Chicago and the places in between

The text message conversation went like this:

Me: Babe, we could drive somewhere. We could just pick up and go. 

Him: Let's go.

Me: Seriously?

Him: Yes. We can look up places when I get home. 

Have I told you how much I love my husband? So approximately 2 hours later we were discussing whether to drive to Chicago or San Diego. We settled on the windy city. Here are some pics from our first road trip together:

Pump before you pay? Amazing.

"I may not get there with you, but we will get there." -MLK, Jr.   

            Blue City Cafe. Memphis, TN.

The BEANNNNNNN!!!

What's a road trip without a flat tire?

 At the beach for a morning walk in Chicago

 Springfield, IL. Vince HAD to see the Capitol building and we got a little tour of the Lincoln family home while we were at it. 

Beautiful Colorado.

Before we took the bar, we took a pre-bar trip. When we got married in January we didn't get to take an official honeymoon. Vince counted this as a honeymoon. I did not. Hahaha! It's fine. I'm sure we will have a lifetime to make up for not taking a honeymoon. Most people take a post-bar trip, which is great, but I also recommend taking a pre-bar trip if you can swing it. The bar is the most horrendous experience ever and you need happiness on both ends if possible.

[Check out my post about our wedding here.}

Colorado was absolutely gorgeous and peaceful. We mainly chose that location because we didn't want to go to a place that was brimming with tourist. We really wanted to getaway from everything and relax. (There was also a big miscommunication that took us from the Dominican Republic and landed us in Colorado. We don't speak of it. ) Colorado ended up being the best place for that and we had an amazing time. The best part was that the trip was so long (7 days), so we really got to take our time and rest. The pics are below!

Our first stop was in Vail, CO which is a very neat resort town that is intimately tucked away in the mountains. We loved this spot and promised that we would spend one of our Christmas' there in the future.  Especially because we didn't get to ski. Skiing closed the day before we got there. This was the view from our room:

This is Vince's attempt at "draw something". I have no idea what this is. We were at a very nice restaurant, but they had crayons on the table, so we got to work! I mean, who can resist crayons?! It's impossible, even if you are at a premium restaurant. 

From Vail, we headed into Denver where we attended the Nuggets v. Lakers game. This is actually a tradition of ours. When we go on trips, we always try to attend a sporting event. (Our other tradition includes me shopping at the local H&M and Vince finding the best seat in the store to wait it out)

As you can see, Vince really enjoyed the beautiful views on our journey to Pikes Peak. 

Hook 'Em!

I love him!! Best friend. 

We don't go ANYWHERE, and I mean anywhere, without getting pizza. Just has to happen. 

Denver zoo! These were Lions and they did not have a glass in front of them. Well, there was a very low one. We got out of there very fast!

Then we went White Water Rafting. I resisted this at first, but V is all about new experiences, so he insisted. It was awesome. I wish we had action shots, but they wanted to charge us like $80 for one pic, so we passed. -_-

 Yeah, I don't know. 

Texas Bar.

SO, Vince and I finally finished the bar. Studying for the bar was crazy. Every one who had gone through it told us that it would be the worse experience of our lives, but we had no idea how hard it would be. We literally spent anywhere from 12-16 hours a day studying and the librarians definitely felt sorry for us. It wasn't all bad though because V and I definitely grew a lot as a couple while we faced the most daunting task of our lives. We also had a legit study group that seriously prayed together, cried together, ate 3 meals together (see above study times) and yelled at each other when needed. Shout out to them!!

5 Things I learned while studying for the bar with my husband:

1. Food and sleep become luxuries. Lack of food affected his mood. Lack of sleep affected mine. Therefore, our moods met in the middle and we were good. Albeit, unpleasant but good since we were both a little funky.

2. Crying is productive. I was the only one that cried, but whatever. It was productive every time because it helped me get out my anger towards the bar and move on.

3. We study differently and that's okay. This was a big one, but once we (mainly I) became okay letting the other do it their way, things went really well. There is definitely a bigger lesson in that about marriage. My way isn't the only way or even the best way. Needless to say, I'm a lot less picky about how stuff gets done now.

4. Spending your 6 month anniversary in the library isn't lame at all. No one can tell me otherwise. And that's that.  (Vince did an epic anniversary dance in the library that day...I wish I could post it.)

5. We absolutely learned how to persevere and endure together. We each had to play the role of coach when the other wanted to give in. We were both equally invested in the other's success for practical and emotional reasons, so we had to push each other. There was one question on the test that I just completely blanked on. I was losing time so I moved on. Then, I realized that I may not have time to go back and all I heard in my head was Vince saying "You have to play. At least show up and play! Leave it all on the court." (Pretty much all his metaphors involve basketball). And I wrote something...anything...whatever I could come up with. So even in the test, when we were sections apart, my husband was still encouraging me and helping me be the best I could. This may all sound cliche, but it was a big moment for me.


"Everyday I'm hustlin" and praying...a lot of praying:

 This is the board that Alexis created and we all made our own. So helpful!! Plus, the colors made me happy and anything that could make me happy during that time was a must have:

Hair was inexcusable, but I got a pass. Still, SMH. <hangs head in shame>

 This green smoothie really changed my life. There is nothing in it to give energy, but it always perked me right on up. Maybe it's mental, but it worked.

6 month anniversary in the library. I had on real clothes that day because we went to church before. And yes, I only posted this to redeem myself of the above picture. "We all self conscious, I'm just the first to admit it."