Road Trip!!!

At last I am writing a post about my road trip last summer!! I am going to make it short but just wanted to make sure I write something! So here goes...

Last summer was bittersweet. I was fortunate enough to come home from my first year of college but one of my really good friends was moving half way across the country. Ashley's mom got a great job working for Houston's First Baptist in Texas so their entire family was moving! When I found out I jokingly commented that I would be more than willing to help them drive there...its a good thing I actually wanted to! As a result of numerous things they were unable to take both cars and everything. So Ashley was stuck in Portland with a car! It was perfect! We mapped it all out! Had a binder full of directions for each day! Gas was paid for! And three girls set out on an adventure!

Cassie, Ashley and I took turns driving each day. Because we were young adults we decided that no road trip was complete without a lot of fun! Which of course meant we needed to stop at every Six Flags between Portland and Houston! The first one was in Vallejo California! It was wonderful! At this park we met Jay. I know it is dumb for 3 singles girls to hang out with a guy all day but we were smart about it and didn't tell him where we were from or where we were going. Plus Jay got us to the front of any line...it was awesome! We stayed with Ashley's Grandfather in San Jose for two nights and then departed for lunch with her other Grandparents in Irvine California. After having lunch we proceeded to travel to Anaheim. Here we stayed in a Trendwest Resort called Dolphin Cove. It was right next to Disneyland! So of course that night we went to watch the fireworks at Disneyland! The next day we went to Magic Mountain! Basically the best thrill rides of the entire trip! X2 was awesome! Just ultimately a great day! The next day we traveled to Indio California. Here we took a day off and rested. It was nice to just sit by the pool and relax! However following the day of rest came a day of torture! We drove from Indio California to Santa Fe, New Mexico! What a long day! After that we had another long day driving from Santa Fe to Frisco, Texas. In Frisco we stayed with my sister Hilary. The next day we took another break! We each had friends or family in the area so we split up and did our own thing. It was perfect timing for me because this day happened to land on my niece Alyssa's birthday! We went to see Despicable Me and had a great time just hanging out! Then we went to Six Flags Over Texas. It was fun. I think I enjoyed it the most because of the memories I had from when I went there with my family. Finally we drove to San Antonio and stayed with my roommate Claudia's family. They were so sweet to allow us to stay with them. We had dinner on the River Walk and then the next day Claudia came with us to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The neat part about this park is that it has a water park. I think this is one of my all time favorite places. I rode my first roller coaster here when I was 10 and it changed my life. Stephanie (my other roommate) drove out and spend the night with us. It was fun to have a little reunion in the middle of summer. After that we drove our last stretch to Houston! When finally in Houston we spent time with Ashley's family and relaxed!

This trip was such a blessing. Not only did we have a wonderful time but it was a great opportunity to share the gospel with Ashley. She is a very strong christian and is curious about the church. I think that it scares her to admit that she might be interested. I gave her a Book of Mormon when I left of college the first time, I know she hasn't read it but I am confident that at some point in her life she will find value in it.

I know that this post would have been 20 times better if I had written it last summer....but I'm lame and didn't...not much I can do about that now. But at least I now have a record of it!

Until later,
looking for another adventure

I dedicate this post to.....

The one the only.......drumroll..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ASHLEY HOFER!!!!!

Ashley and I have been friends for 4 years now. We met in Treble Choir (my sophomore year, and her freshman year) and were the only two people to sing our part. Once I found out she lived right around the corner, her fate was sealed, she would be my friend whether she liked it or not. Just a few weeks ago, I found out that she will be moving to Houston, TX (adding one more to the list of friends I have in Texas) with her family this summer. And while this doesn't affect much because next year we will both be at school anyways, it does make it harder to see her in the future. She won't be here for winter break, and summer, which is quite unfortunate because I am going to miss this girl!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to listen to Ashley sing for the first time in a while, she competed in the OMEA State Solo/Ensemble Competition and did amazing!....Okay.....well I didn't necessarily hear her compete....that's a story of its own.

Cassie and I drove down to McMinnville to watch the competition, we left a little late for multiple reasons and forgot how long it takes to get to McMinnville. We got there, parked, and then tried to find the building. Once we located the building, we ran about 1/4 mile to the building and got inside just as Ashley and her family were walking out of the room...

But that's all beside the point...so after that whole experience, we decided to go to McMinnville's famous Alf's for milkshakes! (They were quite delicious I might add, I got the peanut butter and added chocolate, best milkshake I have ever had!) While we waited we played trivia games and I now know that on the Time Magazine 1990 "Who gives a hoot?" Issue there was a spotted owl on the cover, which might come in handy at some point. We then drove back to Ashley's house, and had her re-perform her songs, which brings us to the point.

Ashley is an amazing girl with an amazing talent, and I really hope she realizes how great she is. The resonance, the tone, the quality, and the technique were all superb. And even though she was singing after just eating ice cream, it was amazing! She has come so far since the days when I stood next to her in choir. She is going to go far, I can't wait to hear her continue to improve! Maybe one day Ashley and I will hold a concert together in Carnegie Hall :) Only time can tell! While Ashley will probably never read this I hope she knows how much I look up to her.

Until later,
a truly amazed/jealous friend