Most of you already know that I changed my plans and came home early. What you don’t know is that I surprised my parents, and one of my closest friends, by coming home early…a fantastic feeling, if I do say so myself!

I had already planned on cutting my trip short because the funds I had set aside were running low and I didn’t want to get into the middle of the US and have to turn around and come home. But I ran into some very odd homesickness that made me realize it was time to come home.

The night before I came home I had decided that I was going to end my trip in Kentucky and head home the following Tuesday, which happens to be today. I told Mom and Dad and a couple of friends. I was talking to EJ when I said I couldn’t wait to sleep in my own bed. Then I described exactly how comfy my bed is after he asked how long it had been since I’d been home. Boy, did that make my hotel bed that night uncomfortable.

The plan was to drive around Long Island taking pictures of lighthouses and spent the night in Brooklyn, drive around LI the next day looking at more lighthouses and stay in Newark, then go to the Ellis Island and Liberty Island. Well, around 1:15 that afternoon plans changed. I got a little misty-eyed as I crossed from New Jersey into New York that morning but brushed it off as being in my home state. Well, that misty-eyed problem got stronger until I was full on crying while driving down the Long Island expressway. Crying because I was in NY and my bed is in NY, I was only 5 hours away from my bed and I wasn’t even gonna be sleeping in it. Now came the point when I mentally cussed out EJ for asking me how long it had been since I’d been home, then cussed myself out for describing how comfy my bed is, and then I mentally cussed out Nick for making my bed so comfy (that sounds kinda wrong…let me explain, he bought me a better-than-down comforter and a better-than-down mattress topper for my bed as Christmas presents a few years back). Basically, there was a lot of cussing going on between the tears.

So, I cancelled my hotel reservations and told Mr. Herbert I wanted to go home, for those that don’t know Mr. Herbert from Family Guy is the voice on my GPS (he and I had a VERY tumultuous relationship throughout this trip). I thought about calling home and letting someone know I was going to be there that night but I thought surprising the parentals would be much better!

As I got closer to the NY-PA border I was getting more excited. Not so unexpectedly, I started crying when I saw that Welcome to New York sign as I was leaving Pennsylvania. I had an hour and a half to go!! When I got home I was so excited that I forgot to put the car in park before I turned it off and left the keys in the ignition, thankfully we live out in the sticks so it didn’t matter. I “ran” to the front door (we all know that I can’t run since the accident and when I do it looks like a wounded, retarded gazelle), barged in the front door and asked if they might have an extra room I could use for the night.

Mom’s response, “Would you like some dinner?”

A couple of hours later, I was going through my mail and my mommy walked up to me in the kitchen, hugged me and said, “I’m glad you’re home.” A moment etched in my heart forever. I know my parents love me, but some moments just stand out more than others.

It felt GREAT to be home and sleeping in my bed that night was SOOO fabulous. After I crawled under the covers, I sent some mental thank you’s to Nick for making my bed so damn comfy. LOL

The next part of my plan was to surprise Michael. Not an easy task! While his schedule is generally the same week to week things change and I had to figure out how to get him to tell me whether he was working that night without letting on that I was home. I would now like to thank God for my ability to deceive and I promise to never use it for evil. Anyway, I found out he was working that night and led him to believe that I was still on Long Island. I went so far as to wish him a good night at work as I was on my way to see him.

I walked into the bar at the hotel and leaned against a couch while he was cleaning off one of the tables. The look on his face when he looked up and saw me standing there was absolutely priceless! The patrons sitting at the table looked my way because he was just standing there, staring. Fabulous! That moment is one I will carry in my heart forever and why I couldn’t be happier that he’s my friend.

Over the MANY weeks I was traveling, I had numerous people ask me if I was trying to find myself. My response was: I know who I am, I am happy with who I am, I figured out who I was and that I like who I am 5 years ago after a near-fatal car accident. I’m doing this to see things I’ve never seen before. Then they would ask me if I had a favorite place that I had visited. That answer was so much harder to come by. I always responded that I hadn’t seen everything yet so I couldn’t really tell them where my favorite place was.

I can say, without a doubt, that I now know where my favorite place is, actually where my favorite places are…

…Wherever those I love are.

There is nothing like the love you see on someone’s face or feel in someone’s hug when they are as glad to see you as you are to see them.

My best day on this trip was the day I came home to the family and friends that love me because of and in spite of everything I am.

♥, JD

(I hope you all stick around. I may not be traveling anymore but I still plan on sharing some of my nonsensical musings here from time to time.)

I gotta say it doesn’t matter how old you are, once you enter Hershey, PA you’re a kid again. I spent the better part of my day at Hershey’s Chocolate World and I LOVED it! I saw a 3-D movie, I got my Master’s Degree in Chocolate Tasting, I made my own candy bar and I took a trolley ride through Hershey. All I can say is that I spent my day with a big smile on my face and it had nothing to do with too much chocolate, ok well maybe it had something to do with chocolate.

Today was a good day. Which I needed because I was gettin’ kinda bored with this drivin’ around thing. I try to keep things exciting but some days it’s just not possible so have an exciting day when you’re doing nothing but driving. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things to look at but the same scenery over and over does get boring. I’m heading into what I hope will be another exciting few days. I’m not telling you what’s coming though, you’ll have to wait for the next post.

I will tell you it’s big and historic.

♥, JD

I have come to the conclusion, one I should have come to quite a few weeks ago, that I need to slow the hell down. I’m not talking about how fast I drive, I don’t think anything’s gonna change that. I’m talking about the getting up at 7, showering, packing the car, throwing breakfast down my throat and getting out of the hotel by 9, driving & sightseeing until 4-5, getting pictures downloaded from the camera, uploaded to Facebook, eating dinner, going to bed and starting the whole thing over again the next day. I’m really starting to wear myself out. When I was in San Fran with Mom and Dad it was awesome. I woke up, Mom made breakfast, I showered, did my sightseeing & was back to the hotel by 3-4, I relaxed, we went to dinner, I relaxed some more, I went to bed. It was fantastic. But since I went back to a different hotel every night and days that keep me going from 7am-11pm I’m starting to get tuckered out.

I’m still thoroughly enjoying this adventure but if I think I’m gonna run myself into the ground if I keep doing things like that. So…tomorrow, I’m sleeping until 8 or 9 or maybe even 10. If I’m up in time for free breakfast, fabulous, if not, no biggie, I’ll walk across the parking lot for Dunkin’. I’m gonna leisurely get ready and check-out by noon, get my oil changed and head to the Hard Rock for Bloody Mary’s and an appetizer before heading to the The Gateway Arch and Anheuser-Busch. It’s gonna be a totally chill day and one that will be fun and relaxing.

♥, JD

Last week I invaded my parents vacation in San Francisco. I’m pretty sure they were as excited to see me as I was to see them! Now, we didn’t spend the entire time doing the sight-seeing thing together but we did go on a Bay Cruise together. And I have to state for the record that you are never too old to have your parents walk with you to the bus stop! LOL! Actually, it was the cable car stop but we all were heading to the same place so I guess it doesn’t really count as them walking me there. 

I think we had a good time…what do you think?!

One of the places I went as I was exploring the Bay Area was The Marine Mammal Center. It’s a hospital for marine mammals, I guess the name kinda explains that. Anyway, they had an art exhibit there called Washed Ashore. It was the coolest thing!! Garbage was collected from 11 different beaches in Oregon and was used to make sculptures of various marine mammals. It was just amazing to see.

I have to say that the best part of the week really was getting to see my Mommy and Daddy! I lounged every morning after Mom made breakfast and chilled every evening after we had dinner together. It was a MUCH needed “break” from my road trip to recharge my batteries.

With that being said, I just finished my second day of straight driving and there are many more to come. I am still just as excited to see what lies before me as I was the day I left my house.

♥, JD

So, since last we spoke I have traveled through some REALLY boring countryside. I don’t think there is anything that can be done to make the states of Iowa and Nebraska more exciting to drive through. It was pretty cool to drive the Lincoln Highway instead of  I-80 through Nebraska. I drove through towns whose population ranged from 150-ish to 400-ish. Small town USA at it’s best.

While I was in Nebraska I went to Boys Town…you know, Father Flanagan and Whitey Marsh, Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. It was so amazing to see the progress that has been made there and it all started with $90 and the dream of one man. To think of all the lives his dream has touched over the years is just incredible.

I moved onto Wyoming to the Terry Bison Ranch. It’s was so cool! They have a train that takes you for a ride around the ranch, which is HUGE, and you get to feed the Buffalo. How cool is that!! You can pet and feed Buffalo! I had a Buffalo lick my hand looking for treats and she was wrapping around my whole hand. It was slimy and AWESOME at the same time! LOL!! I also met a Hollywood superstar while I was there. His name is Harvey and he’s so handsome. He’s kinda anti-social, we were told he’s independent but we all know that’s a nice way of saying anti-social, so he didn’t come to say hello for quite some time and even when he did he was still kinda shy. He was so cute I just wanted to take him home with me! How many of you think I’m talkin’ about a ranch hand right now?! Harvey is a Buffalo and he was in the movie Dances With Wolves! He’s an animal actor…still cool, though.

I gotta admit that there has been something weighing on my mind for the past week. I can’t seem to shake it…

I GET TO SEE MY PARENTS THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you have any idea how excited I am about this?!?!?! Hmmm….I think the all caps screaming may have given that away. I think fate had a hand in my car breaking down. If I hadn’t spent those extra days in Moses Lake and Forest Grove I would never have been in San Francisco al the same time they are. I get to spend 6 nights with them in their hotel while I check out the whole of the Bay area. I talk to them every day and tell them what I did that day and let them know I’m safe at my hotel but to get the chance to see them in the middle of my adventure…FAN-EFFIN’-TASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to stop there or I’m gonna get myself even more worked up and not be able to get to sleep!

♥, JD