(ooo wah)...I love the drive-in...

Oh, the Drive-In. One of my absolute favourite summer activities.

Today has been a gloomy day here in Oakville. The sunshine is hiding and the rain is falling. Somehow I forgot that Spring still had to spend some time with us before the Summer sunshine was here for good. Instead of embracing the rain, my mind has skipped a beat and put me in summer mode....and drive-in mode!

There is just something special about the whole drive-in movie experience. I especially love the awesome old concession commercials they play before the movies. You know...like the kid hanging with the hotdog character....and then he eats him? Hilarious.

Did you know that there are 23 drive-in movie theatres in Ontario?
Barrie, Elmvale, Fonthill, Grand Bend, Gravenhurst, Guelph, Hamilton, Hanover, Kingston, Lindsay, London, Midland, Oakville, Owen Sound, Oxdrift, Pembroke, Peterborough, Port Hope, Sharon, Smith Falls, Stoney Creek, Toronto, Woodstock.

I had no idea, but I think it is absolutely splendid!
Perhaps this calls for a road trip?
Perhaps I will make it my summer goal** to attend a film at every single drive-in theatre?
Will there even be 23 decent movies worth watching?
Perhaps not.

Oh boy. This could be fun.

And remember: Don't sneak your buddies in because they might get caught by the drive-in..(wahwahwah ooo). Thank you Beach Boys for your advice. Hah.

Happy trails (& travels),

- Becky xo <3

**If I am not living the fabulous life as a TOMS intern.

Things I now know..

I was stumbling around today (the day after St. Patrick's Day... how fitting) and came across an article written by a woman named Christine Gilbert. In July 2008, she made a massive life-change and decided to leave her job as a manager for a Fortune 500 company and follow her dreams to be a freelance writer/traveler. She sold all her belongings, began her adventure, and has been living the "vagabond" lifestyle ever since. 13 countries and 20 cities scratched off the list. 

I thought her article "8 things I wish I knew when I was 22 was very fitting for me (especially as a 22 year old). Perhaps you will enjoy it too! Regardless of your age, I think the underlying message in her article is to quit making excuses and just do what you love. Travel, marry, have a family, work as a manager for a Fortune 500 company, volunteer, whatever....just do what makes you happy!!
    

8 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 22:
1. Pick a career you love; you don’t have to give into the pressure to be practical. Everyone changes careers over their lifetime; why not experiment with one that you are crazy about? Worst case scenario, you go get that crappy corporate job when you’re 28 and let the cool waters of 9-5ing wash away any memories of your failed Falafel-R-Us Gift Basket business.

2. Pay off your credit card debt and don’t buy so much stuff. Does every college do this? Offer credit cards at the student union, and in exchange for filling out an application, they gift you a candy bar? I was hungry! I was broke! Sign me up! Thankfully I was so thoroughly burned the first time, I learned my lesson.

3. Your student loans can be deferred practically indefinitely. After graduation, just call them and ask for a deferment. They will bend over backwards to make deferring easy to do. In six months when your deferment is over, call them up and do another. Repeat as needed.

4. It doesn’t cost as much as you’d think to travel. You don’t need to save $50,000 to spend a year overseas. If you’re young, willing to sleep anywhere (hello, couchsurfing!) and go to countries off the beaten tourist track, then you can survive on much less (I’ve heard as low as $1000/mo).

5. The job you have right now is not that important. If I were an employer I would only hire ambitious twenty something’s. They will knock themselves out working incredibly hard on stuff that barely matters. Try to get a 35 year old to take photocopying that seriously and you’re more likely to get your dog to iron your suit in the morning.

6. You don’t need a safety net. You can figure this out. The idea of being out there, with nothing to catch you if everything goes wrong may make your stomach do little flips, but really, you’ll be just fine.

7. This is the best time in your life to travel carefree. If you wait it’s going to be more complicated financially and emotionally. Now instead of putting on a backpack and heading out the door, I’ve got to cancel leases, forward mail, set up online payment arrangements, sell a ton of stuff, convince my family that I don’t need an MRI “just in case this idea is a sympton of a brain tumor”, and wrangle with complex stuff like dodging the “when are you going to have kids” question.

8. Did you read #7? Go Travel Now!

Well said Ms. Gilbert.

As my good pal Vicky often says, "You only live once!".

Let's get out there and take the leap!

Happy trails (& travels).

- Becky xo

Adventure!

Adventure:
1. an exciting or very unusual experience.
2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.

Walking to school the last few days with no jacket, loads of sunshine, and that springy smell in the air has led to some pretty fantastic daydreams. I love adventures. There are many adventures that I would like to have scratched off of my list at the end of my life.

Today the sunshine is hiding and there are these weird little water droplets falling from the sky (haha). Bummer? Doesn't have to be! Today is a perfect day to cuddle up, do some more daydreaming, and then take it to the next step by planning your next big adventure!

Fun fact: I LOVE planning trips. I love planning them for myself even when I know I won't be able to go on the adventure anytime soon. In fact, I even loving planning trips for other people! I just love it. Do you know how many trips I have planned that haven't happened yet? Oy. The good news is, I am going to be prettttty skilled when the time comes.

I, Becky Conlon, hereby declare my next big adventure to be spending my summer in Santa Monica, California while I intern for TOMS Shoes.

Sounds pretty official, eh? Perhaps TOMS will have no choice but to accept me as an intern when they see it written out like that? Genius!

What would you like to do?

Happy trails (& travels)!

- Becky <3 xo

Meet me in St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri -- It has never been on my list of MUST SEE places. In fact, aside from the classic Judy Garland movie "Meet me in St. Louis", I have never really thought about it at all. Today, St. Louis has climbed the ladder.

The City Museum is the most ridiculous, exciting, random, interesting, and bizzare museum I have ever heard of!
"Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, the museum opened for visitors in 1997 to the riotous approval of young and old alike. Cassilly and his longtime crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city; and, as a result, it has urban roots deeper than any other institutions'. Reaching no farther than municipal borders for its reclaimed building materials, CITY MUSEUM boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!"

Sounds cool, right?
They have a short video posted on their website which gives you a taste of just how cool this place is! Let me just say this: enchanted caves, strolling through a belly of a whale, shoelace factory, pipe organ, world aquarium, treehouse, big ball pit....I could go on.

If you have more time, check out this video (created by my favourite musical theatre blogger)- it is 10 minutes long and shows you a more detailed look of the City Museum!

Need another boost to make the trip? St. Louis also offers their crazy Gateway Arch, Municipal Theatre (oldest & largest outdoor musical theatre in the U.S.A), Zoological Park (free!) and The Hill (which is well known for their multiple delicious Italian restaurants)!!

Happy trails (& travels),

- Becky <3>