Blackened Gator, White Sands

So I know I promised a post about my Alabama adventure, so here it finally is! Casey and I went during my spring break and stayed with my aunt and uncle in their lovely condo overlooking the gulf. During this adventure, there were multiple arcades, really good meals, a few episodes of My Mad Fat Diary, jellyfish, songs poorly done via karaoke, and a whole myriad of other awesome things.

None of this negates the fact that the Waffle House has disappointing waffles, considering its name.

Live Bait, where they have good po' boys and
good karaoke!

We didn't try the blackened gator. Sorry.

Day Four: Equine Adventures

I don't have pictures of our horseback ride right now, but you will see them when I have them! We weren't allowed to have anything (anything!) on the horses. No water, no cameras, no cell phones, nothin'. It's all good, though. But I'm starting the story early!

We got up late (blissfully so) and so we just did normal morning things that you do when you camp. We headed out eventually and got lunch at a fairly nice restaurant. I discovered that bison burgers are delicious. Like, obscenely so.

Later, we checked out Yellowstone's Grand Canyon. That place is photoshopped too. I swear it, I really do.

We might have temporarily misplaced my aunt for a little while and we might have missed the first appointment for the horses, but it was all good. We went to the corral, explained the situation, and mounted half an hour later. I'm terrible at mounting, but not too bad at the actual riding. It helps that my horse (Dandy) knew where we were going. He was determined to graze on every green thing beside the path, though, like a punk. Casey's horse (Sage) wasn't quite so bad. He was sneaky, actually. He'd dip is head down and grab a mouthful of grass on the way up.

Punks.

The trail was gorgeous, of course. It's in Yellowstone, everything is gorgeous. That's how it works. That's how Yellowstone rolls. We also saw a moose-ette while on the trail, but we later decided that it didn't count because, as you may well know, "pics or it didn't happen."

We had dinner by Yellowstone River. That was great. We set up our chairs on the bank and just chilled. That does have photographic evidence! Casey and I waded in the river a bit (squelched is a better phrase), which was cold. Very cold. SUPER cold.

And rad.

Later, since everyone was disappointed that the moose incident didn't count, we went on a moose hunt. We drove around for the better part of an hour, and found nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch. It was like all the animals had the night off, I swear.

After the lack of success and a short walk to the lake, we got ice cream, had a fire, and did some stargazing. That's another thing that Yellowstone is wonderful at: night skies. It's absurd how many stars there were!

Day Three: Ursa Major (Cool)

This was the designated Thermal Stuff Day. We checked out most of the hot, sulfur-y things at the park. It's so odd when you're driving through Yellowstone, because you're in the forest, and it's pretty and you feel like there should be a Disney Princess nearby singing to the bird perched on her finger, when suddenly: STEAM. EVERYWHERE. It's so odd to see, it really is.
We checked out some interesting mud pool things. Some of them look like dragon dens, so, yeah.
When we drove through Hayden Valley, we saw a ton of bison just wandering around, looking all sorts of happy in their pasture. One of them, though, walked onto the road, right into traffic! We ended up playing Follow the Leader with him while he took his sweet time crossing. It was hilarious.
We took a break from geothermal goodness to look at the Tower Falls. It's a short hike to the bottom, by the river, and absolutely stunning. I mean, it's absurd how pretty it is.
After that, we checked out another waterfall, and I got stung by an angry mini wasp thing. In the car. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I'm just so grateful toward my genes that I'm not allergic to bees or anything.
There was a short break in Mammoth for ice cream cones (huckleberry for Casey and my aunt, mint chocolate chip for me) and then we went to check out those springs. Let me tell you, the mammoth springs (wish I could remember the exact name) are some of the coolest/weirdest things I have ever seen. Especially the terraces on the side of the cliff. It's downright bizarre. It almost looks like an Antarctic landscape, instead of a bunch of calcium/other stuff deposits in Wyoming.
There was a short detour when we saw a small group of elk grazing by a river. I'm going to say it again: gorgeous. Seriously, they were the prettiest animals ever. Huge bucks with huge racks (heh heh). It was funny to see so many people sitting on the bank opposite them, taking pictures. You never see the other side of those Yellowstone shots, the huge clump of people standing together and taking pictures. It's kind of hilarious.
We caught Old Faithful on our way to dinner. Well, it caught us. We weren't there for five minutes before it went off. So cheesy, but so cool.
We took showers by the lodge there and headed back.
Also of note: we saw a bear. It was probably a juvenile grizzly, and we saw it from the car. But nevertheless, we saw a bear.
Yeah, buddy.
More tomorrow!

Summer Daze

I'll start off with tonight's outfit, because that's how I roll. I just wore this for Chinese with Casey and my mom. Also, buying more nail polish and lipstick, neither of which I lack. Oh, well, it was cheap.

Top: Ralph Lauren/given by my mom | Skirt: Fashion Bug | Bag: Ross | Shoes: Payless

Now, to cover two days, where we didn't do much but took a lot of pictures regardless.

Thirty

Surprise! I'm done with 30x30, and I didn't even realise! What. This is what happens during the summer—I lose track of the days of the week. Oh, well. I need something new to do, then, clearly. So what would you guys like me to do in July? Don't leave that comment box empty!

Or do. It's your life.

Dress: Ross | Sandals: Marshall's

More pictures of Charlie because, let's face it, he's adorable. Especially in that first picture. He's not quite so nervous, even if Angel Will. Not. Have it.

Oh, well!

Twenty-Nine and a New Friend

I told you that there would be a big surprise today, didn't I?

Well, without further ado, I'd like you to meet our new kitten, Charlie!

Charlie is on the right, Bogs (temporary name, temporary kitten. 
We gave that one to one of my mom's friends) is on the left.

We've had Angel for about eight years, and she's a mean thing. I 
hope she doesn't bully Charlie much.

Also, I wore clothes.

Tee: Sure Clothing | Skirt: Fashionbug | Bag: thrifted | Shoes: Payless | Necklace that you can't see (it's a feather): Kohl's | Bracelet: vintage.

Expect lots of pictures of Charlie in the future, guys. I've found a new best friend (sorry).