Day 3 -- Des Moines, IA to Boulder, CO!!!

The third day was the longest but I was so excited to just get there that it fueled my soul for the journey. It was snowing early in IA but we left when it stopped and had a pretty smoothe ride the whole way.

We passed through Nebraska: flat, flat, flat! There were so many cows and I saw a hilarious sign "Merry Christmas, Eat Beef!" Also, we took a stop in Ogallala, NE and besides the funny name, I saw these shirts that were a pun on the Life IS Good shirts...Life is Crap! I bought one because I just couldn't resist!

I drove into COLORADO and was just so excited! We rode into the sunset and it was gorgeous! The roads were so dark by the time the sun went down and I was a little nervous driving because I'm not a great night driver and am not good when I don't know where I'm going or where the roads are turning but we got to Boulder around 730 pm. mountain time in one piece!

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Today my mom and I are relaxing, went to the store to get some groceries and may go see a movie later. I am happy to be starting this journey but I do admit that I miss everyone.

Plans for the next couple of days: Pearl Street, Celestial seasonings, a day/night in Denver, unpack, explore!

Cheers to an almost New Year!

Day 2 -- Elkhart, IN to Des Moines, IA

Last night my mom and I headed out in the snow and cold to Texas Roadhouse for a quick dinner and then celebrated Hanukkah (of course...she wouldn't forget to bring the tiny travel menorah!!!). We played dredel and this time we played for little pieces of paper that had things like, "lunch", "tolls", "coffee", "gas" on them and whoever ended up with the most pieces lost, of course, because whatever pieces we ended up with were what we payed for the next day. I was happy because I ended up with "drive first", "a surprise", "tolls", and "dinner"...she had the rest! ;)

This morning it was snowing in IN and it was awful to drive in! I have driven in snow before but from IN to IL it was very windy and the snow was being blown around like mini tornadoes. I kept both hands of the wheel and made my mom shush so that I could concentrate and not get us killed. I was only able to go 45-55 miles per hour so it took us longer to get to IA than planned. Every 10 miles or so we saw abandoned cars or cars that were overturned or cars that just got off the road to rest...it was freaky and I just wanted to keep driving until we reached a calmer destination. I drove from about 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and then finally gave the wheel to my mom. By this time, my eyes were very tired and I was ready to give them a break from white (snow) and lines (road). Lucky her, the snow stopped when it was her turn! Go figure!!!!

Finally, around 3 p.m. we made it to Des Moines. This hotel is very nice...there's a waterfall in the lobby and elevators that look out onto the lobby. It's very open and has everything we could want. We are in a suite and are living the good life ;). We decided to work out (me) and swim (my mom) before showering and dinner. After walking around the side of town that had cute shops and restaurants (East side) we came to the conclusion that no one was out and that we should find somewhere else to eat. There were many gay/lesbian flags around town though but nothing seemed very busy...I guess I'll have to take my mom to a lesbian bar in Boulder. ;)

I'm currently full, very tired, and ready to just relax and fall to sleep. I am so glad we made it through the "storm" and are safe. I am very proud of myself for taking it slow on the roads and for making myself drive even if I didn't enjoy the conditions.

Tomorrow is the last day of driving on this road trip and I'm very excited for that! Let's hope that this midwest storm holds off for another day and we have a safe and fun trip tomorrow!!! Let's also hope that if we play the same dredel game, I don't get "drive first" again!

Thoughts from:
IN and IL -- everything was so white! We stopped at the worlds largest Truck stop for lunch! Drove past Chicago and thought about how I was there last year around this time.
IA -- pretty flat, lots of farms, many cows were out grazing, the city is very nice and the free happy hour at the hotel rocks! :)

Day 1 -- Fairfax, VA to Elkhart, IN

I spent all weekend seeing friends, saying "see you later's", and of course, packing up my little subaru outback impreza sport (I call her Sucre or Sukie for short). Yesterday was a tough day because I barely slept the night before and then had to get Sucre a car wash and vacuum and then start packing her up. I was being stubborn and packed the entire car by myself...YES, little me, packed her!

Today was a new day, or so I thought that it would be when I woke up! ;) I had the help of KK to "re-pack" or "re-organize" Sucre because I guess I left a few items out in the open that could have been called "projectiles" if we were to stop short! These projectiles would have ended up by my mother so although the thought was funny and I did chuckle, we needed to re-think the situation. It was a nice to surprise to have KK there to send us on our way and to remind me to stay positive. After saying goodbyes (some sad, and some not so sad) my mom and I headed off to our first stop: Elkhart, Indiana!!!

Traveling with my mother has been like a rollercoaster so far. It isn't the same as traveling with a friend but it has its perks and she is really great to be doing this with me.

So, we drove through a few states today...

• First: VA -- Mom drove -- Got our a.m. starbucks, cash, and gas...was feeling a bit nostalgic at this point...
• Second: MD -- Mom drove -- I tried to sleep but that wasn't happening with chatty kathy in the car! It was so quick and so familiar!
• Third: PA -- We stopped at a rest-stop and it was our first feel of the freezing cold air! It went from 20 degrees to like 6-8 degress while driving today!!! I almost cried it was so cold! My mom kindly reminded me that I was going to CO and it would be cold there too.
• Fourth: OH -- My leg --My mom talked on her phone to a college buddy all through Ohio! It was the first time I got to really think and reflect on some things without distraction. I loved the drive because it was mostly flat and there was the most beautiful sunset forming.
• Fifth: IN -- I was still driving -- We saw SANTA! I swear, he was driving some kind of a Jeep! ;)

Now it's time to relax, unwind, and get ready for another day of traveling. Our destination for tomorrow is Des Moines, IA. I will put pictures up where they belong once I am able to transfer them...there will be plenty to share! ;) Thanks for keeping up with our trip and my blog! :)

The Countdown Begins!!!

Last night my mom and I finally sat down and decided on a good time to leave. I feel like no time is a "good" time but this journey will be a positive one so there's no point in delaying it anymore...

...We are headed out on our road trip on Monday, December 22, 2008! It's going to be a long road trip (about 26 hours) from Fairfax, Va to Elkhart, IN to Des Moines, IA to Boulder, CO!!! My mom and I are not very close at this point but I'm sure after this traveling adventure we will be! My friend suggested putting a video camera in the front seat of the car for this trip because there are bound to be funny moments!

I feel like the past two or three months have come and gone so fast. I decided to move with such haste but now it's actually a reality that I will be going and will be away from my friends and family and what I know for a while. I used to say it was all so "bittersweet" but now I'm changing that phrase to "crazybeautiful" because it is so crazy how things happen and how we learn but so beautiful when it all comes together and you figure out the path to take through life.

For now, my plan before Monday is to pack more, take care of little things like buying things that I can fit in my car for less (tax in Boulder is very high!), see friends and say my last see you laters. I want everyone to know that I am very excited about this journey but that I am not long gone and that my hope is that we keep in touch and can start where we left off when I come back for visits!

xoxo