the road trip...

I was itching to get on the road, so excited to begin this journey to graduation. Eric had somehow talked me into leaving after work, instead of in the wee hours of the next morning ... it took me some time to come around to it. The car was packed, we had one one more work day to get through. I was antsy. Our original goal was to leave by 5pm, but after a delay in Eric's Do The Right Thing Ceremony, we were thrilled to pull out of the driveway at 5:30, with our first destination 4 hours away. Here's the thing... waking up after a great night's sleep and already being halfway through Florida was a fantastic feeling! And not worrying about landing in Atlanta during rush hour was a huge bonus!

Have you ever eaten your Chick-fil-a with a knife & fork? Nothing like fancy fast food!

Tennessee was so pretty along the way! We did stop at a rest stop to get in some scenery & steps!

Kentucky!

Once we hit Illinois we had to stop for gas (which was a mistake $$$) and STUCKEYS!
And just for the memory, we did buy Eric a t-shirt!

Missouri! It was really neat to drive right through St. Louis and see the Arch!
Not long after this, we stopped to refuel... and it was COLD! Eric then realized he did not pack a jacket. Or a sweatshirt. 

Iowa at last!!!  My goal was to make these Cheez-its last the whole trip...and THEY DID!

Sometimes getting there is half the fun... and because we felt ahead of schedule, we were relaxed along the way. My parents were a couple of hours behind us on the second travel day, and texting back and forth with my Mom added to the fun. She would send me something like: Wow - lots of deer on the the side of the road! And then I replied: Fox coming up on your right! And while she didn't understand it when she read it, two minutes later she did! And when she let me know they had crossed into Iowa, I asked her: Did you pass the weird holes in the ground? It kept us laughing!

Also I have felt the best I ever have on a road trip and I attribute it to something I have never ever done before: exercise on vacation. Yes. Every morning I got up and did my workout in the hotel, and it energized me for the day!

Maybe the best part of the road trip was this...

...seeing his face, being together.



p.s. The jacket you see Eric wearing? That was our actual first stop in Iowa...