This post could also be entitled:
Can’t Bake Now… I’m on the I-5.
Joy the Driver and Lauren the Snack Coordinator
Joy the Baker eats 6 pounds of Chex Mix between San Francisco and Portland
or simply… Joy the Baker moves her sister from Los Angeles to Seattle in a Budget moving truck creatively nicknamed Budgie.
It’s early Tuesday morning. My Mom makes Lauren pose with her moving truck. That’s not weird, right? Not weird at all.
The I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Green, trees, produce and trucks.
This is a picture of my sister driving. Let me tell you why this picture is a small miracle.
See, my sister just learned how to drive last week. She got her license… last week. She’s 26. She was afraid to drive until… last week. And now… here she is driving a moving truck at 80 miles an hour down the highway.
I told her to slow down. I told her to calm down. I told her that there was no room to screw up. I don’t think that helped.
I snapped the picture during the whole 20 minutes that I let my sister drive between Los Angeles and Seattle. It’s not that she’s a bad driver. It’s more that I’m kinda a control freak when it comes to things like… my life and living.
I may not have let my sister drive, but I sure did let (make) her pump all of the gas. Not her favorite part. Fact.
We stopped at Shasta Lake in Northern California to stand still and look at water and mountains.
A self portrait seemed like a good idea. All we got was bush and blurry eyebrows.
We parked Budgie illegally. We kinda just stopped her on the side of the road. That’s cool, right?
A cool 10 minutes beyond the sunshine of Shasta Lake we hit the snow. We hit it hard. Driving through the snow stressed out my Southern California self. This was deeply disturbing to me.
Lauren made me pull over so that she could jump around in the snow. I was still stressed out until I saw her leaping, jumping and eventually falling into the snow. Cute. Super cute.
We finally made it to Seattle. I’d gone through a Costco size bag of Chex Mix, ungodly amounts of dried apricots… and there’s half of a strawberry cheesecake in the truck that I don’t want to talk about.
Somewhere just outside of Portland I put my cranky pants on. I was tired of driving. I was tired of having to eat Chex Mix to stay awake, and I just wanted to be in the Seattle to drink the cup of coffee that I’d been waiting days and days for.
We made it. Thank heavens. This is the view from my sister’s apartment.
And then I took my cranky pants off, because I turned around and saw this face. The darling face of my darling little sister standing in her very first apartment on the very first day in her new city. I’m lucky to have been able to share this journey with her. Sisters are friends forever… that’s what we tell each other… because it’s true.
Then… we unpacked the truck. It had its obscene moments.
To make up for those obscene moments, my sister bought me a latte and a doughnut from Top Pot. Holy heck! This set my world right.
Sure I drove days and days to help my sister with her big move. But maybe… a tiny itsy bitsy part of me was in it for the Seattle coffee… I ain’t gonna lie.
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I love driving through the Shasta area. With all its fingers, Shasta Lake never seems to end. But you know you’re getting to the mountain when you keep passing over lake, then lake again, then BOOM! the mountain is like right there next to the road. I love it. Glad you guys both made it safely.
My sisters have helped me move several times, and if it wasn’t them it was my best friend. Having someone to help can turn it from a nightmare into (kinda) fun. :)
And a latte is a very great reward.
You will never forget this trip. It’s a big moment, a big memory, a big deal! It’s a moment you two will share for years to come, telling your grandkids about when you and their great aunt drove to Seattle in a budgie truck. *happysigh* The cranky pants will be long forgotten and only the good memories remain. Kinda like childbirth. Baby sis, moving out, moving on. So sweet. And YOU got to be part of that. So awesome.
Hey Joy! On the way home swing by the awesome little coastal town of Arcata, CA and come to Los Bagels! We are a multi-cultuarl cafe that will knock your socks off! Jalapeno cheddar scones! Lime Corn Cookies! Fresh boiled and baked bagels…where else are you going to find a Jewish/Mexican bakery. Lunch or breakfast is ON US!!!!!
Tell your sister she’s not alone. I was scared/hated driving and didn’t get my license until I was 21 (or maybe older I can’t remember :)) I still hate driving but I have to in order to get from point a to point b. Looks like you’ve been having fun!
seriously? sweetest post… thank you for being. i love to see two sisters who love one another so much and having such a great time. all the best to your sister as she starts her new journey. :) great view btw! enjoy!
I agree 1000% with natalie’s comments about your post Joy. Since I can’t say it any better. I’ll just say ‘ditto’.
Aww, how fun! Lots of us northwest readers, I see =) I live a little ways north of Seattle myself. I wish your sister the best as she starts out in a new city!
Welcome to Seattle, to both u and Lauren. i did a similar drive starting from San Fran, also in a Budget truck in the snow ;) glad u 2 made it safe.
Have a fabulous time in Seattle, it’s such a wonderful, gorgeous, amazing place. If you get a chance, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island (my hometown). You’ll get a spectacular view of Seattle, the Cascades, and, if you’re lucky, Mt. Rainier. Plus, downtown Bainbridge is adorable and has one of my favorite bakeries of all time — Blackbird Bakery. Enjoy the Northwest — it’s a special, special place. I moved away (to Boston) five years ago and miss it every day.
Hahaha, I love the Cranky Pants part. When my sister and I drive to Cape Cod, it’s all Chex Mix and Chappelle stand-up until someone says something a little bit wrong. Then it’s just…silence. Cranky Sister Silence.
Congrats to your sister on her move. And Congrats to you both for surviving the trip!
-Sarah
We do have the best coffee around…
Welcome to our wonderful city!! She will love it here!! If you are a connoisseur of fine coffee…don’t forget to stop by both Top Pot (let’s be honest…this one is more for the donuts then the coffee) and Stump Coffee. By far one of the best cups of coffee I have EVER had. :)
Enjoy Seattle! Hopefully we’ll show you the sun today.
Just got home from work and read your post. Nice. Very, very nice. There’s a lot of love there, and humor. Mom and I were busting up. We’re relieved that you both made the trip safely and had so much fun along the way. I know that no thanks are necessary, nonetheless, Mom and I still want to thank you for helping your little sister with her move.
The idea of your mom taking a picture of your sister and her rental truck made me tear up just a little bit. My mom did the same thing when I moved to Austin, only it was me and my giant taurus that could hold everything I owned – which obviously didn’t include any furniture.
“It’s more that I’m kinda a control freak when it comes to things like… my life and living.”
Best.Line.Ever.
we should be friends.
I love your stuff, but I’ve never worked up the nerve to comment ’til this post. It reminds me of all the awesome/horrible trips I’ve made with my family, all the best things about being sisters. Thanks for sharing your self as well as the best. recipes. ever. I’m speaking now especially of the the chocolate, chocolate banana bread, which I think changed my life forever.
Thanks for saying hi! It means a lot!
Top Pot! They really do have fantastic doughnuts…we bought a dozen for Valentine’s Day. Yeah. Um, let’s not talk about that.
Super cute road trip :) And Seattle’s a lovely place…welcome :D
Your sis was scared to get her license but not scared to move a few states away!?! Bold girl! Great post! Sisters are just the best. I never go a day without feeling grateful for the one I’ve got, the times we’ve shared and the trouble we’ve caused.
Haha!! You and your sis are super cute!! I did not learn to drive until I was 29 (I had major Drivers Ed trauma) and now I am a driving ninja so your sister is going to be amazing. And how brave is that, driving a UHaul as your first road trip adventure! Joy, thanks for all your funny posts and super recipes that make me so hungry =)
I would swear I see the funny, crinkly face of a smiling man in that cup of latte! Good karma and great sister-friends! Safe travels home, Joy!
Your sister is not alone. I got my license when I was 28 and of the two other baking sisters, one got her license at 25 and one still doesn’t have it (she is 21). Sounds like a fun road trip!
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THanks!
And look, the coffee is winking at you ;)
This post makes me wish I had a sister (Instead I have to contend with 2 younger brothers). Such love and happiness. Your sister is very brave to move and I hope she loves it there!
oh yes, *happysigh*, worlds of awesome. i’m glad you two made it safely!
It’s always hard when they leave home. I guess making her pose with the truck isn’t weird at all. It’s memory building with photos. I hope she loves Seattle. I lived there a while ago and the Downtown area is really nice.
Looks like she lives right near me, I hope to run in to her at ‘The Lookout’ sometime. Seattle is wonderful, good luck to her!
ahhh. i love this post! it makes me want to take a road trip with my sister.
Yay, I’m so glad you guys made it safely! :)
As an empty nester mom I can honestly say it is not one bit weird for your mother to want to take your sisters picture next to her moving van!! Just ask my children! They know. On second thought don’t remind them of all the pictures I made them let me take of them over the years! :o) Great story, thanks for sharing it.
I totally get the cranky-pants-having-to-eat-to-stay-awake thing.
And the we’re-best-friends-forever-because-we’re-sisters- thing.
So good.
Your sister is lucky to have you.
Try Le Pichet for breakfast (or really, at any time) if you are still there- it is absolutely wonderful!
http://www.lepichetseattle.com/page3.html
This is so nice! My sister helped me move from LA to Portland last month. She can’t drive, so yeah, it was all me, all the time… that stretch from San Francisco to Portland is LONG. But it was a great experience, and it looks like you survived it too! I’m sure your sister is thrilled that she got to do it with you. I know I’m eternally grateful to mine for keeping me awake and carrying all the heavy boxes. I paid her back in delicious home cooking.
sounds like a true adventure-the best kind. it’s more special when you experience it with someone you truly love. am I a bit jealous? yes. I love Seattle and haven’t been for 2 years, but it was great living vicariously through the two of you. :D
I miss my sister immensely right now.
You are too cute! This makes me want to take a road trip with my sisters. I am lucky enought to have 2. :)
I absolutely LOVE this post! Grinned the whole way through. :-) I’m just north of your sister and well remember moving from California to Washington just a few short years ago. :-) I hope she settles in beautifully! You’re a luv for helping her. :-)
Awww..you made me laugh and cry all within the few minutes it took me to read your blog! Amazing story! Loved the jumping in the snow photo. Since I just got back from having lunch with my two sisters before reading your post, it made my luncheon seem that much more special coz sisters ARE friends forever!!!
This post makes me wish I had a little sister to guide along and to share such special times (and dangerously large bags of evil Chex Mix) with.
Your sister is lucky to have you.
I didn’t get my license until I was 23. I bought a craptastic car that broke down the next week when I tried to drive from Santa Barbara to Huntington Beach. I drove the repaired but still craptastic car to HB two weeks later and didn’t think it would make it up the hill in Camarillo.
Please tell me that your sister’s twenty minutes of driving was not over the Siskiyou summit.
Joy: I love your blog, your recipes, your creative use of ingredients to create unexpected, fabulous desserts. Your chocolate cupcakes and frosting (w. Ovaltine) were the hit of my baby’s first birthday party. I love it all and most of all, I love how you describe your sister’s happiness in her new city, her new apartment and her new life and that you were there to share it with her. Sweeter than the finest dessert, in my opinion. I love to see my little brother’s happiness! What a great post!
This was a most endearing post to read Ms. Joy the Baker.. A wonderful memory for the two of you….and last but not least..how comforting for your mom to know her girls were together on this road trip.Happy sigh!!
Ohh that’s actually a lovely drive. I took a road trip last April traveling from Seattle (where I lived at the time) to San Luis Obispo, California and back with stops in the Redwoods, San Francisco for a couple of days, and the Sacramento area. Ahhh.. I wish I were doing that again this year.. but now I live in Austin!
Have fun while you’re in Seattle for a few days! It’s such a great city, lots of beauty, fun things to see and do and I’m glad you’ve already had Top Pot. Def go to pike place market and the downtown library if you haven’t been before. Ahh. thinking about the city makes me miss it..
Sisters are great aren’t they? That post made me want to call my sister. I think I will…right now….
Joy – Oh how your post made me wish I had a sister, and made me so grateful for my two little girls. I hope my sweet babies are best friends forever! How lucky you sisters are to have each other.
Thank you, as always, for writing such thoughtful posts.
Love this post… I still treasure the funny memories of the crazy, round-the-country trip my little sis and I drove together over 10 years ago, and this brought it back. :) and love love love that your dad commented! What a sweet family you have.
Super jealous of your sister’s new view! As a Seattleite welcome to our fabulous city. We’ve made a few cross-country moves ourselves and I know well how tiring and stressful they can be. Glad to hear you made it alive and well! Oh…and Top Pot is awesome.
You two are just cute as buttons. I have never been to CA or WA…those are places I would love to see one day.
This story made me laugh. Thank you for sharing!
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