Are Your Road Trips Adventurous, Peaceful, and Fun?

Mon petit ami Jacob is going to be an uncle! So, we planned a road trip to Dallas/Texoma for the weekend to attend a lovely baby shower (with good family and friends and CUPCAKES!).

When I go to Dallas, it is typically for work instead of for friends. I have it down to an art form. I like taking the 9am flight HOU/DAL, getting my Dallas-based cab driver to pick me up, hosting a business luncheon event at the Belo, getting my same cab driver buddy to drive me back to Love Field, and taking the 4pm DAL/HOU ( or using my Southern charm to get standby for an earlier flight). It's awesome like magic you wake up in Houston, conduct business in Dallas, and back in Houston all in one day. Bon temps, non?

But, this time I royally messed up my flight plans big time. And, we had to drive to Big D. So, how can you truly make your road trips more adventurous, peaceful, and fun?

1. Pack your elephants for Baby Taylor. Reason number one for going to Dallas, it's for a baby! hooray! I love making handmade artwork for babies and their awesome parents. Hooray for Aaron and Navvab!


2. Study the local art work. This one was curated by Bucee's in the ladies' restroom near Madisonville exit . Why is this place so awesome? Love, love, love me some Buc-ee's.


3. Carve in time for your own art and French homework. Yeah, the homework doesn't go away unfortunately. Learning and studying can be joyful wherever you are. And, play some Johnny Cash. He somehow knows how much it sucks to have to do work while on a trip.



4. Pack some candy, candles, and bubble bath. Sugar can help road trip fatigue. Candles and bubbles just make any bathroom more fun. And, make a pact with yourself that you will go for a walk, a run or a tranquil dose of yin yoga on your trip. Be sure to also detox with green tea, water, veggies, and yoga when you get back to H-town.



5. Admire your travel companion's rugged good looks and his ability to look pensive. Love this guy!


6. Admire the benefits of graduating from a small private liberal arts school. Your name is on the wall! Heck yeah! But, I already told you that how awesome being an Austin College Kangaroo really is.


7. Learn from a zen master in patience and play with kids. Mentor, listen, and love the ninos. And, teach children how to be a pool table hussla' in The Pub. Thanks Jacob for being an awesome boyfriend while I got to catch up with my Austin College girlfriends.

8. Visit and talk to good people: like Sandy and Kristin at AC homecoming, Lily at Cafe Brasil, Jonathan at the sickest Halloween ZaZa party ever and the many others I got to catch up with in the 214 and 903. Meet people where they are in life. It's important to visit old friends and keep in touch. The perspective you gain from a cup of coffee and a good conversation can be incredible. Accepting and celebrating where you and your loved ones are can bring so much peace and joy in your life and the lives of others. Recognize all the things you and your friends have already done. And keep going because life is beautiful and you are so loved!


9. Be able to laugh at yourself and remember to take photos of yourself in "nice clothes." Cos' you will never know if an old photo of yourself will end up on a wall somewhere when you go back for homecoming. Say hello to the person you used to be many years ago. And, dream about the amazing things you will be doing in the future. And, thank your mother for teaching you how to dress. Nelie Peralta, so happy you are my mom, first french teacher, financial adviser, life coach and style icon.

10. And if you ever see a Kangaroo or two, have your boyfriend and iPhone ready - even if you have to wait patiently while all the kids get their picture taken first. Why do lessons in patience always go back to those cute little kids? :)