Princess in Training

What are you doing on February 27th?

 

This is where I will be: http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/

 

I just registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon –  a 13.1 mile run through Disney World! I’m really excited for it – it’s a big undertaking, and I don’t know how well I am going to do, but I think that at the very least, I can finish walking in the alloted time :]

 

I’m very excited! So far my training consists of meeting my friend Kathleen every morning and going for a 3 mile walk/run around campus – when it gets too cold to run in the morning we’ll move our runs inside to treadmills, but for now it’s pretty awesome to get up and run with the sunset.

 

So far I’m just registered for the race, but after christmas I will book my flights and hotel – and the best part is that Jess is going to come with me!

 

I’m probably going to have to make a tutu to run in….and get some minnie ears too. :]

clearly, I made it to New York

So…I’m here. I arrived in New York on a sunny July evening with my dad, and promptly ignored the blog.

 

But I’m back. For realsies this time :]

 

I promise to update more with actual posts with actual contents – but to tide you over, here is an update on what I have been doing in the last almost 3 months (!!) since moving to New York and becoming an adult.

 

I made friends with new colleagues.

I started working with a pretty fantastic group of RAs

I watched the sunset in the Hamptons during a work retreat.

I sat on a bench on this dock and ate ice cream. More than once.

Travis came to visit and we ate lunch in Little Italy.

I visited the top of Rockefeller Center

I went to my first NHL game

I can now navigate myself on the NYC subway system

I saw some deer on their way to the beach

I spent Labor Day on Fire Island

I reunited with Oregon friends in Times Square

I celebrated my first Stony Brook University Homecoming!

Almost there!

Day 5

Things that are awesome – tonight is our fifth and final night in a hotel! By this time tomorrow I will be in my apartment in New York – so exciting! Today our adventures included breakfast with Drew and Mel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and driving to Gettysburg. We’re both really enjoying this part of the trip – time to slow down and be tourists!

Highlights of Day 5:

• A reunion with the Morgans!! Love both of them, and it was very exciting to see Drew and Mel, and to chat and see their lovely home and campus. Always great to reunite with friends.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – So. Much. Fun.  It was really neat seeing the artifacts – Freddie Mercury’s clothes, Jimi Hendrix’s sketches of the UO football team, Dean Martin’s tuxedo jacket and the Hall of Fame inductees signatures were among my favorites. Plus, you have to love hearing songs you love just playing in the hallways!
• Outside of one of the sections, there was a lady standing with headphones and dancing at one of the listening stations – dad and I elbowed each other and started laughing really hard. We ended up hovering next to her, and jumped at the headphones when she left to hear what had motivated her awkward mom dance moves – Otis Redding.
• There was a theatre that we went into that was playing concert footage from different Hall of Fame concerts, and I could have easily spent hours in that room. Hands down my favorite moment of our visit happened in this room – the theatre was full of families and visitors, and Aretha Franklin was singing as we came in. However, Metallica came on next, and when they were joined onstage by Ozzy, who promptly encouraged the audience to “go fucking wild” there was a bit of a mass exodus of families. Some of the parents looked horrified at Ozzy and Metallica’s word choices, and as the band began to play “Enter Sandman” even more people left, including more families and the older audience members. Dad and I stood in the back of the room cracking up – I mean really. It’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That’s Rock and Roll for you!
• Our state count is up to 10: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania!

Pictures from Day 5:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Very cool building

This turtle was chilling in the harbor, propped up on a log and looking around. It was a foot big!

the cleveland skyline

lake erie

Ohio and Oregon are the only states that had “Thanks!” signs

Hello Pennsylvania!

Hello Toll Roads!

pennsylvania was a really pretty drive!

when I saw these I yelled “Windmills!” and dad said “How old are you?!”

tunnel.

Our tunnel warning sign

we drove through a few mountains.

almost to Gettysburg!

On deck for today: Gettysburg, and then Stony Brook!!

Day 4!

We’ve officially gone 2/3rd’s of the way to Stony Brook! We technically could finish out the trip tomorrow, but instead are choosing to break it up over two days in order to fit in some epic sightseeing…

Today we drove through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio – bringing our state count up to 9! It was our most intense driving day, but we survived, and had a few adventures along the way.

Highlights of day 4:

• Cracker Barrel! We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Davenport, Iowa, and after a few excited text messages to friends, we loved it! (On a side note – Jill, we looked all through the gift shop for wax lips, but couldn’t find any. But don’t you worry – we are on a mission now.)
• Illinois doesn’t have a “Welcome” sign, making it our least favorite state.
• Today we listened to David Sedaris, the Rock of Ages soundtrack, my “a capella” playlist,  and a CD of dads.
• Word to the wise: when you leave the rest stop – make sure your door is closed all the way. Nothing scarier than trying to drive your dad’s truck down the indiana highway while also trying to close the door.
• Ohio has the best rest stops we’ve seen on our trip. Seriously – these rest stops are like mini-malls. So fancy.
• My cell phone has officially been switched to East Coast time.
• It’s funny getting in and out of the truck now at each stop. Each of our bags is perfectly packed in the backseat, and all of our stops are routine at this point. I know what bags to grab, and what bags to put away. Everything has it’s own little spot. Makes it easy to find things while you are on the road!
• Bringing the book atlas remains one of the best decisions we have made in planning this trip.
• So far, my favorite states are Iowa and Wyoming.

Photos from day 4:

eggs in a basket!!

as I took this photo, dad was saying “You’re embarrassing me.”

Dad enjoyed the rocking chairs.

I want a rocking chair for my apartment.

We hit the 2/3 mark in the Cracker Barrel parking lot

corn.

Mississippi River!

The closest thing Illinois had to a welcome sign.

our first toll booth of the trip! we went through three today – who knew tolls were so expensive?!

stealth toll booth photo…

We don’t know what this is, but as we drove by, Dad yelled “Take a Picture!!!”

Hello Indiana!

Hello Ohio!

fanciest. rest stop. ever. (ohio)

On deck for tomorrow: Breakfast with the Morgans, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Driving through southern PA, and Gettysburg!

Day 3: Check and Done!

We made it through Nebraska and most of Iowa – last night we stayed in Williamsburg, Iowa. Day 3 was our most unexciting day so far – Nebraska was very flat, and there wasn’t a lot to see or stop at. But, we powered through, and went 100 miles further than planned! Today is our longest day – we’re going all the way to Cleveland tonight!

Highlights of Day 3:

• Iowa replaced Idaho for the best rest areas.
• We finished  ”Assassination Vacation” on audiobook (it was great – thanks for the Suggestion, dawn!) and we also listened to the Rock of Ages soundtrack.
• Our state count is up to 6: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa
• Iowa’s state sign is on a bridge, so there was no pulling over. :[ but we still got a picture.
• At one point, I started playing with my camera, and accidently deleted a bunch of pictures. :[ We stopped at a rest area in Nebraska that was an Oregon Trail landmark, and you could still stand in depressions left by the pioneers and their wagons. It was really neat, and I deleted the photos on accident. bummer.

I think that the lack of highlights is reflected in the photos I took: less pictures from this day!

College Baseball World Series!

Hello, Iowa!

We crossed the Missouri River

Iowa was a lot greener than Nebraska

Forest Ave!

We’ve killed A LOT of bugs on this trip. Dad killed a butterfly.

This is our ritual at each gas station. Dad cleans the windshield.

gross.

the little arrow on the map shows how far we are!

The view from the Rest Area

Iowa Sunset. This was taken out of the sunroof, which was a bit scary…

Whoever said Wyoming was flat and boring must have meant “Nebraska”

Day 2: done!

We started out the morning in Burley, Idaho, and ended our night in Sidney, Nebraska – quite the day of driving!

Day 2 Highlights:

• My goal is to drive a leg in each state, but we forgot about Idaho. So, when we got to the “Welcome to Utah” sign, dad pulled over, backed up, and I took over, driving the last 50 feet of Idaho. It still counts.
• I’ve become a bit of a Rest Stop connoisseur, and Idaho has the best stops so far. Worst: Probably Utah.
• I’m much more of a leadfoot than dad, which may be our only source of conflict on this trip. :]
• Today we listed to the first half of “Assassination Vacation” on audiobook, four hours of NPR’s Car Talks, an hour of SNL sketches, and Marty Robbins’ Greatest Hits – twice.
• When we got to Wyoming, there was a paved pullout and a path to the Welcome sign. Dad announced “Oh, we’re doing this. This is happening.” and promptly pulled over for photo ops. We saw a prarie dog at the sign – we assume he was our welcoming committee?
• Little America! All through Wyoming there are signs on the side of the road to Little America, a fancy, family-friendly truck stop with 50 cent soft-serve Ice Cream cones. We stopped, called mom, and then I bought us ice cream cones, paying with quarters. because that is what adults do.
• We felt really good at the end of the night, so while we had originally intended on staying in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we decided to power through and go another 100 miles to Sidney, Nebraska.
• Today’s state count: 4. Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
• According to our GPS, we still have another 400+ miles until our next turn.

Pictures from Day 2:

Welcome to Utah!!

I took a photo of dad taking a photo of the truck in front of the Utah sign

We made a friend at the Utah rest stop who took our picture!

The best view we had of the Great Salt Lake

On to Cheyenne!

utah was really pretty to drive through

we made it to the end of I-84!

879 miles until our next turn

Us and the Wyoming sign

more windmills!

we drove through a mountain :]

we pulled up next to this truck, and Dad yelled “Take a picture of the truck!!”

Hello from Nebraska!

Day 1 in pictures

Our first day in photos:

Heading out on the road!

Our travel companion, TomTom, at the beginning of the trip

Our first turn!

Goodbye, Mt. Hood!

WINDMILLS!

The teddy bears are our passengers for the trip.

my turn to drive!

hello, eastern oregon!

Goodbye, fancy “Welcome to Oregon” Sign

No, Thank You Oregon

Hello, Idaho!

The moon in Idaho

Idaho Sunset through the smoke

Day 1 is done!

After spending my last night in Oregon staying up until 2 am eating cheese and watching stand-up comedy with the little bro, Dad and I left Oregon City at 7:30 this morning – embarking on our epic cross-country road trip! It’s very late now, and we are very tired, so this is going to be a quick update!

We drove 600ish miles today (I don’t remember the exact number!) going from Oregon City, OR to Burley, ID. (side note: who knew that so many hotels in Idaho would be full tonight?! Certainly not us!)

Today’s highlights included listening to 3 stand-up comedy CDs in the car and the iPod on shuffle. We stopped in Hermiston for brunch with J and Jess and Spencer, and it was fantastic. J made mini-quiche, and I single-handedly made a significant dent in the bowl full of grapes. We also drove to Boise (driving past the Rocky Mountain Fireworks and Fur store – quite the debate over whether we needed to stop there) and had dinner with Alicia and Jef  - fantastic way to end our first day – at a great restaurant in downtown Boise with great friends!

Now we’re in a hotel in Burley, ID with very slow wireless (hence the lack of photos in this post!). We drove 30 miles past our goal, so we get to leave a little bit later tomorrow and sleep in a little hopefully!

On deck for tomorrow: 10 hours of driving through Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. If you have any suggestions for ways to stay entertained (or places to stop!) let me know!

also, dad would like you all to know that my iPod boasts a very eclectic mix of tunes – and when we set it on shuffle and let it go, we end up listening to christmas carols, the glee soundtrack, punk music and old-school hip-hop within the same hour. Dad would also like to point out that it is very likely that I will get a speeding ticket during one of my driving legs of this trip.

goodnight.

Our Route

In case you feel like following along, here is our route.

West Coast to the East Coast

Day 1: Oregon City, OR to Twin Falls, ID. Planned stops in Hermiston for brunch with Jess and J, and dinner in Boise with the Petersens!

Day 2: Twin Falls, ID to Cheyenne, WY.

Day 3: Cheyenne, WY to Des Moines, IA. Planned stops in Sydney, NE for the Cabela’s world headquarters. :]

Day 4: Des Moines, IA to Cleveland, OH.

Day 4: Cleveland, OH to Gettysburg, PA. Planned stops in Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and hopefully brunch with the Morgans!) and lots of stops to hang out with the Amish. And to wave to Millersville. (hey Jill!)

Day 5: Gettysburg, PA to Stony Brook, NY. Planned stops in Gettysburg……and STONY BROOK!

i’ll keep you updated as to whether we actually stick to the plan. :]

12 hours and counting…

Dad’s truck is packed (stuffed might be the more appropriate word choice), the route is set and audiobooks are downloaded.

It’s almost go time!

Dad and I are leaving first thing tomorrow morning on our grand drive out to New York! It’s all very exciting, and a bit nerve wracking. I have a copy of the training schedule, so I know a little better what will happen when I get there. It’s still a bit unreal that it’s finally time to go – July 24th always seemed like so far away, and now it’s tomorrow!

Tomorrow I am moving across the country. Tomorrow I’m leaving behind my Oregon residency and grad student status and trading it in for New York residency and professional status.

but first, there are 3000 miles to cross.

I spy...an autzen stadium shopping bag, "Pride and Prejudice" and a wii fit board...