the road trip song game

i thought that instead of the usual vacation photo dump, i'd show a few pictures, but focus more on a little game chris and i made up on the way home to keep from falling asleep while traveling 80mph down the interstate.  the game kept us awake, and has us playing even though we've been home for a few days!

we found the game works best with those awful, corny 80's or 90's songs that no one seems to like, yet radio stations continue to play.  it all started with this little gem by whitesnake.  so, the real lyrics go, "i made up my mind, i ain't wastin' no more time, so here i go again."  and to make it fun, we came up with new lyrics that meant the same thing, but sounded a bit smarter: "i've come to a decision, i will start conserving my time, once again i will start."

we did that for the entire song (don't ask me how we knew all the words), to queen songs (but we do like queen), and to pretty much any song we knew!  now i can't wait for the next trip!  do you have any games that you play to pass the time?

our time on the island

i really can't say enough about the island, and i'm already looking forward to going back! the only downside to going somewhere like that is having to return to reality. i can't tell you how much i did NOT miss checking my email, reading about stupid drama on facebook, listening to the cussing phone ring all. the. time., and being around people other than chris and flojo. like i said yesterday, we didn't get many pictures, but here are a few we did remember to take!

now, about the pictures... #1 is what we saw when we looked out of our camper door. and sunnies because i have to try and prevent as many wrinkles as possible! #2 and #5 show some of my seashell collecting. this is supposed to be one of the best places on the east coast for shells, and i can honestly say that i have never in my life seen so many shells, especially conch shells! the limit is 2 gallons per person per day, and we didn't meet that, but we still came home with quite a collection (pictures later this week). #3 is a jellyfish on the beach. i don't like thinking that i may be swimming around them, but i do think they're pretty. #4 we didn't do any surfing because the water was unusually rough due to a hurricane that was 900 miles off the coast. #6 our little camper home on our very own stretch of beach. #7 i don't know what type of crab that is, but it sure was pretty! #8, #9, #10 we met paula, a conservation officer, and helped her excavate a loggerhead sea turtle nest! because the loggerheads are an endangered species, sections of the beach are closed to preserve the nests and allow smooth sand for the hatchlings' journey to the ocean. we excavated one of the nests not knowing what we'd find; luckily, it was a very successful nest! there were nearly 120 hatched shells, 3 eggs that never formed a turtle, and one baby turtle that, sadly, didn't survive.

tomorrow, i'll get back to the regularly scheduled blogging with wishlist wednesday! but, i'm going to skip the what i've been working on post this week since, obviously, i haven't been working on anything while i was away from home!

we're back from our island

i don't even know where to begin. we had such an amazing time and discovered such a gem, that i can barely process everything i want to tell you! let me just say that it was absolutely gorgeous; an island that hasn't been excavated, or built up with hotels and restaurants, and is just pure, natural beauty for as far as the eye can see. i'm not sure of the exact number of people that were on the island while we were, but i can tell you that we pretty much just saw the same 8-10 people maybe once a day each day we were there, so it definitely feels like you're on your own private island!

we went down a day early so that we could explore beaufort, nc and morehead city, nc before we took the 1 hour ferry ride over to the island. sadly, we barely took any pictures or videos (i think it's because we were so busy conch shell collecting, birdwatching and sleeping), but here are a few from our day on the mainland.

chris and i have already decided that we're going to make this our new vacation spot, but because of the undiscovered and uninhabited quality of the island, and the fact that the people who have been going there for 30 years like to keep it hush hush, i can't say too much about it! once the rain passes and i can see sunlight again, i'm going to try to get some pictures of the treasures i came home with!

i hope you've had a good week since we last chatted. have you done anything exciting or taken any trips lately?

one of my favorite things

kassi and brandi asked me to share my favorite thing about my trip. i actually have two (and one may be pretty obvious) and choosing them was a no-brainer! one of my favorite things was visiting pebble beach and carmel. seriously, so beautiful it almost hurts! i took way too many pictures, walked on the beach, played in the water even though it felt colder than ice, and watched sea birds, sea lions and little sea creatures. also, you may notice in my picture posts that i'm the only person, making it look like i took a trip by myself; i did have a travel buddy, amy, but i only have one picture of the two of us, and she basically made me swear on my life that i wouldn't share it with anyone. ever. i really tried to pick out just a few of my favorites, but this is still REALLY image heavy!

i loved those starfish! i've actually never seen a living starfish before then (no, i didn't kill it and keep it), only sand dollars in florida. i told amy that if i thought i had to live my life knowing that i could never visit pebble beach again, it wouldn't be worth living! i LOVED it!

how has your weekend been? do anything fun?

i'm going to san francisco!

aaaahhhhhhh! i'm so excited! it's my favorite place on earth, and i'll be there in less than two weeks! auntie amy and i are going for a few days just to have fun and non-stop girl talk. on my list of things to do: walk around telegraph hill talking to the wild parrots (but that one is obvious), go to haight-ashbury and get vintage clothes, and if we have enough time, we're driving down to carmel and monterey for the day to take in its beauty (but that's really up in the air as there is so much to do in san francisco we may run out of time).

images from we heart it and google search.

here's my one problem with traveling: i'm too cheap to check my bag, and i have a really difficult time fitting everything into my carry-on. since california weather is SO different from the weather in virginia, i know i'll have to bring extra clothes so i can dress in layers, so i'm thinking about using lauren's idea from when we all met up in june and basically shrink wrapping everything in ziploc bags so it takes up less space! she's a genius!

i know the city is huge, and there's so much i haven't seen, so if you have any suggestions for food, shopping (keep in mind i'm a cheapskate) or anything else, let me know! i don't require much sleep, so i like to try and cram in as much as possible on trips!

have you taken any trips this year? do have any planned for later in the year?

venice, california

After I left my blogger meet up weekend, I stayed with my friend Haley who lives in Venice, California. We did a little eating, a little rocking and a whole lot of shopping! I'd never been to Venice, but I'll tell you, I saw a lot. A whole lot. Abbott Kinney has too many great shops for my wallet, but if you find yourself in Venice, and I suggest going at least once, be sure to visit Skylark!

So, we went to the Promenade and shopped at Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and American Apparel, then we went out on the boardwalk to a restaurant called Fig Tree Cafe. All of their food is organic, and I got fish tacos worth selling your grandma for!

The next day we went back out on the boardwalk in the daylight so I could see the craziness that is Venice Beach. I bought two huge rings for $2.50 each, I saw a two-headed turtle, caught a contact high from all the legal marijuana, and spied these decorated motor homes where the homeless beachcombers live.

Before we left the boardwalk, we went out on the beach for the drum circle that happens every Sunday. I definitely enjoyed it, and I really liked watching this Native American man dance with his feathers.

When we left the drum circle, we did a little more shopping (okay, a lot), then we went to a greek restaurant and I got the best authentic pita sandwich I've ever in my life eaten. Once we got back to Haley's apartment, she changed her clothes and did my eye makeup (I'm so not a girl) in preparation for the show at The Viper Room! We went to see her friend's band, Stevie Starlight, and it was an awesome show! We drove through Beverly Hills on the way there so I could see all the places I'd never be able to afford.

california, again.

Okay, before I go any further, I'm gonna warn you, there are a lot of pictures! I thought I'd finish showing you everything from my California trip in this one post, but there's seriously no way that's happening. It was hard enough to choose which pictures to use without overwhelming you, but I also figured that I should finish telling you about my blogger meet up fun before I introduced you to Haley, the friend (who isn't a blogger) that I stayed with for the second part of my trip. Haley pictures will come tomorrow. Now, without further ado...

On Friday we spent much of the day at the beach, and I must say, it was breath-taking! And yes, of course I took a picture of a bird!

Lauren and I took a picture of one another taking a picture. Kassi looks cute as always, and Brandi poses for our pictures. Chris loves her mirror sunglasses. I wish Kelly could have come, too!

Kassi's kids were our company and entertainment for the day. Tannyn and Tayli were our photographers, and Tyler left us to girl talk while he surfed. It must be said, Tyler is any mom's dream. Seriously, he's the most respectful and helpful 12-year-old boy I've ever had the pleasure of meeting!

We went to Brandi's friend's store Pretty in Pink in Costa Mesa, CA and I fell in love with so many things. I ended up only getting a double finger ring, but there was a tank top, a pair of pants, a few shirts and a dress that i really wanted! Then we went to the fair for my last bit of time with my three favorite bloggers before it was time for me to leave and go stay with Haley.

I had a great time with them, and I can't wait to do it again. I don't know if the next meet up will be in another state, or maybe at my house, but either way, I'm ready!