the first day of the rest of my life.

When I left you in Nashville last week, I headed over the rocky top and into the corn fields of Kentucky. I pressed on through Southern Illinois and fittingly under the St. Louis Arch (the gateway to the West) in Missouri... and that was the direction I headed in for the next three days! 

I picked up Sydney in Kansas City where we spent a fabulous night with her college roommate who took us out to the local watering holes where we enjoyed house brewed bevies and lobster springs rolls!

The next morning, I squished everything in to the trunk to make room for my navigator and we drove straight West on I70 through the midlands for many hours stopping at quintessential diners for vanilla milkshakes and fries along our route.

After the long trek across the entire state of Kansas, the scenic route through Colorado was incredible. The train winded on one side of us while the Colorado River snaked around the opposite shoulder; the water was rapidly rip roaring. The view became increasingly spectacular around every bend as we ascended up the Rockies to an elevation of 10,000 feet. 

Windows rolled down breathing in the fresh, cool air listening to a little John Denver... we were truly on a rocky mountain high, something fabulous. We stopped in a little I70 odyssey outside Aspen named Glenwood Springs. In search of somewhere to grab a bite to eat, we ended up on an impromptu pub crawl where we danced with the locals in their historic downtown 'til the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was a fabulous stop at a completely unassuming little town right off the major highway a little past Vail.

Stopping only to grab a bagel and the most delectable cup of hazelnut coffee my taste buds have ever known, we continued on our way to Utah the next morning. 

We pulled off at every vista from Colorado to Utah to Arizona to take in the breathtaking views along our very scenic route.     

We spent some time in Bryce Canyon on a mini hike around the natural amphitheater. This picture does no justice for how remarkable the uniquely formed hoodoos were that covered the canyons' floor. 

Four more hours through the desert of Nevada and we finally arrived in Vegas where we carried on a Jocelyn-Sydney Tradition of seeing Britney Spears at MGM... followed by a little Kitty-Glitter-style gambling. 3 words: Britney's back, b*tch. 

Yesterday, I took a break from driving and veged out on the couch at my old casa, Club 424 in Glendale with my old roomz. We went school supply shopping + ate Mexican food before calling it a really early evening and getting back on the road early this morning to conquer California and Oregon. 

The redwoods peppered around emerald green lakes. Snow peaked mountains in the distance. The smell of fresh pine permeating the air at the rest stops. So inspired by the scenery in NorCal, I drove well past the minimum point I wanted to reach today trying to take it all in before the sun set.

I'm 3.5 hours from the starting line of a very exciting change in my life. Feeling on top of the world, I can hardly wait to unpack and settle in before I start work in the morning! 

Three cheers {of vintage pepsi} for making it to the first day of the rest of my life. First day as a {downtown} Seattle resident. First day of living on my very own for the {first} time. First day of being a UWMC employee. First day of being a real UW grad student exploring campus, flashing my student ID + getting vaccines. 


It's a very exciting new chapter that is being written. Hip Hip Hooray!