Off Road.

As it should always be, our morning centered around breakfast. 

After waking from a fine sleep, my sister and I, as quickly as we arrived in Salt Lake, prepared to say goodbye to it.  

Before hitting the road, we did some research to find the most suitable breakfast spot for two young traveling gals, and settled on a very sweet spot called The Rose Establishment.  

Over coffees and treats, our eyes slowly opened and when our plates were empty, we felt rejuvenated and ready to roll.  

From Salt Lake City’s snow capped mountains, we made our way through the rest of Utah, Nevada, and finally to California.

With open road ahead of us, the majority of our drive was spent without service and we were reliant on each other’s company and the entire soundtrack of Hamilton to keep us occupied.  

It reminded me of the olden days! The days without phones, LTE’s, Internet, and just the open road and sunshine ahead of us.

At one point, we made a stop along the road in Nevada, and while stretching our legs and taking photos on the good ole fashioned Polaroid (really going old school!), we both felt completely at peace in the wilderness, isolated and without service.  

It was fantastic. That’s the kind of traveling I’ll remember best!  

Anyhoo, we pulled into Bishop around six, having made good time, and settled down for the night at Grandma’s house, falling asleep to the starriest of skies, and one very hyper kitty.  

My sister went for the Yerba Latte (lapang, souchong, brown sugar apple syrup, salted cocoa bitters, and milk), and the porridge (with rolled oats, steamed milk, peach and sage jam, and pepitas). 

I myself had a pour over (max with Ethiopia Guiji, best served black), and a lemon pie brioche (with lemon curd, cardamom bitters cream, and nutmeg). 

If you so happen to have at least a 2 1/2 car trip planned and you like history, the Hamilton soundtrack is perfect for you. Be prepared to go from boisterous singing to a face full of tears by the end though!  

Rest stop best stop.  

California, we meet again... 

On the Road Again.

Already I can tell this is going to be a swell trip.  

What started as a short vaca to the Bay (mostly to see the Warriors play the Lakers) has turned into a 17 day break, complete with a road trip across country with my sister, job searching, and a reunion with my besties.

It was stressful to plan, I won’t lie, but already, it's so worth it.

We spent the first few days in Custer, South Dakota, staying with my grandparents and picking up Tall 1 (my much missed Fiat), and it was during this stay that my grandma mentioned something to me that really settled well. 

She was telling us about this book she had just read, as we were driving through the Black Hills on an abnormally sunny March morning, and it had to do with New Year's Resolutions. Instead of a list, she said, or even a mantra, the book recommended a single word to think about for the year, one itty bitty word to focus your thoughts on. 

To her, that word was "focus." To my sister, it meant "positivity." And for me, I think my special word is "moment."

Which is fitting because I believe I wrote a post about a New Year's Resolution and it had to do with gratitude. To me, gratitude and being in the moment go hand in hand. Having gratitude is being thankful, and for me, it means looking at all that I have now, in the present moment, and being appreciative of where I am and how my quality of life is, which is pretty darn spectacular. 

I mean, my breakfast this morning consisted of avocado toast, Japanese French Toast (complete with green tea ice cream, miso butter, maple, and toasted nori), and I got to spend it in the company of my brother and sister, as well as my grandma, who stated to the entire restaurant that it was one of the happiest days of her life. 

That meant the world to me, and I took in that moment, being in the company of my family, and dining together over some of the finest cuisine, and it made me feel grateful. 

This trip, I can already tell, is not only going to be filled with fantastic food, family time, and new sights, but it will fill my soul with feelings so worth all the unnecessary stress I put on myself when I planned it. 

I'm not only on the road again towards a destination, but I'm on the road to discovering the true meaning of gratitude, and what it means to be thankful for each and every moment. 

Let's get this party started!

I don't know how I'll ever go back to eating cereal again..

Ready for the road!

Roadtrip playlist uploaded and ready to roll..

Through South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah, Alyeska and I kept ourselves plenty occupied with busting a move and singing at the top of our lungs..

Well a nine hour road trip constitutes a "treat yo self" type dinner, so per my dad's suggestion (who was last here in Salt Lake City in 2001), we ended up at Red Iguana, which was way worth the half hour wait in the snow.

We'll be sleeping good tonight, ready for the road tomorrow!