A lot can happen in a years’ time. I look back at this time last year and it feels like forever ago yet somehow, time has flown by. Shoot, I can’t even easily recall what I ate for breakfast. (It was a Sonic Breakfast Bacon Toaster… because, health. ;))
LET ALONE, looking back over the last four years (yes, FOUR YEARS! Happy Birthday Kay + Bee! Huge Birthday present revealing itself soon!) You guys, so much has happened I don’t think I could even begin to recap it. Instead, we’re sharing a super fun post for you. We’ve included 3 very practical (sorta) tips tied into our real stories that you can apply to your traveling adventures. (again, sorta.)
If you don’t already know, Ashley and I are SO obsessed with traveling. Seeing new places, experiencing history, breathing in the different air, experiencing different cultures. I could go on and on. While waiting for our next endeavor to New Orleans at the end of the month, we thought we’d share a little travel-inspired post for you with some story-twisted tips.
- When the opportunity presents itself to go see the mountains, go see the mountains.
One morning before a wedding, we were a mere four hours away from Denver, Colorado. If I know the mountains are only a mere FOUR HOURS AWAY, you bet I’m going to talk my way through getting to go see them.
At breakfast, I look to Ashley to suggest that we go see the mountains for her birthday the following day. My genius plan was to leave after the wedding to drive through the night, get a hotel, open the windows in the morning to see mountains, which Ashley has never seen so on her birthday was PERFECT!
Yeah, no. I mean sort of. First of all, the drive through the night was treacherous. After a 10 hour wedding day, 4 hours in the car was HARD. I’d heard once you hit this small town in Colorado you can see the outline of the mountains so I’m not kidding, for HOURS we were looking for the outline of the Rocky Mountains. Sure enough after a couple of hours, we are SURE we’re staring at the mountains because they definitely could be THAT gargantuous. There was a light on in the mountains and everything. Turns out it wasn’t a mountain at all. Nope. It was a cloud, and it was a star. Not mountains in any way shape or form. Almost the exact opposite actually! We also hit up four hotels once arriving to find all but one were booked solid. Once settling into the single hotel room left in what felt like the entire city, we closed our eyes just to wake up at 7:00am to open those windows!
Open those windows to…… a field. We were facing the wrong side of Denver! Ashley was SO bummed. The climax of this story was supposed to be opening those windows and that fell dead real fast. I become determined so I run through the hotel trying to find a window that was facing the mountains so I could show her. THAT was a cool moment.
All in all, we saw and conquered Denver in less than 24 hours before heading back home. We adventured Blackhawk, went to casinos, hiked Red Rocks in leopard flats, took the lightrail for free (which apparently was illegal… we didn’t know you have to pay!) and hit up 16th street where we had the best street tacos at Lime. (SO GOOD. Highly recommend!)
- Never take a buddy that gets motion sickness to Universal Studios.
Okay, so this is totally my fault. Ashley K is definitely an activity-enthusiast. While we were in Los Angeles for a gorgeous engagement session, I had the bright idea to visit Universal Studios. (I MEAN, HELLOOOO, MARIO LOPEZ!) Ashley of course was DEFINITELY in and I honestly don’t think I knew what I was signing up for.
I wanted to SEE Universal Studios. Experience the architectural design of Universal Studios. Little did I realize, I basically NEEDED to ride the rides for Ashley to have fun. There was no one else for Ashley to ride with after-all if I refused. It’s worth noting that I hate hate hate hate rides. I feel like I’m going to get sick the second it starts to move. NO. THANK. YOU. I must get it from my mother. She legitimately thinks she’s going to die, and I’m not far behind that irrational fear.
SO guess what I did? I rode every damn ride with Ashley. I closed my eyes, locked my jaw, and planted my feet so firmly on the ground I’m surprised my feet didn’t make a hole in the floor.
The only ride I opted out of was the Transformers ride, which was only because I agreed to riding the Mummy ride and THAT WAS THE WORST! It takes you forward, abruptly stops you just to move you backwards, and then again, back and forth at lighting fast speeds. I was positive I was going to ACTUALLY lose my head.
Then, there’s Ashley beside me about to lose her mind for a completely different reason. She is cracking up. How is she laughing, I wondered on the verge of tears. HOW IS SHE LAUGHING?! So, needless to say, I skipped out on the next ride.
This all sounds terrible (and it was) but I thoroughly enjoyed two of the rides. (just two, lol!) One was during the Universal Tour where they take you around to the Desperate Housewives Row, Whoville, and others. THAT was cool. The other and BEST OF ALL was Jurassic Park because A. I’m obsessed and B. water rides are hands down the most fun.
Which brings me to the point. Never take an Ashley B. to any sort of theme park without a ride-partner because I will not be the most fun ride-partner that you could have.
- How to get FREE food
I’ll leave this as a simple twisted-tip, and you can just imagine it happening.
On your next road trip, stop at the not-best but not-worst gas station option that kind of resembles a Casey’s General Store but instead of Casey’s, it’s like Roosters (or something similar and bird-like). If you find that, YES. That’s the one.
Go in hungry. That’s a must. View their food selection near the register, which looks MIGHTY delicious and ask for mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders. When the man FILLS up your to-go box more than the portion was promising, you know you’re at the right place.
Gesture towards the register, attempt to pay, and get told it’s on the house.
HELL YES.
Hell no.
Bite into your scrumptious looking chicken tender for a rock hard chicken strip and into your mozzarella stick for cold, hardened piece of mozerella. Yum, right?
Remind yourself it was free. Say aloud, “That makes sense” and return the trash-food to where the trash-food belongs… in the trash. Eat candy instead and resume road trip with little to no satisfaction but at least you still have a Disney playlist to jam to.
Ha. I genuinely hope that brought a little bit of laughter to your Tuesday and look forward to sharing with you a Gorgeous Barn Wedding tomorrow! Thank you for coming along on our journey and for FOUR GREAT YEARS! Business partners make the world go ’round.
See you tomorrow!
