The word of the day is 'tootle'...

On high intensity interval living

Hey all! It’s me, Claire.

My sister just sent me the word of the day. Tootle is both a verb and a noun meaning “to go or travel in a leisurely way” and “a leisurely journey”, respectively. When I first started writing this a few weeks ago (when my sister actually sent that word of the day), I had the feeling that life should be a tootle. According to the definition, a life of leisure is just a life without hurry. I think I’m realizing that I thrive more with a HIIT lifestyle (you know, high intensity interval training? #sofit). I like to go very fast and try really hard for a bit and then take a little rest until it’s time to push myself to do that again (is this a good analogy? do I understand how HIIT works?). I feel like last time I wrote, I said I was moving too fast. Now I feel like maybe I’m moving too slow? Obviously, I have not found the balance that works best for me but I think it’s a step in the right direction to be publicly expressing my self-awareness about my imbalances. Right now, I think I’m tootling a little bit too much and it’s making me not work very hard, not write these updates that I so enjoy sharing, and not enjoy the tootling as much when it’s time to tootle.

A LOT has happened since I reported back in February so here’s what I’ve been up to:

• My friend Lauren and I had an epic road trip that covered 4 states (CA to NV to UT to AZ) and many National Parks. It honestly feels like a blur and I can’t believe that happened 2 months ago. I will detail the highlights in a more photojournalistic style below.

We started our journey out of LA by stopping in Palm Springs to drink this ridiculous milkshake. Off to a great start!

Our first National Park of the tour was Joshua Tree in CA and it was very cool! We went on a guided walk with Ranger Mark (and when he asked us how we heard about the tour we told him Julie Brown at the visitors center told us we should take it and he said, “That’s my mother in law”). He was jazzed about Joshua Trees and so WE became jazzed about Joshua Trees!

We took as many pictures of beautiful views as we could! And then we retired to our Air BnB hosted by a eccentric man named Tim. He warned us that a dog had just arrived at his house from the desert a few days ago but the dog seemed really nice so don’t worry at all. I remained calm even though this “dog” was a STRAIGHT UP WOLF.

From left to right: Lauren and the wolf, the wolf stretching like wolves do, a picture of a wolf I googled to prove that this was truly just a wolf in the house with us

Then we drove straight up to Las Vegas and stopped at the 7 Magic Mountains along the way

We also stopped for this beautiful sunset

When we got to Vegas, we saw a medium-good Cirque Du Soleil show featuring an on-stage bar and lots of NYC themed tricks. It was fun but Lauren is a Cirque fan and she said it was not her TOP show she’s seen.

We gambled responsibly even though I was pick-pocketed ($30! Gone forever!) and Lauren almost lost her phone. We made friends with some sad gamblers who seemed to be ruining their/their families lives with their addictions and one of them asked to look at my hands to determine how old I was. GET AWAY, VEGAS CREEPS!

Next, we went to Zion National Park in Utah where it felt like we had this very special secret access to this amazing place because it was a little bit cold so there was hardly anyone there. We hunted for Big Horns but we saw NONE.

We rode horses to a slot canyon and our guides did not find me charming at all. I did not enjoy this; not the horseback ride nor my inability to charm our guides.

But it was cool to see the canyon and share this experience with my friend!!

We were on roll! Next stop; THE GRAND CANYON! It was very icy and cold and I promptly fell ALL the way to the ground in slow motion and cut my hand. But otherwise, cool stop!

We zoomed down to Sedona, AZ before finishing our journey in Phoenix where I had to bid Lauren farewell! What a dream-date and wonderful addition to this leg of my journey! LYLAS!

• I spent a few days with my friend Sammy in Phoenix. We went on a hike and I made us go in the wrong direction for a while but we did end up making it home alive. I got to hear about her recent proposal and upcoming Hawaiian wedding plans! So excited for her!

I swapped one wilderness woman for another! Sammy took me on a hike up to a wind cave and we sat in a prime spot that no one had taken (and that was because there was a swarm of bees there). But we survived!

I tried my first ramen and some other culinary treats—Sammy is engaged to a gentleman from the Philippines so she has become quite the connoisseur of new cuisines!

• I flew back to CT to move into my condo (which is honestly so great and everyone is invited to visit) which was very exciting and has made me more eager to get home than I realized it would. I also did some other fun, East Coasty things.

I went back to CT to move into my condo which was being painted fun colors—green is my favorite for shirts and walls.

The fam went to see Hamilton! I would say it was just okay. Hard to beat the original cast.

I popped over to Boston to throw a baby shower for my best friend Megan who is soon to be a mom!! Can’t wait to welcome baby Tulum to the world!

If you want me to throw you a baby shower, just let me know. I’m so good at it.

My friend Roisin is getting married (someday. She won’t tell us when but she claims to be engaged) so we went to try on wedding dresses! Here she is demonstrating how she fed multiple baby goats at work and they gathered around her like she was Snow White.

• I flew to Chicago and spent two weeks cat-sitting (#growth) for my friends while they honeymooned in Hawaii. I also got to see the new condo of my friends Stephanie and Nick who are big time Chicago homeowners! So incredible! We have the same lighting fixture! Check us out now, iO Theater (that’s where we met 9 years ago)!

• I took a quick weekend detour to see my friends Ann and Margaret. There was color guard flag spinning, there were puzzles, there were Mickey Mouse pancakes— it was a really wonderful and worthwhile weekend trip.

On this trip to Chicago, I learned how to pick up a cat. I did not like doing it but it is a useful skill that I didn’t have last time I was cat-sitting. #growth

I asked for a small, unassuming, compact car from the rental place and they listened by giving me this ridiculous, white hot-rod.

I went to see my friend Margaret and we chit chatted and did puzzles. Margaret is 80 years young and has a more active social life than me. I’ve got to get out more.

My friend Ann has been a color-guard coach for the 10 years I’ve known her and I got to see her team compete for the first time! She and her fellow coaches had adorable matching outfits and the team did a beautiful job!

• I flew back to Phoenix and stayed with my friend Becca’s mom in Tucson. She was very patient with me and my bad Spanish (I’m contemplating a Guatemala return in 2024) and was a wonderful host. Tucson is really great and the weather felt like Disney World (I’m also contemplating becoming a Snowbird—an East Coaster who spends the winter in AZ to escape the cold).

Becca’s mom in Tucson had this fruit plate out in my room and I thought it was fake but it was 100% real and delicious.

I got a green glitter beer because it was St. Patrick’s Day. Tucson is so cute and everyone should go.

I kind of want to stop there because this is already too much and I feel like I’ll be minimizing the many things I did after that (drove through New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee for the first time). Maybe I’ll leave it there and regroup after the epic day I’ll be spending at Dollywood tomorrow. Truly can’t wait.

This last leg of my journey has reminded me that perhaps too much tootling is not always such a good thing. Maybe it’s the part of the country I’m in (the views in middle America are not quite as majestic as they are farther west) but I’m losing steam. Maybe I did go too fast and now I’m going too slow. I think high intensity intervals are supposed to help you grow, though, so I’ve just got to figure out how to do them right. I think I’m just excited to get back to a sense of routine so that I’m recharged enough to figure out where I’m headed next!

Tootle-loo for now!

-Claire <3

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