Christmas

My favorite part of Christmas growing up was always hands down was opening my stocking. It was always jam packed with odds and ends and fun stuff. This year my favorite part is just being with the people I love.

image

Home...Sunny CA

So now it is back to the real stuff...home life. CA has been a bit of adjustment with the 80 degrees weather in December, the endless amount of outside activities, and having a real life boyfriend not just a voice on the phone...just kidding. There was no adjustment needed for any of that, but the driving has been a bit of a challenge. I would still be lost some where if TB didn't share the GPS, which he so graciously has. So this is where we live...

Bloopers: Part 1

I call this video, "Alien Noises in Disgust"

WARNING EAR MUFFS! My camera has a video feature next to the camera button...oops!

Bloopers: Part 2

San Diego

Representing RI

New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers for the finale of a 4,500 mile road trip.

AZ

Seriously dirty windshield

We didn't end up stopping in AZ. We were in a bit of a mad dash to get to San Diego for the Patriots game, but the cacti were impressive.

White Sands National Monument, NM

Michael Jackson apparently resides here

White Sands National Monument was a very cool place. You are driving through the desert and then all the sudden see white sand on the horizon. They sell slides so you can successfully slide down the sand hills, because on your butt doesn't get you too far. Good times and jumping pictures were had by all.

Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Carlsbad Caverns were crazy. The pictures do not do justice to the world that lies seriously far below the earth's surface. (I attempted to look up actually how far down it goes, but I gave up.) It feels as if it is what another planet would look like, like Mars or something. It is eerily quiet and cool. I really just can't describe it.

Texas

Who knew Texas had so many cotton fields and windmills? We pretty much just drove through Texas. The beginning was filled with cow fields, the middle the cities, and the last part was cotton.

Lynchburg, TN

One satisfied customer with his single barrel Jack.

Jack Daniels

TB's favorite stop...Lynchburg, TN to the Jack Daniels Distillery where all Jack Daniels is made, but none can be tasted. Members on our tour included one old, alcoholic lady who kept asking when she got a drink, even though they kept repeating that Lynchburg is a dry county.

We then went to Huntsville, AL to visit some friends, but we didn't take any photos.

Chimney Rock, NC

Chimney Rock was an unplanned stop. It was much cheaper than going to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Asheville and turned out to be so nice. We did a couple hikes. The movie Cold Mountain was based off the area around Chimney Rock.

I think this may be out of order now that I think about it. We headed to Nashville after Chimney Rock. That's what happens when you wait 2 months to post stuff.

Nashville, TN

This is the main road where bars all have live bands playing country of course.

This picture sums up what seeing Bob Dylan is like...You think its him. Maybe you recognize him, but you can't really tell. That's how he sounds. Amazing and crappy all at the same time.

Nasty drunk lady took this. She was hitting on TB hard.

Nashville was the biggest let down. The city was not what I thought it would be at all. We saw Bob Dylan, then checked out some local music talent on the strip. The next day, we went to Jack White's record store, which was just plain weird, but then again it is Jack White. I bought a really crappy CD...thanks again Jack White's wife for recommending them in the article I read about Nashville. And that my friends is sadly all I have to say about Nashville.

Asheville, NC

The start of the jumping series

Dinner with good beer and gross raw chicken.

Large iron sculpture

Looking Glass Falls

Rock slide that people go down in the summer

Hike that overlooks Ashville

View from the Blue Ridge Parkway

Reminds me of Arch Street

Asheville was the biggest surprise. It was really beautiful. We went the perfect time of year for foliage and driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which goes from Shenandoah National Park to the Smoke Mountain National Park. It is a scenic route that takes you past waterfalls, hikes, and amazing lookouts.

Asheville is a small artsy, liberal town like Northampton. The downtown has little unique shops, coffee houses, and restaurants. There were a bunch of street performers, which we later saw most of them at a song writers competition at a bar later on. I had no expectations going there and was uber impressed. You wouldn't think of a small mountain town as artsy and eclectic, but it was probably one of my favorite stops.