Wherever You Go, There You Are

Heading home tomorrow, even though I'm not sure where "home" is. After the past six weeks, I found my heart in several different places.

I left Nonnie and Richard in Whitefish and ventured south to Missoula for a few days to visit my friend, Kelly. We drank beer, played in the hills, and I shot my first gun. Great success.

From Missoula, I went to Jackson, Wyoming and I am definitely living there some day. Brandi and I met in high school at our first job and I hadn't seen her since then. It was a short visit, but we crammed in a lot of great sights and conversation while Danny, our tour guide, gave his best efforts to recruit another southern California transplant. More local beer, homemade brownies, bison and tetons made it hard to leave this place. Somehow, I didn't get ANY photos besides the first ones coming into town, so I stole the others from Brandi so you can see how amazing this place is and how adorable these two people are.

After 17 hours of straight driving, I was on a mission to make it to Yosemite in a day. I made it, and it's been non-stop goodness. Andrew and I did a two-night back packing trip into Hetch Hetchy where we caught some fish, played in the wild flowers and saw some epic waterfalls. Then we had a crew on a day hike up to North Dome and hopefully I'll have more pictures to come soon.

"Keep close to nature's heart... and break clear away once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." -John Muir

Happy Mother's Day

Nonnie celebrates Mother's Day on May 10th (Mexican Mother's Day) but she sure was happy to get a surprise bouquet from Mom today. She was raving about the nest and birds they put inside it. She is so amazing, and without her, I wouldn't have my own mom to celebrate! Kinda pixelated but this is a photo from Mother's Day a couple years ago up in Santa Barbara. We drank rum n coke instead of coffee and played in the trees. Love you Mama!

"Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." - Erich Fromm 

Montana Lovin

Spring is here and so are the humming birds! Watching humming birds feed has been one of Nonnie's favorite things to do since as early as I can remember. For the past three hours, we swatted fried mosquitos and got so close to the humming birds, one even landed on my hand and I almost peed myself. Here's some photos of tonight as well as the past few days.

Road to freedom

Flathead Lake

Backyard 

On the train to Essex in the observation car 

Nonnie's Big Hike 

I had to apologize in advance for spelling "whore" and Nonnie almost died laughing

Then she beat me with no remorse  

Bald eagle's nest 

Always classy, even when we don't go anywhere  

Family of deer in the backyard

I did this for an hour straight. Something about the loud ZAP that's so rewarding 

Nonnie REALLLYY wanted to fry those mosquitos

I love this lady

This one was my favorite

They don't share well. 

It's a party

"I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." - John Muir 

One Wish

The recent video on Gadling  is a great representation of what's real in our world right now, regardless of where we come from and what we believe in. They asked a variety of people in Jerusalem, if they had one wish, what it would be.

While in Montana with my grandparents, I've had a lot of time to just be, and consider what's important in my life and what truly isn't. I believe people are only as busy as they want to be, and we should never confuse activity with productivity. I now do what makes me happy, be with the people who matter to me, and I leave everything else behind. And I feel more fulfilled than I ever have.

I'm realizing while I'm up here, I'm on earth for a very short time, and so are the people I love most. So I've stopped worrying and even complaining about things out of my control, and I'm focusing on what's been given to me right now at this moment.

Not losing my patience with Nonnie as she asks me for the fifth time in 10 minutes if we need to go to the store for milk, or listening to my grandfather tell me the same story he told me the night before and just sitting there for an hour like it was the first time he told me; these are times when I need to be still, and cherish every moment while I still have them.

My wish is for everyone to stop and think about what's really important in life and to take advantage of it while it's still in front of them.

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." - Rick Warren

The Day I Used AAA... Twice

By far, the highlight of my last couple days was building a successful fire in less than 10 minutes. I've become a total dirt bag and instead of buying a bundle of wood for $5, I walk around the other sites and take wood people leave behind. Dontjudgeme. I've been loving Oregon and being able to sit outside and journal under trees larger than life. Beauty is all around me!

I made it about ONE mile out of Newport, OR when my truck decided she had other plans (it's a she because she's moody). I made it to the side-ish of the road and called AAA and I think the lady was more interested in hearing about my road trip than being stranded on hwy 101 needing a tow truck.  Three hours and $400 later, I was on the road.

Clockwise from top left: Sea Lion Cave, Beverly State Beach, Devil's Punch Bowl, and Spencer Creek Trail 

After 12 hours of driving, my bank account being bullied, and my nose only getting snottier from a cold I somehow acquired, I put away the camping gear and pulled into a cheap hotel. When the man asked if I had AAA, I could only look at him with an exhausted smile on my face as I crammed a chocolate chip cookie into my mouth. Why yes. Yes I do. Thank you for the discount... and the extra cookie.

When life hands you lemons, give them back and eat the free cookies.