North Carolina

We left Charleston and went to NC to visit with my aunt and uncle. The first day there we went for a walk around the neighborhood. I drove us around to show mike the sights. We stopped at a bar called Molly's for some cocktails and hush puppies (that I had been craving). Mike got up early the next morning and saw my uncles birds that he feeds scattered all on the front lawn. After a little more sleep we went to the beach and collected shells. Saturday late afternoon we went to my cousin Candy and Tony's for their daughter Summer's birthday party. After the party we came back to the house to relax and drink wine in the hot tub. Sunday morning before we left my uncle made us pancakes on the grill. They were served with bananas, peanut butter and syrup.....southern style :)
 P.S. I found a wine that tastes just like grapes!

Before heading home to CT we stopped in Stanford, NC to visit Mikes friends Alexia and Charlie he hasn't seen in years. They have two kids Lilly-3 and Calvin-10. Alexia made us BBQ chicken, salad and baked sweet potato for dinner. It was very yummy! After putting the kids to bed the adults played the game life. It was fun.... Mike kicked our butts! Knowing we had a long drive ahead of us for the next day we went to bed. Having a late start in the morning we got to CT at 11:00 pm Monday night.

I've noticed that Laura is slacking on her end of blogging. I do know that she is in CO, probably busy or just having fun. I will be staying in Torrington with my friend Jamie and start work on the December 1st.

Charleston, SC

We traveled 11 long hours to Charleston, SC to stay in a cheep hotel. When we got to the hotel the first room they gave us the key didn't work, so they put us in a second room but the tub was disgusting (no bed bugs!) we finally settled in a clean room about 11pm and went to bed. In the morning we walked to Starbucks then decided we would go to the beach. We walked barefoot in the white sand collecting shells and sand dollars. After being on the beach for a couple hours our stomachs started growling so we went to a restaurant/bar called Loggerheads. I ordered a  margarita and a shrimp salad wrap, Mike had a fried shrimp roll and a beer. We drove around after that to see if any of Mike's friends were around from when he used to live down here. Not having much luck we headed back to the hotel where we had a little bite to eat before settling into bed.
The next day we woke up late but still managed to make it to the beach to lay out for awhile. When we got there it was lunch time so we had our sandwiches on our hotel blanket. It was bout 74* with a slight breeze and the only ones trying to get a sun tan. While I sat on the beach I started collecting tiny shells for my scrapbook, which I'll try to complete ASAP. After the beach we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner downtown. As we arrived downtown it took awhile for us to find the parking garage but managed to get there. The walk to the restaurant (The Noisy Oyster) was a couple blocks away.  Before sitting down for something to eat we enjoyed happy hour 1/2 off drinks. For appetizers we had gator bites (very tasty) and peel/eat shrimp cocktail. Our main dishes were seafood alfredo and sesame encrusted tuna. When dinner was done we walked around going to different bars and sight seeing along the way. Some of the places down there use real flames for lanterns to light your way. Once finished downtown we headed toward the battery park by the water. The battery was where the town green was during the revolutionary war and that's when Charleston was the capitol. It was too dark for pictures so the next day after checking out of the hotel we went back to take some before leaving town to drive 5 hours to our next destination...

Texas across the midwest

Mike and I continued our journey from NM to Texas to eat at the BIG TEXAN, the steak was very juicy and filling. After eating we took some pictures (which i will show you when i get home). At this steak restaurant if you eat a 72oz. steak with all the side which include a dinner roll, side salad, shrimp cocktail, and a baked potato in an hour or less its free. If not it will cost you $72 and a very bloated feeling. I only managed to eat a 10oz, and mike ate a 18oz. Being well fed we continued to Oklahoma where we spent the night. On our way through OK we stopped off in OK City to visit the capital building. We walked down this long mural painted tunnel to get there. I bought a long sleeve shirt and we were on a mission to find Mike a shot glass (he collects them from each state) but couldnt find one.
Next stop was Arkansas where we were going to go to the Louisiana Purchase Park but the gps brought us to Village Creek. We went on a 3 1/2 mile hike on two different trails. On the second trail it brought us around a lake part of the way, which was called The Trail of Tears. The path was full of leaves and bending trees. We passed by a tree that had a lot of initials carved into it and decided we would carve ours as well. After leaving the park we headed to the eastern side of the state to stay in a hotel before getting up to go to TN in the morning.
After driving only  3 1/2 hrs to TN we arrived there at lunchtime. Mikes uncle Steve just woke up from a nap and we made sandwiches for lunch. Uncle Steve lives on 5 acres of land surrounded by several hundred acres of farm land. He has a work shop where he restores old farm equipment and tractors for a hobby. We played scrabble (uncle steve kicked our butts) and set back to pass the time before going out to dinner. We went to a place called Tom's where salad, soup, and dessert was included with your meal. When we arrived home we watched movies until we got sleepy. Early in the morning uncle Steve went to work trucking so Mike and I got to sleep in. We woke up and went to walmart to get stuff for my scrap book then went to starbucks. On our way back I took a picture of a horse and donkey, while 4 yapping dogs approachd me. When we got back to the house we did laundry and cleaned the jeep out. Exciting I know but necessary to do due to all the traveling. Our next stop will take 11 hours to get too.....

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Oct. 25th - Nov. 1st

Ok, so thanks to the kick in the butt from Heather, here is a recap of the last few days we spent together, and an update on what happened after that will be coming shortly... :) 

Oct. 25^th we arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah around noon, after driving straight through the night. We spent a few hours in the city doing some sightseeing, and taking in the amazing views of snow-covered mountains that surrounded this Mormon capitol. We got to see the State Capitol building with its guardian lions, Temple Square with its golden trumpeter, and the City Library with its green roof and amazing view of the entire city!

We left SLC and took the Southern route to Colorado, through Moab which is famous for its natural rock formations and beautiful multicolored desert landscape. We also got to witness another gorgeous sunset in the desert before we hit Colorado and the mountains.

Sometime around 9-10:00pm, after miles of winding mountain roads, the snow started. By the time we made it to Vail Pass, we were in 4WD, going about 20mph past 18-wheeler trucks that were pulled over to put their snow chains on! Fortunately we made it in one piece to Dillon, where we stayed in a Super 8 motel because it was 11:00pm and the leasing office for Breckenridge Terrace was closed. We hightailed it out of there around 9am on the 26th because it was still snowing and there were rumors that they might be closing the pass, and I had to get to my new apartment before that happened!

I checked into the Terrace around 11:00am and it is actually pretty nice for temporary, seasonal employee housing! Only a few moments after arriving, one of my roommates arrived- Courtney from Chicago, and we put together a shopping list of things we would need to get settled (like food, kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, etc.), and it was a little disappointing to find that our “fully furnished” apartment didn’t come with a TV or a microwave! As we were heading off to the store, the leasing office informed us that a 3^rd roommate was on her way in, so we shopped quickly and hurried back to meet Amanda, from Australia.

We spent the next few days getting settled, bonding, and meeting the few neighbors that were scattered around and lonely because none of them had roommates. Thanks to Heather’s generous use of the jeep we were able to pick up all the random things we discovered were needed over the next few days, including a modem for internet, and a post office box in town. We also visited a few of the local , including the Breck Brewery, Jake’s Dive Bar (yes, that’s the name of the place!), the Gold Pan, and Clint’s Café. We even got a little karaoke in, and took advantage of free keg night at Jake’s. J

Some of the more notable events were visiting the Glenwood Hot Springs, where we didn’t actually go to the hot springs- we climbed down the side of a highway on-ramp embankment, and found a giant pipe that dumped hot water from the hot springs into the river! It was free, and verrry hot, and with the river right there, we were able to do some hot-cold plunges until we couldn’t feel our feet anymore! We also went on a hike around Hoosier Pass, where we found an old mine and made our first snowman of the season.

Saturday, Oct. 30^th we dressed up for Halloween and went to a few costume parties, and on Halloween (Sunday), we stayed in and watched The Omen because we had to be up early on Monday. The best part of the movie was making Amanda jump every 15 minutes because she hates scary movies, and the best part of the entire night was the baked ziti & meatballs that Heather cooked for all of us!

Monday morning, Nov. 1st, was pretty rushed because none of us were used to getting up so early (we had to catch the bus to orientation at 7:23am!!), so we said a quick goodbye to Heather as she headed off to Denver, and we ran to the bus stop for our 1^st day of work.

Heather moves on

I notice that Laura is behind on the blogging. We arrivid in Breckenridge, CO....days ago. I met Lauras roommates, Amanda:AKA-Aussie, and Courtney: AKA- Blondie :)...I had a blast for the few days that I was visiting. I learned alot of new meanings(from Amanda) for different things such as slippery dip-is a slide, thongs-are flip flops, jumper-is a hoody, and g-bangers-are thongs. Lol.... We had many laughs. We could have ate frozen pizzas every night if it was up to Courtney...Lol. Making dinner for all 15 of us was alot of fun. I am going to miss all of you!

I decided to move on from CO and head home. I got mike to meet me in CO on the Nov. 1st. We made a round about trip and went to Arizona, trying to find large cactus in the dessert but had no luck :( I did get plenty of pictures of all different kinds of cactus, i have no way to post them so i will show u all when i get home. We are in Roswell, NM staying the night (with the aliens) and heading to Texas in the morning.

Hopefully Laura will read this and realize that she has catchup to do on blogging. : )

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South (belated)

Many apologies for the delayed entries... a LOT has happened in the last week or so, which has left minimal time for blogging, but when you read the next few posts (as they come), you will understand!

We left Washington on Sunday, Oct. 24th in the evening (around 9pm), and drove through the night toward Utah. Sometime around 3am, I awaken, having slept for an hour or so, and instantly notice that Heather is a little on edge... reason being: the needle on the gas gauge is in the red zone, and she hasn't seen any towns, much less any gas stations since I fell asleep! So I pulled out the 'trusty' GPS, only to find that there are absolutely NO gas stations anywhere nearby! As the needle slowly crept closer and closer to the bottom line, and we became more and more nervous about the fact that we have no cell phone service, and roadside assistance probably doesn't even exist out here, we finally spot a sign for a gas station off the next exit! What a relief... right?!? Well, turns out that the 3 gas stations on the main road in this small town are all closed at 3am, so we pull into one, resolved to sleep for a few hours until the place opens. However, at this point we now have a little cell phone service, so I begin googling gas stations in the area and calling every single one to see if there are any 24-hour pumps within a 5 mile radius (because the needle is now below the E line!). After a few unsuccessful attempts and after waking the owner of one of the really local spots, we finally found the ONLY 24-hour station in the entire town- And when we got there, practically coasting in on fumes, the attendant informed us that the next 24-hour station along our route is approximately 75 miles away!! We definitely had angels pushing on the back of the jeep that night...

Once the tank was full, we continued on, through Idaho, (which smells like potatoes, by the way), and watched the sun come up as we crossed over into Utah. On several occasions the song "America the Beautiful" came to mind as we passed by breathtaking sights of purple mountains, amber plains, and everything else that nature creates to make us go, "WOW!!!"

Commando Krav Maga

No, it has nothing to do with not wearing underpants!

Saturday morning we got up and went outside into the lovely 50-degree, cold, damp & cloudy Washington weather to meet with one of Lee's buddies who was going to teach us this CKM phenomenon. Here is a brief description of the "activity" and its origins:

Commando Krav Maga is an eclectic hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel that involves wrestling, grappling and striking techniques, mostly known for its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks, as it is also taught to elite special forces around the world. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler, as a means of defending the Jewish quarter during a period of anti-Semitic activity in Bratislava in the mid- to late-1930s. In the late-1940s, following his immigration to Israel, he began to provide hand-to-hand combat training to what was to become the IDF, developing the techniques that became known as Krav Maga. It has since been refined for both civilian and military applications.

Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasizing threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. Krav Maga is used by the IDF Special Forces units and several closely related variations have been developed and adopted by law enforcement and intelligence organizations, Mossad, Shin Bet, FBI, SWAT units of the NYPD and United States Special Operations Forces. There are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally. (Wikipedia)

That being said, we spent the next 3 hours learning how to disarm, incapacitate, and "finish" any attacker in real-life situations... Violent, yes. Empowering, sure. Adrenaline inspiring and potentially lethal, you'd better believe it!! We learned all about how to break out of a choke hold, maximize the use of unconventional but nonetheless dangerous fighting techniques, and disarm an attacker in a matter of milli-seconds with bare hands and without allowing any opportunity to actually be injured by the weapon. And all of these techniques were presented & practiced based on real-life scenarios, with examples of how to maneuver to accomplish the desired outcome with any number of variations! Needless to say, we had a great time, despite the intermittent rain showers and the bruises that were discovered after the fact...

So now that the road trip is almost over, we are much more prepared to take on any number of assailants Bruce Lee- style, and we even have a few one-liners we learned from the boys to recite as we leave the club and get in the cab...

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North

After the devastating incident of having our belongings taken, we decided to treat ourselves to a fun night out, which included a new outfit because I didn't have anything left that was nice enough to go out in, and, of course, a new pair of shoes! Gotta look at the positives... :-)

So we got dressed (after a delicious sushi dinner!), and once we were looking fabulous, we headed out. Since we had no idea where to go in the area, we asked the girl at the front desk for some suggestions, and she directed us to her favorite local watering hole which was located conveniently about 5mins away! And to make the night even more enjoyable, it turns out Thursday night was karaoke night! Either the pastime is rapidly coming up in the world, or we are just really good at randomly finding karaoke bars... Either way, we had fun, mingled with the locals, and sang the night away!

The next morning we had to request a later checkout because by the time our eyes cracked open and my head stopped pounding, it was already 11am... So we were back on the road at around 1:30pm. We made a pit stop at a Jack-In-The-Box because we were craving a hot breakfast sandwich, and apparently Dunkin Donuts doesn't exist on the west coast (grumble grumble), and then killed a little time before we headed North to Washington to visit my friend Lee from high school.

The drive only took about 2.5hrs so when we got there, we went out for a bite to eat, and then just chilled and went to bed. We were still pretty beat from partying a little too hard the night before, and Lee was exhausted because he had just returned from military training and had been up since before the crack of dawn!

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B & E

So apparently sometime on Monday night, the Jeep was broken into... We discovered this when we went out to go to dinner, and upon getting into the Jeep, I noticed the bag with our 2 pillows was sitting on the drivers seat, and neither of us remembered putting it there, but we had fished around in the back for some stuff the day before, so maybe we put it there and just didn't remember, no big deal. Then I noticed my straw hat was sitting outside on the hood of the Jeep, and that definitely hadn't been there before, but maybe it fell out when we were pulling other stuff out, and someone had been nice enough to set it there so it wouldn't get run over in the parking lot, again, no big deal. But I had a sinking feeling in my gut, so I asked Heather to check the glove box, where we kept the GPS. It was unlocked, and the GPS was still in there, great! But I still had a bad feeling, so I looked in the back, and instantly realized that my large duffel bag (with allllll my clothes, shoes, and other necessities) was missing- HUGE deal! Seconds later, I see that there is a gap where the zip-up window would normally be attached to the Jeep, so I push on the window and the whole thing falls open! So clearly, someone had unzipped the window, reached in, and grabbed my duffel bag!

So I go inside and speak with the girl at the desk, who assures me that there are cameras on the parking lot, and that her manager will come in to review the tapes tomorrow. She also gives me the phone number for the local police so I can call in and file a report. We then left for dinner, and on further inspection, discovered that not only did they take my huge duffel bag with all my clothes, shoes, & hair dryer, but they also grabbed my smaller duffel bag (that I got when I reached varsity level on my cheerleading squad in highschool and had my name stitched onto it!), which had another jacket, a few hats (one was obtained on my vacation in Costa Rica!), and some other miscellaneous items, including my very expensive and high quality Biolage shampoo & conditioner. They also took another smaller bag with more of my clothes in it, and my cd case with all of my favorite cd's and dvd's in it! The most expensive thing they grabbed, however, was Heather's case with all of her hairdressing equipment in it, valued at well over $500!! Fortunately for Heather, that's all they took of hers... Unfortunately for me, I now only have what was packed in my overnight bag in the hotel room...

I guess, on the bright side, we had both of our laptops and all of our most important personal items with us in the hotel room, but that doesn't even begin to soothe the feelings of violation and loss that we are now experiencing...

Today, during the day, we looked around the nearby area, in hopes that the perpetrators may have looked through our things and discarded anything that didn't have immediate street value (like my clothes!), and in this search, I discovered the campsites of vagrants/transients on the side of the highway behind the hotel parking lot. Thinking I had stumbled upon a lead, I called the local police again, and notified them of this 'squatter' situation, and asked if they could send someone (armed) over to help us investigate the area further... To my dismay, the lady on the other end of the phone informed me that they are "well aware that there are people living back there, but just because I filed a report doesn't mean there is anything they can do to help me get my things back." SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF FILING A POLICE REPORT IF THEY AREN'T GOING TO DO JACK SH*T TO HELP?!?!?!?!?!?!? Please excuse my language, but I find this completely useless and frustrating!!

So this evening, the hotel manager came in to review the video tapes, and he informed me that they do, in fact, show the perpetrators breaking into the Jeep, and also trying to get into other vehicles, and finally making off with our belongings as well as some tools they snagged out of the back of a work truck. They were driving a beat up old car, so it seems as though the local transients are off the hook, but I was more disappointed to find out that one of the two criminals was female, so she must be enjoying her brand new wardrobe of all my favorite clothes right about now... I hope she has an allergic reaction to the laundry detergent I used and DIES!!! Yes, I am THAT angry!!

The police came by to pick up the tape of the incident, but I have absolutely no hope or faith that they will even try to do anything with it at all... So now I have approximately 4 changes of clothes and a few other miscellaneous items to get me from here to Colorado by the 26th of October, when my parents can ship me the winter clothes that I packed away. Although, I may have to wait a while before they arrive, depending on how quickly the USPS works.

All in all, I guess it could have been worse, and the fact that we are both safe and healthy counts for a lot right now... And I am sticking by my resolution that there is nothing we could have done to prevent this from happening. Yes, I know traveling with a soft-top Jeep is not the most secure mode of transportation, but this parking lot is well-lit, fenced in on all sides, with plenty of video cameras in plain sight! We parked in much sketchier areas (like downtown New Orleans on a dark side street in front of a hostel where it's obvious everyone there is traveling), and haven't had any problems until now. And yes, I know we could have brought everything we owned into the hotel with us, but we were smart enough to bring the most important/valuable items, and to the best of our knowledge, none of our personal information is out there to put us at risk for identity theft. So like I said, it could have been much worse, and all I can do now is move forward with a lesson learned.

PS- this lesson STINKS!

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