Guest Blogger: Alethia Kasben
I have never been in California for more than a week or two, (at least not that I remember, I have heard myths that I used to stay for three)! So when I decided last summer that I would stay here for all of the summer everyone was happy, I am very well loved here. I was very excited to spend a summer with my little brothers who I never saw more than a week at a time. And of course the rentals (Jamie didn't know what that meant, so I had tell her that it was her and my dad), too. The Southern California weather doesn't hurt either (right now all of my Michigan friends are suffering a brutal heat wave, suckers). As it turns out, my trip was cut a month or so short because of Bonnaroo, a music festival I attended in Tennessee, and my youngest sister's high school graduation. All good things of course.
June 29th came as quickly as ever. The car was packed - I had a very naive idea that all of things would fit in the trunk - and I had my alarm set for 6:15 a.m. - this did not happen either.The first step was to pick up Jamie, my other mother and owner of this blog, from Chicago. After spending 5 and a half hours in the car I walked around Hilton with my Boxer, Hendrix, as we waited for Jamie to get off of the plane.
The trip was officially beginning.The weather and gas prices went down in preparation of our drive. January Wedding by The Avett Brothers was the song of choice on the trip. And Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was our book on tape. Of course, talking was our main source of entertainment. Driving through Colorado was my personal favorite. While listening to music with my hand out the window and my hair blowing in the wind, all I could think about was what a great life I could build after graduation in this beautiful state.
Utah was surprising, who knew it had so much going on?! It also was the state where I grew the most hungry and cranky. Luckily everyone in the city of Moab remained safe. Las Vegas was visited only for In N Out and to fill up the gas tank of my Saturn one last time. I also was able to make my first legal u-turn and explained to Jamie what a Michigan-left was.Finally, we arrived in Costa Mesa. The trip was great, everyone, including the dog behaved perfectly. To celebrate we went straight to Trader Joe's and bought beer and pizza. We walked, talked and watched Tangled, a celebration of our cross country road trip. Now it is time to get to work on a great and productive summer.
