Preparations!

Well, the trip has been bumped up a whole day! We will now be leaving on the 5th of July. That means just 5 days. Single digits. One hand. Pretty crazy stuff if I do say so myself. This gives us a whole extra day on the road to see more crazy things along Route 66 if we need it. We've got our maps and our navigation devices and we're ready to go! Er, sort of. I don't have NEARLY as much to get prepared for as Alex does, but he's also got a full week off of work to get ready! 

<3

I've booked my flight home (right in time to work the midnight premiere of Harry Potter VII Part II...I'm obviously an avid fan) and I've got my bags together. As for actually putting things in them, yeahhh not quite there yet. It's alright though! I'll get the cameras charged up and my typin' fingers ready to tell you all about the crazy adventures that we get into along the way. I'm ecstatic! I can't wait to actually be on the road! 

The Regal Dream Team!

The only thing standing between me and the trip? Four LONG days of work. 4th of July Weekend means lots of new movies and lots of time off for families to go see all these new movies. I'll get through it though!...hopefully I'll have more nice customers rather than the grouchy ones who complain about popcorn prices (really, I have no say in the matter. I make minimum wage, i wouldn't lie to you!) In the meantime, I'm looking forward to spending the free time that I DO have with my best friends...and hooray for being able to attend the fireworks downtown this Monday!

The Four Best Friends That Anyone Could Have<3

  

Roadtrip! Roadtrip!

Well, it's official! I leave in just eight days to travel across the country to California with THIS guy!

Alex got a new job in LA working for a production company, so he's finally moving out there to start his new life. And I'm lucky enough to be accompanying him on his 4 to 5 day road trip out there! We're leaving early on July 6th and I'll be flying home early on the 14th. Taking a road trip across the country has always been on my "bucket list" and I can't believe that I'm actually going to be able to cross it off this early in my life. Incredible. 

We're taking the southern route, starting in PA of course, and going through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and finally arriving in California! Knowing that I'm going to be in more states in one week than I have ever been in my entire lifetime is preeeettyyy overwhelming, but something that I'm REALLY looking forward to! We're going to be traveling along route 66 so you can bet that we'll be stopping at every strange attraction on the way (or just about) and we'll of courseeee be stopping at the Grand Canyon! 

Other attractions we'll be stopping at? Cadillac Ranch, The Blue Whale, World's Largest Fork, St. Louis Arches, the Hoover Damn, and moooooore! Then I'll get to spend two or three days in LA (Hermosa Beach to be exact). This is too cool.

So track us while we're on our trip! I'll be blogging every chance that I get! Internet connection maayyy be hard to come by, but I'll do my best! Whatever I can't post, I'll be posting as soon as I arrive in CA. Wish us luck!

   

LAKE!

Like I mentioned (it feels like forever ago), I was lucky enough to be able to go to the Lacey's lakehouse yet again this summer. It's become sort of a tradition for me that started probably in the 5th or 6th grade and I have to say that it's one of my absolute favorite parts about summer. Sylvan Lake is absolutely beautiful and the Lacey family is probably the most welcoming family I've ever met. I feel completely at home there and I always have the best time ever. Not to mention, I always leave compleeetely stuffed with delicious food in my tummy! :P 

But anyway, thank you Laceys, for having me as a guest yet AGAIN this summer, and I can only look forward to another great weekend there. You're the coolest, most extreme family that I know!

This summer, Lauren invited me along with Daniela and Bridget from Harrisburg and Maggie, Ruben, and Goop from Jersey. It was like one big Pitt reunion plus Bridget! It was really cool how it didn't even feel like any time had passed since seeing everyone at school...I think that's definitely a sign of good and true friendship. It made me realize, yet again, how blessed I am to have found such awesome friends.

I think the best way to sum up the weekend is definitely through pictures. But I will also describe it in words. I'll keep it quick, because I know that it would take me forever to actually tell all of the hilarious and lengthy stories of what happened along the way....

boat rides. jet ski. water skiing. extreme tubing. kayaking. triple OT volleyball games. lots and lots of food and food babies. coffee. fires. smores. apples to apples. star gazing. nighttime boat rides. shooting stars. tipping the jet ski. super big waves. swimming. laughing. singing. hammocks. flip flops. sunburn. sunscreen. rope burn. wipeouts. heart to hearts. bedtime stories. bunk beds. go-kart racing. swinging. spike-city! canoeing. bug bites. late night talks. falling. sun bathing. sunshine. ice cream. best friends.

Notice that there's no sleep in there? Yeah...that's because there just wasn't any time for that! Jam-packed weekend and a million memories made with the people I love. Can't wait to see all my Pitt friends in just two months. 

I can't even believe how awesome this summer is going...

  

"Don't stop...believinnnn!"

Summing up my Beach Vacation in Pictures

I had the best time everrrrrr in ocmd! I know its taken me foreverrr to finally post a few pictures (and believe me, we took A LOT of pictures) ... but i've just been a very busy person since I've gotten home!!! It was really great meeting Hunter there and all of his friends, it made our week even better! But anyway, what we did at the beach:

1. lots of swimming

2. hottubbing 

3. sunbathing

4. LOTS of good eats!

5. boardwalk

6. Carly rode the sling shot!

7. the beach at night

8. music, singing, & dancing

9. the most random things you could ever think of.

^thats not even surprising when you look at who we went with :)

Dan-O-Mano and the Fam Squad...

How cool is my family??? While I was away at the lake this past weekend (blog updates to come!) the brothers came home for Father's Day and spent an action-packed weekend with mom and dad! I was pretty bummed that I missed out on some awesome experiences, such as this Segway tour they took at the Hershey Hotel, but I know that we'll have plenty more awesome adventures to come in the future! I love that I have such a cool family that does pretty awesome things just because we can :)

And although this is one day late, Happy Fathers Day! to Dan the Man! Thanks for being the coolest dad around with all the best stories and experiences that you've shared with Mike, Jim, and I throughout our lives. 

Awesome week up ahead with lots of shifts at work and lots of time with friends! I'm sure I'll have to pull out a few long nights in order to get some blogging done about my two amazing vacations this past week and a half....stay tuned in, I'll do my best to get it done pronto!! :)

  

ratta-tat-tat.

You know those friends who can make you laugh any time of the day, any place in the world? This girl is one of them. I spent a lovely afternoon at Starbucks with 'Big Gurl Ash' laughing like no other. Yes, we may have gotten a few looks from all the people sitting around us who, honestly, probably just take themselves too seriously, but I don't care. Because I had a great time laughing about the stupidest things ever. And I'd much rather be able to laugh at myself then to worry about every little thing. Pure enjoyment.

After our trip to Starbucks, we went to Target (and ran into Steph!) for some last minute beach essentials. Of course I can't go into that store without getting something that I obviously don't need. So instead of walking out with just sun screen and hair gel, I also walked out with a brand new bathing suit purchase. The good news? At least it was on sale! 

Spent the remainder of the day squeezing all that I could into one tiny suitcase. You see, my friends and I made an agreement that, since we're piling all five of us into just one car, that we need to pack light. (This isn't THAT much of a challenge for me...but I can't really say the same for a few others...you know who you are!) So we all agreed: one bag plus one that we can keep with us in our seats. If all five of us girls pull this off, I'd say it's a pretty big accomplishment! ha!

Also watched a ton of "behind the scenes" Harry Potter on tv and had some awesome grilled salmon courtesy of my dad! Now if only I could fall asleep since I'll be waking up bright and early at 7am! Damn excitement!!

 

A New Look!

Well, I've finally given the blog a new look! I still haven't gotten everything figured out yet (I'd like to be able to post larger pictures), but for now I'm really happy with it! 

Just one more full day until I leave for the beach with my friends! And you know what that means...I really need to get to the store to stock up on sun screen (and lots of it!) I am a strong believer in applying and reapplying!

And after the beach?? The lakehouse!! This month could not get any better :)

Can't wait to share pictures and stories with you all! Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather!
  

Perfection.

So what have I been up to for the past month of summer you ask? Well taking pictures has not been one of the things...so disappointed in myself for that too! I wanted to take pictures of EVERYYYTHINGGG and blog about it ALLLLL and I've tooootally been failing at that. So I'm gonna say, baby steps...and I'm going to do my best to sum up my wonderful summer days thus far and work harder to blog about the days to come :)

Days by the Pool!

This is what mooost of my summer days consist of (apart from that 10 day rain period...ugh awful)...it's so lovely having two best friends, each of which have a pool right in their back yard...and each of which live just a few houses away. So convenient. So yes, I spend most of my days laying out by the pool (wearing my sunscreen thankyouverymuch) and swimming with my best friends Rachael, Carly, Steph, and Ash. Oh the simple things in life :)

Lunch Dates!

Lunch dates with all the friends that I can never get enough of. Pictured here, Priscilla and Suds. I call them my two favorite foreigners. Although Suds is spending most of his summer in Pittsburgh being a genius and whatnot, I've been lucky enough to spend a few days with him while he's been home for a short short week. And as for Priscilla?...this girl makes me laaaughhh like no other! Love her. And she's been doing soooo many cool things at school!...from managing the Bucknell Girls Basketball team, to designing clothes based on Alice In Wonderland for fashion shows. She can do it all! I love the fact that my friends love to eat as much as I do. I also love that they're alllways open for random trips to annywhereeee. We usually end up sitting there for hours talking about who knows what, and laughing loud enough for the tables all around us to clear out :)

Days at PNC Park Watching The Senators!

Okay, so this only happened once, but it was awesome. Memorial Day I heard on the radio that the Senators were playing, and I, having the best friends that anyone could ever ask for, was able to send out a text to them all and see if they wanted to attend! Best part?..tickets were only 8 bucks! You really can't beat that. We swam in the pool, went out for dinner, watched the Senators kick butt (I admit, we left after the 6th inning...but baseball is a LONGGG game, do you blame us!?), and ended the night with a free movie. The weather was amaaaazing. I love being out in the sun! And I love summer freckles!!!

Doing God-Knows-What with Big Man Mike!

I have to admit...I'm gonna miss this guy. He leaves tomorrow to live in Philly and although I'm super happy for him, I'm still pretty sad. The past month that I've been home, we really see a lot of each other! We shop together, we eat together, we maaaake food together. We take crazy photobooth pictures and watch strange movies. We laugh at LateNight and having the most inside jokes of anyone I've ever been friends with. The house is gonna be SOOOOO quiet once he leaves. Not to mention, I'm gonna have to find sooomething to fill my time with!!! *Sigh*....I'll miss you man. Already can't wait for your visits and my visits to Philly to see the two best brothers that anyone could ever ask for<3

And that pretty much sums up my last week and a half of life! (other than working at the Reegz).  Just six days until Rach, Car, Steph, Ash, and myself hit up Ocean City Maryland for the week! And then right after that I'll be heading to one of my absolute favorite places (and what I look forward to every summer): the Lacey's lakehouse! Ahhhhh I just love summer and how low key and relaxing it is...I could not ask for anything more right now :)

MMM MMM MMM MMM MMMMMMM!!

Some Of The Tasty Treats That I Have Been Enjoying Lately!

A variety of different types of sushi from Mikado. It was my first time reeeallllyyy trying all of the different options, and I have to admit...it was all very good!!! And a great dinner with Mom, Mike, and Jim during that awfullll storm we had a few days ago!

Neato Burrito's Cowboy Crunch!

If you haven't been to Neato yet, I highly recommend that you get your butt over there. The portions are aweeesome, the price isn't too shabby either, and the food rockssss. That's actually an understatement. Jim and I always seem to find ourselves here. I really enjoy the one on 2nd street downtown, mainly because I like to walk by the river before or afterwards and then stop into my favorite bookstore in the world, Midtown Scholar, on third street. It's my perfect day :)

Scrambled eggs (with cheese) and tea at midnight courtesy of Lauren Lacey. I swear, she's gonna be an awesome mom when she gets older. Who else would stay up and make me breakfast in the middle of the night and then continue to sit there and talk to me for hours?? Great sleepover night with Lauren, D, and Bridget after a long long night of work :)

Homemade Mac n' Cheese courtesy of Mrs. Norman. Yummmm is all I need to say! It was always our Wednesday night tradition to eat Mac n' Cheese and Apple Crisp while we watched Top Model, but now that college keeps us away, the tradition has died...but the food lives on!! 

A chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle! I know what you're thinking...Neato Burrito AND Chipotle..you haaave to pick one! But the truth is, I just can't. I love them both. Equally. They're just both too darn good and I will not submit to picking one over the other!! Of course good company definitely helps make the food taste better, and a spur of the moment dinner with three of your best friends (Chris, Brian, and Rachael), definitely makes a summer evening thaaat much better.

Other Wonderfully Tasting Food That I Was Not Camera-Ready For!

3B's ice cream in a cone: chocolate peanut butter cup!

Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon courtesy of Mrs. Lacey (one of the best cooks in the worlddddd, fo'real).

YP's bacon cheddar cheese fries (to die for).

Homemade banana-strawberry smoothies using none other than The Magic Bullet (a super healthy but also incredibly filling snack)..I've got Mike hooked!!

Homemade apple pie (beautiful) made by one of my managers at work. A great treat for a long work night. 

And a variety of different pizza from a variety of different pizza places!

Maybe not all of the HEALTHIEST choices...but some very veryyyy good food to say the least!