On our first day in LA we stopped at an In N Out Burger and yesterday we were in a Ralph's. I'm living the life of the dude. Today I auditioned for a game show so as you can see life on the coast is great. We've been driving around a lot getting to know various neighborhoods and see as much of the city as we can. Today we ended up in Cerritos so Emily could get a taste of Chick-Fil-A. Tonight we are headed to a party for someone who had an extreme makeover of their apartment and tomorrow Emily and I are both taking a test to apply to be 2010 census takers. There is an impending actors strike so the job market is a little slow but I'm enjoying life out here so far. I am a little disappointed to hear that it has been 60 in NYC the last few days and it was only 50 here!


This concludes our broadcast day.

Dave

Suggestions welcome.

We drove through the Santa Ana mountains at night, in the pouring rain and through the clouds at 4000 feet. Needless to say we didn't arrive in Del Mar (San Diego) until a little after 7pm. We were greeted warmly by Lee with Domino's pizza and lots of time to catch up. We were so happy to finally spending a few "free" days in one place before it was back to realize in LA!

Friday - 2/6
We used this day as our catch up on real life day. We did laundry that hadn't been done in a month, we finished up most of our postcards and tried to catch up on our journals. Lee got out of work early to spend the afternoon with us so we could have lunch. We decided on Chinese food at Panda Express and then ran some errands. Dave dropped off his film, we dropped off our mail and I convinced Dave to get a haircut. While we waited for him to finish I wandered off to get a pedicure and Lee caught up on some work over the phone. There was a huge line at the Sports Clips Dave went to so I was actually finished and waiting for him. Afterwards, we made a trip to the local grocery store to pick up some things for Lee's fridge and cupboards. I'm told that I'm not allowed to make it seem that she doesn't have food so I'll just leave it at that. We enjoyed shopping in the strip malls of California and headed back to rest a little before meeting Lee's friends Terry and Carl for dinner at Burger's and Brew. This hamburger joint did not disappoint and the company was pretty good too. We spent a couple of hours chatting, eating and emptying out the place. What a wonderful way to spend a Friday night.

Saturday - 2/7
Today was a day spent being "lump like". We stayed in our pj's and watched Tivo (I want one!) most of the afternoon. It rained all day so we didn't feel too guilty about laying around. We didn't leave the apartment complex at all so luckily we had prepared for a Saturday like this and had bought everything we needed to have a pasta night. Spaghetti and garlic bread really hit the spot. I can't even tell you how much I have missed having a kitchen and being able to cook.

Sunday - 2/8
The sun was out intermittently throughout the day so when we got up we decided to take our first walk down to the beach. We ate a quick lunch of Kraft Mac and Cheese (oh how we have missed the blue box) and headed for our walk. The Pacific Ocean is beautiful. Lee lives right near the beach so it was only a couple of blocks walk to the bluffs and then a couple of miles down to the actual beach. We enjoyed the bluffs and seeing the differences between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. We made sure to take our flip flops off and sink our toes in the sand. I wish we could have had more days on the beach but unfortunately, Dave's power is still strong and it began to rain after our walk. We did enjoy seeing the sun for a couple of hours and a quick walk through Del Mar. Dave grilled BBQ chicken on the apartment complex's communal grill and I kept him company by soaking in the hot tub close to the grill. We marinated the chicken with the sauce we got from Dreamland BBQ and invited Lee's friend Terry over to dine with us. We had BBQ chicken, au gratin potatoes, sweet peas, salad and bread. We finished our meal with some brownies Lee made the night before. We have made sure to feed Lee well while we are here.

Monday - 2/9
We originally were going to leave today but the rain stopped us. We also had to go through the boxes we had shipped here back in December. We started off the day with a trip to Bruegger's (I had no idea these existed outside of Rochester) and I finally caught up to the San Diego part of our trip in my journal (Dave's still a tad bit behind). When we got ready to leave we looked out the window to see a small hurricane brewing and hurried out in the storm to make it to the shelter of the post office. We finally sent out the very last of our postcards so keep your eyes out for mail! I had been craving sushi for a few weeks so we took Terry's recommendation and tried out Matsuo's in Solana Beach on Highway 101. We were the only ones there and enjoyed spicy shrimp and tuna rolls while watching XMen. Can you believe Dave is not only eating fish but sushi too!? After that we headed back to Lee's apartment and waited for her to get back from work. After a short hiatus we got back up off the couch and she took us back to where she works at UCSD so we could see the experimental aquarium as well as take a walk along the very exclusive Scripps pier. What a treat! Even though I still don't quite understand what Lee does or how her mind is capable of understanding it we both enjoyed seeing her home away from home. We then took a little side trip to Fry's (a huge store just for electronics) and helped Lee do a little flat screen TV shopping. She used Dave as her personal shopping guide and picked out one she liked only to find that that particular model was sold out. It's a sign! Back to the apartment where Dave made us some very yummy meatloaf and broccoli while I handled baking the potatoes. Mrs. Edsall you would be so proud of Lee she actually ate the meatloaf even though it was ground turkey and Mr. Edsall you will be interested to know Lee had no ketchup in her home so she had to trudge back out into the rain to go get some for our meal! We vegged out in front of the TV the rest of the night switching between Family Guy and Terminator 2. Our time has been very well spent in San Diego, I just wish I could have seen more of the beach. Oh well, there's always next time.

Tuesday - 2/10
You stay classy San Diego (We'll be back).

Del Mar Beach.


Looking out over the bluffs of Del Mar Beach.


Dave and Lee (Yes that's Dave rockin' a mustache).


All in!


The Scripps pier.


Emily "smarting" it in Lee's lab at UCSD.

February 4, 2009

We stopped for gas after checking out of the hostel and made our way to The White Sands National Monument. We arrived at the park in the early afternoon and made a quick stop in the visitor’s center. We decided to first drive through the dunes and then find a place to get out so we could see them up close. The dunes are 8 miles of beautiful, natural white sands and so much fun to play in. We parked in the picnic area, which looked like it was directly out of Star Wars, and got out to walk around. After writing notes in the sand and taking pictures I tried to slide down the hill (there was a family there that had sleds) but that didn’t work so well. Emily sat under the shade while I did this because we didn’t have any sunscreen.




After enjoying the dunes for a few hours we were on our way to Arizona. The plan was to find a room in Tucson for the night. The funny part of that story is a few hours early I had said, “We haven’t had any trouble finding a room yet” to which Emily replied, “Great. Now you’ve jinxed us.” We get to the Econo Lodge in Tucson after having to go about five miles out of our way. It seems Arizona doesn’t believe in signs so the exit we needed was blocked off. Emily was a bit frustrated but we went into the lobby and waited our turn behind a couple that seemed to have never been to a motel before (i.e. questions about the continental breakfast). We tried to get the guys attention but he obviously could only help out one person at a time. So we waited and waited and finally when it was our turn we ask for a room. He tells us that there is a Gem Show this weekend and he just sold his last room to the couple before us. So why couldn’t he just tell us that while we were standing around like idiots? We leave even more frustrated than before and head to the Rodeway Inn down the street well they are charging $80 a night because of the Gem show. Our last resort is to call the hostel in Tucson and they are charging $35 a night instead of their usual $20 so we decide to keep driving until we get very far away from the Gem Show.

We called a Super 8 in Eloy, Arizona for the night and they were pretty reasonable. It was supposed to be right off the exit but when we arrived we could not locate it. We see a Red Roof Inn and hurry over only to find that it is closed due to reconstruction. The only other motel we see is an America’s Best Value Inn. Emily has been against these since the beginning but we figure we’re tired and this is our best bet. Emily jumps out and wouldn’t you know it, it used to be a Super8! We watched The Matrix on HBO and called it a night on the hardest bed I have ever slept on. In fact, I was pretty sure it was box springs.

Are we in San Diego yet?

This concludes our broadcast day.
Dave (with Emily’s expertise!)

February 3, 2009

The original plan was just to just stay in Truth or Consequences for the night, soak in the hot springs before check out at 11am and head to the White Sands National Monument for the day. After which we would then drive five hours to Tucson, Arizona. One dip in the hot springs and all thoughts of moving on melted away. We were so sick of driving and just wanted to a day to collect our thoughts and have to ourselves. Well this was the perfect spot for it.



We soaked all day long at the Riverbend Hot Springs. In fact one of the women asked us at the end of the day "Did they not let you into your room?" To which we happily replied "Not today!" We loved it. There are five hot springs overlooking the Rio Grande. Three of them (107, 106 and 105 degrees) are all under a shade on a platform. The last two (103 and 100 degrees) are outside right over the Rio Grande. Throughout the day we pool hopped and then we would sit around the many comfortable chairs soaking up that New Mexican sun. We got caught up on journals, wrote some postcards and sat around to talk with some of the locals.



The only non-relaxing thing about the springs was our roommate. She was an older lady who obviously didn't like the fact we had moved into her space. She also cooked the stinkiest dishes I have ever smelled in my life and did not ventilate the area. The stench just hung in the air and permeated every surface the minute you walked in to the living room. We finally had to air out the room all the next day if we wanted to sit in there at all. Dave said he caught her giving him the evil eye more than once so let's hope there was no malicious voodoo in her stare.

We did get out for lunch around 1pm and made our way into "town." I expected with a name like Truth or Consequences that they would have a pretty big gift shop selection. After we ate our lunch at the Pacific Grill we headed to Broadway, their main stretch. It was a ghost town, I swear I saw a tumbleweed. Most of the shops consisted of crystals, brightly patterned skirts and thrift shops. There was one lone souvenir shop called "Loretta's Gift Emporium." You can just imagine what we found in there. We perused dusty shelves piled high with items people hadn't bought since 1964. I bought some more postcards from their meager selection and decided on a pin that boasted the name of the town and the symbol for the sun. Good Enough.

But my disappointment wasn't long lived. I jumped back into the springs and forgot all about it. We soaked again until dinner and got out again to head into town. This time we were headed to an old favorite, Pizza Hut. This is one with a red roof and hasn't been tainted by the new promotion of Wing Street. The pizza was phenomenal but the service could have used some help. We used our coupons and had leftovers for breakfast the next morning (my favorite) and headed back to the hot springs for the last dip of the evening.



The next morning we got up early again to soak before checking out and moving on like our plan had been to begin with. We were so happy we made the side trip and took time to stay in a place with a name as cool as it was. It was also a perfect place to end after our very long journey.

Emily

February 2, 2009


We left Roswell and headed to Carlsbad Caverns, we were trying to make it to the caves by 2pm so that we could go in through the natural entrance. We arrived at 1:55 just in time to either take a guided tour or go in through the natural entrance. We chose the Ranger guided tour of Kings Palace; this tour was definitely the right choice. We had a very small group of 8 people and our guide was very informative and friendly. To enter the caves we took a large elevator down 750 feet that caused a feeling much like a journey into the center of the earth.

Our guided tour last about an hour and took us through 4 chambers of what is known as King’s Palace. After the tour we were able to take a self-guided tour of the Big Room until the caves closed at 5. Our lowest point in the tour was 830 feet below the Earth’s surface. It was very interesting to listen to the Park Ranger refer to things “on the surface.” I got the feeling she spent a lot of her time in the caves. She was 4th generation Guadalupe Native American. Carlsbad Caverns are located in the Guadalupe Mountains and the road up to the caves provides some very breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains.

So far I think Carlsbad Caverns have been the highlight of the trip for me, there was so much to see in the caves. I almost wish we had another day to explore more of them. I was surprised at how easy it was to get around; the parks service had made paths from the natural rock throughout the caves with handrails, which was much easier to navigate than the ice caves in Austria. At one point our guide turned off the lights and we sat in the darkness for about 30 seconds listening to the dripping water, what an amazing experience!

After the caves closed we headed down the mountains and took many pictures of the setting sun. Our next stop would be Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. In order to get there we had to drive through Texas once again (Emily was not too happy to find this out) but this time we went through El Paso where to our surprise they had a Chick Fil-A and sweet tea (Emily had given up on finding either of those again). Of course we stopped and Emily had her sixth serving of Polynesian sauce. We luckily made it to our hostel in Truth or Consequences twenty minutes before they closed. This seems to be a recurring theme during this trip for us. I don’t know why but we are always showing up places just in the nick of time.








This concludes our broadcast day.

Dave

February 1, 2009

We left Albuquerque Sunday morning and headed to Roswell, NM. There was no way that I was going to miss the Superbowl so we decided we would get a cheap motel in Roswell specifically to watch the game. We stopped at a grocery store the night before to pick up some snacks and beer so that we could go right to the motel in time for the game. It came as a surprise to me that the game would be on a 4:30 in the afternoon because I’m still getting used to the west coast time zone.

We got to Roswell a few hours before the game and had a quick lunch before heading back to the Super 8. It was a great game but it felt very odd to watch the Super bowl in the desert during the day when it was 60 degrees outside! Emily finally found one thing about the Super bowl that she could enjoy, the rings! She was unaware of how elaborate and large the diamond rings were that the winning players were given. Most of the first half was dedicated to examining each and every ring in detail. Emily was happy this was the first place that we stayed that had a recliner, so she was able to enjoy the game in style (I sat on the edge of the bed glued to the television, no time to move).



(Three commercials were in 3D, hence the glasses, unfortunately the commercials weren't any good)



We couldn’t leave Roswell without seeing anything about aliens so the next morning we stopped by the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Well I think that we got hosed, there wasn’t really much to see in this “museum” except for some old pictures and displays that looked like they might have been high school projects. We walked through “downtown” Roswell and stopped in a few gift shops before finally deciding we had seen enough and we were off to spend the afternoon touring Carlsbad Caverns.

This concludes our broadcast day.

Dave

-Dr. Suess

January 31, 2009


Our original plan was to stay in Santa Fe for two nights but we didn't really like the town or the hostel so we decided to push on. We had a few errands to run such as getting more Orange Juice (at this point I am full blown sick and Dave is starting to feel better), Mucinex and gas. It takes us about half an hour to run these errands and then we are on our way to Jemez Springs. Although we did lose a little more time because our GPS got confused and wanted us to go south first to head north. We ended up turning around five minutes later and figuring out how to get there on our own, the old-fashioned way, with a map!



We had read that Jemez Springs was beautiful and that they also had free natural hot springs. Dave drove the whole way so I could get some rest and hopefully feel better for the climb. They were only a short distance away but it took much longer because you have to drive up steep mountain roads to get to the canyon where the town is located. We arrived around 1pm and stopped to get some lunch. They had two restaurants in the canyon and we decided to grab some sandwiches at the Country Cafe. It was a good thing we did because every time I woke up in the van I started feeling worse an worse and lunch really helped me get some of my energy back. It was also helpful because the waitress gave us great directions to the hot springs. They aren't clearly marked and we needed to know the landmarks to look out for.



The place to park our van for the hike was about 7 miles from the restaurant. We arrived a little after 2pm and changed into our "hiking clothes." Really it was just the clothes we didn't mind getting dirty. After about five minutes on the trail it started to get muddy and icy. I was glad we changed because the pants we wore were covered by the end of our hike. I also didn't realize how steep the mountain was going to be and how natural and untouched it still is. We literally had to climb up a 90 degree angle in some places. We started to make a friendly bet about who was going to fall first. In this type of situation I also bet myself. I'm clumsy to begin with but put me outdoors on a steep mud and ice filled mountain and I'm going to fall every time. At one point we came across a complete sheet of ice. We tried to avoid this as much as possible and find the snow filled parts of the trail. Here again I thought I was in New Mexico and this type of thing didn't exist.



We finally arrived at the hot springs an hour later. The pool was much smaller than we expected and it was filled with people. Naked people. Needless to say we were very uncomfortable and decided to walk up some more to possibly find a less crowded and more clothed spring. Our waitress had told us that there were three or four more dotted throughout the trail. We walked up another half mile with no luck. I stopped to rest on a rock and Dave ventured up a bit more to see if he could even hear water. The prospects of another spring on this trail were slim to none.



We decided that we would climb back down to the first hot spring and see if it was less crowded. It was even more filled than when we first passed by so we just decided to hike back down the mountain and head on to Albuquerque for the night. We didn't really want to wait around because we didn't want to climb down the mountain or even drive down the mountain when the sun was going down. We were a bit disappointed but we did get some fresh mountain air and a bit of exercise so overall, we felt good about the day.

Albuquerque wasn't too far away from the springs so we made it there around dinner time. We found a cheap motel with some of the coupons we had picked up at the New Mexico welcome center and then cleaned up for dinner. I had an old gift card to Olive Garden with $10 still left on it so we thought this night would be as good as any to get our fill of breadsticks and salad. Again we didn't take into account that it was a Saturday night and it seemed that an Albuquerque High School was having their semi-formal. The place was crawling with teenagers in sparkly dresses and over sized suits. We enjoyed watching them and reminisced about our own high school dance experiences. We only had to wait about half an hour for a table and then the feasting began. We didn't realize how hungry we had gotten from our exertion on the mountain. The food was as good as I remembered and all in all we enjoyed our evening out in the only big city of New Mexico.

Emily

We have officially arrived in California and entered the Pacific Time Zone. Please remember this when you make all future calls. We have been greeted by the friendly locals in San Diego some whom also happen to be family. We are looking forward to being stationary for a couple of days and experiencing all this fair city has to offer. We also look forward to catching up on things like laundry and writing and sleeping.

Stay tuned for around the clock blog updates as well. It's gonna be good.

You stay classy Planet Earth.
Emily & Dave

P.S. It was 76 degrees here today.

January 30, 2009


We were very happy to find ourselves in the dry desert after the ice storm fiasco. I NOW hope I don't see snow for a very long time. Unfortunately, we had to drive through Texas in order to get to New Mexico because there was no way that I was going to spend any more time in Texas than I had to. We ended up finding a very nice hotel in the town of Tucumcari.

Tucumcari is a preserved New Mexican town with such a beautiful legend to go along with it (the below is from Wikipedia):
Legend has it that Apache Chief Wautonomah was nearing the end of his time on earth and was troubled by the question of who would succeed him as ruler of the tribe. In a classic portrait of love and competition, his two finest braves, Tonopah and Tocom, were not only rivals and sworn enemies of one another, but were both vying for the hand of Kari, Chief Wantonomah's daughter. Kari knew her heart belonged to Tocom. Chief Wautonomah beckened Tonopah and Tocom to his side and announced, "Soon I must die and one of you must succeed me as chief. Tonight you must take your long knives and meet in combat to settle the matter between you. He who survives shall be the Chief and have for his squaw, Kari, my daughter." As ordered, the two braves met, with knives outstretched, in mortal combat. Unknown to either brave was the fact that Kari was hiding nearby. When Tonopah's knife found the heart of Tocom, the young squaw rushed from her hiding place and used a knife to take Tonopah's life, as well as her own. When Chief Wautonomah was shown this tragic scene, heartbreak enveloped him and he buried his daughter's knife deep into his own heart, crying out in agony, "Tocom-Kari"!



This was a wonderful introduction to our time spent in the state of New Mexico. After we checked out of the hotel we found an authentic Southwestern Grill called Del's and settled in for a hearty meal of Burritos and Chimichangas. We were both feeling a bit stuffed up so we found a pharmacy to pick up some Sudafed and grabbed a few waters for the drive to Santa Fe.



Santa Fe was not at all what I expected. It has the feel of a pretentious resort town. It was a self-sufficient community of chain stores and restaurants. There was a historic plaza where you could walk around and take pictures of the authentic adobe architecture but the stores were filled with jewelry and expensive artifacts. There were also quite a few art galleries. I envisioned a rustic atmosphere with mountains, cacti and desert as far as the eyes could see. This was not the case.



The only thing rustic about our stay in Santa Fe was the hostel. This was the most commune style of a hostel we have stayed in yet. The door to the room had at least a full two inches cut out of it. The roof was slanted. The heater smelled of propane and the bathroom toilet ran for five minutes after flushing. We were also shown around by a guy who can only be compared to Ozzy Osbourne. You couldn't understand a word he said, he talked quietly, mumbled and shuffled around. He was also very judgemental about us passing through and not staying there for more than one night. He did however give us one fantastic recommendation of a walk up this mountain where you could see the sunset. That was how we knew we had finally arrived to the west.



After a disappointing meal at Cowgirl Cafe (the second suggestion made by Ozzy) we headed back to our hovel and went to bed early. Our stuffed up noses were turning into colds and we wanted to get a good night's sleep to feel better in the morning.
All is quiet on the western front.
Emily

At the beginning of our trip we purchased a 100 count of tootsie roll pops. It helps keep me awake while I drive and they taste pretty good too. Of course the grape went first, then the cherry, the orange and this weird sour apple one. Now all we have left are the brown ones. We were going to throw them out but then we thought hey maybe one of our friends or family members like them. So if anyone wants them we'll be more than happy to ship those chocolate tootsie pops directly to you.

Hope everyone is having a delicious day!
Emily

January 28, 2009


We had missed the ice storm in both Memphis and Arkansas so when we heard that it was still in Oklahoma we didn’t think anything of it. When I talked to my parents in Arkansas about the weather Dad told us to keep an eye on the road because an ice storm was sweeping across the country. You were right Dad; you always are when it comes to weather.

We drove through the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and only saw the remnants of an ice storm. The trees were filled with ice but the sun was shining and the road was bare. This was not the case when we reached Oklahoma. About 30 miles in Oklahoma on I-40 we began to see patches of ice on the road and the first (of many) trucks in the ditch. Things were not looking good and we really began to worry when we had to slow down to 10-15mph. We both looked at each other and knew that we weren’t going to make it to Oklahoma City so it was better to get off the road.

Emily started looking for the nearest motels in the area. I should note that we were in a very desolate area of Oklahoma so there weren’t many options. The closest one was a few miles away called The Lake Eufaula Inn; they had both rooms and power. There were plenty of motels 20 miles away but we didn't think we'd make it that far. The tractor-trailers were still speeding past us so at this point we would take anything.

We push on only to come to the exit ramp that is covered in ice so we make a quick and stressful decision to push on to the next exit 4 miles away, it was a long 4 miles but we made it. I decided to try the surface roads instead of getting back on the interstate. I hoped they would be a little bit better. We find a road that runs parallel to the interstate called Highway 150. It's four miles back to the motel along a small country road covered in snow with only a few houses along the way. But snow is better than ice and it had tire tracks on it so I knew it would be safer than trying to drive on fresh snow. We plug along at 10 miles an hour and it takes us a half hour but we survived! It turns out no locals have heard of “Highway 150”, they refer to it as “that dirt road”, dirt road or not I was happy for it.

The minute we enter the room I blast the heat just in case we lose power during the night. We grab more blankets from the car and settle in see if we can find anything about conditions in Oklahoma. There are only a few stations, not local news and no Internet. I hope we’re not stuck here for a few days. We decide that we’ll wait until morning to decide on our next move. Hopefully everything will look better with the sun shining.

Not much has changed the next morning. We can see the Interstate from our hotel and it looks open after being closed due to an accident earlier. Heading south is out of the question as there are no major roads to Dallas, TX so we go with our gut and think about giving it another day to clear up.

We meet two guys our age in the lobby with the same predicament, they are heading east from LA to Pittsburgh and also are stranded in the middle of nowhere. We tell them it's only bad about 15-20 miles east and then perfectly fine but they've already paid for their room so they are going to stay for the day. And that’s when the power goes out. I give the power 15-20 minutes to come back on and we check the room to see if there is still heat. But we know the power is not coming on soon. I've been through this before; I'm not sitting in a motel room with no heat and lights. I tell our small group that no power will get old as soon as the sun goes down and that I'd rather be in the car with heat. I also hope we can make a little ground and find someplace further down the road with power. Emily and I decide to pack up and move out as quickly as possible so we can travel in the daylight. As we leave the parking lot, we see the two guys packing their car; they've gotten a refund and are headed out as well.

We travel along I-40 west, the going is slow but it is warm and sunny and the ice is melting. There are parts of the road that are bare and the bridges are no longer ice rinks so we travel about 10 miles before we come to a complete stand still. Traffic has stopped, we move about 5 miles an hour for about 4 miles in what turns out to be the worst part. Within an hour we are out of it and the roads are bare. We call ahead to Oklahoma City: Do they have power? Is the weather bad? They assure us that they are having no problems so we push on.

We make it to Oklahoma City in time for a late lunch at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse (at this point all we have had is a few Little Debbie’s the hotel provided) which is very good but no where near as good as Peter Luger's. We also make a quick stop at the Oklahoma City Memorial. The museum had been closed this week due to flooding but we were able to see the Memorial as well as listen to a cell phone audio tour they have. I was happy that we were able to stop in Oklahoma City as we originally thought we would skip it due to the weather.

We left Oklahoma City a little before 5 and decided to gain some ground and push on into New Mexico. There is no way we are spending the night in Texas. We push on to Tucumcari, New Mexico and find some cheap lodging at a Quality Inn. We've made it out of the ice and into the desert!

P.S. Dad-please don’t say I told you so.








This concludes our broadcast day.

Dave

We arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas on Tuesday January 27 and because the weather was really bad (the ice storm was coming through) we decided to get take out and make it a night in at the Motel 6. Dave called his parents while I was watching American Idol. Instead of the usual 8pm time I was watching Idol at 7pm. We could not figure out the reason for this. I thought it was a repeat as I had missed last week but it didn't make sense because it was a Tuesday night. After that, Family Guy and The Office came on and the ad on TBS kept saying that The Office would be on at 10pm for a full hour. Well this still did add up because we were watching it at 9pm. There was no clock in the room or the TV guide channel so I texted my friend Liz to ask her to Google what time it was in Arkansas. As she texted me back I asked the simple and obvious question to Dave, "It's not because of Eastern Standard Time is it?" And then we began to laugh. We had forgotten that this country revolves around EST.

This is going to take some getting used to.
Emily