I am addicted...

To books on tape.

Seriously, whoever thought of that idea is a hero in my book.

It all started when I was driving back and forth from Provo every weekend to see my lover boy.

The radio got real old real quick and I just flipped through station after station trying to find something I could stand, let alone listen to, for the four+ hours I was stuck in the car.

Ppeaking of which, I had a really awesome weekend routine down by the end of the semester. I'd pack up before class, go to class, run all the way home from class {that got me a few funny looks}, bid my roommates goodbye, jump in the car, and head straight for one of three things {or sometimes all three}

1. Jamba Juice where I'd get a Pumpkin Smash smoothie {tastes just like punkin pie. so awesome}

2. IN-N-OUT where I'd get myself a burger, some fries, and sometimes a strawberry milkshake to munch on for the ride home.

3. The gas station. Me and that Chevron became mighty good friends that semester. I came to know the cashier that worked there and he came to recognize me as the loser that went home every weekend.

And since I was already in the gas station, I may as well pick out some treats! My favorite road-trippin- it- home treats were those sour patch watermelon things, or these Lifesaver berry ring sour gummy things.

It was an awesome routine if only because of all the food.

I digress....

So after I'd go about this routine and jump back into the car with all my goodies, it was a long drive all by my lonesome.

Then, one weekend I went to visit my grandparents to say goodbye before I was headed back to Provo and my grandpa lent me a book on tape to listen to.

The addiction was born.

I loved the idea that I could be reading and driving at the same time. {it really is awesome}

Now I make the hour drive to Rexburg twice a week. Luckily, I remembered the lesson I'd learned on my Provo drives so I went through my mom's stack of books on tape and when I had depeleted those, I headed down to my local library.

I forgot about how great local libraries can be.

You go, check out books, and you can read all you want without paying a cent!

It's beautiful, really.

Luckily I discovered that this local library also had hundreds of books on tape.

I'll tell you what, I was in heaven right there.

So for the last four months, every week or two or three {depending on how long that book was} I've gone into the library and picked out a new book to listen to.

It's made the two hour drive {round trip} much more enjoyable.

And I feel like I've learned so much!

That sounds nerdy, but it's true.

I listened to the biography of John Nash, the inspiration for the movie A Beautiful Mind.

I listened to my first Louis L'Amour book and actually liked it.

I learned about the "Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers" in the book The Undaunted.

I've listened to many inspiring books about how to be a better person {I probably need a few more of those}

and I even listened to one of those sappy Mormon mystery/romance novels.

I've really come to enjoy the drives to Rexburg because with a book in my cd player, they don't seem nearly so long or boring or full of sagebrush because my mind is somewhere far away.