I've Now Been to All 50 States!

This post has been a quarter century in the making. As an adventure-seeking teenager, when my grandparents declared they'd seen all 50 states, I decided I'd see "50 by 50." I figured it was a good round number, shooting to lasso the U.S.A. by my half-century mark. I never would have guessed I'd cut that time frame in half, making it to 50 states at 25!

Two weekends ago I boarded a plane from Salt Lake City to Boston, just a quick bus/train ride to Rhode Island, my last state to see. My Ryan, bogged down with homework (drat that semester-end crunch!), wasn't able to join me, but lucky me he's so supportive of my big dreams.

A sampling of my USA postcard collection All Rights Reserved Crystalee Beck

On this quick weekend tour, I enjoyed the company of two brainy academics. Flying to Boston, I made acquaintance with a remarkable M.I.T. double-doctorate and we chatted the entire 33,000 feet journey, topics ranging from mountaineering, the value of simplicity, economics, and the changing social media scene. A true professor, he challenged my geography knowledge with a kicker trivia question, which took me a laughable USA sketch, one"poll a passenger," and 45 minutes to figure out:

Which states start with the same letter as their capital city?
(Can you guess them? Hint: 4 states fit this category - try not to cheat with a map! )

When I arrived in Boston, I hunted for the Amtrak train. I love the interwoven nature of the East Coast, easy-to-reach nearby states by public transportation. On a spontaneous whim, I bypassed the train, instead boarding a bus marked for "Providence," where I met my next new friend. The French physicist who sat by me was visiting the states for his bi-annual research meetings with his colleague at Brown University, in Providence, R.I. He was kind to tell me about the city and point out some of the main downtown buildings. Although a foreigner, he related to my states quest, as he'd once been an 18-year-old hitchhiker across the country.

Learned in my 50 states journey:

• People, more than places, are true treasures. Everyone has a a unique, interesting story.
• Our country boasts an incredible spread of cityscapes, landscapes, flora and fauna. This is one gorgeous nation.
• There's always more to see, and although I can claim time in each state, it would take more than a lifetime to really know each state.
• Having an overall plan, but going with the flow, makes trips (and life) more sweet

What now? I'm planning to write up vignettes of my 50 states journeys, and hopefully get an editorial article published. We'll see how that goes....

Missin' Maui

Maui Images Copyright Crystalee Beck

Ryan and I were in Maui three months ago, on our 1st Anniversary trip.

Knowing unpacked boxes awaited us at our new place in Ogden, Ryan's new loaded semester, and my new job, we soaked in the sun and spent as much time barefoot as possible.

In such a picturesque place, with nothing on the agenda, all I really wanted to do was run. (I'd just finished listening to Born to Run, which I highly recommend.) I went on morning beach runs everyday - even ran my own 1/2 marathon!

Despite my protest, Ryan caught up on TV shows, and found new ones.

Together, we took a whole day on the gorgeous, but not-for-the-weak-stomach swervy Road to Hana. It's six hours of ultra-twisty roads, but known as one of the most beautiful highways on the planet, with luscious greenery and collections of waterfalls, all leading to Hana National Park.

We stopped for lunch and a swim at the Seven Sacred Pools, with Ryan doing his classic backflip into the big pool (again, to my protest). Ryan's got this wild streak in him (and let's be honest, that was part of the attraction for me), which makes him ache to jump off high things, usually in a backwards fashion. I accept it, knowing that he's really quite calculated in his risks, but it's still nerve-racking to watch!

My favorite part of the trip was a seven mile sunset-turned-starlit beach walk. Yes, it's cliche, but walks along the beach really are romantic, especially at famous Black Rock, which was just a mile away from us. Along our path, we watched a cliff jumper dive and saw Polynesian kids perform their native dancing. All this while holding hands and dirtying up our bare feet.

Now in Ogden, with conflicting schedules this semester, we don't get much time together. And alas, we're hundreds of miles from the closest beach.

It's nice to remember Aloha land.

P.S. Thanks to Dad and Sue for making this trip happen. Love ya!

11-11-11

Didn't want a miss the chance to post on such a unique date. Having the same six numbers in the date will not happen again for 100 years - until 2111.

True Story about being born on a day like today: A few months after we were married, Ryan and I babysat for an awesome family with eight kids. They ranged from ages 2-17 -- it was definitely an exhausting weekend, but we loved it. Their youngest was born on 08-08-08. Since she was their 8th, they knew she needed a rad name to signify such a monumental coincidence. They named her Octavia, and she goes by "Tavi."The End.
(Image courtesy of zazzle.com)
Happy 11-11-11!

49 States down. Just 1 to go!

Crystalee here, and I'm pleased to announce that after last weekend I have seen 49 of the 50 United States! Thanks to the time I spent as a full-time flight attendant, I knocked down most of them. My goal this year has been to finish all 50 at age 25. I'm determined to do it! Just Rhode Island left to see.

Last weekend I stayed in Portland, Maine, then rented a car and drove across New Hampshire to Vermont. I missed the blazing Autumn leaves this year, but there were still batches of color here and there - enough to quite delight me. New England is so beautiful! I would love to spend more time there in the height of Fall.

I enjoyed finding Sharon, Vermont, the place where Joseph Smith was born. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am grateful for him and how his dedicated life has influenced mine.

His & Hers: Letters to Mother Nature

With the first snow of winter 2011 falling last weekend, we have white stuff on the brain. Here's a peek at our proverbial letters to Mother Nature:

Dear Mother Nature,
Can I just take a moment to applaud you? Your snowy skies make me happier than a kid bursting through the opening gates of Disneyland. Seriously. Waking up to see the magical powder assemble itself on the landscape, I can't help but smile big. How could Crystalee not love this as much as I do?

Keep up the good work,
Ryan

Dear Mother Nature,
You do a fantastic job most of the time -- I especially love your colorful Autumn palette! -- but the snow's gotta go. Really. It's freezing all the time, and this Arizona-bred girl misses the warmth of sunshine. The ice-slicked roads offer no refuge. Please, can we just skip the Utah snow this winter? I won't tell Ryan. It can be our little secret.

Hopefully,
Crystalee

Our Family is 1/2 Gluten-Free

Yes, that half would be me, Crystalee. Ryan is the bread-addicted side of this marriage. (We almost always have at least two loaves in the fridge just for him!) Ryan's a great husband, always looking out for me and he's quite an efficient ingredient-checker on labels. He's good to me.

We're a small family now, but someday when we have kidlets there is a 50% possibility in the gene pool that they'll also be gluten-intolerant like me. Many of you know this, but over 3 years ago I started having serious digestion issues and after months of testing options, discovered that wheat flour is a no-no for me. I'm fortunate to have family on both sides who also live gluten-free, and they helped me in the initial shock to realize that there are still many wonderful options. (Turns out that both of my parents have symptoms of gluten-intolerance, while all 3 of us biological sisters do.)

Now I'm quite proud to be a gluten-free girl. It's redefined how I look at food, and how carefully I pay attention to how my body feels. I'm more in touch with myself and more health-conscience than I would have been otherwise. I'm protected from eating a lot of junk food. Although a few years ago my bread-addicted self would have never said this, I've found it's really not hard to live without the typical pizza, bread, pasta, bagels and crackers.

It's all about finding substitutes. Instead of regular pizza, I make corn tortilla pizzas. Instead of bread for a sandwich, I eat lettuce wraps (mmm!) Rather than previous favs, gluten-filled Goldfish crackers, I bust out gluten-free pretzels and I'm a happy camper. Someday when we have kids, I'll pay close attention to how they react to food. Luckily, we're living in a time when gluten-free living is becoming more and more accepted. We've found GF menus at restaurants (although beware of Olive Garden, it's just not safe there), and almost every regular grocery store has a little section of GF selections. There are also lots of great resources out there to help me know that I'm one of many GF ladies out there!

Are you gluten-free? Let me know and we'll share in the journey.