To-Do List #17 - Drive Across Country - Part Five

So driving through New Mexico is so incredible. It has to be one of my favorite places I have been to. We left in the morning and a little bit on the highway we pulled off again at a small Native American Arts Center. I purchased a horse hair ceramic vase and a Christmas Ornament, both made by local Navaho. Both are gorgeous peaces. We got back on the road again and drove through to Arizona where stopped at a GREAT rest area - we spent almost an hour there because the outside is all red rock boulders that you can climb on -- I took many photos of course. As we continued on through Arizona the view became more and more spectacular. From the red rock background - and then to the mountains of lush green that you snake through. It was all incredible. The drive was long and tedious -- but we finally made it to the turn off to Hoover Dam -- where we stopped and ate dinner. From there it was about an hour drive to the Dam (yes, I know mom, start laughing) as we were driving, the sun was setting over the mountains which just made the view that much more incredible! As we drove higher in elevation there was a turn off. We stayed there for a while, taking photos of the gorgeous sites - all the edgy Arizona Mountains turning different shades of blue. It was beautiful. We continued on the few miles to the Hoover Dam. Stopped at the Dam lookout (haha - yes I know...) and stayed there for a while -- by now it was completely dark and the lights of the Dam were up - it was spectacular, how it was reflected in Lake Mead... It was really really amazing. As we were there and I was taking my hundred and one photos - - a group of Bikers come riding down the road -- as they get closer we notice they were playing Uptown Girl! HA! Here are about 10 bikers, clad all in leather and jeans with there bandannas -- riding along to Uptown Girl! As they got off I noticed they spoke another language, maybe German. I watched them for a while as they took there pictures and when they continued on there bikes, the first bike to turn on blared "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" I AM SERIOUS! What a great visual!

We, I, ME - who is afraid of heights, I drove over the Hoover Dam -- my hands were clenched to the wheel! When we got to the other side of it we hadn't even realized we were driving over it. oops. Oh well!

As we were leaving the Hoover Dam we started noticing that the car was running a tiny bit hotter than normal-- so we stopped for a while. We have discovered that LJs car likes to go faster to get that air on his engine. So we started up again and drove the half hour to Las Vegas! LJ has never been before and I wanted to drive down the strip but with the car and the stop and go traffic down there -- I opted out of that. We drove downtown to the El Cortez Hotel and Casino on Freemont St and got ourselves checked in. I am always pleased with this hotel- I know it's not on the strip - but when you stay they always give you a two night free stay good for the next few months and they always upgrade you. So our room is a Tower room and it is gorgeous -- It has two queen beds, a sitting room, a desk, a huge dresser - it's beautiful! We decided that we were exhausted after that long day of driving and we enjoyed going to sleep without having to worry about another day of driving the next day! We are here for 3 nights.

Viva Las Vegas!

To-Do List #17 - Drive Across Country - Part Four

So we morning after the terrifying Texas experience, all we wanted to do was get OUT of Texas... But we had one REALLY BIG to-do list first. The Cadillac Ranch. I have wanted to see it for a really long time. So before going we stop at the Wal-Mart to buy a big can of spray paint - and on our way out Lana is accused of stealing a bottle of pills that were in her bag. yeah. They practically did all but count the pills to make sure she didn't walk out with them. They finally let us go and we drove on the the Cadillacs. Texas -- not great experiences.

The Cadillac Ranch was really great - as your driving down 40 on the left side you can see it off in the distance and a few cars parked on the side of the service road. I was so excited! As you pull off there is a sign telling you it is punishable by law to spray on anything outside of the fence. So we go in to the area - walk the short distance to get to the cars and just soaked the silliness of it in for a moment. 10 old Cadillacs buried face down. All painted insane - some had beautiful pieces of art work - some had political statements --- one even had a marriage proposal. We found a car to deface and started at it - First car I wrote CA OR DIE! Lana's car had BE TRUE and finally the last car said EB AND LJ. We had a great time out there and I took many many photos on the old 35 -- hope they turn out!

We got back on the road again to take the short trek over to Santa Fe, New Mexico. My mother and Aunt had a friend, also from camp-days of their teenage years, named Jimmy. Or Jim as he goes by now. I knew of Jim most of my life from stories from my Mom and Aunt Jill -- and then this winter for a World AIDS Day event my sister organized with him to display along with others, his partners piece of the quilt, his partner passed away in the 80's. He now lives in Santa Fe with his absolutely adorable Partner Eluid. We met up with them at about 5pm. They were both so much fun! We left our car at there house and went on to downtown Historical Santa Fe were we walked and talked for a bit. Santa Fe has got to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It was just so peaceful. The buildings seem to have grown straight out of the desert land. As Eluid said, there are 21 shades of brown in the buildings. Nothing seems out of place. After walking we drove to meet another of there friends, Kathy, at a wonderful New Mexican restaurant. Kathy is a trip - she fits in with the people in my life quite well! She was so much fun to listen to her stories! We had an amazing (and delicious time!) at the restaurant! After dinner we drove back to Jim and Eluids's house, took a few pictures so that Mom and Jill wouldn't have a complete fit and drove the short drive to Albuquerque, where we were staying for the night.

All in all it was out best and most relaxing day in the trip so far! Thank you so much Jim and Eluid for opening up your city to us - we had a great time!

To-Do List #17 - Drive Across Country - Part Three

We woke up after a good nights sleep, got ready for another day of driving and headed out to our first stop.

The Precious Moments Chapel. That's right folks there are acres and acres of land in Missouri dedicated to the dead baby angels. If you are a precious moments collector - I am sorry, but to me, they creep me out. I mean - that one you always see, Timmy, that is the creators son when he was a child - his son died in his 30's... the whole place is covered with Timmy's -- it's like a shrine to his son... It was all just a little strange. The main building looks like It's a Small World threw up on it. We were too late for the Chapel tour - but the grounds alone were enough to send me over the edge. I bought a Timmy ornament to forever remember the Dead Baby Angel Chapel and LJ bought of all things - A SHOT GLASS that says Precious Moments Chapel -- too funny!

We continued on from there to Oklahoma... A little ways down the highway we got off at a little town called Catoosa, OK. Catoosa is on Historical Route 66 which was cool but a little in disrepair - lots and lots of potholes. We were looking for the Blue Whale Park, a must see on my list, and finally found it! It was great, a small pond on the side of Route 66 with a giant concrete blue whale in it, you can climb on him, there are diving boards and slides off his back and sides. There were picnic tables, so we stopped and ate lunch and enjoyed the cheesy view. It was something I have wanted to see for a while and I am so glad I got the chance.

After the Blue Whale we headed a few minutes down the road to Tulsa, OK where we were trying to see The Golden Driller - a tall "muffler man" style statue of an oil driller. About a block from him the Jeep showed check gauges and the oil pressure had shot down - which of course threw us into a panic, we pulled into the Target Parking Lot- she got oil while I stayed with the car - we called her Dad and my Brother - the basic consensus was that the car was just running a lot and the oil was hot... Not that big of a deal. That was a relief but an hour lost from our trip... So we headed over to the Golden Driller - but we had to skip the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial which I wanted to see. We had about 6 hours to Amarillo, TX and stopped once for dinner and gas outside OK city... We kept driving on to Texas - and got some road side signs of Welcome To Texas, Proud Home of George W Bush (blah!) and a few of us pretending to hitch hike for both of our Mom's benefits. But soon after crossing the Texas border we noticed that there is NOTHING here - no gas stations, nothing. We were running low on gas and needed a station. Finally, we saw a bright sign in the distance and finally could make out that it said GAS - no logo or anything - just GAS. So we got off at the exit which had nothing else there. Made our way to the station and got the willies right away.

Okay - to set the scene, and I am not exaggerating on any of this. There is a small building with 3 pumps, at one pump is a gas tanker, but painted camouflage, with no one in it. The other two pumps are empty. To the right there are two abandoned cars with smashed windshields. Underneath one car are two cats who were staring at us the whole time (the only living things there - we think!) the building had a worn hand carved wood Closed sign - the blinds were down in the windows - but one window had twinkly Christmas lights outlining it. So the setting is like something out of 'Joy Ride' or 'Jeepers Creepers' right? I mean - truly, it looked like a movie set. So I get out to pump the gas and LJ is with me, cell phone in hand. I put my card in, get the gas pump and look at the gas price. $2.25. When was the last time someone was actually at this station??? And why was there a gas tanker there? We ran back into the car and drove off quickly, all while the cats were watching us drive away. I am still freaked out by it. So we continue driving trying to find gas - and exit after exit there is truly, nothing. We finally see a Shell Station ahead, pull off - again, the building is closed, but we feel a little safer this time. Lana still has the cell phone in hand and I begin to pump. As I do so a car gets off the exit which only leads to the gas station, and slowly begins driving past the station - almost stopping and then speeds off. So again, we are freaked out. Then Lana notices a semi parked to the side of station which is unsettling because you know someone is there with it. We quickly get in the car after pumping the gas and drive away, but as we do so we notice another semi parked, hidden earlier by the side of the building with a single head light on. Again, just things that were unsettling. as we are trying to pull back on to the highway another call pulls off and instead of going to the station, speeds up and practically chases us back onto the highway. By this time were so freaked out that we just wanted to be in the safety of our double-locked hotel room.

We finally made it to Amarillo and slept with strange dreams.

To-Do List #17 - Drive Across Country - Part Two

Hi from Missouri! Yesterday, my mother and her sister, Jill drove with me to Decatur, Indiana, directly outside the Ohio border. There I met up with one of my best friends, LJ (Lana as most know her from the ship) The four of as well as Lana's wonderful mother went to Pizza King, Lana's old highschool job! It was delicious and so nice to sit down with everyone and talk! Mom, Jill and Lana's mom got along so great! After the yummy lunch, it was time to say goodbye - which was so hard. I love having these adventures but I hate leaving my Mom in the process. After our very tear-filled goodbyes Lana, her mom and I went back to Lana's house. I was able to meet her family - who are all so fun! We packed into the evening and then left at about 9am this morning. We had a long drive today - but had a great time along the way -- before even leaving Indiana we saw the home James Dean grew up in - a great Victorian home - beautiful, and now ridden with James Dean cut outs and statues :) SO TACKY! It was great!

After the tacky tribute we made our way through to Illinois where we stopped at a rest area for lunch and continued on to Missouri. As soon as we crossed the border we made our way to downtown St. Louis to the Gateway Arch - which Lana had never seen! It was a nice day and we got some great photos!

After the Arch we continued on to our hotel in Springfield, MO - right outside of Branson. By the time we got to the hotel we were giddy from tiredness, we couldn't stop laughing! Sleep was a must!

To-Do List #17 - Drive across country!

My journey has begun! Yesterday I began my cross-country road trip... I began in Raleigh, NC with my mom and drove North West through North Carolina. Along the way we saw Pilot Mountain. If I remember correctly, the mountain somehow belonged to my childhood best-friend's (Christina) Grandfather and was given to the state later. I don't know if I completely made that up or changed all the facts, but it sounds like a good story!

We made it up to Virginia in the morning and came across rain as we were driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains, but it stopped soon after. The trees were really beautiful, just starting to show there leaves - so it almost looked like autumn! I love that area, so peaceful and pretty.

Virginia was pretty uneventful and we made it up to West Virginia. West Virginia, for those who have never been is worth missing. The drive was uneventful, the weather was okay, the state is well... boring. We did stop for lunch and some shopping in Charleston.

Soon enough we made it to Ohio (after taking a quick nap to regain are driving energy) and had just about an hour or so of driving before making it to New Concord, OH. We will stay here for a few days with my Aunt Jill and her family before continuing on to meet LJ in Indiana on Wednesday! From there we will drive south so we can spend a few days in Vegas before arriving at our new home in Groveland, CA!

As long as my GPS is on, we shouldn't get lost!!


***Will add pictures later when I have a better connection!***

To-Do List #68 - Support a Candidate I believe in - Part Two

Volunteering for Barack Obama's campaign was a really amazing experience. I registered voters around North Hills Mall. The whole experience was amazing, but there was definitely one defining moment. A woman who I stopped to ask if she was registered to vote, she informed me that she used to work on Bill Clinton's staff. She liked the Clinton presidency but was not sure if she was going to vote for Hillary. I talked to her for a while on why she was questioning her vote and what Obama felt about many of her areas of concerns. She left, still undecided. Later, she came back with tears in her eyes saying that she came to a decision about her vote. She said she remembered how she was doing just what I am doing in the 60's and how she had forgotten what it was like to really believe in a candidate. She was going to vote for Obama. I was so proud at that moment.

I have since had two amazing opportunities come up surrounding this candidate. Miichelle Obama came to Raleigh, NC speaking on behalf of her husband about 2 weeks ago and I had the honor of being there. This was the largest crowd she had spoken to with over 6,000 Obama supporters cheering her on. I was so impressed with her! I really feel she is as an incredible speaker as her husband! She touched on all the major issues, but the thing she said that took my attention the most was this. "Our nation has a financial deficit of a trillion dollars, yet we are still the richest nation in the world. But our real problem is that our nation has a deficit of empathy. We have been guided in fear and no longer have the time or the capabilities to help our neighbor". How true.

Last week Senator Obama himself came to Raleigh. Tickets were available the day before and I had to wait in line for an hour to obtain mine. The doors opened at 11:30 AM the next day. I arrived at 9AM and there was already 200 people in front of me! It was well worth the wait, I was in the fifth row for his Town Hall in Raleigh. It was such an incredible honor to see Barack Obama in such a small and intimate setting of only about 800 people. The town hall is set up in a way where people have the opportunities to ask questions to the senator. One person stuck out in my mind above all others. A little boy, as cute as can be, was selected to ask a question. "Mr. Obama, I am in 4th grade and I was elected class Representative and I want to know how I can be president one day". After everyone gave the little boy a standing ovation, Obama went on to answer, joking at first "You know, I should be asking you the same question, you've already won your election! But seriously, the best thing to do is work really hard in school - try your hardest in your classes, pay attention and make good grades. And the most important thing of all is when you see someone in your class being bullied, stop and help the person. And when you are in the lunch room and you see someone doesn't have very much to eat, give them a piece of your sandwich. Then I am sure you will grow up to be a fine young man worthy of being a president". This is the reason I am voting for him. Such hope. Afterwards, I got the opportunity to shake the Senators hand. It was such a privilege to see him speak. I will always remember.

To-Do List #54 Learn how to surf

That's right. I, the girl who hated swimming in the ocean, wanted to learn how to surf. Actually, it was a big goal of mine moving out to Hawai'i. I wanted to do a few things, jump off a waterfall, swim with turtles, learn to surf - they were all on the list. And I did them all. Some, a little earlier than others!

My new-found love of swimming in the ocean actually came one week before moving to Hawai'i. My best friend Dale, another friend Ken, my sister and I went to Atlantic Beach, NC for a day. Melissa and Ken stayed on the sand while Dale and I played in the ocean, in our clothes. We stayed in the water long after dark, just enjoying the beauty, the peace, and just being together. I fell in love with the healing power of the ocean at that moment.

So, back to surfing... On my last week in my beloved Hawai'i, my sister, Melissa came out to stay in Maui for the week. The week was great, she was able to meet my friends, able to see the places that I went every week, able to fall in love with the land. It's impossible not to. We did a lot of great things that week, snorkling at the coral gardens, clubbing with friends, the horrible road to Hana, sunrise at Haleakala...

But a great highlight was checking a big check off my to-do list. Melissa and I took lessons from the Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy - which was really great! Our first wave and we both were up - with a little help and a big push from our instructor Luis! We were both addicted! We rented boards for the next day... So there we were, on our own... And I think, in the course of several hours we maybe got up 3 times between us. Yeah. So it's a little bit harder without the big push! But, I wanted to keep getting on the board, keep trying to stand up, keep paddling, I fell in love with it. But, two days later, I moved home with no ocean in sight.

But, believe me, the next time I am near the waves, I am going to give it another shot!

To-Do List #73 - Make a Difference

On Valentine's Day, this year, my Mother and I lost a friend, Susie "Goofynina" Trevino. Susie was suffering from ESRD, Kidney Failure. My Mother is suffering from the same thing.

The first time we met Susie was at the Ihatedialysis.com meet up in Las Vegas, NV. Mom and I were talking in a casino and saw this woman with a permanent grin on her face walking through the casino. We noticed her right away, how could you not? She was wearing a purple boa, a tiara and a sash that said "Drama Queen". She was wonderful, kind, happy, sweet and loving to each and every one of us that weekend. It was an honor to meet her.

When we got the call of Susie's death, I knew I had to do something. That night I created a team for the National Kidney Foundation's Triangle Kidney Walk. The team's name was Walking for Nana and Nina. Nana, for my mother and Nina, for Susie (Goofynina).

We began raising money immediately and within a week had raised over $3,000! My whole family and several family friends joined the team... The whole process, raising money, seeing peoples generosity was overwhelming.

On March 29th, 5 weeks after Susie's death. 27 team members, and hundreds others, walked 5k to honor my Mother and Susie. When we arrived, it was a bit gloomy outside, but everyone's spirits were so high. Carina, the organizer of this event who is on the National Kidney Foundation staff, told the local news to interview Mom. She thought our family was wonderful and had a great story.


It was a cold day, everyone on the team had their team shirts on with a green ribbon, Eiffel tower and a tiara! As soon as we started walking it began raining! But that is okay, we soldiered on (and froze a little bit) through the 5k.

At the end of the walk we all moved inside to a warmer and a bit more dry area. Carina, the amazing organizer of the walk and who works for the National Kidney Foundation, began to present the Walk Awards. We were all so excited for my brother Todd when he won top fundraiser! His total was well over $3,000!


Our team also got the grand prize award of top fundraising team! Our team raised over $7,000! That is $3,000 over our team goal! The trophy we received is HUGE! The trophy will travel each year to the top team, yes, that's right, we have our own version of the Stanley Cup!!! Great, right?

For all of you who donated or who were keeping us in there hearts on Saturday, I thank you and my family thanks you.