Thanks to everyone who donated money to us. We were able to get safely from Denver to Oklahoma. We have been here for three days now and it is hard to leave! As most of you know, I grew up in Oklahoma and have not been back for 9 years.
I was able to see my friends and family and also my old home I grew up in. Many things have changed, but my memories remain the same. People tend to make fun of the south, especially the people who live here, but Oklahoma has a sincere sense of love to it. It's very peaceful. And the people here are hip, friendly and know how to say what they mean when they mean it. There is no fake charades. There is no bullshit. People don't make friends with someone because they think they might benefit from someone else's "connections" or "status." There is no name dropping. Friendships are real. Relationships are real. People are real. There is no bullshit.
As much as I love beautiful sunny LA, sometimes you just get trapped in your own little bubble and never leave or think about anything outside of that bubble. Sometimes you get trapped and only think about the next step up the ladder instead of maybe how you can help your friend in need.
I got to visit my 83 year old grandmother. She is my "American" grandmother, since I have never had any grandparents in my life. She is the person who helped raise us when my dad wasn't around. She was the person who was there for us when we had to run away from home. She was the person who took us to church every Sunday and taught us etiquette and a sense of humility and pride. The reunion was filled with tears and made me feel better knowing that she is still that spunky old lady with a keen sense of memory from my childhood... remembering every speckle about my childhood as well as every speckle about hers.
We got to sit around and listen to her stories of how she was the adventurous one in her family. During the Depression she took a clerical job with the government and got to travel to 30 different countries all over the world making $3,000 a year (whole lotta money back then). Which was unheard of. Especially for a small town girl from Colorado. Her stories, as they always have, inspired me and made me realize what I am doing here on Hotandretarded.com is much bigger than what I actually thought.
This trip was to find myself and that's how the original idea came about. I have a quirky sense of humor and that's why I wanted to throw videos in the mix and have a catchy name. But at the end of the day and as the end of my trip is beginning to near, I have realized why I started this trip in the first place...
The number one question people keep asking me is "What is the purpose of this site/trip?"
I never knew how to answer that question besides saying "It's an online webseries that I am creating for entertainment purposes and it's about 3 girls traveling across the U.S. with no money and or shame."
Then they would ask.. "I know, but what is the purpose?"
Although I still don't know the exact purpose and don't think I will completely know until the trip is over.. I have concluded that I have discovered myself. I moved to LA 4 years ago, and if you knew me back then, then you would know I was just a little hippie from Portland with a small little dream.
I wanted to be an entrepreneur. In what? Not a clue. I dabbled in everything. Years past and careers past and I realized I still wasn't happy with where I was in my life. And after leaving my last job, I took this opportunity to drop everything I was doing, give up all material items and hit the road to figure out who I was. Because I knew I was not the "Nightlife Enthusiast", "Hollywood Prom Queen" and party girl that everyone in LA seemed to think me to be.
I knew I was much more than that. I knew that I was just being sucked into a materialistic world with a very thick layer of bullshit. And please, don't get me wrong. I LOVE LA. And never do I plan on moving. But sometimes people tend to forget their roots, where they are from and how to have sincere REAL relationships with people... no matter their looks, their wealth or their status.
I have struggled a lot on this trip but no money. I have struggled a lot on this trip with having to share my space with two girls I don't even know. I have struggled a lot on this trip with my egotistical behavior, convincing everyone to do as I say and my opinion is the only one that matters. I have struggled with the fact that I can't have sushi from a fine restaurant but instead I have to eat canned sardines and crackers from the dollar store. I have struggled with the fact that I can't get my hair or nails done. I have struggled with the fact that I can't afford to buy a bottle of water when I am thirsty.
But what I am grateful for is this... the chance to follow my dream, which is to "create" something instead of being busy judging other peoples work. Whether this site is for you or not, this is something I wanted to created. This is something that makes me happy. No matter how much I sometimes wish I could take a big ole bite out of a filet mignon in a fancy little dress on Sunset Blvd., I am happy I don't have that option.
Instead I get the see the cultures of America that I don't see in Hollywood; I get to see the scenery of the colorful farms in Kansas; the millions and millions or stars looking down at us from heaven in Wyoming; the the "Royal Arch" in Boulder, CO that when you stand in it you can see miles and miles away and feel the whispers of crispy winds from the past; the culture of the American cowboy and their Rodeos and way of life and about the Native American's beautiful culture and how we are trying to make up for our mistakes from the past.
At this point I am rambling, but I do know this. I have discovered through this little journey what I want from life. I have discovered my old self. I have also discovered that when I get back to LA, I am filtering out who gets to be in my life. Because my life journey is a precious one. And so is yours. Sometimes we just need to stop in the middle of life and take our shoes off.