I took Vader to California. He went to church. The mental image in my head makes me laugh so hard. Our favorite sinner going to church. I actually did enjoy the service. It felt like a professor was explaining to me. I miss school. I should really try to choose a program for Grad school.

The road trip was so cozy. My mom and dad would crack jokes and my little brother enjoyed the mountain scenery. The giant boulders were actually so cool to see on our way home. There was a hail storm during the first 12 hours of our trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico. I really thought RAV4 wasn’t gonna make it, but she did. She’s amazing. The second round of 12 hours felt shorter so that was awesome.

I would recommend that you stretch whenever you can find a rest stop. Like just stay by your vehicle. Because I ended up getting a bruise on my left thigh because I didn’t do any major stretching while using restrooms. I liked the Pilot stops for their public restrooms because they were by far cleaner than other gas stations and they have a better selection of food and chain restaurants.

These were just fit checks and some hauls that I did. Basically when I felt like it was just me and Vader hanging out. Grief is a funny thing. I thought I would still be distraught one year later. But I learned to live with it. I would put makeup or skincare on top of Vader’s box of ashes every time I would get ready. And I would actually laugh that I’m asking Vader to do such silly things. I’m very glad I took Vader to the West Coast. I hope I can keep traveling with him.

I liked waking up early to go to the beach. I finally saw surfers. My only concept of surfers come from Lilo and Stitch when I watched it when I was 11 which my dad brought as a DVD when we first went to the US in 2003 lol. It’s so cool to see them in action.

I’m rewatching the Pirates of the Caribbean series as I finish writing these blog posts. I miss the ocean so much. The stories under my lilac travel highlight @dazedmari will have the videos! Thank you for reading/viewing!