Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

So much has happened in the past two and half weeks, most of it worthy of a blog entry (or two!) So let's go back to the beginning and start with the road trip from Kansas to Virginia.


My mom was very very nervous about things fitting in the Pilot. We needed to fit in a fancy barn window, Belle's new crate, and a bags for four girls. We packed most of the things the night before so that we could meet Erica, Abbey, and Tara in the Panera parking lot at 7:20 am. Mom was intensely relieved that things fit so nicely. So well indeed that we could see out of the back gate.

Erica and Abbey surprised me with t-shirts. They were truly a labor of love. Each shirt said: 1 Honda Pilot, Four Friends, One Dog, and 1,084 miles to Washington, D.C. And they each had nicknames on the back. I didn't realize that I called each of my friends specific names consistently until they showed up with their t-shirts. Tara - Ween. Abbey - Pal. Erica - Friend.


We look tired because it is so early in the morning. My dog looks tired because I drugged her.


First day I drove the whole way, just to see if I could. We made it in record time to Indianapolis, probably because we ate in the car so we didn't have to leave Belle alone. First day drive was boring. The midwest is flat. In Indianapolis, we ate a great dinner that Dad, Tracy and Bonnie prepared for us. Then we had one of my favorite desserts, Mrs. Lyon's Dessert. It's so yummy.

Day two was beautiful. I broke down and slept through Ohio. Nothing much there. Then I drove again. We saw Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia on the second day.


The view through the hills was beautiful. We tried to be speedy, but the miles were longer. We had to make more stops. I make more stops than the average driver probably because of my addiction to diet Coke. We arrived in Falls Church about 5:30 pm, and we unpacked enough so we had somewhere to sleep. Unpacking would take the next two weeks, but it is finished NOW! I was so lucky to have all of them along for their conversation. We were also accompanied by endless mix cds and plenty of laughs. Along the way we learned that Tara is sort of a fatalist and has figured out ways we could all die at rest stops and by our GPS. Seriously, according to Tara, your GPS could kill you. We kept track of yellow cars, firework stands and number of Starbucks. It was a perfect kind of road trip with your best friends.

Up next: Fourth of July weekend in Washington, D.C.