Warning: Our trips seem to have a pattern of finding the best food instead of the best sights. We apologize, but food excites us.
We left Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Aug. 26 headed towards Philadelphia. The drive was fairly easy and we arrived around 5pm. We stayed in a campground in Clarksboro, NJ, Timberlane Campground, about a 15 minute drive to the city. When we arrived we had one thing on our minds... Cheesesteaks! After years of watching the Food Network and the Travel Channel and witnessing every TV show host shoveling massive delicious looking cheesesteaks in their mouth, we had to make a decision for ourselves; Pat's or Geno's. Well folks, for us the winner was Pat's Steaks, hands down. We ordered one wit whiz, cheese fries and a soda at both locations.
Side note: for those not familiar with the philly cheesesteak, Pat's and Geno's are right across the street from each other and supposedly have the best cheesesteaks in philly. There is a process to ordering and you can not mess up or you will pay a penalty filled with dirty looks and large sighs from staff and customers. Imagine the "soup nazi" and you'll understand. Megan ordered at Pat's and Matt at Geno's. After Pat's, Matt was a pro. Yes, Megan struggled a bit.
Anyway, we marked eating Pat's and Geno's off of our bucket list and moved on.
We decided to move on quickly from Philly because the monstrous Hurricane Danny was coming and we wanted to get some more sights in before the rain came down.
Our mission: Cape Cod, MA. According to Google Maps, it was a 6 hour drive. We plugged it into Layla and stepped on the gas. 1 hour later, traffic across the George Washington Bridge in NYC, 3 hours later, traffic, 6 hours later, traffic and 9 hours later, Cape Cod! We found a campground, Shady Knoll in Brewster, MA and settled in for the night. Our camp host was from Dallas! After checking in he informed us that it was nice to speak to people he could understand. Not sure what that meant but heck yeah!
We spent all day Friday in Provincetown, MA. It was great. We ate a lobster roll, chowder, and fried clam strips. Provincetown was a lot of fun and full of friendly people. It is very LGBT friendly and makes everyone feel so welcome. Provincetown is also where the Pilgrims first landed before Plymouth Rock. They were shafted in the history books. We know now though and will spread the word.
After Provincetown, we headed to Boston. Our goal was to continue camping, but we knew the weather would not permit it. Rain was coming and their was no way around it. We found a pet friendly Motel 6 in Danvers to spend the night last night. NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER STAY IN THAT MOTEL. It was rough to say the least. We were frustrated and miserable. We didn't budget having to stay at a hotel near Boston, but we had no choice. We found a local Fridays near by and ate our frustrations away. After a shower with our shoes on this morning, we left to find a better place to stay. It's been pouring rain all day and it is pretty cold out, at least for us. Massachusetts has made it nearly impossible to get on a freeway easily by they way. We are accepting donations now to have permanent ear muffs implanted on Daisy. When Matt drives... Virgin ears beware.
We found a pet friendly Holiday Inn Express in Waltham near Boston and are loving it. We have spent the day indoors because of the horrible weather. We are staying 2 nights here and are going to see the sights of Boston tomorrow "Where everybody knows your name".
Rain Rain Go Away! We are going up through Maine tomorrow and planning on camping in Lake Placid New York. Matt's mom is visiting Cleveland this week so we are making it a goal to get there before she leaves. We miss her and need a free place to stay! We love you Juanita =).
FYI: Our computer is not letting us upload pics for some reason right now. We will get to the bottom of this sooner than later.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Was that a dream?
NYC in a little over 24 hours. Wow, what a whirlwind.
8/22, 8:30 AM: Got on the Bolt Bus in China Town in Washington D.C.
1PM: Arrive in NYC and take cab to St. Marks Hotel near Washington Square.
1:30PM: Walk to the Famous Katz's Deli for Pastrami on Rye: Best sandwich in the world
2:30 PM: Walk to Chinatown for some "underground shopping". Somer was able to update her wardrobe with 2 designer bags which she bought from a secret van down an alley street. Very interesting process. She totally paid full price, we promise.
4pm: Walked through Little Italy to find a Happy Hour/rest area. Stopped at Mulberry Street Bar for a beer. Gary swears he saw a rat run across the floor. We didn't care, it had AC and places to sit.
5pm: Matt Bado and Megan grab a slice of pizza from Frankie Cee's on Mulberry Street and Gary bought some handmade cigars.
5:15pm: Walked to Greenwich Village to stop in Peanut Butter & CO. A sandwich shop with only Peanut Butter sandwiches. Ex: PB&J, Fluffernutter and Peanut Butter Pie.
5:30PM: Returned to Wicked Willy's on Bleeker St, a bar we passed on the way to Peanut Butter & CO that said it had $5 pitchers. After ordering 2 pitchers, we discovered the $5 discount ended at 5pm. Oh well, we drank those 2 and moved on.
6pm: walk back to Hotel and on the way stopped at every flea market-esqe place on the way.
6:30-8pm: Cleaned up in Hotel; Pre-gamed for the night out.
8pm: Subway to Times Square. This is when the feeling of NYC really sunk in for us. It was amazing.
8:15: Found Irish place to eat down side street of Times Square.
10pm: Took Subway back to Greenwich Village and walked to The Bitter End where The Honors were playing at midnight. Many performers started their career there including Bob Dylan.
10:15pm: During walk from Subway station to The Bitter End, Somer's toes gave in too some pretty nasty blisters. We stopped at a drug store and dumped peroxide on her feet and taped up her blisters. She made it to the pub, but the tape wasn't working. Drug Store number 2 resulted in 2 pairs of thick house socks that would have to act as shoes until the end of the night. Very Stylish and anything goes in NYC right!?!
11PM: Entered The Bitter End just in time to finish listening to the band before The Honors. Can't remember who it was but they were pretty good. The Honors started around midnight and were fantastic!! The lead singer went to college with Matt Bado. They are unique and extremely talented and entertaining.
1:00am: Finished watching the band and headed back to the Hotel. Hung out at the Hotel and went to bed around 2:30am.
8/23, 9am: Woke up and focused on finding breakfast. Found a small Bagel shop called "Bagel Boss" on 3rd Ave.
11am: Took taxi too "Strawberry Fields" in Central Park. We saw the place where John Lennon was shot and the memorial that is in the park.
12pm: Taxi to Rockefeller Center. We took a tour of NBC studios and got to go into the studios for Brian Williams, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night and SNL. It was pretty incredible to actually be where the shows are filmed.
2pm: Taxi to Bleeker Street to eat at an open aired Italian restaurant called "Ciao". Everyone was satisfied and the food was, once again, amazing.
3:30pm: back to get our luggage at the hotel and taxi cab to Bus stop on 33rd and 7th near Madison Square Garden.
4:30pm: On the Bolt Bus and back to DC.
9pm: arrive in DC and late dinner at Busboys and Poets.
We were all so exhausted after the trip, we passed out when we got back to Matt and Bryan's. Yesterday we all had breakfast at Eggspectations and spent the rest of the afternoon at Fairfax Corner for Shopping and drinks. Several times we would all look at each other and wonder if the NYC trip really happened or if it was just a dream. We all had the best time. We think it was one of the best weekends of our lives.
The Banks and Colin left yesterday at 2:30. It was another emotional goodbye. We are ready to continue our journey now and are thinking of heading to Philly next. We want to see Gettysburg as well. After that we will most likely head up towards Maine before heading west.
Once again, it has been an amazing time so far. We feel like we have been gone forever and are missing everyone.
KATZ'S DELICATESSEN
Somer's Socks she made into shoes
8/22, 8:30 AM: Got on the Bolt Bus in China Town in Washington D.C.
1PM: Arrive in NYC and take cab to St. Marks Hotel near Washington Square.
1:30PM: Walk to the Famous Katz's Deli for Pastrami on Rye: Best sandwich in the world
2:30 PM: Walk to Chinatown for some "underground shopping". Somer was able to update her wardrobe with 2 designer bags which she bought from a secret van down an alley street. Very interesting process. She totally paid full price, we promise.
4pm: Walked through Little Italy to find a Happy Hour/rest area. Stopped at Mulberry Street Bar for a beer. Gary swears he saw a rat run across the floor. We didn't care, it had AC and places to sit.
5pm: Matt Bado and Megan grab a slice of pizza from Frankie Cee's on Mulberry Street and Gary bought some handmade cigars.
5:15pm: Walked to Greenwich Village to stop in Peanut Butter & CO. A sandwich shop with only Peanut Butter sandwiches. Ex: PB&J, Fluffernutter and Peanut Butter Pie.
5:30PM: Returned to Wicked Willy's on Bleeker St, a bar we passed on the way to Peanut Butter & CO that said it had $5 pitchers. After ordering 2 pitchers, we discovered the $5 discount ended at 5pm. Oh well, we drank those 2 and moved on.
6pm: walk back to Hotel and on the way stopped at every flea market-esqe place on the way.
6:30-8pm: Cleaned up in Hotel; Pre-gamed for the night out.
8pm: Subway to Times Square. This is when the feeling of NYC really sunk in for us. It was amazing.
8:15: Found Irish place to eat down side street of Times Square.
10pm: Took Subway back to Greenwich Village and walked to The Bitter End where The Honors were playing at midnight. Many performers started their career there including Bob Dylan.
10:15pm: During walk from Subway station to The Bitter End, Somer's toes gave in too some pretty nasty blisters. We stopped at a drug store and dumped peroxide on her feet and taped up her blisters. She made it to the pub, but the tape wasn't working. Drug Store number 2 resulted in 2 pairs of thick house socks that would have to act as shoes until the end of the night. Very Stylish and anything goes in NYC right!?!
11PM: Entered The Bitter End just in time to finish listening to the band before The Honors. Can't remember who it was but they were pretty good. The Honors started around midnight and were fantastic!! The lead singer went to college with Matt Bado. They are unique and extremely talented and entertaining.
1:00am: Finished watching the band and headed back to the Hotel. Hung out at the Hotel and went to bed around 2:30am.
8/23, 9am: Woke up and focused on finding breakfast. Found a small Bagel shop called "Bagel Boss" on 3rd Ave.
11am: Took taxi too "Strawberry Fields" in Central Park. We saw the place where John Lennon was shot and the memorial that is in the park.
12pm: Taxi to Rockefeller Center. We took a tour of NBC studios and got to go into the studios for Brian Williams, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night and SNL. It was pretty incredible to actually be where the shows are filmed.
2pm: Taxi to Bleeker Street to eat at an open aired Italian restaurant called "Ciao". Everyone was satisfied and the food was, once again, amazing.
3:30pm: back to get our luggage at the hotel and taxi cab to Bus stop on 33rd and 7th near Madison Square Garden.
4:30pm: On the Bolt Bus and back to DC.
9pm: arrive in DC and late dinner at Busboys and Poets.
We were all so exhausted after the trip, we passed out when we got back to Matt and Bryan's. Yesterday we all had breakfast at Eggspectations and spent the rest of the afternoon at Fairfax Corner for Shopping and drinks. Several times we would all look at each other and wonder if the NYC trip really happened or if it was just a dream. We all had the best time. We think it was one of the best weekends of our lives.
The Banks and Colin left yesterday at 2:30. It was another emotional goodbye. We are ready to continue our journey now and are thinking of heading to Philly next. We want to see Gettysburg as well. After that we will most likely head up towards Maine before heading west.
Once again, it has been an amazing time so far. We feel like we have been gone forever and are missing everyone.
Arriving at St. Marks Hotel
KATZ'S DELICATESSEN
FDNY Chinatown
Little Italy
Peanut Butter & CO
Somer's Socks she made into shoes
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Happy Hour and Monument Hopping
Monument Hopping; verb: driving around Washington D.C. at night and stopping to see as many monuments as possible
Last night, Colin, Somer, and Gary arrived in the Nation's Capital! Their flight was delayed a little over an hour so we decided to squeeze in some Happy Hour and Monument Hopping before leaving for NYC this morning. When we got back to Matt and Bryan's from the airport, our generous hosts made the best happy hour spread in the world. Not only were their an abundance of cocktails, but we had 4 different cheeses, crackers, tomato basil and mozzerella, hummus, homemade cheese bread... the works.
After filling up, we all piled into Layla (7 people) and took off to the city laughing the whole way. We have been to D.C. many times and have seen all the monuments, but it was The Banks' first time. We asked them what they wanted to see and Gary replied "man...this is history".
We were able to visit the National Mall, Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam and Jefferson Memorial and even caught some fireworks from the Nationals game. It was a great night and it was amazing to expereince the city with people we love so much.
We woke up this morning at 6am to make the bus to NYC! We are on the bus right now (has wifi!) and almost to East Brunswick, NJ. We are lookiong forward to a crazy 24 hours. We'll update on the bus on the way home tomorrow evening.
We also want to give a HUGE SHOUTOUT to one of our Best Friends in the world, Melissa Dennis, soon to be Melissa Eck. Mel is getting married in Kuaui today! We love you so much Mel and wish we could be there. We will celebrate with you both soon.
above: on the Bolt Bus to NYC
Below: We found a great Disc Golf Course in Arlington, VA: FUN!
Last night, Colin, Somer, and Gary arrived in the Nation's Capital! Their flight was delayed a little over an hour so we decided to squeeze in some Happy Hour and Monument Hopping before leaving for NYC this morning. When we got back to Matt and Bryan's from the airport, our generous hosts made the best happy hour spread in the world. Not only were their an abundance of cocktails, but we had 4 different cheeses, crackers, tomato basil and mozzerella, hummus, homemade cheese bread... the works.
After filling up, we all piled into Layla (7 people) and took off to the city laughing the whole way. We have been to D.C. many times and have seen all the monuments, but it was The Banks' first time. We asked them what they wanted to see and Gary replied "man...this is history".
We were able to visit the National Mall, Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam and Jefferson Memorial and even caught some fireworks from the Nationals game. It was a great night and it was amazing to expereince the city with people we love so much.
We woke up this morning at 6am to make the bus to NYC! We are on the bus right now (has wifi!) and almost to East Brunswick, NJ. We are lookiong forward to a crazy 24 hours. We'll update on the bus on the way home tomorrow evening.
We also want to give a HUGE SHOUTOUT to one of our Best Friends in the world, Melissa Dennis, soon to be Melissa Eck. Mel is getting married in Kuaui today! We love you so much Mel and wish we could be there. We will celebrate with you both soon.
Happy Hour
above: on the Bolt Bus to NYCBelow: We found a great Disc Golf Course in Arlington, VA: FUN!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
15 hours
We left Memphis on Tuesday around noon. Before we left, we stopped at a Uhaul to try and fix our trailer brake and tail lights. They discovered it was just a fuse that went out (very complicated stuff) and replaced it for free. Another circumstance of meeting a very nice person in that town.
So we were off, lights working, Matt driving, Megan singing and Daisy sleeping. Our plan was to drive to Knoxville, TN to spend the night before completing the drive to D.C. the next day. On our drive we started running into some bad weather and decided to go the long haul. We are on a very strict budget and refused to pay for a another hotel room that soon, and were a bit nervous about setting up the camper in a rain storm. We called Megan's Brother Matt and informed him we would be coming in around 2am. Layla, our Subaru's navigation system, informed us it was a 13 hour drive total. Sure, no problem
Long story short, our drive ended up being 15 hours total. We stopped a few times to let Daisy out and to try and rest. We first pulled in a rest area and all 3 of us laid in the back for about 15 min. until a trucker frightened us and we sped away. 2 hours later we stopped at a Pilot Truck Stop and rested for about 10 min. We noticed our lights on the trailer were out again! We replaced the fuse and the fuse blew immediately. Crap. We were too close to not make it. We drove the rest of the way, about 3 hours, with our flashers on.
We arrived at Matt and Bryan's condo at 5:30am. A bit later than planned. After sleeping for 5 hours, we woke up and decided to make a journey to Wegmans. Wow.. Wegmans is monstrous. Picture a Market Street times 10. Supposedly it is a tourist destination, and now we see why!
We made dinner for the guys last night and finished the night watching The Dark Knight. Today we are taking Layla and Stevie to the local Subaru dealership to see if we can fix the fuse that keeps blowing out. Let's hope it won't cost much to fix or else we will have to get jobs here for 2 weeks before moving on!
It's been a very relaxing 2 days and has been nice to rest a bit. Not too many crazy adventures the past few days, but we needed the break. Our next adventure starts tomorrow. Colin, Megan's Brother and Gary and Somer Banks, some of our best friends are coming into D.C. from Dallas! We are all taking a bus on Saturday morning to NYC to spend 2 days. We can't wait to see what shenanigans will take place. We will have details!
For now, thank you Matt and Bryan for allowing us to take over your beautiful home while you are hard working men during the day!
So we were off, lights working, Matt driving, Megan singing and Daisy sleeping. Our plan was to drive to Knoxville, TN to spend the night before completing the drive to D.C. the next day. On our drive we started running into some bad weather and decided to go the long haul. We are on a very strict budget and refused to pay for a another hotel room that soon, and were a bit nervous about setting up the camper in a rain storm. We called Megan's Brother Matt and informed him we would be coming in around 2am. Layla, our Subaru's navigation system, informed us it was a 13 hour drive total. Sure, no problem
Long story short, our drive ended up being 15 hours total. We stopped a few times to let Daisy out and to try and rest. We first pulled in a rest area and all 3 of us laid in the back for about 15 min. until a trucker frightened us and we sped away. 2 hours later we stopped at a Pilot Truck Stop and rested for about 10 min. We noticed our lights on the trailer were out again! We replaced the fuse and the fuse blew immediately. Crap. We were too close to not make it. We drove the rest of the way, about 3 hours, with our flashers on.
We arrived at Matt and Bryan's condo at 5:30am. A bit later than planned. After sleeping for 5 hours, we woke up and decided to make a journey to Wegmans. Wow.. Wegmans is monstrous. Picture a Market Street times 10. Supposedly it is a tourist destination, and now we see why!
We made dinner for the guys last night and finished the night watching The Dark Knight. Today we are taking Layla and Stevie to the local Subaru dealership to see if we can fix the fuse that keeps blowing out. Let's hope it won't cost much to fix or else we will have to get jobs here for 2 weeks before moving on!
It's been a very relaxing 2 days and has been nice to rest a bit. Not too many crazy adventures the past few days, but we needed the break. Our next adventure starts tomorrow. Colin, Megan's Brother and Gary and Somer Banks, some of our best friends are coming into D.C. from Dallas! We are all taking a bus on Saturday morning to NYC to spend 2 days. We can't wait to see what shenanigans will take place. We will have details!
For now, thank you Matt and Bryan for allowing us to take over your beautiful home while you are hard working men during the day!
Matt and Bryan
Monday, August 17, 2009
Stevie it is!
Our trip is in high gear and we are rolling! Thanks to Matt's Sister, Courtney, and her Genius, the camper has a name: Stevie!
We ended up officially leaving McKinney on Friday around 1pm. Our aim was 10, so I think we did pretty well. Leaving was harder than expected. Of course, the moment of getting on the road and realizing we're doing this, brings on the emotions and tears of having to say goodbye. Megan's amazing brother had to throw in a picture album of loved ones complete with a sentimental message (sorry Colchild but we had to mention it) which threw us both of the handle.
Fast Forward to Sherman, Texas: we were completely focused on the fun we were about to have,(meaning our emotions were tucked inside both our heads and no longer out loud) spending time with Matt's Sister, Brother-n-law and nieces camping along the Buffalo River in NW Arkansas.
We arrived in Fayetteville around 5:30 and met up with Courtney, Eddie and the girls at a Walmart to stock up on food for the weekend. After Walmart, we drove for about 3 hours to our campsite. Of course we arrived and it was dark so we set up camp, put the girls to bed and had some adult time by the campfire. Relaxing... but very enjoyable.
To be honest, the set up was a bit rough in the beginning. Our camper, which we fully inspected several times before taking it on the road, decided to turn on us and see just how much we could handle. The outside lights stopped working on the way there which resulted in people driving behind us and relying on our speed to stop instead of break lights. Once we arrived and were set up, Megan turned on the water. Picture a sprinkler on steroids coming out of a drawer. Yes, it was the great flood of 2009 and yes, we need some pipe tape to fix up a fantastic leak under our sink. We will deal for now.
We stayed at Buffalo Point until Sunday and had an amazing time. What a beautiful spot it was. We got to fish, float, and relax. We loved every minute of it. When it was time to say goodbye to Buffalo River, our fantastic camper decided to stay up and refuse to leave. Finally, after several hours passed, loads of different tools had been gone through, camper parts were strewn on the ground and beat up by Matt and incompetent park rangers had stopped saying "just shake it", the crank latched on and the camper descended. Applause all around and a huge sigh of relief. We decided: another problem solved, let's hope that doesn't happen again.
We drove to Memphis on Sunday and were not really sure where we should stay. A camping neighbor at Buffalo Point had told us about Meeman-Shelby State Park and repeatedly told us it was amazing. We knew we wanted to see the sights, so we debated on getting a hotel room, staying in Graceland RV park or camping at the State Park. Don't ask us why... but the State Park won.
It was gorgeous, filled with trees and on the Mississippi River. Driving around the park, we found a campsite (once again, it was dark) and immediately started setting up. 2 seconds outside at our campsite, resulted in at least 7 mosquito bites. Matt and Megan's mood= NOT GOOD. Frustration, itching, sweating, exhaustion and still in shock at the fact that there were more churches than gas stations on the drive to Memphis, we both sat down, looked at each other and burst out laughing. We both could not believe the amount of bugs that existed in that forest!
This morning we decided to pack up and leave; as beautiful as it was, we are both nail biters and are both unable to scratch a mosquito bite appropriately.
Today was Memphis Day! We drove to the city and found a pet friendly hotel. After dropping off Daisy, we ate at the Commissary. SO GOOD! We shared a plate of Barbecue that we will forever crave. After lunch we made it to Graceland. The place was pretty empty so we didn't have to wait in any lines. What a house! We have decided to use Elvis' vision as our guide to decorating our first home. The evening ended with a visit to Beale Street and more BBQ at BB Kings. Memphis is an amazing city. We are exhausted! Daisy is sitting here snoring next to us.
We are leaving tomorrow to head towards Washington D.C. We aren't 100% or even 50% sure what the plan is tomorrow, but we now know we need to be in D.C. by Wed. night. I guess we shall see...
We are having a blast! We love you all so much and everyone crosses our minds everyday!
The Commisary! So Good!
Graceland
We ended up officially leaving McKinney on Friday around 1pm. Our aim was 10, so I think we did pretty well. Leaving was harder than expected. Of course, the moment of getting on the road and realizing we're doing this, brings on the emotions and tears of having to say goodbye. Megan's amazing brother had to throw in a picture album of loved ones complete with a sentimental message (sorry Colchild but we had to mention it) which threw us both of the handle.
Fast Forward to Sherman, Texas: we were completely focused on the fun we were about to have,(meaning our emotions were tucked inside both our heads and no longer out loud) spending time with Matt's Sister, Brother-n-law and nieces camping along the Buffalo River in NW Arkansas.
We arrived in Fayetteville around 5:30 and met up with Courtney, Eddie and the girls at a Walmart to stock up on food for the weekend. After Walmart, we drove for about 3 hours to our campsite. Of course we arrived and it was dark so we set up camp, put the girls to bed and had some adult time by the campfire. Relaxing... but very enjoyable.
To be honest, the set up was a bit rough in the beginning. Our camper, which we fully inspected several times before taking it on the road, decided to turn on us and see just how much we could handle. The outside lights stopped working on the way there which resulted in people driving behind us and relying on our speed to stop instead of break lights. Once we arrived and were set up, Megan turned on the water. Picture a sprinkler on steroids coming out of a drawer. Yes, it was the great flood of 2009 and yes, we need some pipe tape to fix up a fantastic leak under our sink. We will deal for now.
We stayed at Buffalo Point until Sunday and had an amazing time. What a beautiful spot it was. We got to fish, float, and relax. We loved every minute of it. When it was time to say goodbye to Buffalo River, our fantastic camper decided to stay up and refuse to leave. Finally, after several hours passed, loads of different tools had been gone through, camper parts were strewn on the ground and beat up by Matt and incompetent park rangers had stopped saying "just shake it", the crank latched on and the camper descended. Applause all around and a huge sigh of relief. We decided: another problem solved, let's hope that doesn't happen again.
We drove to Memphis on Sunday and were not really sure where we should stay. A camping neighbor at Buffalo Point had told us about Meeman-Shelby State Park and repeatedly told us it was amazing. We knew we wanted to see the sights, so we debated on getting a hotel room, staying in Graceland RV park or camping at the State Park. Don't ask us why... but the State Park won.
It was gorgeous, filled with trees and on the Mississippi River. Driving around the park, we found a campsite (once again, it was dark) and immediately started setting up. 2 seconds outside at our campsite, resulted in at least 7 mosquito bites. Matt and Megan's mood= NOT GOOD. Frustration, itching, sweating, exhaustion and still in shock at the fact that there were more churches than gas stations on the drive to Memphis, we both sat down, looked at each other and burst out laughing. We both could not believe the amount of bugs that existed in that forest!
This morning we decided to pack up and leave; as beautiful as it was, we are both nail biters and are both unable to scratch a mosquito bite appropriately.
Today was Memphis Day! We drove to the city and found a pet friendly hotel. After dropping off Daisy, we ate at the Commissary. SO GOOD! We shared a plate of Barbecue that we will forever crave. After lunch we made it to Graceland. The place was pretty empty so we didn't have to wait in any lines. What a house! We have decided to use Elvis' vision as our guide to decorating our first home. The evening ended with a visit to Beale Street and more BBQ at BB Kings. Memphis is an amazing city. We are exhausted! Daisy is sitting here snoring next to us.
We are leaving tomorrow to head towards Washington D.C. We aren't 100% or even 50% sure what the plan is tomorrow, but we now know we need to be in D.C. by Wed. night. I guess we shall see...
We are having a blast! We love you all so much and everyone crosses our minds everyday!
Matt, Megan, Courtney, Eddie, Isabel and Sophia
Isabel put a million objects on Daisy's leash so she wouldn't run away! So Funny!
Everyone caught a fish but Megan...several actually
The Commisary! So Good!
Graceland
Beale Street
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thank You
We are so grateful for all of our friends who came out last night for the going away party. It was a huge success and so much fun. The band A Therapeutic Smile was amazing and everyone should get their hands on some of their music. A huge thanks to Bob: "the best dart player in the world" for being an amazing musician/auctioneer/raffle caller. Another thank you to Marie Briton and Churchill's Pub for everything. We had so much fun that today we have been dragging while packing. We officially have the camper loaded and our goal is to be on the road at 10am. We love you all!
Greg and Mindy with an auctioned sign
Trying to get a picture of the group
Some of Megan's co-workers from her last job
Ms. Lucy and Matt
Monday, August 10, 2009
Crazy? Brave? Stupid?
As the days pass by at an alarming rate, I find myself mixed with feelings of anxiety, excitement, stress, nervousness, fear, impatience... 4 more days. 4 more days until we start our adventure.
Everyday, since we made our decision to take on the American Tour, has been filled with comments from friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, that always contain the words "Y'all are... (fill in the blank). That blank is usually filled with "crazy", "brave", "risk takers", "insane", "nuts", "awesome", "irresponsible"; you get the point.
Matt and I find ourselves defending our decision, even if there is no reason to. I came up with the idea that maybe I am still convincing myself this is the right thing to do. As this thought went through my mind I thought, who is to say what the right thing to do is?
We are young, we are newlyweds, we do not have kids yet and do not own a home. Why is it "crazy" that we are taking advantage of this time to be together and to take an adventure we both have always wanted to? Why are people so scared to go against the "norm". I realize that it is important to be successful in life, but to us, success does not mean owning a 4000 square foot home by the time we are 30. Most people rate their success by their careers, their cars, their owning a home. We want all the above, and could have been their quickly and know we can get their in the future. We don't know what could happen tomorrow or the next day and we both strongly believe to take advantage of the time you have. Why are people so scared to do that?
Next time someone says: "I wish I had the nerve to do that", my reply will be "you do, pack up your stuff and go".
As for us, our first stop is Camping on the Buffalo River this weekend. It soon begins...
Everyday, since we made our decision to take on the American Tour, has been filled with comments from friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, that always contain the words "Y'all are... (fill in the blank). That blank is usually filled with "crazy", "brave", "risk takers", "insane", "nuts", "awesome", "irresponsible"; you get the point.
Matt and I find ourselves defending our decision, even if there is no reason to. I came up with the idea that maybe I am still convincing myself this is the right thing to do. As this thought went through my mind I thought, who is to say what the right thing to do is?
We are young, we are newlyweds, we do not have kids yet and do not own a home. Why is it "crazy" that we are taking advantage of this time to be together and to take an adventure we both have always wanted to? Why are people so scared to go against the "norm". I realize that it is important to be successful in life, but to us, success does not mean owning a 4000 square foot home by the time we are 30. Most people rate their success by their careers, their cars, their owning a home. We want all the above, and could have been their quickly and know we can get their in the future. We don't know what could happen tomorrow or the next day and we both strongly believe to take advantage of the time you have. Why are people so scared to do that?
Next time someone says: "I wish I had the nerve to do that", my reply will be "you do, pack up your stuff and go".
As for us, our first stop is Camping on the Buffalo River this weekend. It soon begins...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Photos
Check out some of our wedding photos at Wisner Photo Blog, our fabulous photographers blogspot.
Or you can see them online at pictage.com, event key mattnmegan
Or you can see them online at pictage.com, event key mattnmegan
Doggies and Campers
We have officially finished moving out of our house and are now residents of the Bado Casa for the next 2 weeks. We are getting antsy to leave! We could leave ASAP, but Miss Daisy Lucy has a doctors appointment on the 12th that can't be rescheduled.
Anyway, Thought we would post some pictures of our new camper!! It's so cute, complete with an astro turf mat and fake flowers.
The kitchen table also folds into a twin size bed.
TV with DVD player and one of the beds in background
Sink, stove and fridge area
P.S. We are having a small last shabang at Churchills, formerly the Londoner, on Wed. Aug 12 to say goodbye. Come by if you can!
Daisy eating her last meal in our empty house.
Anyway, Thought we would post some pictures of our new camper!! It's so cute, complete with an astro turf mat and fake flowers.
This is the sink and stove
The kitchen table also folds into a twin size bed.
TV with DVD player and one of the beds in background
Sink, stove and fridge area
P.S. We are having a small last shabang at Churchills, formerly the Londoner, on Wed. Aug 12 to say goodbye. Come by if you can!
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