Traveling Schmidts!

Reflections

2009-03-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks have afforded me the opportunity to reflect on this past year. One year ago we were beginning a new life in Pasadena, Jathan was gearing up for seminary, and we were just beginning to make new friends. Fast forward to March 2009, and we are back in Northern California, now living in the East Bay.

After we moved to Glendale, I continued to work at Arecont Vision, and Jathan soul-searched, trying to figure out what to do next. We loved being involved with Lake Ave church, and even hosted a Bible study at our apartment in Fall quarter. The Bible study started with 6 people, and at one point we had 23 people in our living room! The group was a young adult, post-college age group, meeting one night per week. We made some amazing friends in the group, and had some really fun times.

In December we came to a crossroads. Ever since leaving seminary, we knew that eventually we wanted to end up back in the Bay Area, close to family. We just did not know when that would happen. Jathan's job motivations happened around the same time some negative things were happening around me at my job. These actions prompted me to want to look for a new job. We questioned then, if this was the time for us to move back up to the Bay Area. Of course, economically speaking, it was a terrible time, but for us, in our station of life, it was perfect. The advice we were continually given was that the longer we stay in one place, the harder it will be to leave. Additionally, with both of us wanting to stay long term in a job, it could mean an extended stay in Los Angeles. And while we have gained a new appreciation for LA and all that it is, we did not want to stay there permanently. After weighing all these factors, we sadly left our friends behind and excitedly engaged in our next chapter in life, and moved up to the East Bay.

We've been here for a month now, and although our lives seem to be in limbo, I know we made the right decision. It is so nice having all of our family so close, and we are already planning our next visit to LA. Jathan has been working for a temp agency, and is motivated to find something more permanent. I am still looking for a job, which is not easy in today's market. The huge blessing in all this is that we are living with Jathan's Mom and Step-dad who are graciously providing us room and board until we are able to have a stable flow of income. We were a bit worried about moving up here in this economic crisis, but on the other hand we have this huge safety net, network of connections, etc etc. We're not sure what God has in store for the next chapter of our lives, but we didn't know that either when we moved down to Pasadena, and He provided so much more than we could have ever asked for.

States we've visited

2008-11-09T08:58:00.001-08:00

create your own personalized map of the USA

Update and Address Change

2008-06-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

It's been so long since I've updated here (I guess that's what normal life does to me) but I thought I would post the most recent update email I sent out. If I missed you on the email, I'm sorry! But that's why I'm posting it here. Sometimes I accidentally miss a name or two. Read on...

Hello Friends and Family!
We hope this note finds you in good health and spirits and that all is well. First off, I wanted to say that I did not just select my entire email address book to send this note to. If you're on it, I actually selected your name. We wanted to say hi and give you a brief update on our life. We hope all is well with you!

In January, Jathan and I moved down to Pasadena, CA for Jathan to attend Fuller Theological Seminary. We have been enjoying life down here, I have a job I really like, we have made friends, and we love our church. Jathan has also been enjoying seminary (for the most part), but since coming down here, has done a lot of soul searching and has determined that the career path he thought he wanted (professor or something of that nature) is actually not what he wants to do. So, he has decided to no longer attend Fuller. We have no regrets at all about moving down here- it has always felt like the right thing to do, and like I already said, we enjoy it down here. Jathan also has no regrets about attending Fuller. He always wondered about seminary, and knew that if he didn't do it, he would always regret it. Now he knows that this is not what he wants to do, so yay for a glimmer of clarity in life! :) In case you were wondering, Jathan liked his classes, teachers, classmates, and the school. He is leaving with excellent grades. He still has the same faith he came down here with. He just knows that the career path he thought he wanted, is not what he wants to do, and he does not deem the time and money worth it if he does not want a career out of it. He does not know what he wants to do now, but if you have any insights or know of any jobs, he's all ears. :)

So what are we doing now? Well, given that Jathan is no longer a student, we have to move out of our sweet, teeny tiny apartment. After much thought and consideration, we are going to stay down here in the area, primarily because my job is going so well and because there is still so much we want to do down here. We have found an apartment in Glendale (next town over) which is only 1 mile from my work. It's a 1 bedroom apartment in an old, but well maintained building. And it has a dishwasher (do you know how rare it is for 1 bedroom apartments to have a dishwasher!!???!!)! And for those of you who have been to our current place, this place is probably double the size. It is much better equipped for visitors and shindigs. So if you're in the area, or want to come to LA, come stay with us! With that said, our new address is:

[[[edited out because this is the internet. if you need our new address and/or phone number please leave a comment and i'll email it to you!]]]

We are planning to be fully moved in by the end of tomorrow, and the phone will be up on Tuesday. Please update you address books accordingly. :)

Thanks and we hope to talk to you soon-
Elisabeth and Jathan

Lessons from Foofoless

2008-04-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

One of the things that happened when we moved to Pasadena was the desire to establish a routine. Part of that routine is finding a "home" grocery store. Pasadena is full of all kinds of grocery stores.... Pavillion's (aka Safeway), Ralph's, Trader Joe's (2), Whole Foods, Gelson's, Smart and Final, probably even more, and then our choice supermarket: Food for Less. Now if you've ever been to FFL, then you may be surprised that it is our choice store. There are some lesson's I've learned since shopping at Food for Less:

1. The shopping carts are rusted, rickety, and are not maintained. Be careful when turning or you may knock something down.
2. The produce section sucks. You can easily forget you are in California, because the produce looks bad, and even tastes bad. I didn't know this was so consistently possible in California. Southern California at that.
3. Dented cans, slightly smushed boxes, disorganization. The isles are not so pleasing to look at, and you can't help but wonder when selecting an item how many times it has been dropped.

You may ask, "well, with so many options in Pasadena, why do you still go?
1. It's only 1.5 miles north on the exact same street as our closest Ralph's and has the exact same generic brands and regular brands ALWAYS cheaper. It's the exact same stuff, on the exact same street, except cheaper. I can usually find what I'm looking for not previously smushed or dropped.
2. Diverse population. I like shopping among so many ethnicities, capabilities, cultures, socio-economic statuses, and bargain hunters. I feel like I get a better view of what most of the world is like since most people in the world cannot afford to buy the selection of foods we might find somewhere else. Sure, I may get frustrated with the fact that the wheels of my cart are out of balance, or that I can never find a good apple, but there are so many more people who have no other choice.

I also would not have had the chance to meet Melissa, a recovering alcoholic in the parking lot who was collecting pennies for her first month's rent at a new zero-tolerance house she was just accepted into. I am usually wary of people who approach me for money, but her story touched me, and I saw the determination in her face and voice, not to take money from me, but to get a new start on life. I gave her some money, which was more than the pennies she was asking for. She gave me a hug, a "You made my day", a "God Bless", and a request to come back and say hi, as she would be back there the next few weekends collecting pennies.

Sure I can find a fancy salad and Gelson's, or an unsmushed box at Pavillions. But an encounter like this? She did not know me, I did not know her, but love was there. I don't think it is about Food for Less in the corporate sense (although they were allowing her there because this is a part of one of Oprah's project). This is about meeting people in different walks of life, and affirming to them love, love that transcends SES, physical abilities and cultures. I have a hard time believing I would find such experiences at any grocery store other than Food for Less.

Flu and Fun

2008-04-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last 3 weeks. I got the dreaded flu, and was out of commission for about a week. Fortunately I am all better, but as a result I took the following week off from everything (except work) and just rested. Now I can say that I am up to 100% again. I have been sleeping more than usual the past 3 weeks, but the excess has slowly been tapering off this week. I think I am going to be ready to start exercising again next week. We were also very cautious about germs while I was sick (thank you Hand sanitizer and disinfectant) and Jathan did not get sick. This is quite miraculous given the tiny living quarters we are in.

Despite the illness however, we have had some wonderful experiences the last few weeks! The week I got sick, Jathan's brother, Zach came to visit for spring break (I was sorry I was sick) and his Mom and Step dad came up to visit over the weekend. WE had fun showing the around Pasadena, and we even made a trip to the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley which was very enjoyable.

The following Saturday we went to Disney's California Adventures to fulfill the 2fer deal I described in a previous post. We had a good time there, and because it is not as big as Disneyland, we were not quite as exhausted as the last trip down to the Disney parks. On Sunday we went on a spontaneous hiking trip in the Los Angeles National Forest. We went with a friend that we met at church and a couple other people he invited. We were quite excited when we found out that one of his friends he had just met a couple weeks earlier was my friend Elise from Davis! She is down in Irvine for Med School and came up for the hike. It was so great and totally random to see her. The hike was beautiful even though we ended up hiking through snow! We were not quite prepared for that, but it turned out to be ok.

Here are some pictures from the hike:

Our Apartment

2008-03-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Finally, here is a slide show of pictures of our apartment. To view them individually, click here.

Cruising with Coworkers

2008-03-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Having Fun part 2 is where this past weekend comes into play. We went on a 3-day cruise with my coworkers to Ensenada, Mexico! This trip was paid for by my company; the only thing we had to pay for was parking at the port. Our room was nice- we had a window and king size bed. The ship itself was large and fun with shops, a fitness center, lounges, and more. Of course the best thing was the food- all you can eat. I abandoned my healthy eating for the weekend and decided to enjoy whatever I wanted to eat. I probably gained a pound, but I don't know when I'm going to go on a all expense paid cruise again, so I decided to indulge. I don't regret it. :)

On Saturday we were docked at Ensenada where we took an "Excursion" hiking trip. We drove about 30 minutes outside of Ensenada where we hiked in the hills. The hills reminded me so much of the Yolo County landscape, but lush (which is apparently a bit unusual for this time of year). There were only 2 other people on the hiking trip and the guide. Everyone was so nice and considerate- we really got to know the others. While everyone else was getting trashed in the town, we were enjoying the beauty of nature. Much more our cup of tea!

Part of the package was to tour a winery and enjoy wine tasting. We did this, which was a nice way to pass part of the day. On the bus ride we decided to forgo the consumer laden downtown shopping area and just head back to the cruise ship.

That evening was the formal night at dinner, and Jathan looked so dashing in a suit and tie!

Every day we enjoyed the food, shows, nap times, and the towel animals our stateroom attendant left for us! We disembarked this morning and throughout the day have felt sea sick! Our bodies have not adjusted back to land-lubber equilibrium. I had a half day of work, and tomorrow it's back to the normal schedule.

We loved the cruise, but the hardest part was definitely the food. While it was delicious, it was too easy to gorge on the the food. This fact makes me never want to go on a cruise again, yet also want to go on a cruise again. Ah, if only my mouth and stomach agreed! :)

Having Lots of Fun Part 1: Disneyland!

2008-03-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

The past two weekends have been packed full of nothing but fun for Jathan and I! Last Sunday we spent the day at Disneyland, enjoying the rides, parades and thrill that is Disneyland. The weather was nice and warm, and the wait times really were not that bad.

Jathan with Buzz

For the record, I was winning until the very end when the ride stalled and Jathan fired on the same spot numerous times, over and over again.

Elisabeth in Toon Town

Jathan and Elisabeth ride the Tea Cups

We got a special deal where we bought one day at Disneyland and we get a 2nd day at California Adventures for free. We're going to go to California Adventures in the beginning of April! :)

Here and There

2008-03-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we made our first trip up north since moving to Pasadena. Grandma and Grandpa Irion were visiting Pleasanton along with other family members, so we had long planned to be in Pleasanton for the visit. On Friday we left early (around 3:30) and headed up to Davis. We made good time, hit no traffic, and got there just before 10pm. We had to stop in Davis first because we had forgotten our passports and need them for our cruise to Mexico. The next morning we had breakfast with my parents, went to the bank, and then went on to Pleasanton. We had a real nice visit there with all the family, hanging out and doing fun things. We left Sunday after dinner, and made it back to Pasadena just after Midnight. Fortunately Jathan did most of the later night driving, and he let me sleep some as I had to work the next day.

Work has been going well for me. This week I was learning lots of new things like helping the sales people enter quotes into the computer, and learning how to enter invoices into Quickbooks. It's been nice to get a variety of things to do and not always feel like I'm digging for things to do. Finally I am not filing all the time. :)

Last night we went to the College/Young Adult gathering at Lake Ave Church, but it was a younger crowd than we had hoped for. Everyone was nice, and we were warmly greeted, but we feel like we have just moved on from where these people were at. We're going to look for a group that is more focused on young couples/families. We are definitely feeling the need to have some friends down here, so we're motivated to find a place where we fit in.

Today we have plans to do our taxes and financial aid stuff, and tomorrow we're going to Disneyland!!!!!!!!! This will be made possible by all the birthday gifts I received! Thank you and yay!!

Road Trip Weight Gain.... and Loss!!!!

2008-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

One thing I neglected to mention that I got from our road trip was a bit of weight gain. The combination of long drives, different eating habits and lack of exercise was not so great for me (Elisabeth). We did what we could, and were really careful to make healthy eating choices and to get out and exercise, but I think with the amount of sitting we were doing, a bit of weight gain for me was inevitable (With his figure, I think Jathan gained maybe one ounce). I probably gained 5-8lbs on the trip. Before that, over the past 5 years, and before, I've probably gained an additional 5-10 pounds. These factors bumped me up into the unhealthy BMI range, and a general dissatisfaction with my weight.

For those of you who have actually seen me, I think the weight stays hidden pretty well. You wouldn't guess that I was overweight (at least I wouldn't guess that of someone with a similar stature as me). Starting in January I decided that I was fed up with the extra weight. I joined Sparkpeople.com which is a free place to track your food, track exercise, read articles, and get connected with others trying to lose weight or just have a healthy lifestyle. This has been amazing for me. Since I started, I have lost 9 lbs, more than half way to my 17 lb weight loss goal. I have made significant changes to what we eat at home, and I have become more and more dissuaded from eating out as I look at nutrition facts and realize just how bad for you most restaurant food is. In most cases I could make something almost as good at home, and have it be ten times healthier for you.

Yesterday at work I realized a pair of pants I got in North Carolina on our trip is now too big for me. I am going to have to take in the waist! I am just so thrilled about my success, I just had to share it with you all. I have learned SO much from the sparkpeople.com articles, and I attribute most of my success by just tracking my foods. I have a much better awareness of what I eat now!

If anyone out there is desiring to eat healthier, exercise more, or maybe lose some weight, check out sparkpeople.com (it's completely free, no catches) and you could even join my team. Right now the team is just my mom and I, so we could use I few more team members. Yay! I lost 9lbs (so far!)!!!!

Birthday, Friends, and Mexico!

2008-02-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have gone by so fast- it's hard to believe it's already been two weeks! On the 11th I turned 24 which turned out to be a very pleasant birthday. With no friends or family around (except Jathan) to celebrate with, I was expecting a some what non-eventful birthday. In actuality, Jathan and I went to a delicious Italian restaurant with a gift card from Christmas (Thanks Dave, Patti and Fam!) and Jathan brought some cheesecake from the store as well as some beautiful flowers. We had a nice relaxing evening at home- which after a long day of work was nice.

I've been really enjoying my job in the past two weeks. For the majority of my time I answer phones and file, but I have been promised to be taught some more stimulating activities on Monday. I'm not complaining- it's way better than be completely exhausted as I did at my last job. After a day at work I come home willing to talk about my day and with an active brain. Oh and the coolest thing???? We got invited this week to join the company on what they call a "team building activity". When I first heard that, I thought name-learning games, ropes course, etc, but NO. We are

GOING ON A 3-DAY CRUISE TO MEXICO ALL EXPENSES PAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ACTIVITIES INCLUDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it's pretty crazy. And Jathan gets to go too. Awesome. We are extremely excited!!!!!!!!!!! (Note: I think there was some sort of deal made when we sold some cameras to a cruise company, but I don't know this for sure.)

Sweet sweet sweet!!!! :) :) :) It's a weekend in March.

So, yeah. That happened this week. But let me jump back to last weekend. Last weekend we were so thrilled to have our friends James, Becca and Ron come visit us from Davis. They got here on Friday and stayed with us until Sunday. Yep, stayed with us in our 342 sq.ft. But we all fit, and it was great- a big sleepover. If anyone wants to come visit us, you can stay with us if you are okay sleeping on the floor and are a group no bigger than 3. We had a great time eating Island burgers, walking and playing Frisbee on the Santa Monica beach, shopping and eating dinner in Chinatown, going to church and just hanging out. We were so blessed to have them visit us, and it kind of reminded us that we should make some friends here. Friends are good.

On Sunday in the afternoon our church was hosting a concert by Kathryn and Keith Getty. If you know the song, "In Christ Alone" they are the authors. They are modern hymn writers and have such a gift for music and writing. It was so wonderful to hear them and sing along.

Monday was not a holiday for me, but as it was for many people, I enjoyed an easy drive to and from work. I paid for it though on Tuesday when every single person went to work. Gotta love the commute. ;)

We were thinking that we might go to Disneyland this weekend, but we decided against it because rain was in the forecast. We are definitely planning that for a future weekend though. Instead we are going to talk finances (we've been reading the VERY insightful Personal Finance for Dummies). I also got the info on my work 401K plan, so we have to figure all that stuff out.

Next weekend we are going to be in Davis for 9 hours or so (most of that in the night) and then we will be in Pleasanton for the remainder of the weekend as Grandma and Grandpa Irion are coming to visit. We are looking forward for those fun times ahead!

We love our Church!

2008-02-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

"Love your church?" You say. "But didn't you just move to Pasadena? How can you already have a church?"

Last week we decided that we wanted to look for a church, so we used two resources available to us. Our eyes and the internet.

We looked in our neighborhood for churches to go to. There is one next to Fuller, there are a few in the neighborhood, there is a huge one that we can see from our window across the freeway and has a huge cross that they light up at night. We took note of these, but none of them really jumped out at us as "Oh, let's go there!" So I looked at the network section of relevantmagazine.com (a magazine we both like) for churches in our area (the churches have to post these, and it's not a comprehensive list). There were about 4 churches listed, and the first 3 did not interest me, but I was open to them. The 4th was listed as sort of an alternative church (called Warehouse) affiliated with Lake Avenue Church. I went to the website to check out the church. The church across the freeway with the huge cross? Same one. We decided to give it a try the next Sunday.

So last Sunday we went to a regular service (not Warehouse), and the words out of my mouth when we left: "That was wonderful!" Jathan was equally enthusiastic (and if you know Jathan, this is HUGE!). We decided however, to keep our minds open and to try some others, but to definitely go back. Last night we went again to Lake Ave (actually we walked and it only took 5 min to get there), and we decided we really didn't need to keep looking. So far, this is one of the best churches we've ever been to (based on teaching, music, mission, etc). It is huge (I think 1500 people) but there are SO MANY ways to get connected, the size really doesn't bother us. There is so much more I could write about this church... the ethnic diversity, the different styles of music they incorporate, the senior pastor (he actually greeted us individually as we left!) and so on. We love this church and can't wait for you to come with us when you come visit us!!!

Week 2

2008-02-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yep, we still like Pasadena. On Monday and Tuesday we ran errands in an attempt to finish the decorating process in our apartment. We took advantage of a sale at Michaels, and got some flowers to decorate the place. It's amazing what a bit of nature can do to a place! We also bought some black spray paint to change up some picture frames we had and Jathan did them yesterday. It's amazing what a little spray paint can do!! We hope to get some more nails today and finish up our decorating, and then we can post pictures. Cross your fingers for us. We'll see if we can get our act together and get it done. On Tuesday one of our outings included IKEA again. Boy- I highly recommend going to IKEA in the middle of the day, on a weekday if you can. The employees are bored and the place is (compared to Saturdays) empty. We were in and out of there in 30 minutes (we returned stuff, pondered over a few things, and bought stuff).

On Wednesday I started my new job. Even though I have been mainly just answering phones and filing, I am really enjoying it. The company just moved into a new building, so we are getting new signs, new carpeting, and all sorts of things that make the place feel like a real business. It's fun to be a part of the process. My "commute" is not bad at all. I do not experience LA traffic even though I take a freeway to work. Glendale is the next town over, and from my door to my desk at work, it takes 25 minutes. The drive is only about 15 minutes, but at home I have to park in a keyed garage and take an elevator, and at work I have to park in a keyed garage and take an elevator. This munches up 5 minutes on both sides. Driving in LA County is different, but I can't say its bad. Sure there are a lot more people on the freeway, but everyone drives faster, so even though there are a lot of people, you get to where you want to go at a reasonable time (at least on my freeway). The mountains are right next to Pasadena and Glendale, so I get to drive through some hills on my way to work. Also, Arecont Vision is on the 7th and top floor of our building with amazing views of the mountains (in one direction) and LA county (in the other). During lunch I get to gaze at the mountains and eat, which is really nice. These mountains were a feature that Jathan and I really did not expect when moving down here, but are fully loving.

One Week Later

2008-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's now been one week and two days since we drove into Pasadena, and it surely has been quite an adventure. Even though we entered town on a rainy note, the sun has been shining nearly every day. Jeans and a sweatshirt/jacket are enough warmth here, unlike the big winter coat I would wear in Davis (I don't like to be cold much). Last Saturday we did enjoy our day at Ikea. In the past, trips to Ikea have involved dreaming about what our place could look like with certain pieces and design elements, but no purchasing because either no money or no space. This time around, our dreams became reality! We picked up a table, a comfy chair and footstool, and other misc household items. We had lunch at Ikea and enjoyed the 15 minute drive back home in the sun! Jathan spent the rest of the next two days putting everything together and I kept cleaning the place up. During this time we also found the Costco (15 minutes south), Bed Bath and Beyond (10 minutes East) and Target (I timed it- 2 minutes away!). At Target we found some bookshelves and a lamp which match the rest of our furniture. Our place is pretty much complete except for a few misc items and the picture frames still need to go up on the walls.

On Tuesday I decided that since our home was pretty much complete, I would resume my job search that I had begun while in Davis. While in Davis, I received no responses to any sent resumes and applications (I may have sent out 20 or so), which in hindsight was probably good as it would've been difficult to get to the area on such short notice. So on Tuesday I composed 13 cover letters and sent out resumes with them. It was certainly a long day, and by the end of it I was going a bit stir crazy from being inside all day! Jathan and I decided to take a walk when the internet stopped working, thus halting my work. We explored our neighborhood a bit, walking up and down the streets to see what is around us. We found the Central Public Library which is in a beautiful building! We got some information, and continued walking, discovering that Old Pasadena and many shops are in an easy walking distance from us.

That night I received a shocking phone call from a company I applied to- after speaking briefly on the phone with them, they wanted to interview me! I could not believe this as I had JUST sent out my resumes that day. I expected to be applying for weeks and not hear much. The next morning I received another email asking me to call a different company to schedule an interview. Two responses in 24 hours- I could not believe it! I decided to wait on the second one because I was so nervous about the first interview, I felt sick. After hours of waiting (interview was at 2pm) I made my way to Glendale (15 min away) to interview with Arecont Vision. In short: they manufacture cameras that utilize Megapixel technology. The interview went really well. I met EVERYONE it seemed. After 2 hours of interviewing with 7 different people, I went home. I felt good about the interview and was told I would hear in a few days. When I got back home I decided to call the other company (a tutoring facility in La Canada) to schedule an interview. Long story short: the only time they had left this week was that same day at 6pm- I was calling them at 4pm! Even though I was exhausted from the 2 hours of interviewing, I decided to go that night and Jathan said he would come with me. He waited in the car while I had my interview, which also went very well. The owner said that I interviewed very well and that she would be calling me back for a second interview next week.

The two companies are very different. Arecont Vision is a small, but growing company. It's 5 years old, multi-national, and they already have 30 or so employees. They are growing rapidly and are continually hiring people. Here there is a great opportunity for growth and advancement. It is a regular 9-5 work week, and everyone is really nice. The tutoring center seems also to be a great environment, nice people committed to education. There are lots of students coming and going, which plays nicely to my experience with youth. Since this is a tutoring center, the hours are different because they have to work around kids in school. The hours would be M-Th 1-8 and F 1-5. This is a much smaller company (I interviewed with the owner) and there really is not room for advancement like there is at Arecont Vision. Both positions are administrative in nature and basically have the same responsibilities.

After the interview at the tutoring facility, Jathan picked up some pizza from a restaurant across the street and we came back home and relaxed and watched The Incredibles. I decided to take a break from the job search for Friday because I was just so exhausted from the day before. I spent the day (finally!) putting my wedding albums together.

After completing this project, going on a short walk, and beginning to think about dinner, I received another call! It was from Arecont Vision offering me the position! (hey that rhymed) When I got off the phone Jathan and I jubilated over the news and soon after that I felt confused. It all happened so fast- I applied, got an interview and was offered a job. Isn't it supposed to be harder than this? I have known so many people who have struggled to find jobs, and I really don't think I did anything different. Why did I get it so easy? I was thoroughly expecting my job search to last for months.

I have no answer to this. All I can say is that God is good, and is meeting us where we need to be met. Also, if you need a job, the LA area is a place to come. There are lots of jobs here. This surely is an answer to prayer, and although I at first did not know for sure if I would take it, I have decided that I will. I told them I would think about it and let them know on Monday my decision. They want me to start as soon as I can, so I think I will be starting mid-week next week. I am excited about this position, the direction the company is heading, and the people. Everyone seems so nice.

If you want to learn more about the company, go to: http://www.arecontvision.com. My position will be Administrative Assistant to start, and we'll see where it goes from there! I would be happy to tell you more about the position, benefits, etc- just ask!

On Saturday, Jathan and I took another walk through Pasadena. It is really fun to see what the city has to offer. Today we went to a church in our area and really loved it. We are definitely going to go back, but are also going to look at some others. This afternoon we watched the Super Bowl at a Super bowl party in our complex. We met a few new people which was nice. Whew it's been a busy week, and I'm sure next week will be just as busy!

Wedding Photos

2008-02-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

I know it's been over a year and a half, but our wedding photos are finally up on the internet if you are interested in viewing them. The link is:

http://picasaweb.google.com/elisabethmary

If you have any photos to share from the wedding or road trip, please email me the pictures or link(s). We'd love to see them! Also, I will be posting a much longer update post this afternoon/evening.

We made it!

2008-01-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

Well we finally made it to Pasadena! Here's the low down on how it all went...

With the U-Haul and car all loaded up on WEdnesday night, we left Davis at 5:30am on Thursday morning in the rain. Actually, the rain really wasn't such a problem in the Sacramento area, mostly just a light rain. We were planning to take I-5 the whole way, but once we hit the Lodi area, there were signs telling us that the Grapevine was closed due to snow! This was a major hitch in our plans, but we did some quick thinking and map-looking, and decided to cut across to 680 via 580 and take 101 South to LA. This added 3.5 hours without factoring in rain or traffic (so now we're up to an estimated driving time of 9.5 hours). It pretty much rained the entire time. Fortunately, we had no car/truck trouble, and I as far as I know, we didn't even have any close calls. The Lord was watching out for us! Through the clouds and rain we were able to see the beautiful hills in the Livermore area, the fields and hills in the Salinas area, and once we hit the coast, the ocean and oceanside was very pretty. If you have time to kill driving south, I definitely recommend this route. We did hit traffic in San Jose (AM) and hit LA around rush hour. We got to Fuller Campus at 5:40pm, a total of 12 hours travel time (including a short lunch and a few pit stops).

Once we got here, we got in touch with our Community Coordinators and got our keys. Our place is pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. We are in a 341 square foot studio apartment (aka 1 room with a kitchen area + bathroom). If you want to see a floor plan, please just email me a quick note, and I would be happy to send you the link. I don't want to post it here as it gives our exact address.

For moving our stuff in, it was still raining, but a number of people from our building came and helped us move stuff. We are on the 5th (top) floor, and very very fortunately we have a large elevator to ride up and down in. After about 2 hours we had everything in. We tried to return our U-Haul that night for after-hours drop off, but there was no where to drop it off! Frustrated, hungry and tired we came back to our room, ate a couple tangerines that our coordinator had given us, and crashed on our mattresses.

Yesterday morning we got up and went to drop the U-Haul off. This is where being nice and patient really pays off. Because of our detour, we racked up an additional 240 miles at $0.40 per mile, we were looking at another $100. The customer service rep pointed this out, and I said (Yeah, well you know, the grapevine was closed so we had to go the long route." She said she had seen the news and would make a phone call to try and help us out. We had to wait quite a while for her to help other customers (she was really busy) but in the end, she was able to get authorization to waive the fee!!!! We were so happy about this, and didn't even ask for it! After this we went to Ralphs for some much needed groceries. We spent the rest of the day unpacking, and ended up getting a lot done.

We are going to go to the 99 Cent store and Ikea today as well as continue to unpack and clean. I decided to see if there were any open wireless connections this morning, and since you can read this post, I was able to find one! It's pretty weak, but working. I am thinking a woktenna might be in our future (if you don't know what that is, I will explain later).

We love our little apartment and Fuller. We are in a new and pretty building, and everyone is REALLY nice. As I was walking in our parking garage (located under our building), heard someone whistling, but couldn't see them. They were whistling "Amazing Grace". How cool is that?

Saying Goodbye

2008-01-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Two days ago it hit me that we would be leaving Davis in a week. It has not been easy this past week saying good bye to friends and family. I know I will see all of them again, but the fact that we are 6 hours away, just makes me sad that we won't have the easy access to each other that we have had in the past. Today was also my last day at Outdoor Kids. That place has been good to me and good for me. I am going to miss all my wonderful co-workers. On top of that, the fact of moving to a new city, where I have to make new friends, find a new job, and get acclimated to SoCal life makes me a little nervous. I just have to trust that God has everything under control; I have no need to worry.

I know the new community we are walking into at Fuller will be great. We are already in contact with our Community Coordinators (like RAs) and they are going to try and recruit some people to help us move in to our apartment. How cool is that?

Almost all the boxes are packed, the U-Haul is rented, we've had to say a number of good byes. Is it really that time?

Some Stats

2008-01-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

For you number minded folk, here are some numbers to describe our trip:

# of States: 33 + Canada, 34 if you count Iowa (we were in it for about 10 minutes)

Budget:
Goal: $5,000 (excluding gear and clothing we had/purchased before)
Actual: Approx. $5,575
Breakdown:
-Gas: $1,093
-Lodging: $1,468
-Food + Everything else: $2,814
-Cash in our Pockets: $200

There are many reasons why our trip was so affordable.
1. We have so many friends and family across this country, that we were able to stay and eat with them most of the time. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. We are frugal people.
3. We camped and cooked our own food as much as possible.
4. We had a AAA membership and a National Parks Pass (Thanks G&G Irion!).
5. Sometimes we would go somewhere and plan to see some attraction, but once we got there we would decide that it was not worth the money. We had no regrets when we did this.

# of Nights:
-With Family/Friends (ie free): 65
-Camping (ie roughin it): 33
-Motel/Hostel/KOA Kabin (ie heat and bed): 17
Total Nights: 115

Reflections on the Trip

2008-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

It has been 4 weeks since we disembarked from our road trip, and it has seemed almost too easy readjusting to "real life." When we got back to Davis, I immediately jumped back into work at Outdoor Kids. The full time work gave me the structure I was desperately craving, and it was good to work and reconnect with co-workers. I am not doing the same job as I was before I left, but instead I am helping in the office at our warehouse, primarily supporting the online business. I have really been enjoying the job, and since I do not have as many responsibilities as I did before, much of the pressure is relieved. Jathan also jumped right back into his previous routine, doing a lot of theology research and discussion. Although he is not in a formal work setting, I often feel like he puts in a lot more time and energy into his work than I do in mine.

Initially, our routine was great. It felt so good to connect with people, sleep in our own bed at night, do the things we had missed. But only a week or so of this, and we realized what we had lost by no longer traveling. For the past 3.5 months, Jathan and I spent nearly every minute together. Even if we weren't talking, or doing our own thing, we were always in close proximity. Now, I go to work (even if it's 3 hours) and Jathan goes off and does his stuff. We don't see each other now until the afternoon or evening. While this is completely normal for most people, and for us before the trip, we had gotten so used to being near each other and having random conversations all the time. Before the trip, we were purposeful about our time spent together, but on the trip this was not necessary, as all our time was together. After 1 week of not being stuck in a car together, we realized the need for purposeful time together. People ask if we got sick of each other. For the most part, no. Looking back on it, we really miss all that time we got to spend with each other, every day.

I think we miss the time together, and seeing something new everyday the most. We don't miss always being on the road or setting up our tent every night (although we really don't mind setting up the tent) or cooking on a camp stove every day.

Some wonderful results of this trip:
-Everytime we think of a state, or one is mentioned on TV (or something like that) we think of what we drove through and all the wonderful sights we saw. We will also think of people we met in those states or our friends and/or family living there.
-We each got to know the other's extended family in a deeper way. We were privileged to get to know each other's aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents and spend time with them. This is SO hard to do when everyone is scattered across this great nation. I know of people who have cousins they have never met, or relatives that they've just found out about. We are so glad to not know what this feels like!
-We have a new found appreciation and love for KOAs. Before this trip I was prejudiced against KOAs. I think my background of being around lots of "hard core" outdoors people who backpack all the time and have a strong dislike for RVs. My thought was that the KOAs were just paved RV parks, not very clean, and not as cool as the public campgrounds. My plan was to use these primarily in big cities where there were no campgrounds. Boy, we were wrong. KOAs are made for people on the road. The slogan of KOAs are "Great People. Great Camping." Both true. Most of the people we encountered were so stinkin' friendly. Most of the time the people behind the counter are the owners, and want to help you to have a great time camping and seeing the surroundings. While there is a big RV focus, they all have tent sites, warm showers (no feeding quarters), laundry facilities. Others had additional amenities such as free breakfast, a computer terminal, dish washing stations and more! They were always clean, and most of the time, they were in beautiful locations. We highly recommend them.

Do you have any questions about our road trip that I have not thought of?

Besides work and the normal stuff, we enjoyed 2.5 weeks of visiting with my grandparents as they flew out to California for Christmas. We had a wonderful visit with them, and I was able to work part time for the entirety of their stay. We also enjoyed Christmas with all of our parents (at different times). So what's next for us? Well, we are moving to Pasadena in 2 weeks. Jathan has been accepted into the Masters in Theology program at Fuller Theological Seminary (http://fuller.edu). He doesn't start there until the end of March, but our student housing begins on January 17th. We will be moving down there shortly after our lease starts and I have already begun my job search. If you have any suggestions or leads for jobs in the Pasadena area- let me know! I would greatly appreciate it. :)

So that's where we're at. We will definitely be keeping this blog up as we travel to Pasadena and "travel" through life. Feel free to keep checking back even if we aren't on the road (and leave comments!). Thank you to everyone who sent us an email or left a comment on our blog, it was wonderful to know who was traveling with us and to keep in touch with you!

Last Pics

2007-12-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here are the last few pics we took of this trip. They include...

Dan and Krystle Brown's cat, Hero. Cute little fella.

San Luis Obispo, where Jathan's step-sister Carly is in college. Hiked to the top of Bishop Peak.

Back in our driveway. Woot!

http://travellingschmidts.shutterfly.com/

Back Home

2007-12-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday afternoon we made it back home after a full week of visiting our family in Santa Cruz and the East Bay. In Santa Cruz we had fun with Mary hanging out, seeing UCSC and adventuring to see the Bigfoot Museum. We left on Sunday for Pleasanton where we saw Jathan's mom and step-dad. We had a great time relaxing and winding down from our trip as well as doing some Christmas shopping. On Monday night I went with Loretta and some of the neighbor women on their street to see a female comedian at a church in Livermore. There was a catered dinner and all the tables were decorated in holiday themes. It was quite fun. :) Then on Wednesday we went to San Ramon to visit Jathan's dad and step-mom and their two kids. There too we hung out and did some shopping. We also finished HP#6 and are currently in the final episode of the Harry Potter series. On Saturday afternoon we came back into Davis. It was wierd driving into town after being gone so long. Our first stop was the grocery store (to pick up some things for an event we were going to) and we already noticed changes. Restaurants and businesses change frequently in Davis, so we are still learning what has departed and what is new. All in all though, it is really good to be back. We like being back in our comfy bed, under the warm covers. We appreciate the variety of clothes we now have access to, and we are readjusting to new habits and routines. I got a job back at Outdoor Kids for the holidays picking and packing for orders. Given as I have to be there in 30 minutes, I'd better get to it, but this is not the end of our updates. I still have reflections to write, so there will be more. :)

6 Hosts in 7 Days

2007-12-01T11:38:00.001-08:00

In the past week, we have stayed with 6 hosts! Thank you SO much to EVERYONE! After Pasadena, we headed up to Lancaster to visit Kimberly and Brandon. We ate some yummy Mexican food for dinner and hung out at their home. It was a nice relaxing time! The next day we headed on to San Luis Obispo through the mountains. We had a nice scenic view of the mountains in SoCal, and 3.5 hours later we made it to SLO. In between classes we got to hang out with Jathan's sister Carly. Some of our highlights include driving through campus, eating delicious tri-tip sandwiches, hiking up a mountain and eating self-serve yogurt, twice. SLO was a cool town, and we had fun with Carly. Yesterday afternoon we departed continuing up 101 to Santa Cruz. We are having a great time hanging out with my sister. Last night we had Thai food and then hung out at Cheateu Mary, AKA Beachview Inn. Our room is close by, just down the hall and up the stairs. For those of you who have heard the lore of the "Woktenna" (a satellite that Mary made to tap into the Wi-Fi 2 blocks away) it is truly and amazing and awesome contraption and we will post pictures as soon as we take some. I think we fully hate the SC housing situation now, but (if we didn't already) fully love Mary's ingenuity even more.

Fun with Jack!

2007-11-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of us having quality time with little Jack, Elisabeth's cousin.

http://travellingschmidts.shutterfly.com/

Journeying through SoCal

2007-11-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

We left San Diego on Monday to visit our friends Elise and Aaron in Irvine. We had lunch with them at Aaron's school cafeteria, and relaxed in the afternoon, finishing Potter #5. That evening we ate dinner and played some Wii (my first time playing). We had a great time with them, and the next morning we left at 6:30am to make it across LA to Pasadena to meet some folks at 9:30am. Traffic is so bad in LA, that in rush hour it easliy takes double the time it would take anywhere else, usually more. We actually made it across LA in 1 hour, 40 minutes, when without rush hour it would be 1 hour. It will take some getting used to to take at least 5 different highways to get to your destination, but they tell me that you get used to it pretty fast. It helped that we were a carpool, and that we had checked a certain site for the fastest route at exactly the time we were leaving.
When we got to Pasadena, our friends Brad and Jo hooked us up with some of their friends who attend Fuller. They showed us around campus, and answered any questions we had. They were really nice people, and it was great to have some real students showing us around. After that we just drove around the city aimlessly getting used to the area and seeing what was around. We ate some bad Indian food for lunch, but then went over to Brad and Jo's for a bit of relaxation and socializing. In the evening, we went with them to their Young Married Couple Bible study. There were at least 20 people there, which was a bit overwhelming, but it was fun to be around a whole bunch of people our same age and in the same stage of life as us. Everyone was EXTREMELY friendly, and we felt comfortable there. In the evening they had a guest speaker (this was not normal) who talked to them about what they would be doing on a mission trip that the group will be taking in June. It was very fun to see what they will be doing. We even got a formal invitation to come from the pastor, but I don't think we'll go. There is a lot of transitioning going on right now, that it's hard to even think about something like that! Today we will see a bit more of Pasadena, and then visit some more friends this evening. :)

Photos Updated!

2007-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of what you will see in the new album:

-Washington DC

-West Virginia

-Shenandoah National Park

-Jathan's cousin Sophia on Halloween

-Jamestown, VA where excavation is still in progress

-Pic with Elisabeth's Grandmother in Old Salem, NC

-Hula and Sunflower on the dashboard

-Ocean Isle Beach, NC

-Savannah, GA

-New Orleans (beginning w/long bridge over water)

-Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans

-Temple, TX (Elisabeth's birthplace)

-Austin, TX

-San Antonio, TX w/Alamo and Riverwalk

-New Mexico desert

-A streetlight at Roswell, NM

-Painted Desert, AZ

-Grand Canyon (1 pic)

-Bryce Canyon and surrounding area

-Zion NP

-Las Vegas

http://travellingschmidts.shutterfly.com Enjoy!

A Bit More from San Diego

2007-11-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

I know you really did not expect to see 4 long posts within 16 hours, but I have had so much in my mind about the last couple weeks, I had to let it spill all out! I missed some points earlier:

-When we were in New Orleans, we hung out entirely (except for the driving), in the French Quarter. They told us that under no circumstances should we go North of Bourbon street, and even with that, we only went on Bourbon street for one block. We did not like it much, it's just not our scene. We also did not stick around for the night life, even though this is when supposedly the city really comes alive. If you haven't been able to tell by now, we're really more National Park people than bar hopping people.

-When we were leaving Savannah, we found out that somebody tried to open (and was successful in opening) a credit card in my name. Somehow we got the genuine cards forwarded to my house from our old address. Fortunately my mom has been opening all of our mail, so alerted us to this right away. I called the credit card company, canceled the card, and was put in touch with a Identity Theft Victim's Assistance non-profit organization that files an affidavit on your behalf and goes over your credit report with you for any suspicious activity. There was more suspicious activity on the account, but fortunately there was no balance on this credit card opened up in my name. On the application the only info that had correct was: my name, my social security number, and my old address (which wasn't even correct in the end, because I don't live there anymore!). We've done all we can do with this, but it is a little unnerving knowing that someone out there has my social security number. I don't know how they could have gotten it with me being so careful with numbers like this, but I guess it's just a lesson that if someone really wants that information, they can find it.

-Last night we picked up dinner from Islands, a West Coast (mainly CA) hamburger restaurant. Soooo good! It was Jathan's first time eating an Islands burger, and I think he fell in love.

-Driving from NM to Grand Canyon, we drove through the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert. These were awesome sights to see- so beautiful. It was also amazing to think that petrified wood was once wood and now it's stone.

Arizona and SoCal

2007-11-25T21:14:00.001-08:00

Please note that I have posted 2 other times today, so read those posts first! You will find them below called "Backtracking a bit" and "Backtracking Part 2".

After Thanksgiving dinner, we waddled back to our KOA cabin and caught up with family on the phone and read some Potter. The next day we took the drive by tour of the Grand Canyon, getting out a couple times to take in the awe of the canyon. We really didn't spend a lot of time there because we had been there before, and it was a bit cold. We decided to forgo hiking this time, and knew we would take in some hikes at our next destination. We then left the canyon and drove through upper Arizona through the dilapidated areas of some Native American reservations. The desert drive was dry, and there was not much to see, but when we hit red rock country in upper Arizona and lower Utah, it was simply gorgeous. The Recreation area up there and the Grand Escalante Monument are amazing. We made our way up to Bryce Canyon, where we found a motel room for the night in the neighboring town of Tropic, UT. At an elevation of 8,000+ feet, we definitely knew what people were warning us about of the south being cold. Unlike the deep south where we were warm, we just could not camp again. Call us wimps if you want, but after discovering our limits in Shenandoah National Park, we just could not bring ourselves to camp when the temps drop below 30 (they had been constantly below 30 since the KOA in New Mexico). We ate in the adjoining restaurant for dinner and had an enjoyable evening. We were really tired (especially Jathan) from driving all day, so we went back to the room (or rather ran there because it was so cold) and retired for the evening. The next day we saw the spectacular Bryce Canyon National Park. We toured the overlooks and saw magnificent vistas of Southern Utah and the cool Hoodoos (rock formations). We took a hike through the Hoodoos on the Navajo Loop Trail (only 1.3 miles) and then ventured out of the park and on to Zion National Park. ***Now I should mention that we only went to Bryce yesterday!!!**** At Zion we did the drive by tour, gazing up at the magnificent canyon from the bottom. We stopped at the end of the scenic drive for a bit and Jathan got some pictures, but since it was Saturday and a holiday weekend, the park was super busy, and we really didn't feel like hiking in the park. After consulting with the park office that it was again going to be cold at night, we headed on out of the park and toward San Diego, CA. On our drive out of Utah and into Nevada, we stopped at Denny's just outside of Las Vegas for dinner. Once darkness started to fall, we drove down The Strip to see the lights of Las Vegas. Jathan and I really are not into the scene of night life, gambling, etc, so driving through was all we wanted to do. The lights were really cool, and it was fun to just drive through it all. As we drove out of Las Vegas in the dark, we were not sure where we were going to sleep that night. I thought there was going to be a lot more optional lodging than there actually was, so when we reached the tiny pit stop of Baker, we thought there had to be something. After not seeing something, we almost left the town, but noticed that traffic was starting to heavily back up. We turned around for Jathan to get some coffee, but were blessed when we saw the motel next to the Big Boy hamburger stand called the "Bun Boy Motel". We had to laugh at the name. We were a bit apprehensive of the motel at first because it looked a bit run down, but it turned out to be okay. We got some sleep, and the next morning, me not being on California time yet, I woke up at 5:00am (I had been waking up at 6am in MST). We hit the road around 8:00am and headed for San Diego. With traffic and numerous stops, we made it to Dan and Krystle's place in San Diego around 1:30pm. This afternoon we went to downtown La Jolla and walked along the ocean. We saw seals and sea lions basking on the beach. We then went to the Gaslight district of downtown San Diego and walked around a bit. We then got some Island Burgers and chilled back at their place. Now Jathan and Dan are playing Halo3 which they are enjoying very much. This is why I have gotten to write so much this evening (in case you were wondering).

So..... it's kind of hard to admit, but our road trip will be over in just over 1 week. Because we had to cut out a bunch of stuff, and because we were already ahead of schedule, our trip is closing out a lot faster than we originally thought it would. I am ready to be home, but it is hard to believe that it is almost over. I spent so much time planning out this trip and envisioning what this trip would look like, that it is hard to believe that we have seen (almost) all of it and that we are heading home. If we continued in the driving pattern that we have been doing over the past 2 weeks, we could be in Davis tomorrow, but we are going to take our time and see a bunch of friends and family along the way back up. Unfortunately we can't see everyone as long as we want to, but we will be coming back down to the area sometime in the next couple months as we prepare to move to Pasadena.

Backtracking Part 2

2007-11-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

If you have not read the post called "Backtracking a bit" please read it first before reading this!

Louisiana
We spent most of our time in New Orleans, and to get there from Mississippi, we crossed the large lake over some long bridges. We made our first stop the New Orleans KOA where we set up camp, took some much needed showers, and signed up for the free shuttle that the camp runs for the next day. The camp itself was not much to mention- it was basically just an RV park- our campsite was behind the bathrooms. But, what it lacked for in looks, made up for in service. The shuttle to and from the city was awesome. It turns out we were staying about 30 minutes outside the heart of NOLA, but this gave our driver an opportunity to tell us the history of NO and show us through the Garden district (an area I thought we would not be able to see). She dropped us off and gave us recommendations for food and showed us where public restrooms were. Once in the french quarter, we started our day by eating Beniets (fried dough covered with powdered sugar) and sipping coffee and hot chocolate in Cafe du Monde (this was Jathan's favorite part of NO). We then went on to explore the French Quarter, taking in the architecture and music wherever we went. We ate lunch at the Gumbo Shop where we feasted on tasty gumbo and drinks. We moseyed through art galleries and in the afternoon even got to take in a jazz concert at the Jazz National Park. Around 5:30 our shuttler picked us up, and (as we were the only ones on the shuttle bus) took us to see some of the cemeteries I had asked about. He drove us around showing us all kinds of things we could have never asked to see. He gave us so much information- it was wonderful. That shuttle totally made our stay at the NO KOA wonderful. It was so informative, and it was free! The next day we headed out of the NO area and saw the Oak Alley Plantation. Here we got to tour the house and grounds and sampled the traditional Mint Julep. Turns out I don't really like Mint Juleps, but I'm glad I got to try it! After our visit to the plantation, we drove past some very economically depressed areas. It showed us just how economically poor many areas of the deep south are. As we left LA, we entered...

Texas
We made our way to the Houston East/Baytown KOA for the night, but when we arrived there, realized that it had been bought out by a private owner. The RV park was not quite up to par as a KOA, but it was okay. That night I discovered that our tired had worn down a lot (almost balding) and we knew we needed to take the car in to the shop the next day. That night it rained the entire night, and I like to think that the lull of the freeway only 400 feet away helped to lull us to sleep.

****I just remembered something about camping in South Carolina-- it was so close to the beach that we enjoyed falling to sleep to the sound of crashing waves. :)******

The next morning we took the car to the Sears Automotive center (which was thankfully open on Sunday) and got a couple new tires and a realignment. There were still some questions left unanswered, so we called Jathan's step-dad Tom, who got us in touch with his Uncle Don's son-in-law Dan, who is a mechanic in San Antonio (where we were driving to at the time). He answered our questions on the phone, and we were good to go! Before we hit San Antonio though, we drove up to my birthplace of Temple, TX. There we got to see the hospital where I was born and the Catholic church where I was baptized. We didn't have a map, so we couldn't find the house where we lived, but that was okay, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. We drove on to Austin where we just drove through the city. It was early in the morning, so really only business people were out, but it seemed like a nice city. Then it was onto San Antonio.
San Antonio was easy to get around because it wasn't crowded, and the streets were easy to navigate. We visited The Alamo and enjoyed walking and dining on the Riverwalk (a river the winds below the street level with walking paths and restaurants. We got to eat some Tex-Mex food (yummy) right on the river. This was a relaxing time for us, which was nice. :). While in Texas we also got to sample the local burger joint, Whataburger (which Jathan just loved and I liked) and on our way out of Texas the next day we got to get some Texas BBQ. Having seen a special on the Food Network just a couple days before about BBQ, I was apt to explain the differences in BBQ based on the region (North Carolina vs Texas vs Memphis vs Kansas City). Quick overview:
Texas- Beef brisket (sliced or chopped) with bbq sauce
NC- Pork (sliced or chopped) with thin/watery sauce
Memphis- Ribs
KC- Ribs w/bbq sauce (think KC Masterpiece)
I can't really remember the exact difference between KC and Memphis.
We both really liked our Texas BBQ and Jathan had to admit that he liked it better than NC BBQ, but I don't know if I can agree with that.

In Texas we noticed a change in landscape. We started in hills very much like Louisiana, but as we crossed the state the landscape got drier and more desert like. It was also still warm in the areas we were in. Although it was warm, we did learn on the news (the same night I learned about the BBQ that a cold front would be moving into lower Colorado/ upper New Mexico in a couple days-- just the area we were heading for! We had to make some quick decisions, and made the tough decision to forgo Santa Fe, Mesa Verde National Park and Arches National Park due to snow coming into the area. We were really looking forward to seeing these places, but we figure, we're only 23, we need to save something for the rest of our lives. ;) We still continued on to

New Mexico
In the Southeast corner of NM you will find Carlsbad Caverns National Park which was utterly amazing. This was one of Jathan's favorites on the entire trip. The caverns, unlike other caves formed by rivers, was formed by huge sulfuric acid baths. The cavern's largest room is about 14 football fields long, and at it's tallest point is over 200 feet tall. It was amazing and you should check it out at the National Park website. One interesting thing we discovered about the area is that it really had it's heyday in the 70s, and the town and park still show it. The "resort" of White's City consists of a gas station (the only modern structure) and a couple inns and a restaurant and an RV park. This is the entire town. And it is falling apart. Additionally, there is an elevator going into the caverns and the leftovers of a restaurant that was set up in the caverns from a past era. The design of the underground restaurants looks like it belongs in a different time period, and it is really not utilized much now. If the caverns had been found today, you could be assured that you would not find an elevator or this snack bar. That night we stayed in the RV park and saw much wildlife- skunks, deer, raccoons and more! We also experienced sever winds which left us both with not much sleep (I woke up to find our little tent wrapping around Jathan due to powerful winds). We finally had enough at 5:30am and just decided to get up and hang out in the 24hour lobby of the resort.
We left Carlsbad Caverns and drove through Roswell (the street lights had alien eyes on them) and up to a KOA west of Albuquerque. This KOA was wonderful- offering us fresh baked cookies upon check in and a continental breakfast the next morning. We stayed in a Kabin that night (which has a queen bed, bunk beds, a small fold-down table and heat and AC) due to the 20 degree temps expected for that night. It was VERY COLD that night! We were so glad to be in a warm cabin, and were happy and content when we woke up the next morning and realized it was Thanksgiving! We watched a bit of the parade while eating our free breakfast and then hit the road. When we made it to Williams, AZ (gateway city to the Grand Canyon) we got another Kabin at the local KOA and found a restaurant to eat our Thanksgiving dinner. We found a buffet which offered some DELICIOUS food! It had some of the juiciest turkey I have had in a long time! It was just Jathan and I, as we have no family or friends in the area, but it was just fine. :)

...to be continued!

Backtracking a bit...

2007-11-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Our last 2 posts have been severely rushed, so I have to go back a bit and fill some holes in.....

North Carolina

In the time that we stayed in Winston-Salem, we also got to visit my Uncle Pat, Aunt Cyndi and cousin Jack in Greensboro (30 min away). We had a lot of fun playing with Jack and feeding the ducks, and had a great time hanging out with Pat and Cyndi too. We got to see the cool digs of Pat's business and downtown Greensboro. When we left family, we headed through North Carolina and made a stop in Ocean Isle Beach, the site of former O'Neil family reunions. We dipped our toes in the water and sand, and Jathan got to see what expansive NC beaches look like. He was impressed by the number of shells and how huge the sandy beaches are. From there we drove on to...

South Carolina

Down the coast we drove, through the beach towns of North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach. Putt-putt courses and tacky tourist shops line the streets, making these towns some of the weirdest we've seen. We did stop in a bookstore and pick up installment #5 of Harry Potter to continue our adventures at Hogwarts. For the night we stayed at Huntington State Beach, a state park and campground only minutes from the water. We spent some time on the beach that night, singing Christmas carols (Jathan just could not wait for Christmas) and hymns. We drove on through Charleston, but decided not to stop in favor of heading on further to....

Georgia

We drove into Georgia and found our way to Savannah. The quintessential southern city, Savannah boasts a nice water front, and MANY city square parks. I think I expected more "southern cuteness" from the city than we actually saw, as much of the city is under construction. We did eat at butter lady Paula Deen's restaurant "Lady and Sons", where we dined on a buffet of southern foods. Fried chicken, black eyed peas, and mashed potatoes were just a few of the tasty foods we got to eat. The next day we left our motel and drove across the state and also through....

Alabama

We originally planned to visit Montgomery, but as I did not have much information on the city, and we were eager to move on, we decided to forgo the city. Instead, we continued on south, spending the night in teeny-tiny Atmore, AL, where they have a state park. There were only 2 or 3 other folks at the entire park, so we had a quiet night until a thunderstorm woke us up in the middle of the night. Fortunately it moved on after just 15 minutes. Now, I must interject here, that people had warned us that we were going to be facing some cold weather, travelling this late in the year. This was not the case in any of the states we had been to. We had warm temps throughout the deep south. But back to Atmore, AL. The next morning, I awoke early (as is my usual habit) and got up to get ready for the day. On my way back from the bathroom, a man from one of the 3 camping parties struck up a conversation about some deer he had seen. Next thing I know, I am having a great conversation with Denise and Carl about all sorts of stuff. Denise and Carl are probably in their 60s, and were on their way to a bluegrass festival. They were probably the nicest strangers I have met on this trip, giving me a tour of their streamline trailer, and giving us coffee and breakfast bars. They even honked and waved at us as they pulled out of the campground! That same day we continued on our journey and had a quick lunch stop in...

Mississippi

While we didn't stay long, we stayed long enough for this state to leave an impression on us. We had a great lunch at Chick-fil-a (great service, clean, new and good food) but the drive was less than scenic. Every 20 feet there is a billboard so you are bombarded with advertisements for miles. Not fun. We did not like this. But we pushed onward to

Louisiana

.... to be continued!!!

The South

2007-11-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

I have about 5 minutes to sum up the last week, which will not give this last week justice!! I will have to explain everything more thoroughly next time.

-Left last Monday from Winston-Salem, touched our feet in the sand and water at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Drove further down the coast through Myrtle Beach (weirdest and tackiest town in America) and stayed the night at Huntington Beach State Park.
-Down to Savannah, GA (1 night) next, then through Montgomery, AL (decided not to stop), spent the night in Atmore AL and then onto New Orleans.
-After a night in NOLA drove onto Houston where we discovered heavy wear on our tires- took the car in, got new tires and realignment.
-Saw my birth town of Temple, TX including the hospital where I was born and the church I was baptized in (no, mom I couldn't find the house)
-Drove through Austin and into San Antonio. We are in the SA library and have enjoyed SA a lot- clean, safe, warm and enjoyable.
-We're now on to Carlsbad Caverns and we don't know after that because we hear there will be snow where we are thinking of going.

Right now we are ahead of schedule, and for all you So Cal people, we want to see you, but our schedule is ever changing that we cannot give exact dates of when we will be there. We figure, if we can't see you on this trip, we will surely be making another trip down in the next couple months as we prepare to move there, and we can see you then. As for when we get back to Davis- we've always been aiming for the 2nd week in December, and it will either be then or earlier. We can't wait to see you all!

Leaving North Carolina

2007-11-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

Today we are leaving North Carolina, and we are sad to go, yet excited for new adventures. We have had a wonderful time in Winston-Salem shopping (we now have practically new wardrobes), eating (K&W, North Carolina BBQ and more), walking around Salem Lake with Grandpa and just hanging out.

Last night my grandparent's Sunday night group (they meet one Sunday per month) had a Dio de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration which was very cool. My grandmother prepared a yummy dinner, we had fun/interesting decorations and prayer. It was good.

Today we are heading south toward Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. Where we will end up exactly is unknown at this point; it will surely be an adventure. :)

3 Pics from Indiana

2007-11-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken with Janna's camera (that's Jathan's cousin). Janna, sorry these weren't up sooner. :-0

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Shenandoah National Park

2007-11-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Jathan and I had a great time in Shenandoah National Park. We spent 3 nights camping in the park, all of which were cold! The lows were in the high 20s-low 30s at night, and during the day we mostly experienced weather in the 50s. As Jathan puts it, when we were outside of the tent or car we were hiking or cooking dinner/eating. We did a lot of Harry Potter reading (we finished book 4 a couple days ago) and trying to keep warm. The hikes we did get to do were nice. One was to a waterfall, and the other led to a beautiful outlook which we got to via the Appalachian Trail. The fall colors were beautiful, and they pretty much turned from orange and yellow to brown on our last day. On our 4th night, we decided we had had enough cold and wanted a warm shower, so we checked into a motel at the northern tip of Shenandoah in the town of Front Royal. It was nice to get clean, stay warm, and eat pizza.

On Halloween we headed back to Rockville, MD where we got to visit with Jathan's Aunt Tu and Aunt Nga and their small children. Since it was Halloween, the little ones (toddler and 10 months) were dressed up as a cute little bunny and a little puppy. We took them to the mall (and Jathan's grandparents came too) and walked around a bit, and then had a wonderful dinner at Magiannos. We had a very kooky waitress when we were there, but the food was soooo delicious!

On Thursday we headed down to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. We stayed in a KOA Kabin for the night because they were having a special deal, that it only cost $10 more to stay in a cabin than camp. We ended up not "experiencing" Colonial Williamsburg, because they ticket prices were more than we wanted to pay, but we did walk around the town to get a feel for it. On Friday morning we went to Jamestown (which is a National Park) and it was great. They have an actual, open excavation site with archaeologists working, and every week there is something different. It was very educational, and they have a nice visitor's center and museum. Later that day we headed down to Chapel Hill, where we visited my dad's 2 brothers, my Uncle Armin and Uncle Erich and their families. We stayed with my Uncle Armin's family (Aunt Amanda and cousins Anna, Ahren, Alex and Gelly) on their farm where they have a beautiful house, horses, a pond, and woods. We had a great time just enjoying the scenery and mostly hanging out with everyone. On Saturday night we had a big family dinner where Uncle Erich, Aunt Marya, Kai and Linnea came over. We had an awesome time singing sounds, and being entertained by the interpretive dances of Ahren and Alex. We were laughing so hard that tears came from our eyes and muscles that we didn't know we had hurt from laughing so hard. Fortunately 1/2 of the dance was recorded, and I will post a link when I get it.... it was hilarious. I think though, if you aren't a Lieth or don't know my cousins, you might just think it's weird, but trust me, you too wouldn't have been busting up if you were there!

We left on Sunday and came into Winston-Salem where we are now with my grandparents. Today we visited Old Salem (like Colonial Williamsburg but cheaper and just as nice), saw the downtown area, and just drove around a bit. Tonight Jathan and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. That felt good to get out and get our blood moving a bit. We don't have a whole lot planned for the rest of the week, but nevertheless, we'll still have fun!

Blenko Glass Factory

2007-10-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Today ends our West Virginia adventures :(, but we are looking forward to camping for 3-4 nights in Shenandoah National Park. Some of our highlights in WV have been relaxing, reading, hanging out with family, and going to the Blenko glass factory (http://www.blenkoglass.com). At the glass factory we got to see demonstrations of blowing glass and shaping it into vases. It was pretty interesting!

On a different note, we have been thinking about Christmas, and for those who were wondering, we will officially be in California for the entire Christmas break. We are still trying to work out details of where we will be and when, but it definitely will be in Davis or the Bay Area.

More Hawaii Pics

2007-10-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

These are from Jathan's parents' camera. Some really good sunset ones taken by Carly. For those of you who don't know everybody in the pics, there are Jathan's brother Zach, his sister Carly, his mom Loretta, and his step-dad Tom. Oh yeah, and there's us.

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DC and West Virginia

2007-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jathan and I had a wonderful stay in Maryland. We spent Wednesday-Saturday with my Uncle Allen, Aunt Carol and cousin Hillary. Somewhere (I think just before Philly) I caught a cold which Jathan caught shortly after me. The timing was perfect because we were able to just relax and have complete access to cold medicine and tissues. :) We had a great time just hanging out. We really didn't do any sight seeing, but we did take the time to clean up some of our messy camping gear, read and watch some movies. On Saturday we drove about 1 hour south to Jathan's Aunt Tu and Uncle Michael (and baby Sophia). We stayed there as our home base and did some sightseeing of Washington DC. We saw the Smithsonian (Natural History Museum and American Indian Museum) as well as the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the WW2, Vietnam and Korean memorials. We also went to the Holocaust museum which was very hard, but very good. On Sunday evening we went out to dinner with Jathan's grandparents and Michael's parents (they were in town visiting as well). Then, on Monday evening we got to meet up with my friend from high school, Maureen. She took us to experience the East Coast equivalent to In-N-Out, Five Guys. We had a good time visiting and eating burgers. Overall, we had a good time in DC, but since Jathan and I had both been there before, it wasn't quite as exciting as Chicago or New York or Boston.

On Tuesday we left the DC area and headed into West Virginia, first making a stop at West Virginia University to see 2 of my cousins, Stephen and Alex. We had a good time catching up and finding out what college life is like at WVU. After that we moseyed on down to my Uncle Mike, Aunt Barbara and cousin Andrew's house, where we are now. It is raining, so the outlook of spending quality time outside is not looking to good. When we were driving to WV and then through WV, the trees were absolutely gorgeous. We had not seen colors like this, even in New York and New England. Those colors were pretty, but these are spectacular! Maybe we just hit New England too early, I don't know. We plan on just chilling here for a few days before heading over to Shenandoah National Park.

More NYC Pics

2007-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

And a couple pics of Princeton University, NJ.

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New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland

2007-10-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

New York was intense! We really didn't get much more rain after the downpours on Thursday, which gave us wonderful days of sightseeing. On Friday, we went to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, and Little Italy. When at Rock Center in the morning we saw them filming part of the Today show (which I got a little bit more excited about than expected). In the afternoon, we went back to Rock Center and ate at the Rockefeller Center Cafe which overlooks the ice skating rink in the middle of the plaza. It had been a long day of sightseeing, and we decided to splurge on dinner there. We got prime seats that were right next to the window that overlooked the skating rink. We ordered some drinks and just watched the skaters on the ice and watched as the sun started to go down, and the sculpture in the rink started to light up. Our dinner was delayed (which we didn't mind because we got there early and we enjoyed resting) so the manager came out and apologized for our delayed dinner (kitchen was backed up) and told us desserts were on the house. So we took our time eating and had delicious desserts (New York cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake). It was my favorite part of New York.

On Saturday we finished the day by going to the top of the Empire State building, eating lunch in Little Italy, walking through Central Park and spending the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We left on Sunday ready for a slower lifestyle in the comfort of our own car. :) We left the big city for a smaller city-- Princeton, New Jersey. There we explored Princeton University which was absolutely gorgeous. It was by far the best campus we've visited on our trip. We also saw the neighboring Princeton Theological Seminary which was also nice. In the evening we met up with my friend Shannon and had a great time eating Indian food and hanging out. :) We enjoyed our stay in a newly renovated motel which was more comfortable than our hostel experience.

We left Princeton on Monday for Philadelphia where we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We also ate some Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, which we did enjoy. We left Philly the same day for Gettysburg. We got in late to the Gettysburg KOA, and took our time the next day cleaning up our stuff and touring the battlefield. Today we drove to Maryland where we are visiting my relatives until Saturday. It is nice to be in a home again, and we had a delicious home-cooked dinner which our mouths and stomachs were very happy about. We're looking forward to relaxing here before sightseeing again in Washington, DC.

Big Apple Pics

2007-10-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

However, the first few are of the coast of Rhode Island.

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Yep, it's Raining

2007-10-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

After a couple nights camping on the Connecticut coast, Jathan and I made our way to NYC. We got in yesterday to the NYC Hostel and really didn't do any sight seeing. We just tried to adjust to New York (it's quite a change from camping) and settle into our Hostel. To check out where we are staying, go to: http://www.hinewyork.org/ If you've stayed at a hostel before, it is definitely a hostel and no hotel, but the price is worth it, and in our circumstances, it is a lot more practical than a motel or hotel in many ways. Unfortunately their coed bunk rooms were all full, but we are right across the hall from each other. You can't really hang out in the rooms anyway- they're really just a place to sleep.

We hit the city early (around 8am) and headed for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We did enjoy that, and since we got their early, the lines were not as horrendous as we expected. All of that (9-3) was rainless or maybe just a few sprinkles. We got back to the mainland and saw Battery Park, Wall Street, Trinity Church and Ground Zero. We then headed for Chinatown, and that was when the rain really started pouring. Trying to find our way around Chinatown in the rain is an experience I will never forget. The NYC Chinatown is SO much bigger than the SF Chinatown!!!! I think that caught us a bit off guard. We finally made our way back to Broadway and walked past many shops looking for food. We finally found Wendy's (not our first choice, but our only choice) and we sat for a bit in our sopping pants, rain coats and shoes for a bite to eat. After some confusion of what subway to get on, we finally found a station, made our necessary connections, and made it back to our Hostel very wet, and very ready for a bit of normalcy.

This trip has given Jathan and I a real perspective on different towns, cities, cultures, ways of life, etc. Before embarking on this trip, we dreamed about where we might live... big city? Rural country? Suburbs? Small town? We were (at least I was) really shying away from the alter 2 simply because this is what I've grown up with my whole life. But this trip has really given us a new perspective. We now really appreciate what we grew up in, and it is evident that these places really helped to shape and mold us to who we are. We have really enjoyed our visits to Chicago and NYC.... but we could never live in the city. Too much bustle, too many people, and you don't know very many of them. It can be so social and so isolating at the same time. And as for the rural.... well, there's just not enough there. We can't find our favorite stores or products or resources that we are used to. Yes, we have conceded that the small town/suburb feel is for us. There's no denying it.

And we are feeling a bit homesick as well. Not overwhelmingly, but we miss our family, friends and the familiarity of Northern California. I know when we cross the border into California at the end of November, we will give a sigh of relief. What keeps us going is the fact that we have so many wonderful friends and family to still see as well as more parts of America. We can't wait for what's still to come!

Seminary Update

2007-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to let you all know that we made the decision to go to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA in Spring 2008. Classes will start in March, and we plan to move down there between February and March. Although the decision was tough, we are very excited about this and are looking forward to life in SoCal!

New England Pics!

2007-10-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

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Cape Cod

2007-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Cape Cod yesterday, and stopped in the shopping town of Hyannis to eat some food and walk around the mall. We decided to see 3:10 to Yuma in the movie theater, which we both really enjoyed. I'm not a big fan of westerns, but when it's got Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, you can guess that it's probably good.

We're camping on the Cape in the town of Sandwich and today we explored the Cape Cod National Seashore and drove through Provincetown. The area is nice, but we feel like it's not as cool as we thought it would be. It makes sense why people rave about it-- it's a great escape from the nearby Boston and New York big cities. But for us who are used to beaches and beach towns in California, it's very similar. The beaches are definitely more relaxing than California beaches, but the water is still cold. Today the water actually reached a season high of 63 degrees!

On a different note for you Harry Potter fans, we started book 4 yesterday. Jathan is loving the books (his first time reading them) and I am loving to read them all over again now that I have finished the series completely once before.

Boston

2007-10-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Currently we are in Boston, enjoying the wonderful history and sights of the city. I am writing from the Boston Public Library where I am now the proud owner of a library card and 60 minutes of Internet time (for today). Today we walked the Freedom Trail which is a red line along the road that links the prominent historical sights in Boston. It is about 3 miles long. When we got to the end of the trail, we took a different path back, passing along the waterfront and the wharfs. We enjoyed a break at Starbucks and continued through downtown. After a good break in Boston Common (a public park) we continued on through Beacon Hill (beautiful houses) and into Coply Square where we are now. In a short while we will meet up with a friend for dinner and bit more viewing of the Coply area.

We are staying in a cheap motel about 30 minutes outside Boston, and braved the morning traffic to a T Station (subway) where we took the red line into the city. We will do the same thing on the way back. Yesterday we visited nearby Concord and Lexington and we don't know what we are going to do tomorrow. Originally we had planned to spend 2 days in the city, but we got here early in the morning, are leaving late, and we have seen pretty much all the sights we wanted to see. The weather has been beautiful and tomorrow should be as well. Maybe we will go visit Cambridge tomorrow, or do something else. We haven't decided yet. Whatever we do, we will take it easy, because today has been exausting!

Portland KOA has a Computer!

2007-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

We just made it into the Portland, Maine KOA, and like the other campgrounds we have stayed at it is not even half full. This is one of the great things about travelling off-season- you really have a lot less crowds. Acadia National Park was beautiful, and we saw lots of the ocean and forest. Acadia has a great transportation system with a free shuttle that takes you around the park and into Bar Harbor. We were dropped off at Sand Beach and took the Ocean Path trail until the end, and got picked up once more and dropped back off at the campground. It was really quite convenient. In Bar Harbor we enjoyed walking around the town and we ate at a small Italian restaurant.

The weather has changed for us, and we have had to bundle up quite a bit more and the temperature is now in the 60s during the day as opposed to the 70s and 80s we've been used to. Although we are chilly at times, it is a nice change. Acadia National Park, where we stayed for 3 nights, did not have showers, so once we got here to the Portland KOA, we took showers right away. We may go into town later this afternoon and see the sights, or we may just hang out. We'll see. Tomorrow we are going to Boston and are staying at a motel for 3 nights which will be a nice luxury. :)

Hope all is well with you!

Quick Update

2007-09-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

We are in Bar Harbor, Maine (Acadia National Park) and it is simply beautiful here and we are doing great. We have been having a great time, and the weather couldn't be better. Yesterday we had some rain, but today is sunny. We have done a lot in the last week. Here are the highlights: Niagara Falls, Rochester, drive across New York, fall colors in the Adirondacks, ferry from NY to VT, Ben and Jerry's factory tour, nice Twin Mountain, NH KOA, more beautiful fall colors, and finally now Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

We did a quick upload of photos to our photo page. We did not delete anything or put any captions. We will fix that later. Check out the photos of Hawaii, Indiana, Niagara Falls, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and into Maine.

Starting the 2nd Leg of the Trip....

2007-09-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry there has not been an update in a while- we went many days without internet or time to update, so here it is! Starting from where I left off…
While we were still in Fremont, MI, we got to visit a water buffalo farm! At first, when I heard that we were going to go to a water buffalo farm, I was skeptical, but it was VERY interesting! It is very much like a regular dairy, but with specific changes for the buffalo. There are only a few other water buffalo farms in the nation- they are a lot more popular in Europe. I wish I could talk more about what the buffalo are like, and what the farm was like, but I just don’t have time. One thing about the animals is that they live more than twice as long as regular cows, so every water buffalo gets a name. They didn’t get to naming all of them yet, so I got to name one. That pretty much made my day. We were petting one out on the farm, and she was so sweet, I decided to call her Rosy. Then at the end of the tour, the farmers decided to call her that. J
After our time in Fremont we drove across the state to our Curell relatives. We had a great time visiting with grandparent, aunts and uncles. We had a great time on the lake on Grandpa’s jet ski, going out for dinner for Zach’s 21st birthday, eating lots of treats, and just having quality time with the family.
Early in the morning on September 9 uncle Matt and Aunt Charla drove us really early in the morning to Detroit for our flight to Maui, Hawaii. Jathan, Zach and I were traveling for more than 12 hours and had to adjust to a 6 hour time difference. Luckily, no one really adjusted to the time change much, so we were going to bed early with Tom, Loretta and Carly on California time. The whole time in Maui was just awesome snorkeling, boogie bording, driving the road to Hana (looooing drive in a rainforest), eating delicious foods, visiting botanical gardens, and more. Both Jathan and my favorites were snorkeling, eating the food and spending quality time with family. We all hadn’t spent that length of time together for a long time. When it was time to go back home (or in our case, Michigan), the rest of the family had a flight at 1:30pm, while ours was later that night at 11:00pm. We all went to the airport together and Jathan and I discovered that we would not be able to check in until 8pm! We killed time reading, talking on the phone and playing UNO. We were glad to finally check into the airport and get some dinner. The flights were pretty bad because we could not sleep well, but we somehow managed.
Matt and Charla picked us up at the airport again, and the first thing I noticed back in Michigan was that fall had come. When we left Michigan it was hot and humid, but when we got back it was cool. Our visit in Michigan was not long, but in that time we had more treats and helped Grandpa put a roof on his fixer-upper cabin by the lake. We left Michigan on Tuesday for Indiana. We spent Tuesday evening through Friday afternoon with Jathan’s Aunt Lorena, Uncle John and cousins Janna and Johnny. We had a great time seeing Johnny play soccer (and score an awesome goal), seeing Janna’s college (Indiana Wesleyan University) and just having a great time hanging out. Now we are in Richmond visiting Jathan’s Aunt Angie, Uncle Tom and cousins Christy, Lesley and Ashley. We have had fun here going to see Johnny play soccer, playing games, having a bonfire, going to church and just having a great time hanging out.
Today we head off into Ohio, New York and the New England area, so we don’t know how often we’ll be able to update the blog. We won’t be with family for a while which has been our main source for internet access. Hopefully we’ll find some libraries along the way that will allow us to use their computers. I wish I could elaborate so much more on everything we have done, but we have to hit the road. We hope all is well with you!!!

Pics of Chicago

2007-09-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

(and a few birthday ones)

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Jathan turns 23!

2007-09-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Jathan's 23rd birthday! We celebrated by having doughnuts in the morning (Doughnut Day), opening presents in the early afternoon, and taking a nice drive along the Michigan coast. Michigan has so many trees it is unbelievable! I thought I had been to places with many trees, but here you can just drive and drive and not see anything but trees. And as for Lake Michigan, it is like seeing the ocean, except smaller waves. You can't see to the other side of the lake, so it seems like the water just keeps going and going.... For dinner we went out to a restaurant in a town about an hour away. In a short while we are going to have birthday cake.

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Packing for our trip was a task that we took seriously. With such a small car, and with being gone for such a long time, we really needed to make wise decisions about what to bring. I took several factors into account.
#1- We will be camping and backpacking on this trip. While you can use everything on a backpacking trip while camping, there are a few car camping items that just make things a bit more comfortable that we wouldn't take backpacking. All of these items needed to be considered.
#2- We will be going through a couple seasons. We started in 100 degree temps in CA, but knew that fall would kick in while we were in the Midwest. We needed to be prepared for all sorts of weather.
#3- We might do activities or go places that require nicer clothes, where dirty shorts and t-shirts just won't cut it.

With these things in mind, I consulted multiple packing lists, including our own backpacking and camping lists, other similar lists on the Internet, and some of Rick Steves' packing lists (www.ricksteves.com). Since he lives out of one suitcase for 4 month, I figured he would be a good source to check out. I condensed these lists, we added some items of our own, and this is what we have ended up bringing. I must note that we have used almost everything we have brought, and haven't really needed anything else (so far).

Shelter/Sleeping
-2 person tent (good for backpacking) and ground cloth that fits the tent
-2 Thermarest sleeping pads (Trail lite for those of you who care)
-2 Sleeping bags-- 800 fill down, 15 degree rating
-2 regular pillows
-2 sheets for the hot nights for when a 15 degree bag is not appropriate

Kitchen
-Coleman 2-burner stove and fuel for it
-Some Duraflame logs (they're just so easy)
-Cooler+ice
-Picnic set that has an insulated bag (we just store utensils in it), and 4 of each: plates, plastic cups, forks, spoons, knives)
-Biodegradable soap, sponge, and a couple dish towels
-Matches
-Backpacking pot set (MSR Alpine Guide Cookset) has 3 pots and 3 lids
-2 cloth napkins
-Plastic wash tubs
-Tablecloth
-Trash bags, foil, Ziploc bags
-1 Nalgene and 1 Camelbak each
-2 insulated mugs
-Hot pads
-Water filter and purification tablets
-Swiss Army knife
-Cooking utensils (can opener, serving spoon, sharp knives, etc)
- 2 folding bowls (http://www.orikaso.com/)

I'll get to personal items in my next post. :)

A few Days in Naperville and then into Michigan

2007-09-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

We spent this past Friday and Saturday in Naperville. We had a good time walking in the downtown area of Naperville, walking along the river front and eating lunch at Potbelly's. We got some good exercise and I even got a little sunburn. We hung out with Dave, Patti, Rachel and Mark in the evening, and Rachel and Mark taught me how to play Guitar Hero (video game). It was quite fun, and now I'm disappointed I can't keep playing! Anyone in Davis have it so I can play when we get back? :)

On Saturday we went to Rachel's Cross Country meet. It was fun!! I had never seen a CC meet before, and Rachel did great, running her first race as Varsity (she's just a sophomore!). After that we got a taste of local fast food at Portillos. Our whole trip there was so much fun, we were sad to go, but excited to go onto Michigan! We left after the meet and lunch and drove to see G&G Schmidt and Aunt Rhonda. We got here around 8 and had dinner with the family. We are having a great time hanging out, laughing, and playing games. This morning we got to see Grandpa preach at his church. That was great and fun to see him "doing his thing".

Now that things have slowed down a bit, I'll try to explain a little bit more about our trip... planning, how we decided to go where, how we fit everything into the trunk of our Toyota Corolla, etc. I write about this stuff as I think about it this week.

A lot of people ask me how we decide where to go-- do we just wake up in the morning and figure out where we are going? Or do we have it planned out? How did we decide where we were going to go?
-Basically what I did was I printed out a map of the USA, and plotted little dots where all of our family was located. Then I plotted cities I wanted to see and national parks I wanted to visit. Then, with all that plotted out, it pretty much made a course for us. Mary (my sister) gave me a USA guidebook for Christmas, and over the past year I have been going through it and picking out additional things I wanted to see. During the summer Jathan and I went through the book together and really solidified out a course. Even though I say "solidified" however, our plans are far from solid. We allowed a bit of room for flexibility, and we had really only confirmed the first 6 weeks of our trip. This week, I am making reservations and confirmations for the next 6 weeks or so. As people suggest things, we take them into account and see if it is something we can work in. We have not been able to do everything, but we have learned so much about this country so far, as well as ourselves.

People also ask us how we can afford such a trip:
1. Our parents helped us out in college so that when we left college, we were in good standing financially.
2. Since April we lived with my parents to save money.
3. We have LOTS of family and friends across the nation who generously let us stay with them and then spoil us. Everyone has been so generous and kind-- way more than we ever expected!!
4. We camp in a tent and rarely eat out on our own.
That's basically it.

More Pictures!

2007-08-31T21:57:00.001-07:00

http://travellingschmidts.shutterfly.com/action/

A Day in the Windy City

2007-08-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Jathan and I arrived to Naperville yesterday just before 10am. Even though the drive from Normal was short (2 hours), we were fighting to stay awake because we went to bed late and woke up early. From Naperville, Aunt Patti, Jathan and I took a train into the city. The train ride seemed really quick (even though it was an hour long), and it was neat to see all of the nice outlying suburbs. When we arrived in Chicago, we got out right at the Sears Tower and made our way to the top. The view was spectacular, and the weather was perfect. Just a few clouds in the sky (if any!) and the temperature was in the 70s. I didn't know that the Sears tower was one of the largest in the world. After the tower, we grabbed some lunch at a real local place. Jathan had a Monte Cristo, and I had the Gyro plate. It was tasty! We then walked through the city looking at the architecture of the buildings and soaking in Chicago. We saw Millennium Park, walked up and down the Magnificent Mile, saw 3 churches/cathedrals, and probably more. At the end of the day we took a water taxi on the Chicago river back to the train station. The sun was starting to set at this time, and the sunlight hit the buildings in really cool ways. Jathan and I have decided that this was our favorite big city so far!

Land of Lincoln

2007-08-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Before I get too into our travels, I just want to thank everyone who has left comments, or has told us that they are reading our blog!! It really encourages us, and it's an honor to know that people are actually reading this. On that note, I apologize for not getting an update sooner... the Grandparents have been keeping us busy! But onto the travels...

Pat, Sarah, Jathan and I got to see a bit more of Lincoln before heading out of town last Thursday. We got to see where Pat goes to school (UNL) and we went to a preserve to check out some turkeys, bison, elk and other animals. For lunch we ate at Cracker Barrel, where Sarah works. That was my first time going to Cracker Barrell, and I enjoyed it! I definitely ate some food that was not good for me, but it sure was tasty! After that, we began our 7 hour trip to St. Louis. We had a lot of fun playing games, and just hanging out. One funny thing happened on our trip down. We decided to stop for some soft serve at McDonalds just off the freeway. Sarah asked if she could have some M&Ms on the side for her cone (you know, the ones for the McFlurrys) and when we got to the window to pick up our food, they forgot the M&Ms. We waited for them to come back, and Jathan requested we get our M&Ms. We expected just a small side of M&Ms-- enough for a cone. But she came back with a small drink cup FULL of M&Ms! More than 40 cents worth for sure! We had a good laugh with that, and all enjoyed some M&Ms with our desserts.

We got into St. Louis late that night and stayed with Sarah's cousin's family for the night. Pat and Sarah had a family reunion that Saturday, so we left them on Saturday morning for a bit of sight-seeing on our own. We went to the Arch (awesome, but we didn't go to the top) and saw the museum underneath it. We then walked to the Old Courthouse and through a bit of the downtown area. It was actually quite deserted, but we saw some old buildings and had lunch at TGIFridays (again, a new restaurant for me even though they are in CA). We then went to the St. Louis Zoo. That was awesome! Jathan enjoyed taking so many pictures of the animals because the displays were designed that you could get so close to the animals. Jathan's favorite exhibit was the penguins. They had cold weather penguins, and we were so close to them, that Jathan could've reached up and picked one of them up if he was allowed to. I was pretty exhausted because of the heat (although it wasn't too bad), so Jathan saw a lot more than I did while I sat on benches. Another bonus, was the entrance to the park is free to everyone all the time! You have to pay for special exhibits and activities, but we didn't have any time for those.

That night we stayed in the Granite City KOA (just outside St. Louis in Illinois). It was pretty empty, but good. Traffic was difficult getting there because of construction, but we managed. One thing we decided about St Louis was that they spend all of their money on their fabulous Zoo and Science Center, and none on the roads. Our car kept bumping the road because of potholes, bumps, and general non-maintenance of the roads. The next day we picked up Pat and Sarah at an IHOP and went to do a few more things in St. Louis. We visited Cathedral Basilica (which Jathan loved) and then went to the Science Center. This was again free, and thoroughly enjoyable. There were so many exhibits, and we even decided to pay to go to the Planetarium. There were mixed responses on the Planetarium show, but I enjoyed it. It wasn't as good of a star show as we have seen before, but I liked learning so much about Pluto (which was the focus of the show). After the Science Center we had to drop Sarah and Pat off at the airport so they could go back to Lincoln. We were sad to see them go because they are such good friends and we hadn't seen them in a year! One thing I should point out is that we were all friends with each other before we all got married, so I think that helps us all get along with each other so much better (with all the history, memories, friendships, etc). We miss you guys!

After dropping them off, we headed to the Land of Lincoln where Jathan's Irion grandparents live. They live in Normal, IL (yes it is quite normal) and they have been keeping us so busy! We visited New Salem (reconstructed village where Lincoln spent part of his life) and Springfield. In Springfield we went to a new Lincoln Museum that was just built a few years ago. It was AMAZING! It was not some stuffy museum. It was really state of the art and very interesting. I didn't know history could be so interesting. They had all sorts of shows and displays. If you are ever in Springfield this is a must-see. After all that though, I was pretty lincolnized. We drove by his grave site memorial as well as the Old Capitol building and the New Capitol building.

Other highlights of our stay in Normal include eating delicious food (Grandma's, Avanti's, Gene's, and Steak and Shake and more [all of them my first time]) , playing Pinocle (Grandma and I beat the boys) and hanging out. We also saw their church today as well as the ISU campus. This has been a wonderful stay, we have had so much fun, and we are sad to go. :(

Tomorrow we are heading out early and heading for Chicago. Jathan's Uncle Davis, Aunt Patti and cousins Rachel and mark live in a suburb of Chicago, so we are excited to see them, and see Chicago. Once again, Chicago is another first for me.

PS- One thing I forgot to mention was that all 4 of us in Lincoln fit into our Corolla and drove together. We did end up getting almost all of our stuff in the trunk, and then Pat and Sarah kept their backpacks with them. That just shows you how little we have with us. And we have been just fine with what we have! I will try to post next week a pack list of what we have. :)

Safe and Sound in Lincoln

2007-08-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Nebraska! Jathan and I made it into Lincoln, Nebraska yesterday around 7:30 CST. The trip from Salt Lake City to here was interesting... let me elaborate.

Salt Lake City was, well, to quote Jathan, "...just weird." We didn't really know what to expect, but I think we expected more than there actually was. We spent 2 days in SLC, which really could have been whittled down to one day. We got in early Saturday afternoon, visited the library (per my last post) and hung out at our KOA campsite for the day. The KOA was centrally located in SLC, so we were not far from anything. On Sunday we went to church at First Presbyterian Church. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The message was great and everyone was really nice. We even stayed after and enjoyed some cake with the congregation. After that we walked around the temple and the various Mormon monuments. I have to admit, we didn't care for this that much. Later in the afternoon we went to look at the Great Salt Lake, and went out to dinner at the local mall. We went to a restaurant we had never been to before- Z'tejas. We liked it. :)

We left the next morning for Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive was long and not very exciting, but we loved Colorado. It is such a beautiful state. The park was beautiful, and we stayed there for 2 nights. We took it easy and went on one hike around the meadow where we hiked. We saw all kids of wildlife including Elk, squirrels and butterflies. On Wednesday we left RMNP and headed to Denver. We drove through Boulder on the way there (which we liked) and got into Denver around 9am. We were not expecting to like Denver as much as we did. The city was not as big as we expected ( we were thinking of San Fransisco) and we enjoyed the 16th Street Mall a lot. We spent 2 hours in Denver, and then anxious to see our dear friends Pat and Sarah, we headed out to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Driving to Lincoln we hit a terrible storm. Jathan did a great job driving, but I was so scared. There were times visibility was so low, and there was so much thunder and lightening. We finally got out of it when we approached Lincoln. We hope we never go through one of these storms again. Once we arrived, Sarah had a delicious lasagna prepared, and we got to relax in the evening.

Today Sarah had to work, but before she headed out, the two of us made a doughnut run to LaMars while the guys slept. I finally got to do laundry, and after the rest of us got dressed and ready, Pat, Jathan and I went to a true Nebraska restaurant: Runza. It was like a Wendy's crossed with an In-n-Out. We liked it. After that we ran some errands and went to the State Capitol. After Sarah got off work we went to the Pioneer Park Wilderness Reserve. There we saw Elk, Bison, and lots of plant life. It was actually closed when we got there, so we are going to try to visit it again tomorrow to see more animals. We will post pictures of this on our next post.

Tomorrow we leave with Pat and Sarah together (all in the Corolla) to St. Louis, MO. Pat and Sarah have a family reunion on Saturday and on Sunday we will all hang out together in St Louis. On Sunday evening we will drop Pat and Sarah off at the airport and head to visit Grandma and Grandpa Irion in Illinois.

If you are thinking about doing a road trip or any sort of epic (this is Jathan's word for the trip) trip, do it. You won't regret it, and it will be well worth it. We are having the time of our life!

Want to see pictures? Visit... http://travellingschmidts.shutterfly.com :)

Davis to Salt Lake City

2007-08-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the Salt Lake City Public Library and somehow I have to sum up the last 4 days in 34 minutes. First off, we're doing great! We're both feeling great, we have had no car troubles, and we have been met with nothing but kindness and blessings on our trip!

We left Davis on Wednesday (8/15) at 5:30am from my parent's house, and headed to our first stop --in Davis-- to have breakfast with our friend's Kristen and Mandell. They sent us off with prayers and full stomachs and we were on our way! We drove up I-80 to Reno (hit Reno around 9am) and then connected with US-50 for our trek across Nevada. We really did not stop that much except to each lunch in Fallon, NV (I thought of you Geocachers/rallyers) and stop at various places for gas and a bathroom break. The drive across NV was not as barren as we thought. In fact, it was so beautiful! The mountains were beautiful, and the contrast of wildlife was neat to see. We expected to see a lot more vastness and the stereotypical sandy desert, but it was a lot more diverse than anticipated. The few towns we passed through were tiny, yet clean. I have to say, I have noticed that the stops that seem run-down from the outside (and you expect a bathroom of the same caliber) and actually quite clean and tidy on the inside.

10.5 hours and 3 chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone later we ended up at Great Basin National Park. Nestled in the mountains in the Great Basin, GBNP is full of life and vegetation. We actually got to camp at a beautiful site nestled between 2 creeks! Imagine pulling up to your site, walking across a small wooden bridge across a creek, and arriving at your site to find 2 flat places for a tent, a picnic table and another creek. It was probably the best campsite we have ever been at. The pit toilets were across the creek, and there were no showers.

On Thursday we decided to take it easy and relax in the morning. In the afternoon we went to the visitor's center to jump on a tour of the Lehman Caves. When we got there to sign up for a 90 minute tour, they informed us that the last tour (at 3:00) was full. The lady at the desk however, said she might be able to open a 2:00 private tour (it was 1:30 at the time) if we were interested. She worked things out, and we ended up getting on a tour 1 hour earlier and with only 3 other people! The tour was great not only because of the fabulous cave formations, but because the tour group was so small. The guide actually learned our names and showed us things that normal groups would not be able to see because those groups would just be too large. It was great!!! After the tour we had some snacks in the adjacent cafe, and went back to our site.

Friday morning we got up early and headed out to climb Wheeler Peak, the 2nd highest peak in Nevada. The hike round trip was strenuous and 8.6 miles round trip. We had to start early because of the chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The hike was quite enjoyable, and we had every intention of completing it, but when we got to the top of one hill (we will post pictures later) the climb just looked like too much for what we were up for. We decided to head down from there and enjoy the rest of our day at the camp site (I estimated that we hiked about 6 miles). In the afternoon I finished Harry Potter #7. It was amazing.

And that brings us to today! We left camp around 8:15am (we've been doing really well with going to bed early and getting up early) and left GBNP. We gassed up in the town of Baker and got back on US-50. About 20 minutes into our trip, we passed a sign that said "Mountain Standard Time Zone" and I immediately changed our car clock ahead 1 hour. It was kind of sad to lose an hour, but it was pretty funny too. We never did experience 8:52-9:52am today.

Utah is beautiful. The mountains and vegetation are great, and tomorrow we will go see the Great Salt Lake and the salt flats. Later this afternoon/evening and tomorrow we will visit the actual city. I do have to mention some interesting billboards that I saw. You know you are entering a Mormon dominant area when you see signs such as:

For a bridal store:
"Lucy's Bridal: The Latest Fashion, Modern Styles: (and in the middle of the sign in bold type:) Modest by Choice"

For new homes being built:
"8 Girls. 120 Pairs of shoes. Plenty of closet space."

There were some more, but I can't remember them all now. :)

Tonight and tomorrow night we are staying at the Salt Lake City KOA. We got a nice shower this afternoon (the first one since Wednesday) and now we are here at the SLC Public Library. It is an awesome library. Check it out at: http://www.slcpl.org/. Tonight we'll go out for dinner and explore the city a bit. I have 7 minutes left on the computer, so I have to sign off. On Monday we go to Rocky Mountain National Park, then to Denver, and then onto Lincoln, Nebraska by Wednesday. We will probably post pictures in a few days when we get to Lincoln!

Six Hours and Counting

2007-08-15T00:18:00.001-07:00

It's 12:18am and the car is packed-- cooler and all. We have finished cleaning up our room, hall and bathroom, and the only things left to do are the few remaining things by the door, and the music we are bringing. This is what Jathan is working on right now. He is compiling our favorite CDs onto his MP3 player, so we don't have to lug around a bunch of CDs and a CD player. It's a lengthy process, and if he doesn't finish soon, I am going to bed because someone needs to be awake to drive tomorrow--- I mean, in 5.5 hours??!!!

Tomorrow we are leaving town at 6am, but not without having breakfast with our friends Kristin and Mandell. They graciously invited us to a send off breakfast, so we are leaving the house just before 5:30am, and going to their place for a bite to eat. They we start the long 10 hour haul across the great states of California and Nevada, ending up in Great Basin National Park. After GBNP, we will go to Salt Lake City, and then onto Rocky Mountain National Park. We will finish up our first stay in the West with a brief tour of Denver.

I'd better go to bed before I fall asleep at the computer.....Nevada, here we come! :)

Last Day of Work

2007-08-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my (Elisabeth) last day of work at Outdoor Davis. I have been looking forward to this day for some time now, but as I sit here at home having exited Outdoor Davis for the last time as Manager, it all seems surreal. It hasn't quite hit me that on Monday I will not be going back to work, or that I don't need to think about what we need to order or what upcoming sales we are having. On one hand I feel sad to leave all the wonderful people I work with, and to leave something I have worked so hard on for the past year. But on the other hand, I am excited for what's to come at the store, and what's to come in these next few weeks!

The next thing on my plate is helping my dear friends Elle and Kevin with their wedding! As Matron of Honor there are all sorts of pre-wedding festivities to take part in, and I am so excited to be a part of this special time in their lives! I head down mid-week next week to help out with all that fun stuff. We are also looking forward to seeing a few friends and family before we hit the road in the bay area and Davis.

Tonight Elle, Kevin, Jathan and I are going to one of our favorite restaurants, Bistro 33, to celebrate no more work for Elle and I (Elle's last day of work is tomorrow). This weekend we will start pulling out the camping gear and start organizing all of our stuff for our road trip.

Only 12 days left!!!

Welcome to our Site!

2007-06-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our site! This is the site that we will be updating while on the road. While this is the web site for our road trip, we hope that we will be able to continue to use it past our road trip on other adventures.

When Jathan and I tell people that we are going on a cross-country road trip, they usually start asking us many questions. Here is a brief intro to our trip to bring you up to speed. :)

I graduated last June from UCDavis with a degree in Human Development and German. Since then, I have been working in a new store in Downtown Davis called, Outdoor Davis (think: mini-REI) as the store manager. Jathan and I got married July 1, 2006, and until he graduated in March 2007 with a degree in Philosophy from UCDavis, we were living in on-campus married student housing. Since he was no longer a student at UCD, we moved out of our little apartment and in with my parents. This opportunity has been wonderful, as it has given us the ability to save money for our trip, and enjoy a bit of home cooking..... that is, when we cook (right, mom? ;-))

We are planning to head east from California on August 15 in our Toyota Corolla with our first stop in Nevada. After that we will continue east. Here is a brief overview of the order of states we will visit. We will add more specifics later.

California -- Nevada -- Utah -- Colorado -- Nebraska -- Kansas -- Missouri -- Illinois -- Michigan -- Hawaii (yes, it's true) -- Indiana -- Ohio -- New York -- Canada -- Vermont -- New Hampshire -- Maine -- Massachusetts -- Connecticut -- New York -- New Jersey -- Pennsylvania -- Maryland -- Washington, DC -- West Virginia -- Virginia -- North Carolina -- South Carolina -- Georgia -- Alabama -- Mississippi -- Louisiana -- Texas -- New Mexico -- Colorado -- Utah -- Arizona -- California

This is subject to change, but it gives you a rough overview. We will update later with more details, explanations, plans, pictures, etc.

If you have any recommendations for any of these sites, would you let us know? Sometimes personal experience is more helpful than a guide book! Thanks for reading!