five things.

Five little things I absolutely love about The Smokies and road trips with my man.

>>the views<<

>>the activities<<

>>the local treasures<<

>>riding shotgun with this man at the wheel<<

>>coming back to our favorite little man<<

happy memorial day!

Though there's only a few hours left to Memorial Day 2013, I hope it's been a good one and that the rest of it is just as good. In my case, this weekend was one for the books. I'll fill you in later this week... but know it involved lots of mileage, sunshine, and laughter.

dog meets snow.

Last weekend, a group of us went up to Pennsylvania for some fun and relaxation. We were a little worried about how our Panamanian dog would react to a massive amount of snow... He's obviously been around snow here in DC but nothing more than a couple inches. We should've known better than to worry. ;)

obx.

We had a blast in OBX this past weekend. Though it was pretty chilly out, we bundled up and explored all that we could. From soaking up history at the Wright Brothers Memorial to flying kites at Jockey's Ridge State Park to eating at all of the amazing restaurants, we couldn't get enough. Dave is already creating a list of other things we need to see and do. Just a few more days until Dave is finished working at the refuge out there... He'll be doing a post with all of the amazing things you can see at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Trust me, it's pretty sweet.

Nags Head, we love you!

to the beach.

Last weekend, we left DC and drove down to Virginia Beach (stayed in a hotel Friday night and camped Saturday night). Best thing to ever happen! We hiked some trails, took in the history, relaxed on the beach, ate delicious food, and just plain enjoyed life. I can't tell you how good it felt to get out of DC, sit on the beach, and smell fresh ocean air (even if it is the atlantic... pacific ocean, you still have my heart).

 //Anz did not like this statue. At all.//

mississippi y una boda.

Last weekend, we hit the road and headed south to Mississippi to see Nikki and Henry get married. Nikki and Dave were in Peace Corps Panamá together and lived just a few towns away from each other while out there. Anzuelo and Nikki's dog, Elfrida, are actually siblings (same father) and used to play together whenever they saw each other so it was especially exciting to see how they'd react to each other.

The drive itself wasn't terrible. Initially, Dave wanted to do the 16 hour drive in one sitting. I was completely against it... I love driving but couldn't see being on the road that long after both of us had worked during the day. Dave's schedule allows him to have every other Friday off and we were fortunate that last Friday was one of those. We used that to our advantage and left DC on Thursday when he got off work (I finished nannying an hour before he was off).

I can't begin to express how gorgeous it is out here on the road. California is definitely beautiful but that long stretch of 5 through Central California doesn't come close to any part of 81 (I'll admit though that I do miss that drive on 5 going from the Bay to SD). We stopped for dinner at this yummy place called Macado's in Christansburg, VA.. I read it as mah-CAH-doughs... I guess it's technically pronounced MACK-a-doos. No matter how you choose to pronounce it, definitely stop there if you get the chance! They've got tons of locations.

We spent the night in Chattanooga, TN and then headed for Paul B. Johnson State Park in Mississippi. We spent the rest of Friday catching up with Nikki and Henry, watching the dogs play, and exploring Hattiesburg.

The wedding was on Saturday. It was the perfect little ceremony. I heard at one point that there were only 42 people there - perfectly intimate. Nikki and Henry looked so happy the entire day and I'm so glad that we got to share in the day. Dave was one of the "groomsmen" and "dog wrangler" as both Anz and Elfrita were in the wedding too.

We headed back to Chattanooga that night to get a head start on the trip home. We both had work Monday morning and I didn't want to have to wake up incredibly early AND arrive extremely late. People have commented about how short of a visit it was when compared to the length of the drive. I think it was totally worth it!

Enjoy the video and photos!

the trip.

How do you like my feeble attempt to get the "Welcome to Utah" sign? At least I got one of the letters in it!

The road trip started early on Wednesday morning. My mom had worked the night before, so dad and I packed up the car, walked the dog, and then headed out to pick her up (their dog stayed with a family friend). I really enjoy driving so I drove the majority of the first day. Dad and I had agreed that we'd drive just a few hours each to prevent getting tired, but I just really enjoy being behind the wheel and driving. That first day we went from Cali, through Nevada, and to Salt Lake City, Utah. I can't describe how beautiful the drive was. Obviously I'm partial to the wonders of California and the Sierras... But Utah is just as beautiful in it's own way. The directions we got online said the trip would take approximately 11 hours. We did it in... 9? Maybe 10? That includes stops. It really wasn't a bad trip. We even got into SLC before the sun set! Thankfully, we got there in such good timing that we were able to have a good night's rest before heading out the next morning to Omaha, Nebraska.

Prior to departing for the trip, my friend Mark warned me about losing time when driving west to east. I understood what he said but didn't really process it until I was making the drive and watched an hour disappear each day. It made the drive seem longer in some ways, but other than that it was actually beneficial! Since we did the trip over four days/three nights, we moved one time zone per day. When we finally arrived in DC, it felt like we had already adjusted! Back to the trip...

The trip from SLC to Omaha was the longest leg of the trip. Luckily, we again did it faster than the online directions approximated. And before you start thinking it's because we were speeding... we weren't! When I was driving, I had cruise control set at the speed limit. Plus, our GPS showed approximate times more in line with what we were actually doing.

Wyoming and Nebraska weren't too terrible to drive though. My only complaint - no Starbucks right off of 80! I needed my coffee so badly and am such a princess about it. I have a really hard time drinking coffee with just creamer and sugar... I need my white mocha syrup! I'm actually getting better but didn't want to risk getting something that tasted terrible while on the road.

Friday, we headed from Nebraska to Akron, Ohio. By this point, it was just feeling like the same old same old. I kinda felt like a pro at driving cross country! Hahaha. I think the best part of this day was stopping at the world's LARGEST truck stop. Let me tell you, this sucker really is huge! Massive food court, enormous gift shop, and a penny press machine! Yes, I got a penny to add to our collection (Dave and I have been collecting pressed pennies for years).

Saturday was the shortest leg and felt pretty quick... until we hit the beltway. According to the GPS, we were 30 minutes away from home... Traffic had something different to say. We were in traffic for close to two hours. At one point, I watched 30 minutes tick away while moving less than a quarter mile.

You may be wondering how Anz did on the trip... He did great. No puking (as he's been known to do on quick little trips from the Bay to Sac and back). He loved it. He enjoyed just being a lazy bum and exploring the different hotels each night. Such a happy pup!