We Made it to Virginia!

We made it to Virginia! It turns out our ambitious plan of an 11+ hour drive (without stops) wasn't too ambitious. We checked into our hotel around 8:30, and that gave us time for dinner (salads and wine, how Californian of us) and a couple episodes of Modern Family.

On the road I made disappointingly little progress on my crocheted blanket (I swear, that thing is going to take a year to finish), but I found crocheting to be the perfect way to pass the time. It definitely didn't feel like we drove through six states or were in the car from 7 am - 8:30 pm!

When my fingers got tired, we played Mad Libs:

Tomorrow we have a full day planned. The Frontier Cultural Museum, touring a replica of Shakespeare's original indoor theater, a visit to the Woodrow Wilson birthplace/library, and then back to the Shakespeare theater for a production of Twelfth Night. In high school, my AP senior English class had to perform abridged versions of Shakespeare plays for our final project (with scripts in hand, thank goodness). My group did Twelfth Night, so I am excited to see it done by some actual professionals ;) Should be a fun day!

Follow me on Bloglovin' 

A Change of Plans

While not fully better, I feel the best I have in days, so I think it's safe for us to head out tomorrow.

Due to the delay in leaving St. Louis and the fact that I am still lethargic, we'll be skipping our Southern route and going straight to Virginia by way of Kentucky and West Virginia.

While bummed to miss out on Memphis and Atlanta, I did my 5th grade state report on Kentucky, so I am excited to have a chance to see it. And West Virginia is supposed to be beautiful. I'm sure we'll have a chance to see the South another time. Maybe when we move from dental school to wherever we decide to put down roots.

Tomorrow we are going to be pretty ambitious and attempt to get all the way to Staunton, VA. This is what that drive looks like on a map:

Google Maps says it'll take 11 hours and 17 minutes (that's without bathroom breaks, and this girl has a tiny bladder - yikes!). After the Denver to Kansas City leg we thought the long drives were behind us, but alas, we have one more. After that will be cake, though. No days more than 2.5 hours. It'll feel much more like a va-cay than a road-trip.

I'm getting so eager to arrive in Philly and see our apartment. I've been Pinteresting home decor and craft ideas like crazy. The idea of moving our stuff up three flights of stairs (no elevator in our new place, shoot me now) is frightening, but I am ready to have a home again and curious since I haven't seen the apartment yet!

Follow me on Bloglovin' 

So What Have I Done Besides Sit On The Couch?

It's Tuesday, the day we were supposed to be in Memphis. But I'm sick, and so plans have changed and I am sitting on my mother-in-law's couch watching Game Show Network instead.

When we decided to postpone the re-start of the road trip again, the plan was to leave tomorrow morning for Memphis, but I am still feeling crummy, and I just don't know if that is in the cards.

As excited as I am about the things we have planned to see in Memphis and Atlanta, the thought of actually visiting those things wears me out. The last thing I want is to push myself too hard and get sicker and to spend the time and money to go and not have a good time. Frankly, I was getting tired on some days of the road trip when I was 100% healthy.

So we'll just play things by ear.

In the meantime, let me fill you in on what I have done the three times I left the house for a mini-excursion. Excuse my writing today, I'm not up to feeling very clever or descriptive haha. And certainly not in the mood to proof-read.

Thursday, Joe had a flight lesson that he received as a birthday gift from our friends Nick and Thea (um... can anyone say SWEET GIFT?!). Joe loves planes, and has always wanted to get his pilot's license. I, on the other hand, am scared of planes (especially little ones).

Good luck pilot Joe!

When we arrived, the flight school told us that I could go up in the plane as a passenger for free. Typically I'd say no, but I figured I was missing out on enough cool things this trip (and it was FREE), so I went ahead and joined him on his flight. I'm glad I was sick, because had I not been, I would have definitely freaked mid-flight. As it was, I didn't have the energy to be scared. 

Happy man right here. Living the dream.

It was a pretty foggy day, but I still got pretty pics from my seat high in the sky.

Friday, we visited Grant's Farm with Joe's mom, step-dad, stepsisters and niece. Grant's Farm was the former home of Ulysses S. Grant, and was purchased by the Busch (as in Anheuser-Busch) family as a wildlife conservation.

When you arrive, you can visit the famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses! Then you take a tram ride through a forested area and spot animals like elk and buffalo.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful setting!

Apologies for the poor pictures - I wasn't feeling up to doing much more than snapping pictures from where I was standing.

These guys have some BIG feet!

Elk. There were dozens and dozens!

Well hello there.

The tram takes you to a petting zoo area with baby goats you can feed and there are other animal exhibits (giraffes, elephants, etc.) and shows.

At the end of the park there is a giant area with tables and they give you free beer - which made Joe very happy.

Saturday, we went wine tasting with Joe's mom, step-dad, brother, and sister-in-law. I tried some wine since I was feeling a bit better. Coming from wine country in California, I can be a bit picky and Missouri wines are typically too sweet for me. But it was still a lot of fun and refreshing to be out of the house.

Joe's mom and step-dad.

Eric and Joe.

Shannon and Me.

Sunday, Monday, and today have been totally lazy. It's needed, and I'm enjoying it. I started crocheting a blanket but I have a feeling it will take me a LONG time to complete. In 10 days I am only about 1/7 of the way done (YIKES!)

Follow me on Bloglovin' 

I'm Alive!

Just a quick update... this cold of mine has been pretty nasty. I have had zero energy and I've pretty much stayed in one place on the couch 24 hours a day (sleeping here both to spare Joe of as many germs as possible and because it's a recliner and that helps me stay propped up so I don't wake up coughing too much).

I've gone out a few times because I refuse to miss out on EVERYTHING, but each time I've come home from a mini-excursion I've been exhausted. Frankly, I've barely had the energy to surf the internet, let alone type up a blog post, which is why I've been M.I.A for much of this Missouri leg of the trip.

Tomorrow we were supposed to leave bright and early for Memphis, but I just can't bring myself to start the road part of our road trip again. If the thought of showering wears me out, the thought of hours in the car and sightseeing makes me want to take a Rip-Van-Winkle style nap. The plan is to leave Wednesday instead - assuming I'm up for it. Today is the best I've felt in over a week, so my fingers are crossed. Our pod arrives in Philly on June 7, so we have to be there by then. Each day we stay in St. Louis is a day that we have to knock off the road trip, so I don't want to delay TOO much.

It hasn't been all bad - we are still spending time with Joe's family and we got his mom, step-dad, sister, brother, and sister-in-law to try The Walking Dead. They are all obsessed. While the siblings are now in their respective homes, they are still watching on their own, and we are blasting through season 2 at his mom's house. We'll probably finish today and get started on Season 3 tonight or tomorrow. Even though Joe and I just watched The Walking Dead about two months ago, it's really fun to re-watch.

Welp, that's all I can bring myself to write for now. Time to watch The Walking Dead and lay on the couch some more.

Follow me on Bloglovin' 

Sick in St. Louis and Joe's Birthday

It's been a few days since I've written, because the second I got to St. Louis I got sick :(

***Side Note*** After running to the bathroom several times during brunch on Sunday morning there were rumors I was pregnant. Do not believe the rumors. They are nothing more than wishful thinking from future grandparents/aunts/uncles etc. ***End of Side Note***

While the timing is good in that I am in a home where I have the ability to relax and recover for several days, that is the only positive - I've had to miss out on time with my in-laws and I've missed some fun activities (Cardinals game and Dave and Busters on Sunday and City Museum today). It really stinks.

Luckily I felt pretty good on Monday for Joe's birthday, but after that day of fun, I had a bit of a set-back. It was worth it, though. He had a great day.

I'm frankly too darn lethargic to write much more and to give a full description of the last few days, so I'm doing a photo dump instead. Enjoy!

Joe's mom threw him a surprise party on Saturday when we arrived in St. Louis

Joe and his Grandma

Grandma, Joe, me, his sister Megan, and her boyfriend Charlie

Mamma is happy to have her boy home.

Lots of candles to blow out. And Kate needs a white balance card for her camera!

On Monday (Joe's birthday) we went to the Zoo. Megan, Joe, Me, Shannon (sis-in-law), and Eric (bro-in-law)

I made Joe wear this ribbon all day.

Goofy boys

I wasn't feeling well, so I was sitting when possible. Even in King Kong's arms.

Joe and his twin, Joe.

Not sure what kind of duck this is - but it was with the Puffins. It kind of looks like a Puffin and a duck had a baby, so I am calling it a Duffin.

After the Zoo we went to the Science Center. They have a planetarium and, since Joe is nuts about space, we watched a show and perused their space exhibit.

Joe got a lolly at the Science Museum.

And we all got Ted Drewes after. The BEST frozen custard EVER.

MMMMM Reeses and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough concrete

Eagerly awaiting cake and present time.

Some warm slippers from my family.

A cool Stan Musial picture from Joe's mom and step-dad.

Some fun office supplies from his sister Megan

An economics book from me

A shakoolie from me (it is a special holder for your shower that you can put a beer can in. Joe loves to take Bowers.

Band of Brothers from me.

Walking Dead board game from me.

I think this is his third cake this year, so I kept it small. We had leftover cake from Saturday still in the fridge.

Happy birthday to the love of my life! Sorry I've been sick, but I am glad you still had a fun birthday and you got to spend it with so many of your family members :)

Follow me on Bloglovin' 

Slightly Recovered - So Let's Do Another Catch-Up

I'm not going to lie - I miss Daphne so bad it hurts (still). And I'm happy to see from comments/messages/etc. that I'm not TOO incredibly pathetic for having a near nervous breakdown over losing a stuffed animal. But Joe and I are on our road-trip, and I promised stories from the road. So I'll do a catch-up (yet again), and hopefully won't have other bumps that keep me from writing.

Tuesday, May 14 -

Tuesday, Joe and I went with his dad to Saint Joseph's, which is where President Truman is from. Though we are trying to hit up as many presidential libraries as possible on the trip, Joe and I have both been to the Truman library, so we decided to bypass it and visit his house instead. It was such an awesome experience!

Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside, but that was the only disappointing part of the tour. Park rangers give tours every half hour for up to eight people and we were lucky enough to choose a time that no one else did, so we had a private tour! Our ranger (Dave) was really into Truman's history and shared a ton of cool info. Here's some fun facts I learned about President Truman:

1.) The house we toured was President Truman's home for over 50 years - but it was actually his wife's home first. He moved in with her and her parents after their wedding. Bess' mother was a bit difficult to deal with, and didn't want her daughter to marry Truman because he was "only a farmer." Once he became President, she refused to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom because she had Confederate ties.

2.) Though they initially met at Sunday School at ages 5 and 6, Harry and Bess started their courtship after he returned a cake plate to the house. His aunt and uncle lived across the street, and had borrowed the plate while he was visiting them.

3.) The Secret Service lived in this nearby house after Truman was president:

But they got very bored watching out for just Bess Truman once Harry died. To keep occupied, they would mow the lawn and take her to the market.


After the library, we toured the Hallmark museum (which is free - score!). I was pumped, because at the end of the tour we got about 6 free greeting cards a piece! This frugal gal is pumped to have saved $36+ on future cards :)

The museum was interesting too. Of course I teared up at several points because they played Hallmark commercials. Hallmark commercials always get me (those, and laundry soap commercials. And don't get me started on what happens when I watch a Saint Jude Children's Hospital or Sarah McLachlan animal shelter commercial. It's not pretty.)

There was a bow machine that was really cool to watch make bows. Better yet, I got to keep one as a souvenir.

Some old-timey cards.

After Hallmark, we did one of my absolute FAVORITE things to do in Kansas City. We went to Arthur Bryant's! Now, I am a Gates BBQ sauce girl (in KC, usually you are a Gates person or an Arthur Bryant's person), but I like the food at Bryant's better. So we eat at Bryant's and stock up on Gates sauce at the grocery store to bring home with us. Why do I like the food better? Well, for one thing, the french fries are cooked in LARD. MMMMMMM ;)

My stomach starts to rumble every time I see this sign!

Burnt ends and lard fries.

That look in my eye is saying, "I'm so happy to be here, but hurry up and take the picture so I can stuff my face."

Poor Joe had a stomach ache, so he had to take it easy. Just a turkey sandwich for him and one of my lard fries (I obviously love that man for giving him a lard fry).

Joe's dad had the brisket. It looked really good, you could see the smoke ring on the beef.

Wednesday, May 15 -

Wednesday we left Kansas City for Columbia, Missouri. But we made a detour to the state capitol (Jefferson City) to have lunch with Joe's aunt and cousin, visit his friend and his friend's wife and new baby, to tour the capitol building, and to eat some delicious ice cream at Central Dairy.

Joe in front of the Capitol building

They let us take pictures from the House floor because they weren't in session. I checked the computers to see if anyone was Facebooking or looking at dirty websites - but it all looked legit.

Do you watch Parks and Rec? Do you wonder where they got the idea for the Pawnee mural? I'm pretty sure it was from the Missouri Capitol building. Here are some gems (the people on the bottom right aren't scared of the smoke monster on LOST - their house is burning down. And, yes, the woman in top left photo is shooting a man in the butt and the woman in the bottom left photo is wiping her baby's butt with a cotton ball. I have no clue what is happening to that poor man on the upper right...)

Joe and his mom highly recommended Central Dairy, so we stopped by after the Capitol. Oh.my.sweet.goodness. Yes, very delicious.

Thursday, May 16 -

Thursday we spent the day in Columbia. We had lunch with Joe's old supervisor who has written him several letters of rec during the dental school and scholarship process. It was great to see her and where Joe worked during college (he worked with people with developmental disabilities and helped them gain work and life skills so they could get jobs, live more independently, etc.). We walked the halls and it was hilarious seeing people's reaction when they saw Joe 7 years and 100 pounds lighter later.

For dinner, we went to Columbia's famous Shakespeare's Pizza with his mom's side of the family. It was great catching up with all of them and the pizza, of course, was delicious.

After dinner, we headed over to his brother and sister-in-law's house. They will be coming to St. Louis for about 3 days to help celebrate Joe's birthday and so we can have some quality time with them), but we couldn't wait to see them :)


Alrighty - we are officially caught up. Sorry for rushing at the end, Joe has an eye exam today (his sister works in an Optometrist's office) and we need to leave in 30 minutes. I haven't even showered yet, so I gotta get going!

Follow me on Bloglovin'