Music, Dining and Adjustments for the Trip(UPDATED)

Sooooooooo...things are not exactly going to plan lol. Some things are and some things are...not.

I got up with TJ this morning as planned, but it was cold so I did not exercise as early as planned. But I did manage to run 25 minutes and walk just a little over 5. I also managed to make it to the post office before my salon appointment. The original plan was a trim and highlights with new color, french acrylic manicure and spa pedicure. I changed my mond and instead of getting a traditional french manicure I got the tips colored pink :) I got my toes the same color with a great spa pedicure. I also just did color and no highlights and got more than a trim and then I also got my eyebrows and upper lip waxed for the first time. OW! I had the same girl do all of it so it was awesome. My appointment only lasted 5 hours instead of the estimated 6!

I started packing this morning. I found that the smaller black suitcase was too small for all that I wanted to take in to the hotels at night. But the big blue suitcase was PLENTY big so I decided to just use that one and lug it into the hotels lol. I also could not find my flowered toiletry bag so I had to use another bag that was smaller so I had to put a couple things in a small gift bag.

I do not think my big blue suitcase is going to fit into my hatchback!!! If not it will fit the other way with the seats folded down, but then that throws off the whole backseat configuration I had going!! LOL. It will all fit, but maybe not the way I had imagined. I also have to get the GPS set up and learn how to use it!!

To top all of this off I have cramps. And maybe a nervous stomach. I am excited, anxious, worried, sad, happy. And exhausted from getting up early! I should have no problem going to bed early tonight.

Okay, so now about the music. Certain parts of the trip require certain types of music. To start the journey I will be listening to Randy Travis' cover of Roger Miller's King of the Road and then when I get on the Interstate I will switch to Randy's Highway Junkie. I will probably listen to the rest of the CD and then switch to Abba to get me though boring Western Kansas!! In Colorado I will switch to church hymns in preparation of the temple. After the temple and for the rest of the time in Colorado it will be John Denver.

I have nothing specific for Utah, but in Nevada, especially Vegas it's gotta be Elvis!!! My entrance to Vegas must be Burnin' Love. It was the first time when my cousins took me and it will always be.

I do not really have anything specific for California either.

So, that leaves restaurants and food joints!! I have a couple places to check out in Vail, but in St. George I must visit Carl's Jr to have Fry Sauce and to the Sweet Tooth Fairy for a cupcake. In California I will be having lots of sushi with Bonnie and we will probably continue our oyster tour from 2 years ago. I would like to check out The Stinking Rose in LA as well as Cafe Gratitude and maybe Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. And Pioneer Chicken!!! In San Luis Obispo at The Madonna Inn we will be going to the steakhouse there. In Orange County, Kim and I are going to Farrells for icecream. In Whittier I will of course stop at Tony's Pizza and maybe Seafare's Inn. I would also like to get an In and Out burger. In Palm Springs I am going to a vegan place with my friend, Carrie. Betty, where are we going in san Diego????

Okay, so that is it!! One more day! Tomorrow at this time I will hopefully be in Vail exercising or exploring the village. It is going to be too cold (in the 60s) to go swimming :( St George will be on the other extreme -- HOT, but California will be in the 70's -- perfect!

UPDATE: The suitcase fit in the hatchback with room to spare so my figurations remained intact for the most part. I will try to get a picture in the morning.

What I Am Doing and Working in Exercising on the Trip

I have pretty much figured out everything I am doing on the trip and thought i would share. Now, of course things can change, but this is it for now...

Wednesday, May 30th -- Drive to Centennial, CO, attend a Temple session. Then drive to Vail, CO and spend night.
Exercise -- swim at hotel

Thursday, May 31st -- Explore Vail, drive to St. George, UT and stay night. Maybe attend the temple
Exercise -- Run/walk in the morning

Friday, June 1st -- Attend a temple session if not done night before, visit historic sites, drive to Stateline NV(CA/NV border) and visit outlet shops. Drive to Bonnie's.
Exercise -- walking to temple and sites and around outlet mall

Saturday, June 2nd -- Hang out w/ Bonnie. Possible activities are the beach, downtown LA, Universal Studios.
Not sure on exercise

Sunday, June 3rd – Church. Visit my cousin in Whittier
No exercise.

Monday, June 4th -- visit cemetery, meet with my financial advisor, back to Whittier
Exercise -- run/walk at Bonnie's

Tuesday, June 5th -- Los Angeles temple and Beverly Hills
Exercise -- Evening walk or swim or fitness room

Wednesday, June 6th -- Mini vacation w/Bonnie to San Luis Obispo
Thursday, June 7th -- Same
Friday, June 8th -- Same
Exercise to be determined

Saturday, June 9th -- Not sure. we may still be on our mini vacation.

Sunday, June 10th – Church and possibly visit family again

Monday, June 11th -- OC w/ Kim. Farrells ice cream!
Exercise -- evening walk and swim with Kim?

Tuesday, June 12 -- Brady Bunch house and LACMA with Kim
Exercise -- same or a morning walk

Wednesday, June 13 -- Laguna Beach in the afternoon
Exercise -- evening walk on the beach

Thursday, June 14 -- Laguna Beach
Exercise -- morning run/walk, afternoon swim

Friday, June 15 -- San Diego to go to temple and see Betty
Exercise -- walk or run on the beach

Saturday, June 16th -- Palm Springs to see Carrie
walk/run and/or swimming

Sunday, June 17th -- Church. Drive up to Las Vegas

Monday, June 18th -- Las Vegas
Exercise -- walk the strip and swim!

Tuesday, June 19th -- Las Vegas temple and start drive home
Exercise -- evening walk

Wednesday, June 20th -- Arrive home!!!!

Tomorrow I will talk about music for the trip and maybe some restaurants I am planning to visit.

Just 2 more days!! A week from today I will be meeting with my financial advisor and hanging out in Whittier :)

How It's Packed and Where it Goes On the Trip

Now that I have told you all of what I am bringing on the trip I am going to explain how it is getting packed and where in the car it is going! I will also address a laundry question I had from Betty. Some of the stuff I will talk about will be a repeat from earlier posts.

I will start with my black suitcase which is the smaller suitcase. This is the one which will go into the hotels with me(except Laguna Beach) and on my trip up the coast with my BFF. It will contain the stuff I will need everyday...
makeup bag, toiletry bag, hair accessories and jewelry pouches, excercise clothes, a book, computer, chargers, journaling supplies, swimsuit and coverup(these I will lay out in car to dry after use!!) + the clothing(and shoes) I will need for the next day. On the coast trip it will include underwear and socks and the clothes I am taking. This suitcase will hang out in the backseat along with the cooler, a grocery tote and a pillow. And a couple gallons of bottled water for emergencies.

The blue suitcase, which is the bigger one will have my clothes, underwear, socks, shoes, games, back up books and a pillow case. And laundry. Normally on vacation I take a plastic bag and keep the laundry in there until we get home, but as this is a long trip I will be doing laundry probably twice so I will take a plastic bag in the hotels, but then store the dirty laundry in the front pouch of the blue suitcase. This suitcase will be in the hatchback along with my temple bag, a blanket and beach towels.

My skirts and blouses will be laid out on top.

In the front seat will be Flori da cat, my purse, CD case, iPod, water, snacks and my insulated lunch bag with a couple cold things. At stops I can grab what I need from the cooler. I will also have one of the grocery totes up front and it will double as a beach bag :)

For the hotels (except Laguna Beach) the black suitcase will go in with me as well as a grocery tote and lunch bag. Same with the coast trip. I will talk more about what I am bringing for that at a later time.

At Laguna Beach the blue suitcase will go in with me. It will be reconfigured to hold everything I need for that adventure. I will also be using it at my second friend's place.

Everything will go in at Bonnie's.

I plan to replenish the ice for the cooler everyday when I gas up for the day while I am on the road. :) Well, the first gas station visit of the day lol.

I am getting tired just thinking about getting all that organized!!!!

Only 3 more days!! A week from today I will be going to church in Woodland Hills and visiting my cousin :)

Other Stuff For the Trip

4 more days!! A week from today I will be getting into mischief with my BFF :)

Today I am going to talk about some odds and ends for my trip and the luggage I will bringing.

Other -- blue suitcase, black suitcase(underwear, makeup, toiletries, jewelry),temple bag, pillow and 2 cases, purse, flowered toiletry bag, cooler and lunchbag, 2 grocery totes, beach towels(2) and blanket.

My blue suitcase is huge and will hold all of my clothes and shoes. I am using the front pocket for laundry. My black suitcase is the smaller one so I will be using it for my hotel stays (except for Laguna Beach) and adding in the clothes and shoes I need for the next day. The flowered toilety bag will go in the black suitcase.

My temple bad holds the clothes I wear in the temple.

I like having my own pillow, but will only use that when staying at friends' homes.

I have a good size cooler and a small lunch bag to kepp up front and take into the hotels, plus my grocery totes with food. One will double as a beach bag. I am bringing 2 towels for the beach plus a small blanket. It will be my mom's old blanket she used on the couch for cool evenings :)

Of course I will bring a purse. I am starting off with a Betsy Johnson, but will be buying a new designer purse in honor of my weightloss at the outlet stores in Primm, NV. Hopefully. If not there is always Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Center!!!

Today I am just cleaning up the house a bit and getting the addresses down for my GPS.

Food for the Trip

Since I will be traveling by car, food for the road is essential. Also, I want some healthier options as I will be indulging quite a bit over the 3 weeks. It is good to balance it out. Especially since I hit a milestone today of 25 pounds lost!!!!! That's right, I am now at 175. AND I have lost a clothing size!! No more 18's!! I am now in 16 and in the case of my new shorts from Walmart -- 14!! I am also finding that I can wear large shirts as opposed to x-large.

So, back to the food, this is what I am bringing....

Food -- Veggie and Apple Cinnamon Straws (chips), vegetarian crackers, Larabars, Naked Juice and smoothies, fresh fruit, veggies, 2 Tupperware containers, chocolate cream of wheat, oatmeal, granola cereal, soy milk, nuts plasticware, knife, can opener, cans of soup and bean, Izze soda, chocolate, honey candy and water. And cinnamon.

I am bringing a cooler that I bought last week. It has wheels!! I bought the granola cereal from the bulk bins at Hyvee today. I also bought bowls and plastic forks, spoons and knives. I will also be bringing a couple of tupperwares and a sharp knife for the fruits and veggies.

And of course, there is chocolate!!

I have 2 totes of stuff. One with the soda and cans of stuff that can be left in the car (or put in the cooler)and another that I will bring into the hotels with me. All of it will go in my friends' homes.

What food is a must for you on the road?

5 more days until I leave. A week from today I will be shopping at the stateline and then heading into Cali to Bonnie's place!!

Entertainment for the Trip

6 more days and I will be on the road!!! A week from today I will be driving through Colorado and Utah and staying in St. George. I can almost taste the fry sauce at Carl's Jr!!

Today I am going to talk about what I am going to bring for entertainment on the trip. I get bored easily so i have a few things I am bringing. Here is the list..

Entertainment – iPod, books and Nook, CDs, writing notebook, pens, journal, art kit, computer, scriptures and journal, chargers, phone, camera, gossip magazines

The iPod is a must have for exercising and I can hook it up in my car if I find the right adapter, The Walmart one is not working so we are going to go to Best Buy.

I am bringing a couple paperback books and I have a couple on my Nook. If need be I will order more. I also want to get some gossip magazines. And I always bring my scriptures. Debating on whether to bring my journal for church. I might just use my writing notebook and then attach the pages in the regular journal.

The CDs are for the ride. Looking forward to hearing Rocky Mountain High in the actual Rockies!!!

I am hoping to get a little writing one on the trip so I will have my small notebook. I also have my journal and supplies, plus a small art kit I bought. It has a pad and colored pencils, watercolors and drawing pencils. I am hoping to be inspired.

Of course I will have my computer and will try to update regularly. I always have my phone and the chargers are essential. And the camera is much needed!!!

I am trying not to bring too much. I already had to pare down some of my clothes and will probably eliminate a few more when I pack!!

What are your must haves for entertainment on a trip???

Toiletries For The Trip

Good morning all!! One week from today I embark on my trip!!!! I a so excited, but there is still so much to do. House cleaning, laundry, packing. I started setting stuff aside last night, but I will not do the actual packing until next Tuesday.

Today I am going to talk about toiletries. That basically includes stuff you would find in the bathroom. This is my list...

Toiletries -- hairbrush and comb, toothbrush and paste, facial cleanser and moisturizer, makeup and remover, medicine(prescription, pain, cold, pill splitter), pads, sunscreen and aloe, lotion, and deodorant.

I bought a travel size toothpaste and case for my toothbrush as well as travel size bottles for my shampoo and conditioner. Since I will be getting my hair colored I need to bring my Biolage products. My cleanser and moisturizer are already in small tubes(I don't know what else to call them). I have a great makeup bag that holds everything and I bought 5 little travel packs of Ponds wipes. I always like to have a small arsenal of medicine as well. I just bought a small bottle of lotion at Bath and Body Works (Coconut lime Breeze). My sunscreen of choice is Coppertone Sport in a spray.

I have a really cute bag to carry most of the stuff in(the makeup has its own bag of course) that also has a tray in the bottom which is nice.

What toiletries do you always take on a trip? Have I forgotten anything??