7 Hour Drive

There's something about driving through the desert alone that gives you a different perspective. I'm one of those people who loves to be reminded that they're a part of something so much bigger, and the desert is something that reminds me of that. It opens your eyes to just how much is out there beyond your comfort zone. Especially when you're driving through it for 7 hours. Your mind tends to wander a bit. From that book you keep meaning to finish, but forget about, to that friend you know you need to reach out to because it's been just a little too long, to everything you're planning to accomplish in the year to come. 7 hours can be a long time, but I've got enough going on up here to keep me busy. Not to mention, the killer road trip playlist that I sing my heart out to throughout the entire drive keeps me preoccupied as well.

I drove up to Reno last Thursday to surprise my best friend, Wendy, for her birthday. She had no idea that I was coming, and her boyfriend, Jason, had been helping me plan it for over a month. I had already known that the weekend would be great! But I failed to realize just how much Wendy and I both, had needed this. The weekend was lovely in all of it's entirety, from Wendy showing me around Reno, to all 3 of us going to explore Lake Tahoe. From the girl time spent drinking wine and binge watching Netflix, to the time spent alone on my drive there and home. It was nice to slow down for a minute and just take in all the goodness going on around me. Just enjoy time spent with my best friend in a beautiful place. The happiness I felt driving home, and continue to feel as I write this is one I'll be holding onto tightly. 

Below are some pictures from my trip. Enjoy! xoxo

 

PC: Jason

PC: Wendy

PC: Jason

PC: Jason

Twenty-Two Years

Twenty-two years. Twenty-two years on this oversized, blue and green marble. Twenty-two years filled with experiences and lessons learned. Twenty-two years filled with joy and sadness, excitement and despair, good times and bad. It looks old, written out. It sounds old to me as well. Although I know it isn't, not even close. Twenty-two years.

 

Birthdays are always special to me. I feel the same way about them as I did when I turned six. Happy, excited, older. I always ask someone if they feel different on their birthday, and most respond with, "No, it just feels like any other day." I don't know what that feels like. Call me crazy, but I always feel a change in myself when I turn another year older.

 

I look at birthdays as a time to reflect on myself, the past year, and how I've grown/changed. So much happened this past year that it feels as if it were closer to 7 years instead of just 1. That's such a relief to me though. It was only a year, and I made it to Twenty-Two. That's a luxury that not everyone has. So, I'm going to thank the universe for keeping me on this globe another year, and celebrate it by eating some pizza.

 

For my birthday, I spent the day with my family at Zion National Park, right outside of St. George, Utah. I couldn't have asked for a better 22nd birthday. Some pictures from my trip are below!