Up in the Air

This is my travel blog, so I would be remiss to completely ignore the cross-country travel that took place during the latter half of January. It is now March, and here I am… Back on the East Coast.

Mike offered his place to stay in Long Beach, CA while he was on deployment for 6 months. So, ever the one to seize an opportunity, I left [not alone, mind you: if you want to test a relationship, go on a roadtrip together. Amen.] and spent three full days on the road, both of us switching off driving duties. By the end of Day 2, we were clear across Texas and settled in El Paso for the night. [The stars... my God! The stars!] Then cut across AZ to visit family and some friends, clear on to LA. I had two interviews lined up, and after sending my travel partner on his way via LAX airport, I settled in to the place I would be calling home. For an undetermined amount of time.

Long story short: I got the job, realized my commute to Wilshire Blvd. was only 13 miles away but at least 1.5 hours in traffic. No bueno. So I did the rational thing – I head back home. [Alright, it didn't happen THAT simply - I had work lined up at the internship I just finished and knew I had something to go back to. Also - I didn't want to miss my nephew being born. Major minor details that all make for a great cocktail hour story.]

I’ve been back in Jersey since February and am commuting up to northern NJ for work. There is very little that I actually WANT in this point in time. My job makes alot of my travel desires a reality, and I’M GOING TO BE AN AUNT IN A FEW WEEKS!!, my brother graduates medical school and leaves for Louisiana…..I’m wingin’ it. Around me: friends are getting engaged, buying homes, moving away, having babies, getting married, joining the service, are on deployment…

I used to get upset and take it personally when my best friend graduated and no longer had time for little old me still in college. Now I’m lucky if I have any time for myself. Great things are happening. I’m happiest exactly where I am right now.

Chicago Deja Vu

Driving around the suburbs of Chicago today, I realized I knew where I was because:

1) I spotted a diner we had eaten at a month ago

2) I could get myself to two Dunkin’ Donuts within a ten-mile radius from that point

Our last event in Michigan ended at 7 PM, we got to Columbus somewhere in the 11 PM time range. I was a little too excited about the prospect of heading home that I proceeded to drive 8 hours straight to Old Bridge. I was greeted with Welcome Home balloons, I showered and ran out the door.

My week+ spent at home was … eventful. I took in a Rangers game, ran the Turkey Trot, saw my relatives from Cali and Germany, sang some karaoke, went to the movies, did some Black Friday shopping, visited my favorite watering holes, got to spend some time with friends, and called it a day.

We left for Charleston, WV on a Monday, and have had events all this week from Cleveland to Toledo. I had myself an added road trip on Wednesday.. All I can say about that is A] glad it’s over and B] the kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me.

Though I missed Christmas Eve last year because I flew in late from Long Beach, I’ve never been far from home around this time of year. Traveling is a definite passion of mine, but I’ve been used to doing so on my terms. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my limitations, but through and through – I enjoy every aspect of the job. We are now in Chicago and will be heading back to Toledo then down to Fort Thomas, KY on Tuesday. Something about the winter, snow, Christmas lights - it’s almost depressing to hear Christmas songs while traveling in a giant cold van in unfamiliar territory with two [essentially] strangers.

The Rutgers Big Chill 5k is next Saturday, Sean Curry is doing standup in the city, I’ll be doing Santacon in the city, I’ve got a few more people left on my Christmas list, Christmas baking.. Home is callin’ :)

Alli Oakley

I met up with Will at his place in downtown Flint and he brought me around Kettering for some pictures, a trip down memory lane, and a tour of the stay-away-from here areas. Considering I’ve been to Kettering twice before, I never ventured off campus, but considering where we were I was always heavily advised not to. So I never really understood or saw why I was not traveling out-of-bounds, but rest assured – I do now! Though I was surprised at how nicely the downtown area is developing.

We grabbed dinner at the Redwood Lodge and it had such interesting things on the menu like bison, rabbit, turtle, venison… I settled for veggie pizza [typical]. Will had given me a head’s up a few days prior that he was going to have to tap out early on our weekend plans, which would have been a bummer had his friends not been AWESOME.

This story seems familiar – it’s exactly how I met Will! When I went on my first road trip to visit Dave, one of his housemates was in a frat and they brought a slew of people over. Will and Samantha hit it off. We all kept in touch, but only I returned to visit about a year later. So when Dave decided to stay in one night, Will and his friend took me under their wing and kept me entertained for the majority of my stay. Since then, I’ve crashed by Will twice on my way to and from California, and now it worked out perfectly that I was to only be a stone’s throw away from Flint again!

In midst of our hour-long trek to the theater to see Boondock Saints II, I learned that not only were these guys as nice as Will, but they also enjoyed shooting guns, bonfires, visiting Flint’s Farmers Market.. Needless to say, when I saw that one of their license plates said “Enginerd” and the other had a pickup truck covered in mud - I knew we’d get along just fine.

I finally got my hot apple cider at the Farmer’s Market, took a quick enough nap to wake up and shoot some clay discs. No one was injured – though the same cannot be said of the truck that I accidentally got stuck shortly afterward when they let me take a turn at off-roading… I knew that was going to be a bad idea. They pulled it out with the tractor.

All in all – great way to spend my last weekend on tour. It’s been a long haul, but I’m excited to be heading home. MY OWN BED. Home cooked meals. Family. MY OWN CAR. Friends. Local bars. DECENT HOCKEY. Going as I please.

I’ll officially be crossing the NJ border on Friday at some point.

Tags: 2012, bonfires, boondock saints, clay discs, country nights, flint, gland blanc, Great Lakes Crossing, guns, handguns, Kettering University, michigan, microbrewery, mud on the tires, off-roading, shotguns