Yosemite National Park

On day four of our trip we jumped into our rental car Carlos

and hit the road towards Mammoth Lakes California.

We stayed in Mammoth Lakes because it was close to Yosemite 

AND so much cheaper...It's a ski resort, so during the summertime the prices are so affordable!!

If you were to go to Yosemite in the summer time i would recommend staying in ML!

Yosemite is a gorgeous place to stay, but it's EXPENSIVE!!!

Plus Mammoth Lakes is nothing to laugh at, it's just as gorgeous

without being in the actual park with the sky high prices.

It took us about 6 hours to drive from LA to Yosemite.

Along the way we drove through the hottest place i've ever been in my life.

The Mojave Desert.

Remember that sunburn i got while in Santa Monica.

Well, while in the Mojave we decided to stop and take a picture of 

the beautiful mountains in the background.

We pulled over, got out of the car i thought my sunburned legs were going

to burn right off my body...that's how hot it was...

I think it said 108 on the car but it felt about 120.

Apparently the week we were there they were having record breaking heat in California.

I mean i'm from Texas and i thought i was going to die from heat stroke...

So after stopping at a Denny's ;) We high tailed it out of there.

Made it to Mammoth Lakes that night and headed to Yosemite the next day.

First of all...Yosemite is BEAUTIFUL!! 

Probably the most beautiful place you will ever see.

If you're going then you HAVE to see a couple of things.

You MUST go to as many Waterfalls as possible.

These are the most amazing falls i've ever seen.

We were only able to see Yosemite falls but it was absolutely breathtaking.

Funny story about YF...

I knew there was a friendly path that you could take to get to the falls.

I've been to Yosemite before with my aunt and i could remember the nice

smooth path we took when walking to the falls.

Well Tom and I were following signs and ended up wandering into an 

area that said something like "Workers only"

That should have stopped us but didn't...

So we kept going and kept following signs until we saw a sign

leading up a steep hill that said "Yosemite Falls >>>"

So we followed it...

We basically backroaded it to the falls...

rather than finding the right way to go i think we ended up on 

the "more experienced hikers" path...which i am not ;)

But we made it and it was AMAZING!!

You have to take your shoes and socks off and get into the falls

and climb over all of the rocks, it's one of the coolest things ever!!!

Once you're at Yosemite Falls you're basically in the valley of Yosemite...

So you can see things like El Capitan and Half Dome from down in the valley.

The last thing we got to do was drive UP to Glacier Point.

Which is a MUST!!!

Glacier point is the most spectacular view you will ever see.

You can find the perfect little spot to sit and snuggle up with your

most favorite significant other {cough Tom cough} and look out over

the beauty that is Yosemite!!!

Now the only thing i will say is that to get to Glacier Point you have

to drive UP STEEP STEEP HILLS THAT HAVE PLUNGE TO YOUR

DEATH DROP OFFS AT EVERY CORNER...

I hated the drive more than anything.

The view from the top was amazing...

The drive to get us there made my eyes well up with tears.

I was so nervous the whole time...but in the end i got us there...

Which made it all worth it!!

Have a great Wednesday 

-Emily

Santa Monica << foodcoma >>

Santa Monica California was the first stop on our trip.

It's also taken the prized title as our favorite place to visit in California.

We flew into LAX and I was amazed at how easy it was to get out to Santa Monica from LA.

I had heard horror stories about how long it took to get around using Public Transportation...

It really was not bad at all, in fact it was wonderful.

We stayed on Ocean Park Blvd. which is a street that leads straight to the beach.

This is the main reason it was my favorite place...no hassle in getting to and from the beach.

Santa Monica has an AMAZING bus system called the Big blue bus.

It's $1 per trip or like $4 for a day pass which is really really cheap!!

When we first got to Santa Monica we started learning the bus system right from the start.

By the time we left Santa Monica we pretty much had our bus routes memorized.

It's a cool feeling when you start to get comfortable in a new city.

We hit up the beach two out of the three days we were there.

The first day we just had a chill beach day.

We went and sat in the sand and talked for a few hours.

A few too many hours....

I didn't realize what was happening while we were sitting there...

but once we got up to leave i looked down at my legs and they were stop sign red.

In fact as we were walking people kept staring at my legs and i was so

confused as to why until i realized i was a walking lobster.

That was probably the worst sunburn i've ever had.

Way to start out a trip right???

We stopped for some Sunscreen and Aloe Vera the next day...

Sadly that sunburn stayed with me the entire trip..

In fact it just recently healed up completely :/

But that didn't stop us from having an amazing time in Santa Monica!!

 The best part, other than the beach...had to be the food!!!

We ate at three places that i specifically remember...

Mostly because we were repeat customers at two of them.

We ended up having a regular breakfast and lunch spot.

For Breakfast we found this place called the Coffee Bean.

Simple like a Starbucks but better.

<< The Coffee Bean >>

For dinner the first night we decided to just find a random place to eat at

since neither of us had a clue what was around.

We walked into this place called The Counter...

{Cue angelic music}

Tom and I are seriously the luckiest people ever to have no plans

and then walk into a place like this...

It's a build your own burger restaurant.

AND They use 100% Natural Beef which is a huge plus because who

enjoys some all natural hormone free beef???

Answer - Everyone does!!

Well except Tom since he's a Veggie ;)

But they have Vegetarian options as well.

Anyways, Tom and I built our burgers and ordered a huge plate of fries and it was

basically the most magical hamburger i've ever had :)

<< The Counter >>

So we had our breakfast place, and our dinner place and now for our lunch place.

Introducing...The Novel Cafe!!

Once we got to Santa Monica and got all settled we were pretty hungry.

So we started walking down Ocean Park and came across this little Cafe.

Another random place we found that knocked our socks off!!

I love when that happens.

Basically this is just a cute little cafe that serves delicious food.

I think the first time we were there i had Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

and it was the best Alfredo i've ever had!!!!! 

It was such a great restaurant that we went back for dinner on our last night there.

<< The Novel Cafe >>

Santa Monica has beautiful beaches and delicious food.

I wish we could have stayed here longer too but that just means

we liked it enough to go back one day!!

If you're ever in the Santa Monica area you will have to check these 

restaurants out so you can try them out for yourself.

You won't regret it!! :)

Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

-Emily

<< San Francisco >>

This week i'm going to share with you guys a little more about our trip to California.

Starting with the amazing city of San Francisco!!!

<< Step one >>

If you're going to San Francisco be sure to stay in San Francisco.

Oakland...is NOT San Francisco...It's close to it....but it will let you down!!

It will break your heart...

That was our only mistake...staying in Oakland opposed to San Francisco.

We stayed in Oakland because we were flying out of the Oakland Airport...

And it just seemed more reasonable at the time.

But if we could do it again we'd stay in San Francisco. 

Somewhere around Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf.

But not Oakland...

Did i mention we didn't like Oakland....because we didn't!!!!!!

Moving on...

We had the MOST magical day in San Francisco.

I wish we could have spent more time there.

<< Step two >>

Stay longer than we did!!

We were in Oakland/San Francisco for 3 nights.

We spent one full day in San Francisco but the other day we went to Santa Cruz

and then the last day we were stuck in Oakland because of the Public Transport Strike.

San Francisco needs way WAY more time than one measly day.

Ok so that's another thing we didn't plan well...

It's such a cool city and i know for a fact there was SO MUCH

we didn't get to see :(

But no worries, Tom and I will be back there again one day...and for longer!!

We got off the Train at Embarcadero and went over to all of the Piers.

We ended up walking from Embarcadero all the way to Fisherman's Wharf

and Alcatraz, and that's where we stopped for lunch.

Then we kept walking because i was not leaving San Francisco without seeing

the Golden Gate Bridge...I was fully prepared to throw a fit if i didn't see it...

Tom could see the fit coming so he did what any good boyfriend would do.

He rented us bikes so we could bike to the bridge and get there faster :) :)

       

It was such a genius idea because not only was it faster but it was so much fun!!!
If we had walked it would have taken us another hour to even get close enough to really see it!
The bikes got us there in about 20 minutes and we were able
to bike up to the bridge....like up close and personal...best moment of my life.

The Golden Gate Bridge is up there with Eiffel Tower for me.
It's such an iconic view and i was just so happy being there with Tom.

Here's a list of 5 things to see and do in San Francisco

1. Golden Gate Bridge

2. Fisherman's Wharf

3. Exploratorium

4. Coit Tower

5. Alcatraz

We can't wait to get back and see San Francisco again!!

Hopefully these tips help you out if you're planning a trip there in the future!!

Have a great Monday!!

-Emily

Public Service Announcement {Meeting people online}

Welcome to my first PSA :)

My name is Emily and i'll be your PSAA

{Public service announcement announcer}

I feel obligated to do a PSA on the subject of meeting people online.

{Yuck, who does that??} 

...**cough cough**...

I've been meaning to write this for a while,

but certain events have put it a little higher up on my priority posts.

Meeting people online.

It can be great OR Disastrous.

There are pros and cons to meeting people online.

Pros - An awesome relationship

Cons - Death...ahem...

There are rules to meeting people online.

Follow them and your chances are higher at success.

Choose not to follow them and you die...i mean for real!!

Rule #1

If you are under the age of 18 step away from the keyboard.

Step.Away.Now

Because chances are you are probably not old enough to be 

trying to figure out an online relationship.

And it's not because we don't want you and Noah673 to be happy.

It's because we want you to stay safe...and alive...yea...

Rule #2

If you ask them to Skype or do face time or chat face to face and they refuse...

RUN.FOREST.RUN

get yourself out of there because chances are you're talking to this man...

{If this is your photo or a photo of someone you know...my sincerest apologies}

Rule #3

For females only..

Girl, if you're talking to a guy you like and he 

wants you to come to him the first time you meet....ummm no...

Just say no just say no that's the only way to go!!

{D.A.R.E. song from the 5th grade}

If he's this "Prince Charming" that you've dreamed up

then he won't have a problem coming to you.

{read following rule for rule about this rule}

Rule #4

NEVER meet for the first time at his home/apartment/hotel room/box under the freeway.

If you're meeting someone for the first time that you met online

you need to meet publicly, and you should bring a friend or your mom...yea bring your mom!!!

Don't be a fool and go somewhere by yourself...

Refer to the cons above to see why....ahem....death!!!

Rule #5

Don't believe everything people say online.

"Hi my name is Noah673 and i'm a hottie hot 17 year old"

Then when you meet the first time Noah673 looks like this....

{Again if this is you...I apologize}

I mean Whoaaa Noah673...you've ummm....changed???

I thought you looked like this???

What happened to you?? :( :( :(

And what on earth did you do that to that poor baby doll????

Rule #6

If your momma says no, listen to your momma!!

First of all if you're entering into some sort of relationship online

then tell your family about it once you start thinking about meeting.

That way they know what you're up to...back to safety.

And if you're momma thinks something is wrong with the situation...

then there is probably something wrong.

Listen to your momma!!!!

Rule #7 

Just be cautious when meeting people online.

It's a weird world we live in and there are some crazy people out there.

If you're at all interested in seeing some of those crazies 

then just watch TCAP on MSNBC

{TCAP = To Catch a Predator}

The show where they lure online predators into a situation

where they have met underage girls they want to do bad things to.

And they catch them before they get the chance.

Aww crap is right!!!

...

You see, what Tom and I have is special.

We have stumbled upon something that is one in a million.

And it is romantic and fun and exciting.

But it's all of those things because we did it the right way.

We talked, we skyped, we told family, he came here.

Baddabingbaddaboom

and that was that.

I don't want to be the person that romanticizes meeting people online 

because 9 out of 10 times it's not like that at all!!

Not to say it can't happen because it can.

But it's serious business to be making relationships on the internet.

You need to know the facts, you need to be safe.

So follow my rules of online relationships and you really shouldn't die.

Yay for not dying...no one wants to die!!!

Have a happy safe sunday!!!!

-Emily

Q&A

This post makes me giggle.

Talking about things like my first kiss with Tom.

It almost seems silly to even address it....almost ;)

I got a comment asking me to talk a little more about 

my relationship with Tom before he came to see me

along with a question about our first kiss.

I really love reading all of your comments, 

and i love answering your questions too.

So question #1

Were we a couple before we met??

Answer - Yes, we were!!

I know that might sound silly to a lot of people...

To be in a relationship before meeting someone, but it worked for us.

When you Skype for a few hours every single day you get to the point where

it literally feels like you're spending physical time with the person.

We became so close just using Skype and we knew we liked each other

so one day we decided to be in a committed relationship.

I don't really remember how this happened...

but it did which is all that matters ;)

Question #2

When did we say I love you?

Answer - March 20th

Yea i have the date memorized....I'm a softy.

This is actually a pretty funny story!!

I remember skyping Tom for a few hours before hand.

We were texting after and it was getting pretty lovey dovey.

Oh yea did i mention the first time we said it was over text...

We texted about how we both wanted to say it but we wanted to wait till we were in person.

Because "I love you" is huge!!!!!

So huge that it really should be said when you feel it...at the exact moment...

which just happened to be over Text...

And Tom was the first to say it...

He actually said "I think I love you"

But what he meant was I know i love you, i'm just so nervous i might pee my pants haha

After he said it he admitted to pacing back and forth until i texted him back ;)

And of course i said it back ;)

And of course we said it at the airport....first words out of our mouths.

Question #3

When was our first kiss?

Answer - approximately 5 seconds after he walked out of his gate at the airport.

It was awkward...it was a little forced and it's going to be a kiss

that we look back on in 20 years and laugh at...

Because it's actually pretty hilarious.

But not to worry, after we got over being so nervous around each other

the kissing stepped up its game...and that's all i will say about that ;)

So there you have it...I hope i answered them well.

I really love Q&A so if you're curious about something, just let me know.

Your questions help me write blog posts so keep them coming ;)

Have a wonderful weekend :)

-Emily 

Three Weeks of Tomily Time

It's been exactly two weeks since Tom left.

It feels like it's been two years.

I miss him so much!!

Look at how cute he is playing his little game :) :) :)

I miss him :(

I try to not be too weepy on here because

I don't really want to be "that" girl ;)

"That" girl who has a HOT British boyfriend but cries about
the fact that they can't be together...even though she knowingly
got herself into this wonderful life changing situation ;)

But lets be real..

It is hard to be separated from the ONE person 

in the whole world that you want to be with.

And it's hard not to be sad about it.
Because i can't not miss him.

While Tom was here we became a team.
More of a team than we ever were online...
He's my best friend...my partner in crime....my other half.
And i'm a little lost without him.

When you come across another person who completely balances you out...

you know you've found something incredibly special.

And we've found that, which is amazing.

We just have to be patient.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

<<Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue>>

It's weird to say that three weeks can dramatically change two peoples lives.

I mean if i'm being honest....I wasn't completely sure how the three weeks was going to go.

I don't think you can ever be 100% sure about something that happens online.

But you really just have to go for it...and we went for it.

It helped SO MUCH that we already had an amazing friendship before we met.

I mean we were actually pretty lovey dovey before we met.

That could have made things really awkward if we didn't feel the same when we met...

And for about a day in a half into the three weeks, i honestly was not sure of any of it.

I think i was psyching myself out...telling myself there's no way this will actually work...

Do i feel bad that i was unsure about it???

No way, i was being realistic.

You have to be in these kinds of situations.

Of course i wanted the fairytale romance story

but i had to be cautious and make sure it was more than lovey dovey online flirting.

Which it was....duhh ;)

Slowly our relationship really started growing and building and 

my entire attitude started changing, and i started seeing Tom in my life long term.

I mean it took a day or two but we finally just clicked and 

it has been a whirlwind ever since.

Tom and I both feel exactly the same after the three weeks together.

We love each other deeply and we're both SO excited to see what adventures are ahead of us.

And of course we're excited to share those adventures on here.

I can't wait for him to get home from his vacation to Wales so we can Skype again.

I'm going a little crazy not seeing him everyday.

I think i'm a little spoiled ;)

Ok...I know i am...

Hope you're all having a great Thursday!!

-Emily

All hail the future King!!!

Yesterday while working at the cupcake shack

I eagerly kept re-loading Yahoo to see if the 

bouncing royal baby had been born yet.

Keep in mind that i also woke up at 4am 

to watch the royal wedding on tv...

I may have a small obsession with the royals ;)

Tom was actually the one who informed me that the baby had been born...

It was an exciting moment for me....

And Apparently my "I'm from America" was showing ;)

We joke that Tom is related to the royals...you know...waaayy down the line.

After we both had a little squeal fest over the birth...

Ok i had a squeal fest...Tom just humored me ;)

So after my squeal fest we both realized that this little nugget

could one day be my king as well...siiggghhh

I mean...you know....if/when marriage happens...

Is it too soon to talk about that???

Yes?? No??

I don't really think so...

And then Tom said Obama would be his president...

and he got all excited about that...

But that isn't near as exciting as a king...

Let's be real Tom!!!

I'm thinking the name of the Royal Baby should be Henry.

I really like that name...

Here's my picks:

Henry

Edward

William

George

James

Very Kingly names ;)

I'm excited to see what they've named him.

What do you think the little nuggets name will be???

Hope you're having a great tuesday!!

-Emily

The {FIRST} moment we saw each other...

I have some AMAZING news...

Tom is currently a little bit closer to Texas than he usually is..

That's because he's in Wales for the week with his family.

Liverpool is approximately 4,611 miles from Ft. Worth 

While Wales is only 4,596 miles away...

We're making some serious progress here ;)

I don't know much about Wales but i do know a lot about Whales.

haha.....ok that was lame...i know...I'm embarrassed.

Anyways...

Tom is indeed in Wales with his family on a little week long holiday.

He's sent me pictures along the way and i have to say that wales looks gorgeous.

I'd personally love to go one day...heck i'd love to be there now...

But it wouldn't exactly be to see Wales....but to see Tom ;)

We've done pretty well keeping in touch with each other while he's on holiday.

We're having little Skype dates via his iPhone, so it's been perfect.

Speaking of Holidays, we're officially booked for the caribbean next August.

Which is crazy exciting...I mean i haven't even officially met his family yet

and i'm already being invited to tag along on holidays...

I think thats a sign that everything is going well ;)

...

In other news i have something pretty embarrassing to share with all of you.

Since Tom is on holiday right now there won't be as many posts about what we're up to.

So i'm going to rehash some of the things that happened while he was here

that i didn't get a chance to share with you...

Starting with the first moment i saw him coming through the airport spinning door thingy...

I got a little camera happy and was doing a 6 second vine video

and started shooting too soon and mostly got the man in front of tom on film.

But you do in fact see his first few steps towards a weak..wall leaning...trembling Emily...

AND the worst part....you hear what comes out of my 

mouth as Tom comes through the door...             

                       

So after you watch it once...or a million times...

and after you stop laughing at me...

Let me know what you think i said at the end of the clip in the comments.

I've heard a few different opinions on what I said...

I mean i know what i said...but i want to see if y'all can hear it too ;)

Have a good monday everyone

-Emily

The perks of dating Tom

I'm well aware that i talk about tom quite a bit...
ok a lot...ok that's all the blogs about ;)

But can you blame me?? I mean he's kind of amazing...

ok really amazing...

Let me just count the reasons...and give Tom a bigger head than he already has ;)

1. He bought a plane ticket and flew thousands of miles to see me.

I mean THAT is dedication...

and apparently he really really liked me

since he spent all of that money on seeing a girl he's never met.

2. He's really really really funny.

Tom has a seriously hilarious sense of humor.

Which is a big big deal to me.

I love me some funny men.

I love me my funny man ;)

{Notice the little person he's holding}

3. He has the same travel bug that i have.

Not only did he fly thousands of miles to see me, he also planned

an additional trip with me inside the USA.

Like when we went to California.

AND now that it's my turn to go see him next

we're already planning our next adventure.

We were looking at Germany the other day...

More specifically Neuschwanstein Castle.

It's such an amazing feeling when you find

someone who is just as eager to see the world.

4. His family is Amazing and they know how to holiday/vacation!!

Tom has the best family which makes this all even easier.

And they know how to plan serious holidays.

In fact they've booked a holiday for next year in the caribbean.

And i...have been invited to tag along.

Oh the perks of dating Tom ;)

girly sigh!!!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!

-Emily

Paris or England...or both!!

Where will Emily be next spring?

That is indeed the question.

I wish i had this problem more often,

will i be in Paris or England next spring??

What a glorious question that is.

And i'd like to have it more often please.

I spent my Spring semester of Junior year studying abroad in Paris.

Which i'm sure most of you know if you've read through the blog.

It was such an incredible experience that i'd love to do again.

Well turns out i'm getting that chance.

Some of you know her as Aspiring Kennedy.

I just know her as Lauren/Director/Leader/Future boss lady.

Lauren is the Director of my Universities study abroad programs.

She was there the whole time i was studying in Paris...

in fact she was my French Culture/French Language teacher.

Awesome i know, i feel like i know a famous person ;)

Long story short...Lauren asked me to be her Grad Assistant next Spring in Paris.

But in order to get my school to pay for me to go i have to recruit a certain number of students.

So this isn't exactly set in stone, i hope it happens.

I mean this is a chance to work along side Lauren and hang with Princess Viola

I'd be a certified crazy person if i said i didn't want this.

I want this...i want this real bad!!!

But since it's not set in stone...I have the opportunity to make other plans.

Just in case it doesn't happen.

Those other plans include this handsome guy.

Basically if i find out that Paris is not happening...which means i didnt recruit enough people...

Then i'll be buying a little ticket to Manchester UK,

and Tom will be picking me up for an extended period of time in Liverpool ;)

A lot longer than three measly weeks.

BUT...if Paris does work...

Don't fret, i'll just be strolling the streets of La Ville-Lumière with my lover boy.

He'll take little trips to Paris and i'll take a few trips to see him in Liverpool.

AND if Paris doesn't work...Then we'll still be taking a trip to Paris.

Because thats just how much i love Paris.

So really...either way, it's going to be a really really great Spring.

I'm pretty pumped about it, i just need to get it all figured out so i know which direction i'm going.

But it's nice to know that both directions include Tom Tom ;)

More about all of this to come over the next few months.

I should know what my fate is by November.

Wish me luck ;)

-Emily

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