Life is a Highway: Part I {Washington-Wyoming}

When I first got my driver’s license, I’ve always had this fear of breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and that some guy would chase me around in the woods with a chainsaw. Back when I was 16, it was rare that teenagers owned a cell phone, and OnStar was nonexistent, and so out of fear --or the over-planner in me-- I would make a mental note of which house I would knock on for help, if anything were to happen. It was always the one that was brightly lit up with a nice manicured lawn and pretty little shutters, and not the dark weathered one with a dozen “Do Not Enter” and “No Trespassing” signs. I imagined that the brightly lit one was owned by a nice old lady and she would offer me cookies and milk and talk about the “good ol’ days” while I waited for my mom to pick me up. That was my brilliant plan of action.

Thirteen years later, my fear of car trouble never really subsided, so when my husband told me that he wanted to drive from Alaska to Oklahoma, I was a little more than freaked out. It took me awhile to warm up to the idea because as the matriarch of our family I’m responsible of two little lives; I need to protect them with every fiber of my being and do right by them. Over and over I went through the “what ifs”… What if we break down? What if we get into a wreck? What if we get lost? What if William cries the entire time and I lose my mind? After juggling the pros and cons, I concluded with, “What the heck, let’s roll!”

{Queue “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts}

We embarked through eight states, one country (we saw Canada from the ship, but didn't step on land. That counts, right?), three time zones, in twelve days--nothing but open road. And I must say I’m over the moon to have been able to take this journey towards a new chapter in our lives.

Even though I was stuck in survival mode throughout the trip –and still am because after five weeks, we have yet to settle down- we still had a blast making lots of new memories, and checking out our beautiful countryside.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

{Washington}

I loved the busyness and roaring of Seattle, and I loved the stillness and the serenity of the countryside. I’m just saying I would not be disappointed if orders were to drop for McCord.

{Montana}

This state took me by surprise. It was completely different than I had imagined--an endless scene of vibrant green pastures of rolling hills, bright blue sky, topped off with pillowed clouds, with cattle and horses sprinkles in between. It’s heaven, I tell you.

{Wyoming}

I’m currently obsessed with these clouds, along with sunsets and anything citrus. I seriously want to swim through them with a giant spoon and scoop up extra helpings of fluff. I imagine they would taste like lemon meringue pie, delish.

Colorado to Oklahoma, to be continued…