top 5 useful roadtrip tips

having completed my first roadtrip ever last month, i feel qualified to give a little advice when it comes to planning a roadtrip of your own. while the planning involved in my trip was relatively simple, depending on where you're going, things can get more complicated.

it goes without saying, having your ultimate goal of the trip, finances and means of transportation in line are crucial. some people like to jump in the car and just go. that's fine, just make sure you know you have a reliable car and cash for gas! i enjoy the romanticized notion of driving off into the distance with no plan, but that is far from what happened on my trip. maybe i'm just type A, but with limited time on our hands, an itinerary to follow was a must. i'll explain.

keep these 5 tips in mind if you're planning a roadtrip of your own!

1. rent a car - maybe this is obvious... but seriously, rent a car. before this dawned on my friends and i, we were trying to decide whose car would undertake the journey. just don't. don't put your car through that. if everyone in your party comes together, the fee for the car can be relatively cheap. i promise, it's worth it. and speaking of cars, pick something a little bigger than what you're used to - maybe a midsize SUV that still gets decent mileage. you'll want the room when you need a nap.

2. don't roadtrip with just anyone - when telling people about my trip beforehand, some people exclaimed, "oh, you guys are going to hate each other by the end of it!", and i won't lie and say that that silent fear didn't cross my mind. i chose to go on my trip with my two best friends. for some, this might not be a great idea. for me, it was perfect. our particular friendship dynamic is so strong because the three of us know when to pick our battles, and we don't get upset over small stuff. pick travel companions who can go with the flow, contribute their part to the journey (financially and emotionally) and want to have a good time. nobody likes a cranky roadtripper. not agreeing on the destination, time spent in certain places or what food to eat can cause issues when you're running on little sleep and sick of driving.

3. plan your route, but make time for spontaneity - before our trip, we made a list of stops we'd like to hit along the way. we made it to all of these stops, but we also took an impromptu detour of 100 miles to visit another attraction we learned about via a billboard. you'll see things that look neat along the way, so make sure to factor in extra time on your trip to allow for this to happen. worst comes to worst, you've got a little extra time on your hands to allow you to sleep in a day or two or take it easy.

4. dress up, dress down, eat out, eat in - to save money and time, we packed a cooler with snacks and easy to assemble meals (sandwiches + peanut butter & jelly, cheese sticks, etc.). this saved us many stops, and we easily replenished the cooler's ice each morning at a gas station. however, make food a part of your journey. enjoy restaurants you might not have in your area, but be sure to factor it into your budget. we wore primarily comfortable, easily changed clothes for most of our driving, but if you're anything like me, you're going to want a few cute outfits for your destination. pack comfortable clothes and a nice outfit or two.

5. don't fear the cheap hotel - it might not be the most comfortable, no. it might not even have a working television. but in my roadtrip experiences, cheap hotels were all means to an end, a mere interlude in our journey that gave us some rest and a shower (which you will desperately want!). don't stress about five star accommodations along the way - save that for your destination, if you must. since we spent late nights driving, we sometimes were only in a hotel for 6 or so hours. keep basic safety in mind and try to do a little googling about the safety of the town you're staying in just so you can rest easy.

almond flour: an acceptable substitute?

i was really, really skeptical about almond flour. since i've cut back on grains, almond flour was the next step if i wanted to keep up baking, which of course, i do! and while nothing quite beats a straight up chocolate cake, i was pleasantly surprised by this mysterious ground almond concoction. the texture is just the slightest bit off, but truthfully, i didn't mind it one bit.

the first real recipe i tried was for pancakes. i'm more of a waffle person. but i didn't have a waffle maker. so, pancakes it is. i sat down and cut a piece after i finished making these. i stared at it. i just knew it was going to be gross. i had gone to the trouble of making them, though, so i had to try it. and i did. my eyes got wide and i couldn't believe - it tasted no different than a regular pancake. having been the first time i'd had anything for breakfast besides sausage, eggs or a protein shake in months, i was a little more than excited.

 

for delicious almond flour pancakes:

•  1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon stevia (truvia)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

make them just like you would regular pancakes. whisk up the dry ingredients, then add the wet. i made some bigger pancakes, so this recipe only made 5. top with a little fruit & some sugar free syrup!

where there is baking will, there is a way. and i've found it with almond flour. i still have a lot of experimenting to do, but i'm quite pleased with these creations. if you're hesitant about a flour substitute like this, don't be!

a journey westward: my spring roadtrip

long post ahead! ever since i was a teenager, i have wanted so desperately to take a roadtrip out west. i've finally done it. words cannot express how overjoyed i am that i made this journey. this is one of the best things i have ever done, and i would roadtrip again in a heartbeat. i learned so much about my two best friends, our amazing ability to never get irritated with one another, and most of all, i checked a huge item off my bucket list.

originally, we wanted to go to los angeles, but changed our mind for some reason. i honestly couldn't tell you why, but likely because we thought there would be more to do in las vegas.

after this post, i plan on making a road trip tip guide, giving some insight into how to roadtrip efficiently and some things to take into consideration. but for now, here's what charla, sofia and i did for the entire week!

♥ day 1: we awoke bright and early to finish packing our rented car, a ford escape (never again). we were off into the distance by 8:30am, making our way north to travel through mississippi, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. we made incredible time, and stopped in amarillo, texas around midnight. we were incredibly tired after driving 15 hours, so we slept wonderfully. no photos - trust me, we looked rough.

♥ day 2: time for roswell, new mexico! we left for roswell and made it there after lunch. but first, we stopped by cadillac ranch in amarillo. roswell was, by far, one of the weirdest places i've ever been. the entire town was adorned with alien stuff - hotels and restaurants had alien statues out front. even the lightposts downtown were in the shape of alien heads. we checked out the UFO museum and it was just about what i expected - totally weird. afterward, we left for albuquerque, new mexico and got caught in a sandstorm along the way. that night, we tried to go out for mexican... and between two restaurants, we couldn't find any margaritas or queso. major fail.

♥ day 3: this day was so much fun!! we left new mexico for arizona, and along the way, took a detour to the wild spirit wolf sanctuary. we spotted a billboard for it on I-40 and immediately took the trip. SO WORTH IT!! this is nerdy, but i love wolves, and the sanctuary gave us a very informative tour about wolves, wolf dogs, why they aren't suitable as pets and the work they're doing to help these animals. I LOVED IT. and why yes, we ARE wearing wolf shirts at the wolf sanctuary.

afterward, we visited a classic route 66 landmark, the jackrabbit trading post. finally, that evening, we made it to flagstaff, arizona. i had no idea that place was so beautiful! the mountains capped with snow were breathtaking, the surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the downtown area was quaint and inviting. we ate at a restaurant called mama burger for dinner.

♥ day 4: we made the drive from flagstaff to the grand canyon, which only took about two hours. and afterwards, it was time for las vegas, only another 3 hours away! we rolled into vegas right at sunset and immediately went out exploring to the bellagio fountains. 

the rest of our time in vegas was spent shopping, exploring the strip and eating delicious food i had been waiting for for what seemed like forever. the day after arriving, we ventured to the bellagio's warhol art exhibit and the canals of the venetian.

the next day, i finally got to try in-n-out burger!! i consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur. no really, i do. i've had burgers in every state i've visited, and i have always wanted to try in-n-out to see how it stacked up. for the price, it's incredible. best burger i've had in a long, long time. 10/10 burger awesomeness.

our final night in vegas, we had dinner at a restaurant in luxor called tender. i had saved my money and taste buds for this night, and it was well worth it! we got a cheese plate (we're all cheese obsessed) and steaks. not to mention, luxor is a beautiful and unique hotel.

after our last night, we woke up at 5:30am to make the drive back. originally we planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere in texas along the way. nope, didn't happen. i don't know what possessed us, but some insane force drove us to keep going and we made the drive back without stopping. we paused in witchita falls, texas for a nap around 3am, but trudged onward until arriving back in alabama around 1pm. um, can i just say that i'll never do that again? we were all pretty desperate to get home, but man... i felt like a total zombie. 

i took SO many photos but i don't want to totally flood my blog. these are the highlights! i'm so happy i chose to go on this trip. for all of college, i've resigned myself to going to the beach for spring break. i wanted to do something different. i got to see many states i'd never seen, explore the country and bond with my two best friends. i still can't believe we did it! but then again, i totally can. we're all fearless and excellent at going with the flow. hands down, one of the greatest experiences of my life.

sending postcards from a plane crash

i've recently re-discovered my love for fall out boy, ok? don't say you don't secretly listen to them too. & sending postcards from a plane crash is probably my absolute favorite song of theirs.

wow, where to begin? this post is probably better organized in bullet points, but hey, let's switch it up a bit. corey & i celebrated valentine's day the weekend before the date, and i cooked my very first steak! i know its hard to screw up a tenderloin, but i was nervous. i made a red wine reduction with mushrooms and mashed potatoes as a side, of course. i'm pretty damn proud of myself!

since around the holidays of 2012, i've really stepped up things in the health department. college got the best of me, guys, it really did. and while i enjoyed every second of late night pizza and hoping my metabolism would return to its preteen meredith level of endurance, i knew i had to make a change for the better. with graduation looming, i figured it was better to get fit now rather than later. i'm happy to say it's been a wonderful, empowering success. i've lost weight, i have more energy, i feel happier and at peace. truly, one of the best decisions i've ever made. and these cheesecake cupcakes i've made a few times now definitely helped (no, really, they're not that terrible for you!).

i've missed baking and cooking not-so-great for you things... let's be honest, usually because they're prettier. protein powder doesn't have the same finesse as a red velvet cupcake in a floral wrapper, you know? i'm still cooking, just different things now. maybe i'll start posting recipes again.

along with my lifestyle changes, i've tried a few new things, one being juicing. i'm still not sure if its for me. i tried a cucumber, celery, lime and grapefruit concoction and was definitely not sold on the idea. i think i'm ok with getting in fruits & vegetables in solid form. i am not a big vegetable fan, so i figured this would be a good way to eat more, but i just didn't like it that much. is the taste supposed to grow on you?

i've been relatively busy this semester, but corey and i managed to get away to fairhope to spend time with my parents this past weekend. we went out saturday night to meet up with some friends and caught up on movies on our 'to watch' list. we're planning to head back down in march for the arts & crafts festival - corey and i also signed up to run in the spring fever chase! honestly, i'm not a big runner... but i just figured why not?

i'm ready to graduate. i'm ready to move on with life. i love you college, and it's been an incredible 4 years, but i'm ready to let go (watch me totally regret saying this a year from now). i've got spring break coming up... and i am SO ready.

laissez les bons temps rouler

♥ the semester has gotten off to a great start, & i'm both happy and sad to say its my last. i have a lot of great plans for spring that i hope come to fruition, and i'm really thrilled about all of the positive changes in my life recently. i feel pretty awesome.

♥ i traveled to fairhope this weekend! as you can see from the photos of tulips, azaleas & mobile bay, fairhope is as beautiful as ever. it's rough growing up somewhere so lovely - you have THAT to compare your future homes to forever, haha. i still can't get over how gorgeous it is.

♥ my reason for traveling to fairhope aside from visiting my parents was to attend the order of osiris mardi gras ball with my friend nick. if you don't know anything about mardi gras culture, i'm sure it looks pretty strange from the outside. mardi gras has been a part of my entire life, so the parades, krewes, secret societies and moonpies are a pretty standard part of early spring each year. for those in the united states who might be familiar, here's a fact: mardi gras was not first celebrated in new orleans, louisiana. in fact, it originated in good old mobile, right across the bay. mobile is truly home to the original mardi gras celebration, thank you very much! we had a great meal in mobile and then made our way to the ball for cocktails & dancing. it was a great night & i'd definitely like to attend another ball next year!

♥ soooo i'm really into blazers now, boyfriend blazers specifically, and i want one in every color! i snagged this black one from urban outfitter's on sale, and i'm really eager to pick up a teal, white and pink one for spring. they're very comfortable & versatile. lets hope i don't try to wear one every day and become "blazer girl" (which might happen).

♥ i picked up two new juicy charms at the outlets while i was at my parent's place. i got both for $20 - how could i say no?! the key is really beautiful & very lightweight, so it's certainly a charm i'll get a lot of wear out of. so many of them are way too heavy. the pave hummingbird was also too beautiful to pass up!