• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

Notes from the Road

March 4, 2010 by Joy the Baker 142 Comments

Notes from the Road 

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.  

Notes from the Road 

It’s early Tuesday morning.  My Mom makes Lauren pose with her moving truck.  That’s not weird, right?  Not weird at all.  

Notes from the Road 

The I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  Green, trees, produce and trucks.  

Notes from the Road 

This is a picture of my sister driving.  Let me tell you why this picture is a small miracle.  

Notes from the Road 

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. 

Notes from the Road 

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.

 

Notes from the Road 

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.  

Notes from the Road 

We stopped at Shasta Lake in Northern California to stand still and look at water and mountains.  

Notes from the Road 

A self portrait seemed like a good idea.  All we got was bush and blurry eyebrows.  

Notes from the Road 

We parked Budgie illegally.  We kinda just stopped her on the side of the road.  That’s cool, right? 

Notes from the Road 

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.  

Notes from the Road 

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. 

Notes from the Road 

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.  

Notes from the Road 

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.  

Notes from the Road 

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. 

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Beyond the Kitchen

Previous Post: « Parker House Rolls
Next Post: Little Lemon Hazelnut Cakes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dixie

    March 4, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Awww, top pot doughnuts are the best! Came across them by accident the last time we were in Seattle. Love your road pictures and so special to spend time with your sister. I live right by the 5 in No. California, so you drove right by my house! Glad you made it safe.

    Reply
  2. PastryPrincess

    March 4, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    Sisters are the best thing in the world, arent they?! ;) theres nobody and nothing i love more than my sister, she truely is the love of my life! nothing compares to that. this is such a lovely post, joy! :) made me kinda sad too though… because ill be moving to a different country this month and my sis wont be living with me anymore… she wont be there for my move either (wish i had a truck but all i get is a lousy 20kg on a plane!) and ill be missing out on her big milestone birthday. im living my dream though, its very bittersweet! :)

    Reply
  3. beezwax

    March 4, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    So I’ve got crazy curly hair kind of like your little sis. I wonder what product she uses in it? It looks great! :) Sry this ain’t a baking question. I’m always looking for something new to make my crazy hair look better!

    Reply
  4. Elisabeth from Dear Weekend

    March 4, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    I have made that drive before in the snow! What a looooong drive. Glad to hear you had each other to keep you sane!

    Reply
  5. Andrea

    March 4, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    ahh, i heart seattle … but then again, i live here.
    and top pot?! hello! heaven in the form of dough. so, so good. welcome to seattle joy! hope your sister loves it here as much as the rest of us do!

    Reply
  6. Joe @ Eden Kitchen

    March 4, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    Seattle is one of my favourite cities in the world. I hope to live there one day! Glad you both made it safely :)

    Reply
  7. Amanda Elizabeth

    March 4, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    This made me smile so big, my mom lives in Shasta Lake :) It looks like you guys had an awesome drive!!!! New things are exciting!

    Reply
  8. Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen

    March 4, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    This post is really sweet. I’m not gonna lie. I teared up at the end. The shots of Shasta Lake are so beautiful. And that latte at the end looks divine! Glad you had an awesome sisterly road trip.

    Reply
  9. stacy

    March 4, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    Sounds like an awesome road trip — thanks as always for sharing your lives with us. Your sister is going to love Seattle! Here are some good coffeeshops to check out:

    Zeitgeist
    Zoka
    Vivace

    Also, there are tons of great food trucks in Seattle. Like this one that’s shaped like a pig: https://www.maximus-minimus.com/

    Reply
  10. Courtney

    March 4, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    I SO would have let you stay the night at my house in Eugene and bake me breakfast.

    Reply
  11. Yolanda

    March 4, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    Ah Seattle. I miss it so very much. But not as much as you’re going to miss your sister. Sweet post, Joy.

    Reply
  12. Galit

    March 4, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Yay! Joy thank you so much for posting that. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time of your journey hoping you get here safely. I love the pictures! Thank you for bringing my girl to me :)

    Reply
  13. Aimee

    March 4, 2010 at 9:21 pm

    This post brought tears to my eyes as I thought about my relationship with my sister and how we would have laughed and argued the entire drive up the I-5. In fact.. we have. We’re originally from Northern CA and live in Southern CA.

    Thanks for being so genuine and authentic. You’re legit.

    Reply
  14. Danae (The Busty Baker)

    March 4, 2010 at 10:18 pm

    Love the post! So cute! Makes me wish I had a sister.. And pass this along to Lauren for me: I didn’t get my license until I was 25– two weeks before moving out on my own into my first apartment as well, so I’m right there with you! Although you’re doing much better than me. 3 years later and I still won’t drive on the highway. Glad you guys made it safe and best of luck in Seattle!

    Reply
  15. Memoria

    March 4, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    This. post. is. too. sweet. My eyes welled up at the photos and your sweet words about your sister. I wish I could have had that experience. I’ll never know how it is to have a true, full sibling. Someone you’ve grown up with and can count on as a friend. *sigh* Both of you are BEAUTIFUL inside and out. I love the photo of your sister in the snow and in the apartment. You can tell that the photographer truly loves the subject in the photo. *HUGS* I’m glad you two made it there safely.

    Reply
Newer Comments »
Comments Page 1 of 9
1 2 3 … 9 Next »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Beyond the Kitchen

My Top 10 Peanut Butter Recipes

I haven’t felt like making meals at all this week.  I don’t even seem to have the energy to cobble together my usual lazy stand-bys: scrambled eggs and a carb, toasted.  Strangely, I’m also not allowing myself to order any expensive (and everything is expensive right now) takeout so… well, I’ll be eating bananas smeared…

Read More

stack of books for the best nonfictions books to read in 2022
The Best Nonfiction Books for Summer 2022

One of my cushiest jobs of all time was being a reader for the Hallmark Channel. Every week, I’d drive down the 101 to the Valley to pick up a stack of books to review. The stories came in waves depending on what themes the producers were interested in, ranging from autism to cancer, and—of…

Read More

Abby at a table at Alma
New Orleans By Way of Chicago

Have you ever been someplace your soul immediately responded to? That’s Chicago for me. Not everyone understands it and I genuinely like it that way. Chicago isn’t for everyone. It’s where my roots are, where my grandparents rest peacefully. The food in Chicago is the best in the world to me, and I will argue…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

Strawberry pie filling inside of unbaked crust with crumble top.

My Best Strawberry Crumble Pie Recipe

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Strawberry white chocolate chai sugar cookies on a cooling rack.

Taylor Swift’s Strawberry White Chocolate Chai Sugar Cookies

POPULAR CAKES

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake on a small pink plate

Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sliced and plated funfetti cake slices.

Funfetti Birthday Bundt Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

I spent part of this fine weekend cleaning this ve I spent part of this fine weekend cleaning this very hardworking pantry. It’ll never be rainbow organized or picture perfect but I’ll tell ya, a few sets of @rubbermaid containers, @ballcanning jars and brown packing tape with a @sharpie marker make this a high functioning space for recipe testing and life living. 
⁣
Swipe to see my supervisor 🦁 inspecting my work. ⁣
⁣
#organized #pantryorganization #joythebaker #weekendwork
Not gonna lie, peanut butter was my main food grou Not gonna lie, peanut butter was my main food group this week - either smeared on fruit or baked as cookies. ⁣
⁣
If you feel me on this, my top 10 peanut butter recipes will serve you well. 👏 Find the link in the bio, like we do. ⁣
⁣
#peanutbutter #cookies #cobbler #joythebaker
I either need a pep talk or chocolate cake though I either need a pep talk or chocolate cake though I think I actually need both - stat.⁣
⁣
This particular cake is gluten and dairy free though you’d never know it based on its tender chocolate crumb and swoopy coconut based frosting. ⁣
⁣
I’ll leave the 🍫 recipe linked in the bio. Please leave any pep talk thoughts in the comments below (lol I’m not even kidding). xo
Mmkay you can take one pie and one sweater to the Mmkay you can take one pie and one sweater to the deserted island. I suppose I’m set! 🤪
⁣
My Very Best 🍓 🍓 Crumble Pie recipe linked in the profile and the sweater is an old gem from Forever21 and sure it’s getting a little tighter every year it’s weird how sweaters shrink sitting in drawers waiting for strawberry season. ⁣
⁣
#strawberrypie #joythebaker #mothersday #bakedfromscratch
In this week’s Sunday post I talk about learning In this week’s Sunday post I talk about learning how to ride a motorcycle, making my summer bucket list dreams come true, and easing out that clutch. ⁣
⁣
Am I roadworthy? Not quite yet, but I am super proud of myself. ⁣
⁣
Your Sunday reads, linked in the profile.
Pro baker tip for 🍪🍪 on demand: Pre-scoop c Pro baker tip for 🍪🍪 on demand:  Pre-scoop cookie dough using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scooper and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Tuck in a few  extra pieces of chocolate on top of each cookie dough ball for an extra melty chocolate experience (my favorite are these @guittardchocolate disks). Refrigerate for at least an hour or double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.  Just before baking, separate dough balls (chilled or frozen) on a large parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake until golden around the edges. ⁣
⁣
Dad’s Very Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (the only cc cookie recipe you’ll ever need) linked in the profile, friends! Xo ⁣
⁣
 #chocolatechipcookies #joythebaker
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up