Sedona to Nashville and Beyond
So, where were we?
Oh yes, driving over the Hoover Dam, heading from Death Valley to Sedona.
Driving into Sedona at night
I was really excited for this stop. I also realized on our drive to Sedona that all the out-of-the-way stops I picked for our trip (Marfa, Roswell, Sedona) had a theme: the paranormal. 😆 Marfa supposedly has the Marfa Lights, Roswell supposedly has had aliens, and now we were headed to Sedona, which supposedly has energy vortexes (this turns out to have a problematic history).
I had to laugh at this realization, being that I am such a logical thinker who relies as much on research and facts as I do on my own personal experience when it comes to my beliefs. And yet, without even being aware of it, here I had added all the “woo-woo” stops on our itinerary.
I told Jeremy I hoped he was okay with being married to someone who, despite being a realist at heart, loves the idea of ghosts and extraterrestrials, wants crystals and incense for bridal shower gifts, and is all about healing energy and positive vibrations. He laughed — he’s known this about me since the beginning! He said he loves that I embrace my inner hippie and child-like sense of wonder. I said I hope he still feels that way when in 20 years our home looks and smells like the inside of one of the new age stores in Sedona. Ha!
“Charging” some of my bridal shower gifts at the Bell Rock “vortex” in Sedona
Despite reading about the disappointing history behind the supposed vortexes in Sedona, we were both absolutely floored by the beauty of the place. It was mind-blowing to me, personally. I’m tempted to say it was the most beautiful stop on our trip, although I definitely said that same thing about many of our stops, lol! I could see why people feel such a sense of awe and wonder, and even magic, in Sedona. It’s a 360-degree view of bright, striped colors and towering rock formations with a quaint little mountain town nestled in the middle. Even the RV park where we stayed was gorgeous, and in my book probably the best one overall. If it weren’t for the LA-inspired traffic and weird spectrum of super-rich yuppies-to-homeless-hippies in the town itself, I might not have left Sedona. I definitely want to go back for a long vacation someday.
View from the post office in Sedona
After an amazing hike the next day, where Jeremy got to scale the side of a giant rock and scare me half to death (one of his favorite pastimes), we hit the road again, this time not necessarily for a specific destination, but rather for the long drive home.
Click HERE for the Instagram Story Highlights from the final leg of the trip!
Panorama from halfway up Bell Rock
Leaving Sedona, it gets greener and greener
Sedona to Gallup to Amarillo to Ozark to Nashville. On these last four drives, we started coming out of the fog of the honeymoon, and talking about life-after-wedding. Job stuff, friend stuff, world stuff, holiday stuff. Jeremy got some exciting news about one of his new holiday songs, and I went to work promoting my pre-filmed performance as part of a showcase hosted by Oz Arts, which was premiering the night we got home from our trip. We sent out nearly a hundred postcards (did you get yours yet?) and talked about how grateful we were for all the love and support we have felt since announcing our weddingmoon plans just a few short months ago. We had fun saying “wife” and “husband” to strangers on the trip home. (I had barely gotten used to saying “fiancé,” so this is totally weird!) And we marveled at the absolute beauty that is driving at sunset along the Interstate 40 (in parts, aka Route 66) through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Heck, even through Oklahoma and Arkansas! Make this trip someday if you can. I have made this trip at least a dozen times in my life, and it still blows my mind, every time.
I-40 in New Mexico at sunset
No filter! The horizon becomes a rainbow 😍
🌙
At one point on these driving days, Jeremy asked me if I felt different in any way since saying “I do” — or in our case, “I will.” I said I didn’t, really, because I have the same conviction about this relationship that I’ve had since the start. He agreed. It did feel special to embark on this journey in the form of such a big adventure, and we could not have asked for a more intimate wedding ceremony, set against a more incredible backdrop, tailored more perfectly to each of us as individuals and both is us as a couple (shout-out to our amazing officiant, Cindie Wilding). But otherwise, it doesn’t feel that different! We’ll see how we feel after the reception/party… whenever that happens. 🤞
We arrived in Nashville late on the 19th, and, though we had planned to allow ourselves a relaxing evening once we came home, immediately got to work unloading, unpacking, cleaning, organizing, and putting things away. I’m so glad we did, because though I was absolutely zonked by the time we finally hit the hay, it felt amazing to wake up with nothing to do! Well, at least without that to do. We had one more ride to take with our van-and-camper, which was to drop off the camper. It felt weird to be in the empty van that had been home for the past 17 days! But it feels absolutely amazing to be home home. And let’s not forget how excited I was to be back home with my beloved dog, Raggy. We joke that now I need to draw up official adoption papers for Jeremy to legally adopt Raggy.
A non-stop onslaught of licks since I’ve been home 😆
So, what now? Well, first, we are working on getting COVID tests just to be extra careful and respectful of our friends and neighbors after traveling. Then, we hope for a vaccine so that we can start to plan our delayed wedding reception. Meanwhile, the holidays will be quite different this year, but that’s okay. It just is what it is! If this year has taught Jeremy and me anything, it’s the truth of our powerlessness over so much in the world, and the importance of changing the things we can, while letting go of the rest.
We are excited to get the final wedding photos back from our amazing photographers, and will share those as soon as we have them. I also have a few other blog post ideas up my sleeve that I was hoping to get to on the trip, but may instead share here in the coming months, just to get them down on paper.
One of the preview candids from our amazing photographers, Trees & Seas a.k.a. Shawn & Steph
Thank you all for following along, sending messages, buying us coffee and dinner and gas on the road, watching our Instagram Stories, and sharing your excitement with us! It was so much fun having our friends and family “with” us every step of the way. 2020 has been such a weird and stressful time in so many ways, but it has also brought about some really memorable experiences that might not have existed otherwise. So, as always, it’s a matter of perspective for me — finding gratitude even in the most difficult seasons of life, accepting things as they are, and doing the best I can with what I have!
More to come, but until then…
Cheers, friends!
❤️ Sarah
Our last night of camping, in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas