Tech note

I didn't realize that this blog was set to only allow registered bloggers to comment. I just now changed the settings so that anyone can leave a comment.

Country Music's Hometown

Greetings from Music City! Audrey and I picked Corrin up at Mercy Ministries on Friday afternoon and are having fun spending the weekend with her. Corrin has been a Mercy resident since April and will graduate from the program in a week. She's gotten tan living in the south, but hasn't quite developed the accent. Honestly, I don't know how she's avoided it. I'm having so much fun listening to people talk here - and it's very contagious too.

Today we ventured downtown to do a little exploring and were pleasantly surprised that it feels nothing like being in a major city. (I was very thankful for that, since I was driving!) Here are a few photos from our day:

1) She pulls off the look quite well, doesn't she?

2) Corrin and Audrey in front of an Andrew Jackson statue at the Tenn. state capitol.

3) Sisters - a happy reunion after over six months apart! (I was in Europe when Corrin left for Mercy.)

4) James K. Polk and his wife are buried here (in the lawn at the capitol).

5) This replica of the Greek Parthenon sits in Centennial Park. It's quite impressive in real life - those pillars are massive.

Only in Nashville . . .

Or perhaps Molalla . . .

The sticker on the window reads: "Mary Kay, enriching women's lives." If only the truck were pink instead of red.

Chi-kaa-go

Accents and food: two of the best things about traveling. We got a good sampling of both in Chicago. We spent a couple nights in the Chicago suburbs with Audrey's great uncle and took the train downtown for the day.

We visited Millennium Park, home of the Bean (a mirrored, jelly-bean shaped sculpture) and the Crown Fountains (two rectangles with changing faces). We met up with Jessica, Audrey's college friend, at Giordano's for some famous Chicago-style pizza. The pizza was delectable (deep-dish crust layered with pepperoni, gobs of cheese and topped with sauce), but sat in my stomach like a rock and left us full for hours. We did manage to find room for milkshakes later that night at Ed Debevic's, a '50's style diner where the wait staff lives up to their slogan: "Good Food. Fresh Service." Their customer service strategy is unique, but it makes for a fun experience.

After Chicago, Audrey and I spent a night in St. Louis, MO with the Berntsens (relatives). We did drive by the famous arch on our way to Paul and Jesse's, but I don't have photographic proof. We had a fun evening with their family and hit the road early (for us) the next morning for Nashville.

Driving through the Midwest

I'm typing at you from Beloit College this morning. After Montana, Audrey and I drove endlessly across North Dakota (the most blah state yet, sorry Mandi) and slept at a Motel 6 in Bismark. The next day, we drove into Minnesota and stopped in St. Cloud for a concert by Mason Jennings (one of our favorite artists) on our way to the Twin Cities. We spent two nights in St. Paul with Audrey's college pal Nicholle and arrived in Wisconsin yesterday evening. It's been fun seeing Audrey's campus and meeting some of her college friends. We spent the night with LaVaughn, an elderly lady Audrey befriended at her church here in Beloit. Next stop: Chicago.

Now, for a couple highlights from our drive through Wisconsin yesterday:

Butterburgers and frozen custard at Culver's, a very midwest fast-food joint (they also sell cheese curds, but I didn't have room to sample them)

Amish horse-drawn buggies in the lane next to ours at a stoplight (they were heading home from a shopping trip at WalMart)

You Might Be a Redneck If . . .

Your pickup advertises your taxidermy business or sports bumper stickers that read: "Save Idaho! Spay all anti-hunters." Or, my personal favorite: "Hunt with your children, not for them."
We spent a good chunk of yesterday driving through Idaho and Montana, feasting our eyes on some beautiful fall trees, rolling hills and big skies. We spent the night with my cousin in Great Falls, MT and will continue our journey east this morning.

On the Road Again

Well, we're at it again. Three months after returning from our travels across Europe, Audrey and I are setting out on another adventure. This time, we're loading up my hopefully trusty auto and heading across the country.

It all started with plans for a trip to Nashville to visit my sister, Corrin. Audrey, being the folk music fan that she is, said she'd join me. It would be a short trip - likely less than a week - and we'd travel by plane. But as we started talking, our plans began to snowball.

"Wouldn't this make an awesome road trip?" I dared to comment one day, knowing it was a silly, impractical and entirely unfeasible idea. After all, I'd spent most my savings on Europe and my drugstore paychecks left much to be desired. Still, it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. Soon, if all went as planned, we'd both have "real" jobs, making a month-long trek across the country impossible. So, we began bouncing the idea off family and friends. To our surprise, no one told us we were crazy, at least not to our face. In fact, most people shared in our excitement at the prospect. "I love road trips!" "You'll never regret doing it!" "You're young. Go now while you don't have anything tying you down."

But we didn't need much convincing. In fact, we talked ourselves into an even bigger plan. Why end at Nashville? Why not go all the way to the east coast? So, we signed up for AAA, contacted some friends and family we hope to see along the way, and are ready to embark on another adventure . . . if I ever finish packing.