*For those of you who don't know this is what I called my home state when I was a baby. I'm so adorable.



“We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there…”
-Jerry Reed


We have officially made it to Hendersonville, NC and because of the vast amount of things we saw through each state we passed I have decided to write this entry much different than the past few.

9:30AM – We leave New York State as residents and head for our new home.
- It’s travel day and Dave is involved so naturally there is a ton of snow, high winds and a white out.
- Dave begins the day not feeling that well as he has severe acid reflux and feels like he is trying to digest a baseball. His theory is that my mom put something in his food so we couldn’t leave this morning (just kidding mom we love you).
-My parents send us off with a delicious southern white trash meal of sausage and biscuits, scrambled eggs and cheese grits. Yum! What a great meal to get us ready for the south.
- We have to stop at the rest stop shortly after getting onto 90 East towards Syracuse as the ABS (Anti-Brake Lock) and AWD (All Wheel Drive) lights are on in the message center and we need to stop to turn off the ignition. If the lights go off then great if they don’t then it’s an issue. The lights are still on however; we both vaguely remember that Dave’s mom said something the sensors go off if slush gets on them. Good job GM your computer system malfunctions when it’s needed the most.
- Originally we were supposed to get lunch with my best friend, Frank, however the weather was so bad we ended up continuing on to 81 South when we got to Syracuse. I hate I didn’t get to say goodbye but then I remembered he is going to be a rich International Business Lawyer someday and he can just fly me in for lunch wherever we are. I’ll miss you terribly dear.
- On 81 South the windshield wipers malfunction and instead of resting below where they should be they get confused and are now suspended in the air. They will only stay down if we keep them the control on delay. What an interesting way to see the East Coast.
- As I am writing this I get a call/text from my mom asking, “Where are my keys?” I helped move the cars around the night before we left and slipped them in my pocket. Oops. I guess I shouldn’t have made fun of dad for forgetting his wallet on their trip to the Outer Banks.
- We honked the horn and waved when we passed the Marathon Branch of the family!


12:51PM – Pennsylvania, the state of independence, welcomes us.
-Shortly thereafter we enter the Welcome Center as Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” plays on Dave’s ipod.
-We thought it would be fun to stop off in Scranton and go to the Chili’s the Dundees are held at on The Office. It doesn’t exist, Thanks NBC. We to a weird chain called Red Robin instead with bottomless fries and an extremely perky waitress appropriately named Emily. We were the only ones there by the end of the meal.
- We stop in a Post Office on Main Street to get those keys back to my mother.
- We pass a place called Hometown, PA.
- There is one random Christmas tree lit on the side of the road. Is it battery powered?


5:59PM – Maryland Welcomes Us.
-We have crossed the Mason Dixon Line.


6:28PM – We have crossed into the “wild and wonderful” state of West Virginia.
-I have my first Chick (a) – Fil- A sighting.
-You can go 70 MPH in this state but we seem to be the only ones doing so.


6:49PM – Virginia Welcomes Us.
-We have our first real huge religious symbol sighting. It’s an LCD lit cross!
-Passed by Route 66.
- I see a town called Christiansburg and the sign when you are leaving says “Leave Christiansburg.”
- We enter a Texaco Station in Buchanan, VA and we have our first taste of deliverance country. The woman behind the counter is telling a long story about how she lost her billfold and the man she is talking to is wearing a John Deere hate and blue jean overalls. The only thing missing is a hayseed sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Oh how I have missed the south!


10:59PM – North Carolina State Line. I have returned home.
- There are a massive amount of semi trucks coming down the mountain of Virginia and North Carolina. Imagine me driving down a mountain in a mini van with high wind warnings and huge trucks going 80 MPH. I now know what the sign "Runaway Truck Ramp” means.
- A Billboard I liked: “Life. One Verse at a time.”
- Another Texaco station we stopped at had racing fuel at the pump. We tried not to stay here long as we were gathering weird looks about the amount of snow and salt on our cars. You could tell they had no idea where we had come from.
- There are billboards for this huge store called J.R and one of the 25 billboards that caught my eye was “Mucho Cheapo.”


Day one turns into Day two…

1:49AM – We enter the city limits of Hendersonville, North Carolina. We are now only a few short miles from a bed and a couch at Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jay’s home.

By 2am I am asleep in a very comfy bed and Dave is asleep on the couch.

We get up around 9:30AM to shower and visit with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jay. We get the grand tour of their stunning new town house. We decide to go out to lunch and they treat us to a yummy Mexican place called El Paso. We also get to see their their cute town and enjoy chatting with them some more as we pass away the afternoon. What a great way to spend our time in North Carolina. Thank you both so very much for your generosity, hospitality and that extra chocolate milkie for the road. You both are too wonderful!

Today is a much easier trip. We only have a couple of states to go through and we should make it to my sister’s house by 9PM this evening in Albany, Georgia.

2:54PM we make it into South Carolina for a car wash. Finally people can stop staring at us. So far we have only seen one confederate flag but we will keep you posted.

4:28PM – Georgia is glad we have them on our minds. Only 4 more hours to go!


P.S. Thanks Chik-Fil- A for the free wifi!