Journal: Road Trip to Cali

December 7, 2020

Today marks the first day of our Cali road trip adventure. Abby, Brie and I said goodbye to our friends and Mission Arlington this morning and headed towards Amarillo, TX. Abby drove first. We sang a lot of Amarillo songs over and over again. It was great. We stopped at Whataburger in Wichita Falls to eat lunch at 11, but stopped by a gas station first, got gas, and had a dance party. After we ate, Brie slept and Abby and I watched/sang High School Musical 2. We stopped about an hour later because I really had to Pee and Brie started driving. She tried a drink called Horchata and it was okay to start with and then she said it was gross. Once we swapped, I took a nap. (For like 20 minutes) and woke up to the end of “Gotta Go My Own Way”. We finished High School musical 2 and we got to Cadillac Ranch which consisted of 10 Cadillacs all together. We spent an hour out there finding the right lighting to take pictures and climbing on Cadillacs. We left there to head towards New Mexico State line. It took us about an hour and we got to the visitors sign of New Mexico and was trying to take a video there but, in the words of Abigail Grace Keathley, “Those stupid people” were taking forever. We finally got to do our video and Brie found out that it hurt to bend her knee to jump. Not even half a mile down the road we stopped again because we found the actual state line New Mexico sign. Those “stupid people” weren’t at that one. We were taking a video and Brie really had to pee and Abby stuck her hand in Brie’s mouth so Brie took off running to the bathroom. Don’t worry...She made it. After that we headed to a diner which was take out only on Route 66- we listened to life was a highway and thought about “Cars”. At the Diner I bought a 3x shirt because it was the only one left. They had amazing food and we enjoyed it all and watched the “fault in our stars” while we ate! We all bought souvenirs too. I drove from this point on into Albuquerque. We sang, and talked and did some karaoke. We listened to all kinds of music. Abby also busted out laughing because Brie’s pictures at the Cadillac Farm had some interesting scenery that was not previously noticed. We made it safely to Albuquerque and we are washing our first load of laundry. I have so enjoyed this trip so far..and couldn’t have asked for better friends to travel it with.

December 8,2020

We woke up this morning after such a great nights sleep. Abby put clothes in the dryer after they took 2 hours to wash the night before. We got all our stuff and headed towards breakfast. The mountains here are so amazing and such a different terrain. We ate at Flying Star Cafe and it was so good! We even went hiking there! After we got done eating and realizing that New Mexico wasn’t a very wide state, we all had upset stomachs and now we are heading to a bathroom and I hope we make it. Update: we made it to the bathroom..barely. And we are on our way to Arizona and pulled off to take pictures on the side of the road. This place is so beautiful!! And I got something spikey stuck in ankle while taking the pictures. We made it to Arizona..stopped by the road sign to take pictures and Abby and I thought we were going to have to jump a fence just to go to the bathroom BUT Brie just went in the exit so that we could go to the welcome center! So we found a cactus on the side of the road and there were like these stair looking things leading up to it. Well turns out it wasn’t stairs, it was something for water to drain down. There was a fence around it sooo we hopped the fence to get down into the stairs. But Brie was nervous so there was a water drain that went to the other side of the road. I went down half and met her in the middle-ish and we crawled back to the stairs together. We did a mini hike to finally reach this cactus and took amazing photos that I wish could have captured the sunset but it just couldn’t have. God was definitely showing us his art work tonight. We were on our way back and we all climbed over the fence on the way back, however..BRIE CUT HER BIG TOE!! She is okay but there was blood everywhere!! Then we were headed to supper and on our way we saw so many Cacti just on the side of the road very accessible.. and Brie threw up..she thought she threw up blood but it was just hot Cheetos and red Mountain Dew. We went and ate at this fancy-ish restaurant that had an ice cream place right beside it. After we ate and got ice cream..I got sick so I didn’t finish my ice cream. So Abby drove since I got sick and she drove about 30 minutes and pulled into a parking lot and realized that she didn’t put in the address to the Air B&B but an address for another restaurant. So we finally made it here and we are about to crash!! It’s been a very excitedly day!!

December 9,2020

I never remember my dreams normally but I had the weirdest dream last night. I had a dream that the Algoma (the town I am from) mayor or whoever is in charge sent like a hit man to my house. It was super dark outside and he just pulled up in a truck. My dad went outside and the guy told my dad that we needed to follow him. We followed him to this town meeting and the guy who is in charge of all of Algoma told me that it was my time to die. That I was taking up room that someone else could occupy so they decided they were going to sacrifice me. I was so upset and then I wasn’t. I started saying things like, “if you think I should die then so should you”, but then it’s like God tugged on my heat and I said “I’m sorry. I don’t mean that. It’s okay that you want to kill me because I know where I am going” and they looked at me crazily and so I began sharing the Gospel with them. The leader of Algoma was trying to talk over me so I got louder and louder and I shared the crucifixion and the resurrection but I also shared with the leader the story of the rich man begging God to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. The leader laughed and then I woke up! We went to breakfast at Haymaker because it sounded like Waymaker! Abby ordered this humongous Eggs Benedict..I ordered a regular with a waffle on the side and Brie ordered an omelet-did you know that a pancake was a bread?? Well it is and that is what Brie got as her side. After we left there we headed towards Salvation Mountain. On the way we saw the border of Mexico..was kinda of sad, kind of cool, and kind of sketchy. Not far from there, Abby saw some sand duns so she wanted to pull over. As soon as we pulled over and got out of the vehicle we saw a cop pulling someone over and so we got a quick video and then we left. We stopped and took a picture at the California sign and headed towards Salvation Mountain. We were getting close to salvation mountain and Brie was getting so excited. This place was literally in the middle of nowhere. We got out and spent a lot of time taking pictures but it was so much fun! Seeing this place was such a humbling reminder. Jesus didn’t go out and flaunt himself to the world. He wasn’t trying to be the center of attention. There was barely anyone at Salvation mountain and the majority of the people were homeless..Jesus didn’t hang around the rich and famous people but with tax collectors and fishermen. This place wasn’t well known..Brie made the comment that no one she knew had ever been here and that made me realize the same goes for me. I don’t know anyone. There wasn’t flashy signs pointing us in that direction but it wasn’t hidden either. It was open for all to come in without payment. Jesus is the same way..I feel like he gives us the painted sky and the rain and the sunshine but he doesn’t paint his name in the sky or burn up those who don’t notice him. He isn’t hidden and the Word says “seek me and you shall find me”. It was just a sweet reminder! After that, we all peed behind a towel at salvation mountain and headed towards “In and Out Burger” which was amazing! And then off to San Diego! We learned that Drake and Josh was filmed here...and there are a lot of homeless people. We learned that parking isn’t easy but it’s manageable! We are a little tired and Brie and Abby got a little car sick on the way so I’m home they are starting to feel better!

December 10,2020

In the morning we got up and got all of our stuff together. It was a kind of rough night. We only had one bed that pulled out from the wall (it was kind of cool) but Abby slept on an air mattress and Brie and I slept in the pull out bed thing. In the middle of the night Abby’s air mattress deflated and she came and crawled into bed with Brie and I, which we didn’t mind because it was soooo cold. Turns out the window was open the whole night!! But we snuggled and tried to stay warm. After we left the Air BNB, we headed to get coffee and hot chocolate (because I don’t like coffee) at this place called Better Buzz and it was amazing! We also got this breakfast sandwich, which I will comment on later. Anyway, so then we headed towards La Jolla beach. We got there and saw so many seals! They were jumping everywhere and these birds kept flying by us. We were eating our food (this is where the breakfast sandwich comes in) and Abby and I both got egg yolk all over our pants. However, my pants were black and hers were white and blue so hers was more noticeable. We took some pictures on the beach and then we all went and got in the water which was freezing cold but so worth the memories. However...BRIE’S NOSE STARTED BLEEDING. Like literally everywhere as soon as she came out of the water. We were all busting out laughing and videoing it and then the lifeguard came down and was checking on her and brought her some gauze. After her nose stopped bleeding we left and headed to Best Buy because I forgot my camera charger and had to order another one and then found a gas station to fuel up and to change because we still had our swimsuits on. By the way, gas here is EXPENSIVE!! We changed and headed to meet up with a church plant that is affiliated with First Baptist Ripley. They were awesome and took us for coffee. We chatted a little bit before we left for Huntington Beach to meet up with Mandy. We met with her and grabbed dinner and talked. She is so amazing and sweet! Then we shopped around a little bit (I bought way too much) and we headed towards the hotel!

December 11,2020

We woke up this morning at all random times. This time zone has our sleep pattern a little messed up but it’s great! I feel so rested. We went and ate breakfast with a guy named Adam. We sat outside (it was a little chilly) and had great conversation! Then we went and toured the apartments that Mandy lives in with the school. After that we went and toured the seminary and got to meet a bunch of people...the president, a guy who was talking to the president, my future husband, this biker/professor guy I think. So many people and it was so awesome! Then we went and had lunch with Mandy’s boss, Cameron. We tried new food which was good and had another great conversation. After that we went and had coffee (hot chocolate) with Dr. Dent which was amazing. He is so kind and funny. After that we had some free time (I GOT A SKATEBOARD) and then we went and met up with Mandy and her friend Anna and had supper and looked at Christmas lights! It was a busy but great day! We are all so tired and hoping to get great rest!!

December 12,2020

Well today was our last day with Mandy. We went to eat breakfast and tried these Açaí bowls which were fantastic!! And then we headed off to LA..Hollywood in particular. It was about an hour away and the anticipation was building up. I’ve been wanting to visit Hollywood ever since I was a little girl and just see the Hollywood sign. Well we did it!! We hiked up to see the Hollywood sign and was even goin to hike up further but the weather was cloudy. Also..this person was getting in trouble and a helicopter flew over us to tell him/her to stop trespassing! It was so intense. After the Hollywood sign and so many pictures, we went back down to eat Roscoe’s Chicken. It was okay..but an experience. We all got the Obama. After that we went down the Hollywood walk of fame and Brie was looking for Shrek and I was looking for Disney. Along the way Brie had a lady try to hug her and take a picture..we had a magician try to get in our picture..had a man try to sell us his comedy picture AND we found out that Billy Graham had a star! So awesome! After that we went to where the celebrities shop. Of course we didn’t even go look because everything was so expensive but it was so cool to see where they go shopping. And then we went for ice cream where we got AMAZING ice cream and saw a man getting arrested. We then headed back to our car and had a great talk with Mandy about what our futures looked like. Then we drove to our Air B&B and checked in. This place is a little sketchy just because we are sharing a house with a bunch of different people, but it is going to be great! We also went to find a guy named David Dobrik’s house (a guy Abby and Brie like) but whether that was successful is still up in the air. Today was awesome and the journey continues tomorrow!

December 13,2020

Today we got up, after a very sketchy night at the Air B&B and went to John MacAurthur’s church. He preached on Jesus being the ultimate priest, prophet, and King. It was so good. After church we got to meet him and take a picture with him. We went for lunch afterwards at In n Out Burger, and we shared the things that really stood out to us in the message. After that we headed towards Vegas. We were going to go to the 7 Magic Mountains but it was going to be dark before we got there so we are going to try that tomorrow before Utah! Along the way we talked to 2 different people driving beside us and we had to stop at a Walgreens to get peroxide for Brie’s toe. It’s not looking swell. About 7 we made it to the Air B&B (after stopping and taking “welcome to Nevada” pictures). The Air B&B we are staying in is a camper. Once we got here we found out that we have to make reservations for dinner which we hadn’t made so we called a place and they had an opening!! We ate Italian! We had a bunch of bread (we literally ordered a whole loaf) and I got pizza (no tomato sauce) Brie got this pasta stuff that had something that tasted like bacon in it but she said it wasn’t bacon but fancier, and then Abby got spaghetti which had huge meatballs that she wasn’t just crazy about. After dinner we tried to find a spot to park close to the strip in order to take a picture at this water fountain thing. It was so amazing! It was squirting to the Christmas music. I feel like pictures wouldn’t have done it justice but it was still amazing! But we didn’t find parking which was fine because we were all so tired. We got back to the Air B&B and decided our plan for tomorrow and now we are about to go to sleep at 1 in the morning!! We are all packed in this tiny bed but it will be so warm!

December 14,2020

We woke up in Vegas, Abby and I both took cold showers and I blew up the bathroom while Abby was in the shower. We stayed in a motor home. We got ready, ate leftovers from the night before which again tore up my stomach. it took us an hour to rearrange the car in order to make our Grand Canyon stay a little easier. After that we headed towards 7 magic mountains. They were so cool but there was a lot of people there and it was so cold. We stayed there for about an hour taking pictures (longer than anyone else stayed there) after that we headed north to Utah just so we could say we went to Utah. Once we were there, we stopped at a gas station and we all blew up the bathroom there. We tried to joke around with the cashier but he wasn’t having it. After that we went to eat Del Taco in Utah..would not really recommend that place at all. Brie and my stomachs were tore up after it. We took forever to order food because we had never been there before and so Brie and I got so much food and Abby thought she got a lot of food. We laid out a blanket in the parking spaces because you know corona and no places are open, we started getting out food and turned out Abby only ordered like 2 things. It was so funny. Also, we saw a roadrunner. He wanted to join our lunch date but Brie kept shooing him off. After we ate, we started driving towards the Grand Canyon and I was going to take a nap. 10 minutes down the road, just as I was getting into my nap we pulled over to take pictures. We have taken so many pictures with rocks on this trip. After that, we continued to head towards the Grand Canyon while watching the movie Holes. It was such a good movie to rewatch. We were about 2 hours away from where we were staying (we were hoping we could get a space to stay in the campground since they do not reserve during winter months) and we pulled over to get pictures with the snow. Again..it was soooo cold. We got to the campground, in which we did get to stay at, thanking the Good Lord for that one, at 11 and we had to rearrange the car and finally got to go to sleep around 12. The temperature was 9 degrees and freezing and we all cuddled up to stay warm.

December 15,2020

We got up at 4 in the morning. It was cold and I had to go to the bathroom but it was so cold that I didn’t want to have to get out of the car but I had to. We couldn’t figure out how to get the back hatch open so I crawled out the side door. Snow was all over the ground with a little ice in it and was soo cold. Once I got back Brie and Abby woke up when I opened the back hatch and we all got ready to go see the sunrise. We slept absolutely terrible in the back and we were all still super tired. We got done packing the car and getting ready and was at the visitors center to ride the shuttle bus by 5:30. The shuttle was suppose to get to the visitors center by 6 and the sun was suppose to rise at 6:35 so we figured that would be a good time to get on the shuttle. However, we waited and waited and waited and saw the bus and it didn’t stop! So we followed it and tried to catch it but it didn’t work. We went and parked close to yaki point (as close as the signs would let us) and walked a mile to yaki point and made it just in time for the sunrise. Brie was feeling terrible and wasn’t able to breath well. The sunrise was so beautiful. We read scripture and sang worship songs as the sun was coming up. It was amazing! After that we took pictures and we all froze, Brie’s camera was dying, Abby’s phone died in the middle of a video and we were dreading the walk back. BUT the shuttle bus took us to the end of the road so we only had to walk a little back to our car. We went to the gift shop (it says it opened at 8 on the website but it didn’t open until 9) so we went and got some hot chocolate and coffee. well Brie thought we might have left our water at the campsite we stayed at so we went to kill time to see and she was right, we left our water. So we got that and got back to the gift shop in time for opening. We all bought stuff, Abby bought a lot of stuff. We left the Grand Canyon and headed towards Albuquerque. On the way, we stopped at this cute diner that we got amazing brunch at. Abby and Brie were taking a video while I was in the bathroom and it got this little boy in there and when Brie and Abby waved at him he shook his head no and asked his dad what they were doing! So funny! After the diner we headed towards Our air B and B. It was only about 5 hours, so it was a short drive day. We got to the air B and B after we drove to the wrong side of town, and for some reason I got so car sick and haven’t done that before! We ordered food from PF Changs and went to pick it up. On the drive there Abby cut this guy off in traffic and so he started flashing his lights, flipped us off and was so mad. We he was going to a place beside PF Chang’s so he saw us pull in and he came over there and looked like he was going to hit us and then flipped us off again and then it was like he was following us so when we got to PF Chang’s, we were all scared and told the worker but he had left by then. We were so scared we almost called the cops. We got back to our air B and B and we watched “American Bible Game Show” which was great and took showers and ate and then went to bed!

December 16,2020

We left Albuquerque and headed to toward Santa Fe to go to the chocolate house. Brie was driving and Abby gave her the address. We found out when we got to the place that Abby gave her the wrong address (it was so funny). We weren’t far from it and drove there! To me it was the best hot chocolate and the best truffles ever! Brie and I both spent $22 on chocolate after that we headed to Oklahoma City. On the way, we stopped a lot, got a picture at the Texas sign, sang Karaoke, actually we just sang a bunch, and laughed a lot! It was a long day of driving but so fun! We got to our air B and B in Oklahoma City at 10ish and went to bed not long after.

December 17,2020

Today was the last day of our trip. We woke up pretty earlier to get a start on the day. I had asked the girls the day before if we could stop by Checotah on the way home and thank goodness it was already on our way home. So we left our air B and B and headed towards checotah where we stopped and got breakfast. Checotah is home of Carrie Underwood in whom I’m a huge fan of! We went to this really small little diner and got breakfast and asked the waitress and someone else if they knew carrie underwood and they were like yeahh my grandpa dated her grandma and stuff like that and they were super nice and the food was good and cheap and the guy we asked showed us a picture of her like in the back in a safe and then he told us to go to a museum and so we did and they had some pictures of her and gave us a free chili cook off shirt and a bunch of cups and stuff and it’s been really funny and they’ve all been so nice. After that I took pictures by the Carrie Underwood sign and we headed towards home! We didn’t make many stops in between, just to really get gas and use the bathroom. We got Abby’s house around 6:15 and I got home a little after 8 and Brie got home about the same time! It was such a fun trip and I hate to say goodbye to the girls because I wish it wasn’t over, but at the same time I’m so happy to see my parents!