Yo! What's up dudes and gals!?
My brother Ross and I just returned from an epic road trip! Once I flew into Arizona, the craziness began. To hear all about that and my hook up, check that juicy post out here before you continue reading this post, which is part two!
Once we left AZ, we drove to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I wasn't too fond of this place, it certainly didn't feel enchanted to me. False advertising. Granted, we got there pretty late at night and we didn't get the full experience, but it was just kind of sketchy. We both got that vibe. No wonder why they film Breaking Bad there. (No offense to anyone who may live there!) After walking around downtown, we stopped at Tucanos Brazilian Grill and than crashed at the hotel. I think Ross ate enough food for four people.
From Albuquerque, we drove through
Amarillo, TX.
Of course, there ain't shit to do in Amarillo, except see the infamous Cadillac Ranch!
We kept on trucking along and made it to Oklahoma!
Along the way, we stopped at an Indian Casino that my bro actually worked at. He's a CPA and he handled their finances a few years back. I went in with $5 and left with $0.42. WTF.
Once we FINALLY got to Oklahoma City, we checked into the super gorgeous Renaissance Hotel. The desk clerk was a HOTTIE and upgraded us to a suite for free. We got dressed and headed out.
It was so late by this time, so we raced over to Bricktown and the only place still serving food was Hooters. We ordered our food to-go and walked along the water to a restaurant that had TVs broadcasting a basketball game Ross wanted to watch. Ugh sports
After we ate, we checked out a club called Skky Bar, but I wasn't feeling it. It received that name because you have to enter an elevator and go up like 10 stories just to enter into the club. The vibe was weird because they were playing country music in one section and house music in another. Ross was doing his thing, trying to approach girls; I felt like I was tagging along, without any desire to be there. I people watched and observed, which is what I typically do at a club anyways.
He started talking to two very plain Jane looking chicks, so I joined the circle and started chatting with them. He turned his back to order drinks for everyone and that's when some other dude swopped in and started talking to these girls. As soon as he returned, he pulled me aside and got nasty with me, saying how much of a bitch and a pussy I was for not keeping the girl's attention.
I got PISSED and left. Fuck that. I walked around outside and went back to the hotel. I was exhausted anyways and he was giving me attitude over the dumbest shit. About a half hour later, he showed up at the hotel, after I refused to return any of his texts or calls. He apologized and it was all good.
Next up, Little Rock, AK!
dat ass
Discovered a secret oasis!
Once we checked into our hotel right on the main strip, we hit a popular seafood place.
After we filled our bellies, we found this awesome little hole in the wall place playing live music. The band was amazing!! We bought their CD at the end of the show but I can't remember what their name is. During conversation, we found out that they were playing in Memphis the following night, right where we were going to be!
Next stop,
Memphis, TN!
The sign was on a bridge and I couldn't stop for a yoga pic :(
Ross was attending his buddies wedding, so we drove to his house and got in early evening. The entire groomsman party was shacking up at this dudes house. There was shit
everywhere. We immediately got dressed and drove downtown for
dinner. I felt a bit awkward because they were all really good friends and I didn't have much to contribute to the conversation at the table, so I stayed pretty quiet and observed.
Our waitress looked JUST like Regina Spektor though, so I asked to take a picture with her and sent it to Mich! The waitress said people tell her that at least once a day. Haha I always wondered what it must be like to look almost identical to a celebrity. Mich is obsessed with Regina. I told her that I was meeting up with a guy that I had met through blogging (along with the hook up story in AZ) and she texts back "you've become quite a whore this road trip" haha
About twenty minutes later, I get a text from
Socrkid17 that he was outside in the parking lot, so I excused myself from the table and met up with him for the second time in over two years!! (Check out our first encounter). He is such a cool dude. The second I got into his car, I felt comfortable around him. He has such a chill and inviting demeanor.
Remember that band we saw in Little Rock? Well, I told Socrkid about it and we went to the bar that they were playing at! They have a very similar sound to Mumford & Sons. We got a little lost on the way there though and ended up in this slightly sketchy area. The bar itself was kind of sketchy, so it fit in. haha After we grabbed a beer and listened to several bands, we went back to the heart of downtown and walked up onto the bridge, which overlooks everything. It was beautiful. We talked for several hours and I had such a good time catching up with him and hearing all the things he's accomplishing. From our vantage point, we could even see the bank building that he's interning at.
It was getting pretty late, so I text my brother and found out that he and the guys were all at a strip club. My phone was at 5%, so I began to panic slightly and told Socrkid it would probably be smartest if he drove me there, so I could wait outside the titty bar until they came out. I did not want to get stranded in downtown Memphis with a dead phone...or have to burden Socrkid.
Once we got there, he was kind enough to wait in his car with me until the guys came out like 20 minutes later. We hugged and said our goodbyes and I reunited with Ross and his buddies. I really didn't want to be with these guys, because they were all so drunk and I was having such an enjoyable time with Socrkid up on the bridge. Me and the drunks all piled into a mini van cab and went BACK to the bars on the main strip.
I was so frustrated because I could have spent another hour with Socrikid. We ended up back where we were originally, at the bars, by the bridge. Ugh They were so wasted, which made it pretty entertaining though. Out of nowhere, my brother runs into the middle of the street, grabs a girl, lifts her up in mid-air, starts making out with her and they get in a cab five minutes later and drive off.
So I'm like wtf, did I just watch a scene out of a movie or something? I was left with his drunk friends, but thankfully the soon-to-be groom wasn't too drunk and he was able to call us a cab back to his house. The guys and I all talked in his backyard for like an hour so they could sober up, before I excused myself and went to bed...at like 4:00AM.
The following day, Ross and I checked into a swanky hotel, near the wedding reception and he got ready and left. I was so excited to relax for a night and just chill. I worked out in the hotel gym for at least two hours, grabbed some food and passed out.
The following day, we drove to Chattanooga and spent the afternoon exploring the city! It's such a cute little place and we had a blast renting bikes and exploring the town!
From Chattanooga, we pushed on to Atlanta, GA!
We stayed with Ross' best friend from college and his wife, who live in a HUGE house, in a gorgeous neighborhood. This friend of his is hands down one of my favorites! I call him Uncle Teej. He is so damn funny. He's always so intrigued with my life and he even did the P90X Yoga with me in his living room! After his wife went to bed, the three of us toked up on his back porch and just laughed and hung out.
Finally, we ended the trip in Jacksonville, Florida...a day before I started Summer classes!
We grabbed dinner at a sports bar and reminisced the entire trip that night. Ross crashed at my apartment that night, before completing the remaining four hours of the trek to Boca on his own. I got teary-eyed after he left. Well actually, he partied in Orlando with some friends for a few days first.
Anyways, I took Screen print and an Independent Study with a professor I adore. For my DIS class, I was assigned to create six pieces of work that described what it was like being in the closet. The artwork is dark and I had a difficult time tapping back into that past mental state. I really want to start experimenting with fusing graphite and watercolors, which is why I suggested this.
Summer A classes ended on June 18th and my apartment lease ended on June 19th. Talk about amazing timing. It was an EXTREMELY hectic time leading up to the move, because I was trying to get projects finished, pack and clean the apartment and mentally prepare myself for the next chapter in my life. It all happened so fast. I definitely could have done a much better job on my DIS pieces, but I was trying to juggle ten things at once.
My mom drove up on Father’s Day to load up her car because there was no way all my shit was going to fit in mine. Well, her fuel pump broke on I95 and I had to take care of that in the middle of everything else. She said the cop who assisted her on 95 was 'very handsome', so I didn't feel AS bad for her. Ha That happened to be the same afternoon I was supposed to meet up with my Professor and show her the artwork, but I had to email her the photos instead. Luckily, she was very understanding. My mom ended up spending the night, so we went out for sushi and spent time together, after being apart for six months. The original plan was for her to arrive at my place, pack up all my stuff that I had ready to go by the front door and drive back home the same day. It would have been eight hours of driving total, but after doing a cross-country road trip, that sounded like nothing to me. Instead, she woke up the next morning, had the van already loaded up and hit the road as I left around the same time to attend my final critique for Screen print class.
Guys, I can’t even begin to describe the feelings I felt as I walked out of my final undergrad class! I was literally beaming with excitement and joy, yet sadness. I spent the rest of the day reflecting on my college experience.
Literally as Dorie and I were leaving the apartment to return our keys to the front office, Nikki (our third roomie) walked out of her room, which was still unpainted and full of furniture. She snuck a guy over the night before to fuck, but instead of inviting him in through the front door, she snuck him in through her bedroom window. I was relieved to not have to deal with her life choices anymore. She dated a 35-year-old Walgreens manager (she's 22) for like four months who was a total creep. I saw him making out with another chick when Ross and I grabbed dinner at the sports bar, so I started texting her pictures of he and the girl. I think she fucked this guy (some dude she worked with) as her way of getting over the hobbit, as Dorie and I referred to him.
Dorie moved into an apartment complex cross the street and got accepted into the Psychology Graduate program! Saying goodbye to her was incredibly difficult. She has been such a good friend and influence on me.
I wouldn’t give up the past four years of my life in college for anything. The people I met and the friendships I made have shaped me into the person I am today. I grew up soooooo much and truly found myself in the process. Living in Jax gave me my best friends, my identity, the fondest memories of my life and I will always cherish all of it.
I’ve officially been home for two weeks now. The first thing I did was redecorated my entire room. I threw out all the old shit from high school and anything that even remotely reminded me of my depressing days. The walls used to be gray, with a dark gray accent wall, so that was the first thing to go. It's now my little sanctuary. I still need to buy a lot of decorations and what not, but here’s a few pics of the progress...
A few nights after I got back home, I was in my room one night and completely broke down into tears. I began comparing myself to my friends. They all have jobs, internships or Graduate schools lined up. I don’t have any of that. I was sobbing. The safe and cozy college bubble I lived in for the last four years had exploded and I was now back in the house I grew up in with no finite plan of action.
Apparently I was crying so loud, that I woke my mom up and she came rushing in my room. I dropped to the floor and vented these feelings of doubt and worry to her. She doesn't give the greatest advice, but just talking to someone else felt nice, nonetheless.
I don't know where my life is going to go from here. I don't have any concrete answers and it terrifies me, but the next chapter in my life has arrived. I’m scared and excited for it all to unfold. Please pray that I find guidance and opportunities!
Much Love Guys!
