Meet Christina | Route Bliss

I am so excited to introduce you to a fellow Texas blogger today! You've probably seen Christina, the voice behind Route Bliss, somewhere before. She has established herself as a photographer, blogger, and serial homeland traveler. Her travel post inspire me to look into unique and untouched spots in the United States. From National Parks to small town museums, Christina has been exploring her own backyard for years and giving you tips and tricks on traveling the United States through Route Bliss. Recently, I asked Christina some questions to get to know her and her blog a little better. 

1. Tell us about Route Bliss.

Route Bliss is where I share about things and topics I'm fairly passionate about -- right now that's primarily travel, photography, and budgeting, although I've also blogged about healthy living and fitness over the last couple of years. Route Bliss has an alternate meaning in why I chose the domain name -- finding the path to a blissful life. Hopefully with time and life changes, that'll happen as well -- and I'll expand to talk more about that when the time comes. 

2. What is your hometown in Texas like?

I've spent over half my life living in/near Athens, which is about 75 miles southeast of Dallas and on the edge of the Piney Woods of East Texas. It's what many would dub a small town (approx 12,000 people), although it is the largest town in & the county seat of Henderson County. Athens is the home of the hamburger ("Unlce Flecth" Davis created & sold it on the town square before taking it to the World's Fair in 1904), the Black-Eyed Pea Capital, and the local juco, TVCC, has a number of national titles to it's name thanks to its women's basketball and football teams as well as the cheerleading team. The town is pretty much made up of college students, families, and retirees. 

3. You travel around the United States quite a bit. What is the biggest lesson you have learned about exploring your home country?

We take our natural treasures for granted -- so many people overlook visiting national parks when we should make that a priority over amusement park. Glacier National Park won't have glaciers much longer, but most of my friends would rather spend several days at Sea World or Six Flags than to take their children to see something that may be gone before they reach adulthood.

4. What is one of your favorite destinations that you think deserves more credit?

The state of Oklahoma as a whole. Most knock it as a "flyover" state, but the Sooner State has a variety of treasures worth exploring, from the mountains in the southeast and central portions of the state, Route 66 -- Oklahoma is the only state that has preserved as much of the original Mother Road as possible, plus cultural sites in both Tulsa and OKC and the parries of western Oklahoma where one can see for miles and miles. My favorite place in the entire state -- and one I have only spent a limited amount of time at -- is Turner Falls (http://www.turnerfallaspark.com/). On my one visit (in the rain sadly), I snapped a photo that many people for years afterward thought was a waterfall in Hawaii! No one believes something that beautiful is in central Oklahoma! 

5. If you could pick one holiday destination to do over again (good or bad), what would it be?

I want to go back and spend more time in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks. I only spent a day apiece at GT and Yellowstone and two days at Glacier. I was to take my time with a second visit, get off the beaten (tourist), and see what may not be there to enjoy in another 20-40 years. 

FIND CHRISTINA 

Blog | Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Google | Pinterest 

READ MORE FROM ROUTE BLISS

Planning For & Saving Money While on the Road

My Top 10 Essentials While on the Road

The Route Bliss Guide For Budget Friendly Cameras

#Carnival fun + night photography = 😍👍🎡 #nightphotography #motion #carnivalride #fiddlersreunion #easttexas

A photo posted by Christina McCall (@christinamccall) on May 29, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

Happy Monday!

xoxo 

2015 Reading Update | 2

To my surprise, one of the most popular requests on my 2015 Reader Survey was to write more book reviews. It was nice to see I'm not the only one who enjoys reading book reviews and adding them to my Amazon wish list! The way I usually pick a book to read is by blogger recommendations, and it looks like some of you are the same. A note about my reading style: I like to alternate between non-fiction and fiction. Having a masters degree in medieval history means I like to read a lot of non-fiction books. I know some books I read aren't everyone's cup of tea, so it won't hurt my feelings if you don't read every book review thoroughly!

MEDIEVAL LIVES | Terry Jones 

History written by a comedian? Surely not. However, I picked up Medieval Lives with no prior knowledge of its author. I found this book to be entertaining, readable, and extremely well researched. I'm a firm believer in writing history for the public, not just for the academic community. When I learned of the background of the author I was impressed. Historian and co-director of Monty Python, Terry Jones knows how to weave history into an entertaining tale.

SUMMER CROSSING | Truman Capote 

I read Breakfast at Tiffany's a few months back and fell in love with Captoe's writing style. I was interested to read some lesser known works by him and picked Summer Crossing as a good starting point. Although his writing is unique and clear, I found it difficult to attach myself to the characters. I felt the plot moved either too slowly or too quickly at times, which can be expected with such a short book. I would only recommend this book if you are interested in postwar NYC attitudes and social classes.

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE | J.D. Salinger 
Although many of my friends were required to read this book in high school growing up, my school did not assign The Cather and the Rye. I understand my schools reason for not assigning it, it's deep, raunchy, and pretty sad. However, I am glad I read it as an adult rather than a teenager. The themes in this book would have completely gone over my head at the age of fourteen. At 23, I found the book moving, disturbing, and beautifully written.

H IS FOR HAWK | Helen Macdonald
I've been waiting for this book to be released in the states for months now. A widely publicized and well reviewed book, I was interested to read the internal and external struggles Helen Macdonald faced in training a ghosthawk in the wake of her father's death. I know nothing about hawks or falconry or birds in general. However, Macdonald's ghosthawk taught her more than inner peace. Macdonald learned to be observant of nature and humanity, linking the two through England's fascinating history.

WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES | Karen Joy Fowler
If there is one book you should read off this list it should be We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. I really can't give this novel much of a summary because it is difficult to describe this book without giving away the fascinating plot. However, the main theme throughout the book of bridging an experimental childhood to an extraordinarily ordinary adulthood is beautifully written. I could not put this book down.

THE WARS OF THE ROSES: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors | Dan Jones
I'm not going to lie y'all. This book took me four months to read. Not because it's a particularly hard read, but because it has SO much information it. The amount of facts got overwhelming and I found myself putting this book down for weeks on end. I enjoyed the read, although some of Jones' opinions on the individuals in the Wars of the Roses are not shared by myself. Jones presents a readable history of a very confusing time, which I fully support.

HOT BODY YEAR ROUND | Cassey Ho (aka Blogilates)
I have been doing Blogilates workouts on and off for about two years. I'm a big fan of Cassey's workouts purely because they make you WORK, even if it is just in your living room. I decided to buy her book to have more tangible workouts at my fingertips. I enjoyed reading a little more about the girl behind the blog, as well has her tips of living healthy.

LOVE TANYA | Tanya Burr
Another online personality, Tanya Burr is my go-to beauty guru when I am looking for product reviews or makeup tutorials. I preordered her book, Love Tanya, back in January. It didn't arrive until the end of April *side eye Amazon*. My excitement for the book had faded by the time it finally arrived and I have to say I was slightly disappointed in the content. I felt like the book was targeted at a much younger audience and all the beauty advice was pretty much common sense.

TRIGGER WARNING | Neil Gaiman
My first experience with Neil Gaiman was his well reviewed novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The book received outstanding reviews but I just didn't get it. I found it disappointing and unbelievable.  However, I decided to give him another chance and picked up Trigger Warning. This collection of short stories was very hit or miss with me. There were a handful of stories I found gripping and fascinating, but the majority of the book was met with disappointment. The only story that has really stuck with me, the only one I can recommend without hesitation, is The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. There is no way to describe this particular story other than brilliant.

ANNE NEVILLE: Queen to Richard III | Michael Hicks
Anne Neville is one of the most fascinating characters in the Wars of the Roses. Her history, as most women of this era, is defined by the men she was associated with. Her father, the Kingmaker, was one of the most powerful men in England. Her first husband, Edward, was heir to the Lancastrian throne. And finally her second husband, Richard III, has become one of the most infamous names in all of history. Michael Hicks was presented with the task of trying to bring a woman, who has been virtually forgotten in history, to life. Although detailed, I found Hicks' opinions on the men in Anne's life to overshadow her own story.

If you missed my first 2015 reading update, you can check that out here, or if you are a member of Goodreads, add me here. 

:: coffee in glastonbury. #glastonbury #coffee #coffeeshop

A photo posted by S a r a D a v i s (@sararosedavis) on Nov 7, 2014 at 2:57am PST

Yes, I realize this picture is from last November. I've been too busy to take a picture for this post, don't judge me.

Happy Thursday!

xoxo 

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

One of the most exciting aspects of travel is the chance to see the man-made beauty the world has to offer. Natural beauty is one thing, the world is a beautiful and fascinating place. Man-made beauty is another. Seeing the capacity of human imagination is a wonderful thing. However, I've always held the belief most of this beauty lies in the outside world. Never did I imagine stumbling across something so magnificent in my own backyard.

Picture this: a temple that consist of 33,000 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone. Surely this building would be in India. Maybe Pakistan. 

What about in Houston, Texas? More specifically, Sugar Land, Texas. 

Yep, that's right. This insanely beautiful Hindu temple is located in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land.  If you are fairly new here, Sugar Land happens to be by home town (you can read all about it here). After moving back stateside, I scoured the internet for things to do in this extremely ordinary American suburb. What could I possibly discover in this town that I hadn't already seen? When I came across BAPS Shri Swaminarayan on Pinterest I was in disbelief. Surely there was a mistake. There is no way a building of this magnetite could be located in my home town. I had never even heard about it. So I pulled it up on Google Maps and headed out there, just to see for myself.

A short ten minute drive from my house and I was pulling into the parking lot. It was fairly early, not even 9:30 in the morning, and the place was deserted. I had never visited a Hindu temple before and was nervous purely because I did not want to show any sign of disrespect. I wore a maxi dress just to be sure. 

Unfortunately the building was under construction the day of my visit so I couldn't go inside (photos inside are strictly forbidden anyway), so I spent the morning wondering the temple's vast grounds. The detail of this structure was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was blown away. 

I plan to visit the temple in the future once the inside reopens. I have so many questions and would love to learn more about this culture that is so different than my own. It's funny, one of the most interesting places I have ever visited sits just a few minutes away from where I grew up.

Happy Monday!
xoxo