to another PB&J sandwich. We've been cooking all our food on a small fold up stove. Second best thing we bought next to the sleeping bags.

We made our way to the entrance of the canyon. We were told to not travel without food or water down to the bottom and that you could not make it to the bottom and back in a day. So we prepared. We had our camel packs full of water, backpack with lunch and snacks and our music in our ears. We stared the hike down in to the Grand Canyon.

We walked for hours and I took hundreds of pictures. All of it was down hill, of coarse, easy right? Yes, this part was. We passed tons of people and faces became far and few. We had a goal, keep going till we saw the Colorado River. It all went on and on. Then there it was the Colorado River. It was finally time to eat our lunch. Sitting on cliff looking over the Canyon and river. Perfect!

We ate our last bit of meat and bread and we were off, back up the canyon. Lord all mighty was that hard. More for me then Kev. He's amazing waiting for me every ten feet.

It was supper cold even though the sun was shinning down hard. Long underwear, jackets and bennies kept us very warm but we made it back just before sunset.

It was a long hard day and our bodies ached the next day like we hiked down in to the Grand Canyon... Cause we did!!!!

Im leaving Portland Oregon today :(

I love it here. The book stores and the shopping. There are so many vintage shops and hole in the wall stores. Portland is completely its self. The people here are there own kind.

Before this we were in California for about a week and a couple days. I did meet up with Ayla in Los Angeles also applied for a job. Its crazy I just walked in to the salon started talking. I was there for hours and left with a job and a parking ticket.

Oh and no talking on the phone in California they will pull you over.

Los Angeles to San Francisco

Everyone says San Fran is so much better then L.A. Blah Blah Blah

Well... It is.

I loved it I ate so much food there. Muffins, Coffee and yummy breakfast Pizza on Fillmore St. then to China Town for fun shopping and Sushi that floats by and you just take and eat. Fisherman's Wharf was fishy. Had some Shrimp, Clam Chowder for dinner then an Apple Pie Candy Apple (best thing ever) and Chocolate covered Cheese Cake.

The next morning we went back to Fisherman's Wharf and had a Crab Sandwiches.

The seagulls and pigeons there are so so sooo fat.

From there was then the Redwood forest.

This out of the whole trip was what I couldn't wait for. The trees were so big, tall and fat. We did of course drive through a tree. We paid $5 to do it but we got to go through it as much as we wanted :) We camped there that night and yes it was so cold, 17 degrees. The fire wood was frozen and that took for ever to get started and the stars through the trees... all I can say is what an amazing God. He has mad so many beautiful things. The stars were the only light in the sky.

I've seen more shooting stars this month then I think a person would see in a life time.

The drive from California through Oregon to Portland was breath taking. The enormous trees on the right of you a cliff to the left with the ocean below. The sand is dark but looks as if glitter is mixed in with it. Waves eight to ten feet high that crash in to the building size rocks that sit in the water and shore where drift wood is scatters all over.

I didn't see any Sea Lions or Whales but did see lots of Elk.

Well I'm not tired of being on the road yet but I do miss my family, friends and the salon.

I took lots of pictures.

Off to Seattle...

The Beaches in Oregon

A river through the Redwoods

Elk

The Redwood Forest

San Francisco

Day #5

There is so much to write and tell I don't even know where to start...

Thank God we are done driving through Texas. It took 2 days to drive. Though it was very cool to see the green trees turn to naked branches. The grass turn to dirt and the day turn to night. The stars in the sky were the most stars I have ever seen.

El Paso, TX was interesting. The drive in we dogged a Wolf, Big O' Deer, Jack Rabbit and Fox. I think we stead in a State Park but were never really sure. So we just pitched our tent and tucked our selfs in to our sleeping bags. I was a little scared of wolfs attacking me. A picture of the wolf was engrained in my head all night. I did make it throw the night.

The drive to Arizona was nice the dirt started to turn orange and I saw plenty of wild cactus. Its funny to see the homes in Az compared to the ones in Fl. The front yards have pebbles instead of grass and a back drop behind there homes of a huge orange/red rock mountains. Tomorrow is the Grand Canyon then on to Vegas.

I do miss home and my family. It feels like a vacation and will for a little while longer.

Here are just some of the things we've seen so far:

This was the family hiking trip to Ocala we took the week we left

The hot Fl. sun

Dad making breakfast

11 mile hike

Good morning Jaime... and I say I do hair.

I hate driving behind these. I always think they are going to fall off and hit my car.

The rest of the pictures were at an exit for what we thought was a Ghost Town. Ended up being an old run down gas station great for pictures.

Society lyrics by Eddie Vedder

There's those thinkin' more or less, less is more,
but if less is more, how you keepin' score?

Start of day 3

It's day 3, we're in Fort Worth Texas. We stopped for one night in New Orleans and did the whole burboun street experience. It was a Tuesday night and the streets were still filled with old blues musicians. The taxi driver told us some crazy stories about his Post-Katrina experiences. A tent along some random river was our home for the evening. A passing train and intense sunlight woke us up for beignet and coffee at the famous Cafe Dumond in the french Quarter before our departure.

We just finished a wonderful evening out on the town with Connor, Kevin's good friend from Penn State. Hot tubs and new friends consumed the evening.

So far we've been through 5 states:

Florida

Alabama

Mississippi

Louisiana

Texas

Texas is a massive State, we probably won't make it through today. Next stop El Paso????

Cafe Dumond

New Orleans Camp Site