Wherein I accidentally mess with Texas...

Today I woke up in Garland, the place where King of the Hill's city Arlen is based on. As such, I walked into an alley and said....Yup. Later on that day we drive through Dallas past where the turkeys are plotting their revenge for thanksgiving... Later that day we went to one of the six teams I hate, Dallas...nice stadium, too bad as floridians we see them play ten times a year. So I threw a rock at it... But IN all honesty I had fun seeing jenns Texas half of her family today...now we are off through Texas...next time we post, it will be a picture of a cactus. Or Jenn chasing a tumbleweed....

Maggie and Pierre

Pierre experienced his first baby the other day.  It wasn't so bad.....

Another fun day

Visited Monroe and tons of jenn's relatives today. Saw her non related cousins in Sterlington, her grandfathers' old fish market, her aunts house, and a lot of children. Also, some great signs, like this one: Make sure to catch some spiders for extra food...

Day 2 - Houma/Thibodaux

Yesterday we were in Houma all day. We spent the day with one of my very best friends, Hali. It has been so much fun. She cooked a really huge meal and had her family over too. I had not seen them in about 7-8 years. I got to spend the day with Jezzy, my god-daughter and Jada. My adopted god-daughter.

Today will be spent driving. We will leave here and head to Baton Rouge and then up to Monroe. I can't wait to see my family up there. So excited!!!

Day 1 - 4 States Seen!

So our trip yesterday was pretty uneventful. There was one amazing thing that happened!! I drove more than Noel!! He was so amazed! Haha. Our first order of business...get the mini-van. I was joking with the guy at the counter...okay not really. I was pretty serious. I told him how many miles we had to go and asked for the sweetest one he had. Noel said asking for the sweetest mini-van was like asking for the cutest turtle...haha. Anyway, he hooked us up! We got a Chrysler Town and Country. WITH SATELITE RADIO!!!! After this we said goodbye to my mom and headed out. Our first stop was FSU stadium. We had to introduce Pierre to his new mate! Falling Waters State Park outside Chiply, Fl. It was beautiful! It's the tallest water fall in Florida. Here is a photo. I will post a better one later. Other than my getting to eat Whataburger... It was pretty uneventful. We arrived safely at Hali's around midnight and now I am watching Goonies with Jezzy and Jada. Good morning!

Everything you need

Saw a store on the way to tallahassee yesterday. Not only did they have an entire creepy doll section, they also had my favorite section of any store ever. The flip flop, yoohoo and Mexican rug section...

Chuck E. Cheese

So our journey has taken us to tallahassee, and there to chuck e cheese, what a strange place.....as I type this, chuck is behind me, scaring me....ah nieces and nephews of a young age, the sacrifices we make...

Yippee!!!

We are off! The trip has officially begun! More when I am more alert. Right now its time for me to sleep!

Woohoo!!

And we are off!!!  :-)  Catch ya on the flip side Fort Myers!

To Pack or Not to Pack!

Okay, so it's time to start seriously thinking about packing up this vehicle for the trip and all of the things we should and shouldn't bring.  There are two things I am focused on right now because it requires some prep time.

Food/Ice Chest

iPad

Don't laugh, the iPad is extremely important!!

Food/Ice Chest
Dry food goods to take will be nuts, cookie, crackers, fruit roll-ups, beef jerky, and popcorn.

Ice Chest
In here we will pack things like bottled water, sandwich fixings, fruit, veggies, and cheese sticks.

We want to make sure we have plenty of healthy options for food and snack so we don't have to stop and spend money all the time.  Can you think of anything else we should include?

iPad
Not a lot of prep time really, I just need to go and get my iTunes gift cards so I can purchase movies to be watched on the trip.  Bordem in the desert doesn't sound appealing to me AT ALL!

Just A Few Minor Changes

Itinerary has changed a little bit.  This is the new plan (as of now).

June 5th - Noel and I will leave Fort Myers and head to Tallahassee.  Within the next week or so, we will visit, my mom, my best friend Hali in New Orleans, my family in Monroe, and my family in Dallas.  Noel and I may also visit Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, NM.  On June 13th we will arrive at the home of Noel's cousin Jovana in El Paso. Jovana will pack up and come with us for a few days so the next morning we are off to Phoenix!

Mexico is out of the question now since I found at that the border crossing near El Paso is on of the unsafest there is to cross!!

June 14th - We will pick his mom and brother up in Phoenix and this is where the real trip begins.  Within the next three weeks, will have visited:
-Phoenix
-Flagstaff
-Grand Canyon
-Las Vegas
-maybe Death Valley
-Drive through Yosemite National Park
-Colfax, CA
-San Francisco
-Reno
-Lake Tahoe
-Napa Valley
-Twin Falls, Idaho
-Yellowstone National Park
-Mount Rushmore
-and whatever states we go through to home the quickest! 
-back to Tallahassee to pick up our cat...and then HOME!!

Like all trips, some adjustments had to be made. We don't have the time nor the money to do it all.  I am still very excited to see it all though!

It's getting closer.....and HOTELS ARE BOOKED!!!

Well the day is getting closer. We are so excited we can't stand it. Noel and I were supposed to leave on the 5th going to Tallahassee, but with a bit of luck I was asked to do a training at school so we can't leave until the 6th. Although I won't get to spend as much time with my mom, I will be earning some extra money and that is exciting!

We have booked several key rooms for the trip. We almost didn't get a place in Yellowstone but we lucked out. Now let's just hope it's not a rat motel! Eeeek!!

Our place in Flagstaff near the Grand Canyon is good. Just a typical hotel chain place with two queen beds.

In Vegas, we are staying at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino!!! I am so excited. It is an amazing resort!

Getting closer and a SLIGHT change....

We are getting closer and I am getting more excited!  I can't wait to get on this trip!

Also, Nadine and Gaby will be meeting us in El Paso instead of Phoenix.  Also, Mexico is no bueno!  The entrance we were considering going into is Ciadad-Juarez and I read on the US Embassy website that it is one of the WORST entrances into Mexico.  No thanks.  I will hit up Mexico at a later date.

A few dates confirmed...

Well, we will know where we will be at least the 1st 6 days of the trip!  :-) 

The trip will officially begin when I pack our bags the day before we leave which is June 5th.  On the 5h, Noel and I will travel to Tallahassee to spend a few days at my moms house.  On the 7th, we will pick up the rental vehicle at 2:00 PM and head to New Orleans!!  We will spend 2 nights with Hali at her house (one of which we have a massive night planned with her family) and then on the (very early) morning of the 9th, we will head to Monroe!  I will only get to see my family for 2 or 3 nights, but I am so very excited!  I miss them so much.  Especially my grandparents.

The rest of the trip specifically is not set in stone yet, but it's nice having a beginning.

It has begun!

Planning for a new trip that is!  The Kellams family has decided to take a really cool vacation all the way to the West coast.  And this really will be "Heck" On Wheels!  Noel, Gaby, Nadine, and myself will embark on a 8000+ mile road trip this summer and it will definitely be an adventure!

The talks for the trip began when Nadine wanted to visit her sister in California.  Long story short....us convincing her to buy us all plane tickets to go turned into her paying for our rental car for the entire trip during this summer adventure.  All we have to pay for is our share of gas and hotels, food, and entertainment.  I am super excited!  The best part?  I will blog the entire trip from my phone mostly, sometimes the laptop so you will get to go on the adventure with us!  It should be funny!  Hopefully Noel and Gaby will post updates too.

This is the tentative plan:

June 7th - Noel and I will leave Fort Myers and head to Tallahassee.  Within the next week or so, we will visit, my mom, my family in Monroe, my family in Dallas, and my family in Houston.  We will also plan to visit Noel's cousin Jovana in El Paso. 

After El Paso, Noel wants to make a quick jaunt across the border to Mexico.

June 14th - We will pick his mom and brother up in Phoenix and this is where the real trip begins.  Within the next three weeks, will have visited:
-Phoenix
-Flagstaff
-Grand Canyon
-Las Vegas
-Los Angeles (maybe Death Valley)
-Colfax, CA
-San Francisco
-Mendocino, CA
-Jenner, CA
-Redwood National Forest
-somewhere in Oregon...
-somewhere in Idaho...thinking probably Twin Falls then Idaho Falls
-Yellowstone National Park
-Billings, MT
-Mount Rushmore
-Minnesota
-Wisconsin
-Chicago, IL
-Indianapolis, IN
-Paoli, IN
-Louisville, KY
-Nashville, TN
-Atlanta, GA
-back to Tallahassee to pick up our cat...and then HOME!!

We will be gone for nearly a month and I can't wait!!!