i make things

Pacific Northwest Roadtrip: Day 1: Edition 1

Day 1 - Fly out to Seattle!

Starting my post with the word "fly" when my title has "roadtrip" in the title isn't exactly cohesive but I promise I can explain.

I'm flying out to Seattle where I will rent a car and roadtrip it down the Washington, Oregon and California Coast along Hwy 101. I'm not driving the entire length of Cali just the northern part where the redwoods are. Then I'm turning around and making the loop back up to Seattle on I5. It's going to be so much fun! I'm giddy with excitement. Literally like fidgety and twitchy in my seat. I couldn't sleep very long all week just thinking about this trip.

Everyone who I've talked to about this trip is so excited for me. Isn't it fun when people are genuinely thrilled for you and it truly shows? Those people usually say things like, "I'm so jealous." "OMG I wish I was going with you." and when they say that I think, "I wish they were too. I bet it would be awesome with them along."

I'm in flight right now. Yep, this flight has wi-fi in flight. So cool. I've never had internet access in flight before.

I need a moment to reminisce please. Thanks for humoring me. When I was a kid you brought crayons and a coloring book or in my case, either a book or homework. Yeah, I'm that kid that goes on vacation for Disneyland and brings homework on a plane. I was in 7th grade.

Anyway, That's what you did as a kid, you colored, read a book or whatever. As I got older, let's say, college, when I flew I brought along a book, a walkman (that's the prehistoric version of an iPod except bigger and you had to bring cd's with in order to hear music) or chatted with your neighbor.

Fast forward to now. Picture this. Sitting uncomfortably with my tray across my lap, iPad and minute keyboard in front of me typing this out. I have the remnants of a very surprisingly tasty meal of vegetable ravioli, spring green salad and a buttered roll right next to me washed down with a crisp ginger ale. The remaining ravioli sauce is beckoning my elbow to graze through it like a gentle breeze flows through your hair...except in this case the breeze keeps going and the ravioli sauce will remain on my shirt sleeve. Sorry sauce, you aren't winning that battle. The stewardess just picked up my tray. Anyway, Flook's album Haven is gently and insistently playing through my earbuds as I type. Flook is an Anglo-Irish band that plays traditional Irish instrumental music...so flutes, bodhran, guitar and whistle instruments. In honor of St.Patty's day I always listen to Irish music. It's so light and lively. I'm bee-bopping to the beat as I bang out this post.

My point in all that reminiscing is that times have definitely changed for me in terms of how I fly and what I do. I still have that book sitting next to me but I'm not reading it as my fingers are flying away writing this post. I'll get to once I finish this post but it's so much different nowadays. Makes me feel a bit old and I'm not really old.

Okay so back to Roadtrip: Day 1: Fly to Seattle

I had a couple hours to burn before actually boarding my flight so I perused the MSP airport and found some cool and interesting things. I didn't realize how many neat little shops and areas they have to buy things. I could've spent an entire paycheck buying the neat stuff I saw.

This neat batman-Moose-MN tee. Seriously...who thinks this stuff up. I almost bought it. Almost means I texted it to a friend of mine who LOVES batman cause I thought she'd like it.

A beautiful, lovely, cutesy teal heart. Teal and hearts are my thing so it warrants a picture. I didn't buy cause I don't really need to add weight to my luggage.

This cutesy little clutch? purse? wallet? reminded me of my college days where that's what you carried around. There isn't much room in it except for your college ID, $5 (hey you're a college student you're lucky if there is a dollar in there LOL) and that's about it. (Hey Kristi it made me think of you dear.)

Can you guess what this is? Look hard. You got a guess? Okay, now I'm going to tell you. It's an old-fashioned phone that you can plug into your smartphone so you can chat on the phone like I did when I was a kid. Using a real phone not a thin piece of metal that doesn't fit rounded-like in your hand with an end that meets with your mouth and the other directly with your ear. I call this "throwback" I ALMOST bought this. Seriously...when I head back through MSP on my way home I might just detour and grab this beauty. Hot pink please. thank you.

My life would not be complete without this bad boy. A walleye cribbage board. I almost bought this. I said that several times already but seriously I've been looking for a cribbage board other than the plain jane boring "everyone has it" cribbage board. I think this would go nicely in the fish house. Don't you?

A luggage tag that says this? Seriously every smart-alec in the world needs this. If I grabbed a bag and read the tag I'd bust out laughing. I ALMOST bought this. Yet again. Almost. Why can't I commit? Well, I know why. I'm on vacation and I need money for when I'm actually road-tripping. I don't need additional crap to put in my luggage and get me over the 50 pound limit.

Okay that's all I have for this Edition of Pacific Northwest Roadtripping

Week in the Life Day 7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 6

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 3

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 2

Day 2 Pics

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week in the Life Day 1

I decided to do Ali Edwards a Week in the Life this year. I've been resisting because my summer's are some incredibly busy and I don't feel like I have time to document a whole week in my life but you know what...whenever I keep saying "I don't have time or I can't" then I miss out on things that I should be doing. So I decided for the sake of posterity and curiosity that I would do it this year. In 20 or 30 years I'm going to look back at this and laugh about how my life is now. I'll probably have a heart-attack over the gas prices but there you go. Something that I will enjoy down the road or my family will. So right now I'm going to post some pics of each day and then once I get my very easy album done I'll post that too.

Pictures: Day 1 (SOTC)

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

Sunset - 5/25/11

Took this picture because it was so beautiful and I just couldn't not take it. No saturation adjustment, no contrast adjustment SOL picture. I usually get these types of pictures in the early summer when it's not muggy outside.

This was on the way to the house. I loved that swirl of clouds above my house. It looked like a hurricane cloud or something. Kind of scary but cool at the same time. The clouds look pink because it's right before dusk...If you travel up this road to that pile of trees on the right, turn to your left and take a picture you get the very first picture I posted. :)

20 things I'd like to tell my 17 year-old self (that would be 14 years ago)

Got the idea from this blog Elise:

You are not fat, at all, but at some point you will be, don't let this happen.

When your softball coach tells you that you can't do something don't listen. You can too! Make him give you the chance.

You will move out of the state because you want to. Don't be scared.

Spend as much time with Grandma as you can. You don't know how much time will slip away between going to college and getting married, then she'll be gone. (tear)

Working at the gas station will be one of your favorite jobs.

Save your money and spend it on decent clothes instead of wearing what your mother buys you for Christmas. You'll feel much better.

Party more in college. It's worth it.

Take more trips overseas. The Germany trip was your most favorite and you could have done more of them but didn't. It's worth the expense.

Be more social.

Wear a bikini because your body will never look better than it does now. Seriously. You'll never be able to wear one again.

Do more things with your brothers and sisters. They are more fun than you think.

Enjoy the heck out of your life right now it's the easiest it'll ever be.

Buy your own car. It'll make you feel more independent.

Go to the afterprom your Senior year it's more fun than the prom and you missed it.

Never schedule early classes in college. You end up fighting sleep the whole time.

Take more fun classes like Art. Drawing especially.

Date more men in college. There were so many to choose from.

Practice wearing make-up so you don't have so many years of looking like you wear none.

Not wearing skanky clothes was good. You didn't need to flash your goods like a slut.

Only have one credit card. That's all you need. All the store credit cards are nothing but trouble.

Work for a huge accounting firm so you could use your German language skills instead of settling for a small company in the middle of nowhere.