Immediate asterisk: it should be noted that I absolutely HATED the book Eat, Pray, Love, but I am not above a cultural reference. The majority of people using it probably haven’t read the navel-gazing, narcissistic book anyway. Throw it out the window 😉
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The relaxing solo road trip to retrieve the Highlander, who has not revealed her name to me yet despite our hours together cruising the mountains, plateaus, canyons, and desert together, was perfect. Just absolutely restful, easy, and fun.
An overnight in Bend with the MCT just wasn’t long enough but featured absolutely stunning weather—Bend was showing off—and, of course, lots of love and laughs with my on-paper wife and husband. I stayed in the adorable and instagram-planned Sparrow hotel in downtown Boise, and continue to just love something about the little big town that’s so like Austin. I floated in the Great Salt Lake and had the place totally to myself because of its low levels, which was eerie and cool at the same time.
I saw Dinosaur National Monument which was one of the coolest freakin’ things I’ve seen in a long time. Once they discovered a quarry of dino bones, rather than dig them up, they just built a BUILDING around the former riverbed and there’s a big ol wall of preserved dinosaur bones. YOU CAN EVEN TOUCH THEM!! It’s incredible.
I got to spend a night and morning with my best friend, which was long overdue. We both needed a little of that quiet, unspoken unconditional love support and we both got it.
Time is such a luxury, and I am grateful to have it right now. This road trip was a luxuriously slow one. It should be noted that I did not, in fact, solve any of life’s problems, decide to launch a new company, move, or make any big decisions. I just got to be, which is really special in its own right.
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Two Step Inn is my favorite festival of ever. We went the first and this third year (the second was during our honeymoon—priorities!), and this was just another AMAZING weekend. This festival has the best time slots and a chill atmosphere, even if it was way colder than expected. The shows were amazing, I don’t know who I loved most but I danced the most to Miranda Lambert and Nelly if that’s the gauge? I loved The Panhandlers (a super group of Texan singer-songwriters, if you will) and Flatland Cavalry, Tanner Usrey was incredible per usual, we always love Ryan Bingham, and we caught bits of loads of other acts. It was awesome.
Did I need these: Walmart’s COWBOY RAIN BOOTS I mean ridiculous but also love? Luckily I had my trusty Chisos which held up beautifully against the mud and muck of a surprise cold, windy festival weekend.
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I am catching up. I am posting gratitude willy nilly. I make the rules!!