Another Change of Plans

I'm the ultimate planner. Every single thing in my life is analyzed, decided upon, plotted out, and executed. But what I have found on this road trip is how fun spontaneity can be. Deciding to stay in St. Louis an extra few days recovering from my cold felt great - not only was I able to spend more time with my in-laws, but I got to relax and make decisions based on how I felt, not what had been decided upon.

So after two full days in Virginia doing some super awesome (but ultimately, very tiring to my still recovering self) activities from my road trip binder, I felt freer than I typically would to call uncle. I was tired. I was getting grouchy. I didn't want to look at any more museums or historical sites. I didn't want to pay any more admissions. I didn't want to update my blog with summaries of what we had done. I just wanted to be home.

***Side note*** It helps that Virginia isn't too far from our new home. We'll have time to see these sights (and more) over the next four years, and I am sure I'll appreciate them a lot more when I'm not so burnt out! Plus, my family is visiting us later this month and we are doing lots of touristy stuff with them. I need time to recover from tourist-overload before they get here. ***End of side note***

We called our new landlord to see if we could bump up our move-in date from June 6 to ASAP and were told we could pick up our keys Monday afternoon (based on our move-in date they hadn't yet gotten our apartment ready from the previous tenants - which is totally understandable). Since we had about 48 hours to kill, we figured we'd end the trip with a bang, and drove from Charlottesville, VA to Atlantic City (a 6 hour drive).

So here we are. It's noon. I'm still in bed and plan to lay here a bit longer. Once I get my lazy self up and showered, we'll explore the boardwalk, maybe hit the beach, and then tonight we'll do some drinking, eating, and gambling.

I couldn't be happier with this decision.

And apparently, Atlantic City is always "happy":

 

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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!

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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!

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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!)

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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.

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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!

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A Visit to St. Joe's

It's no secret that I like weird / creepy / oddball things. So a few years ago when I visited Missouri for the first time and saw that there was a Psychiatric Museum (possibly haunted) in an old psychiatric hospital that opened in 1874, of course it was on my list of must-dos.

We never had a chance to go, until today.

The museum wasn't what I expected - you don't troll the old halls of an 1800's mental institution. Instead, it's in (what I think) was the most recent part of the hospital (the hospital was in use until 1997). But they did have some REALLY creepy displays of old "treatment methods." Some well-placed mannequins almost made me pee myself from fright.

Hydrotherapy - used until 1963 to calm agitated or disturbed patients.

Revolving devices (like this) were used for delirious, melancholic, obstinate, and uncooperative mental patients to train them to submit to discipline. The patient was given 40-100 turns per minute and the centrifugal force drove the blood to the brain causing intense sensations, fear of suffocation, nausea, vomiting, urination, defecation, and sometimes brain hemorrhage.

During the 18th and 19th century, dousing patients with ice cold water was common. Patients were placed in tubs and subjected to these ice cold baths. They would often be splashed in the face with buckets of ice water or showered with an ice cold water canon. This was used for severe forms of melancholia and hypochondria - even for those who had a "dissolute past" (had been addicted to drinking strong wine or accustomed to sumptuous eating - oops! I'd be in trouble).

The "Lunatic Box" - used during the 18th and 19th centuries. The "patient" was placed in the device and had to remain in a standing position until calm. A wooden piece could be dropped over the opening in front of the face, leaving the patient in total darkness.

Surprisingly, the museum had a few other exhibits. Our favorite was one on Civil War Medicine. Though just a few rooms of displays and information, it was fascinating!

For example, did you know that the Confederate Army had 750,000 soldiers, while the Union Army had 2 million?! I probably should know that because I took Honors US History (and am obsessed with Gone With the Wind), but I definitely didn't remember that factoid.

50,000 men had a body part amputated during the Civil War. Since we now know that about 2,750,000 men fought in the war, my terrible math skills lead me to believe that means about 2% of those who fought faced an amputation. One in four soldiers did not survive amputation - but that was actually better than the odds if you were a civilian. Half of civilians who had a body part amputated died (usually due to infection). The most common amputations (in order of number performed): fingers, middle thigh, upper arm, lower leg, forearm toes, knee joint, ankle, hip joint.

Cool story: There was a man named James Hanger who (against his mother's wishes) joined his two brothers serving in the Confederate army. On June 1, 1861, he became the first amputee of the Civil War when Union soldiers opened fire on his unit and a six pound canon ball shattered his leg. When Hanger returned home, he set up a carpenter's workshop and asked to be left alone. Using willow wood and barrel staves, he created an artificial limb: the world's first  jointed limb with a metal ankle hinge and leather-lined socket for amputtes above the knee. With it, he could walk smoothly and pain-free. Other amputees requested that he make one for them, and after the war he patented his invention. Today, the Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics is the world's leading producer of artificial limbs.

We also visited the home where Jesse James was killed. The story of his death is really interesting. I knew he was shot and that he was killed in his home, but I didn't know the details...

I love the shutters. Good taste Mr. James :)

Toward the end of his life, James' gang was nearly annihilated, but his two most trusted members remained: the Ford brothers. James actually allowed the men to live in his home with him, his wife (who was his first cousin and named after his mother - how Freudian!... or is that Oedipal?... it was weird either way), and their two children.

***Side note*** So unclear as to how six people lived in this teeny tiny house. Mrs. James was a kind lady to allow the Ford brothers to move in. I can't imagine that was very comfortable ***End of side note***

One day, James noticed a crooked needlepoint hanging on the wall. Wanting to straighten it, he took his gun off (so the neighbors couldn't see it through the window) and stood on the chair so he could reach.

The Ford brothers knew of the bounty on James, and shot him in the back of the head as he was unarmed and unprepared.

Despite the fact that James was a known criminal, the folks of the time were angry that the Ford brothers would shoot a man from behind. One of the brothers killed himself just two years later. The other died in a Colorado barroom brawl 11 years later.

The framed hole under the needlepoint is from the bullet. It's so large because people would take pieces of the surrounding wall as souvenirs.

Better view.

Another fun day full of history and fun facts! Tomorrow, we are going to the Truman house and possibly the Truman Presidential library (we both have been before, so we may skip it). Stay tuned for more stories :)

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Fun Times With the Brier Family

After a full weekend of fun with the Brier side of the family, Joe is fine-tuning his resume and essays for the NHSC scholarship application.

This is most certainly a foreshadowing of what our life will be like in dental school - he is busy doing important (and not very fun) tasks, and I am sitting next to him in bed playing on my laptop.

Poor dude.

In fairness to me, I am also helping him edit and proofread (in between celebrity gossip, Facebook, and blogging).

Poor me ;)

At least we've had a fun weekend thus far!

Saturday, Joe's aunt and uncle hosted a BBQ at their house in Kansas City - the food was delicious, and they even had a cake for Joe's birthday (which is May 20). I haven't spent much time with either side of his family (just a few trips to MO and our wedding), so I'm glad every time we have get-togethers. Both of his parents are from families of seven kids, so there is plenty of family to see :)

Cake. MMMMMMM.

Afterward, we went to a Kansas City Royals game with two of his uncles and one of his aunts. I told Joe that I'd be the DD and he happily drank several beers - gotta let the (almost) birthday boy enjoy himself.

Pre-gaming. Literally.

Happy boy :)

Too bad the Yankees beat the Royals. Damn Yankees.

Today was Mother's Day, so the family had lunch at the assisted living facility where Joe's 88-year-old grandmother lives. Joe has always been close to his grandparents, so we try to spend a lot of time with his grandma when we visit Kansas City.

Joe and his grandma.

After lunch, we visited "Missouri Town 1855" - a living history museum that has over 25 buildings with original furnishings and equipment from 1820-1860. I wasn't sure what to expect, since this was not part of my roadtrip binder, but I was really impressed and we had a ton of fun exploring the buildings and taking photos. Here are just some of the pictures I took:

Pretty sweet house. I call dibs.

Joe would not have "fit in" during the 19th century.

I love old barns

A lot!

Look what I found! His name is Dusty, and he was the sweetest horse ever. He loved me, and I wanted to adopt him. Joe said no. But he agreed that if I let him get a plane someday, he'll let me get a horse. BOOM!

This was the tavern. Reminds me of downstairs at Downton Abbey.

A teeny tiny schoolhouse.

Tomorrow, we have plans for some more Missouri sight-seeing. Check back tomorrow night for details and pics :)

Now, I've got to go do more proof-reading. We really want this scholarship. Please cross your fingers and toes! This would massively change our lives.

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