The Final Countdown

5 days.  I can't believe it.  We are leaving here in 5 days.  I now know that we will be headed towards Morehead, Kentucky for the first week or so.  We have yet to find out any of our other locations.  We still don't really know where near Morehead, but I think that information will be available tomorrow.  

I got some fancy schmancy hiking boots this weekend, now I am just looking for some utilitarian sandals that don't cost a fortune.  Hard to find.  I don't want to wear boots for 3 months, and I need something to wear around camp, etc.  I also need rope, or cord.  Instead of a sleeping mat, I got those foam puzzle pieces that people put on the floor of their kids playrooms.  Seriously, it was the coolest idea.  We saw them at Sam's Club yesterdayhttp://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=107930 and the light bulb appeared.  We laid them out on the floor and laid down, and ya know what???  They are pretty comfortable.

I also got Zooey her backpack.  She is so stinkin cute with it, but the best part is that she will be hiking in her own food and bowls.  I mean for sure I will be making several hikes in and out, but every little bit helps.

I still need flashlights/headlamp, and some random clothes and stuff, but all of the medicine has been bought and   most other major things are here.  I just have to finish my projects, get everything packed, clean up around here, shut everything down and hit the road.  Holy crap people, I am really doing this.  I sure hope I can control my stomach issues, but I can't worry about it; I have to go with the flow because if I stress, it will act up.

Oh The Places We Will Go...

After July 7th, we are pretty much unscheduled.  There are a few places I would like to go, but we are also looking for ideas... Here is what I have so far.

• Asheville, NC
• Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas
• A place from the Heart farm in Tennessee
• Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas
• Raleigh, NC
• Roanoke VA
• Lebowski Fest in Milwaukee, WI
• Maine
• Hostel in the Woods, GA

So... anyone have any suggestions?  Cheap, free camping, stay with friends, kind of places, festies, roadside America kind of stuff.  Is there anything I don't want to miss?

11 days away... wishlist

Can you believe it?  I am leaving here in 11 days.  I still have a wishlist if anyone has anything to kick down or know of any places with especially good deals.

• self-inflating mat 2.5"
• hiking boots women 7.5
• pots, pans and utensils for outdoor use
• headlamp
• dog backpack (one that Zooey wears to carry her food)
• retracting dog leash and martingale collar
• camera case
• digital voice recorder that downloads to a computer
• rechargeable AA batteries. 
• gluten free dry goods
• good socks
• basic t-shirts (for Mark)
• bathing suit... possibly.  
• camping cups... all temp, with handles, etc.

That's all for today.  The countdown is on for the greatest adventure ever.  

Who knew?

Every journey is a beautiful thing.  Little did I really know when I began this blog that I would in fact be taking a real life adventure.  Everyday is an adventure, but not like this.  May 25th I head out for three months of living in a tent in the forest.  Yes, me... I know.  Honestly, I have never felt as free as I did when I was just visiting.  Now for three months I will be living the dream.  OK, so not the "American Dream", but who ever said that was MY dream?  Surely not me.

Current wish list

Wish List...
Hitting the road for a few months and I am looking for some stuff...

• gps
• good hiking boots
• folding shovel
• medium ish pots and pans for cooking over open fire
• car tires
• headlamp
• tent tall enough to stand up inside
• quality water bottle that has a loop to hang from belt or something.
• leash, collar, harness for Zooey
• dog backpack (so she can carry her own stuff)
• camp chair
• hammock
• new phone
• self inflating sleeping mat
• ...

So many adventures

I have so much to catch up on here. I have been on so many adventures in the last few months... Camping at Disney, Ocala National Forest, Atlanta and Marietta Georgia and Oconee National Forest in Greensboro, Georgia. And soon to come Cumberland, KY, a bunch of places in TN, and a whole summer of being on the road all over the place. :)

Many new adventures to come...

I am happy. The universe has spoken and I am on a path to lovely days. I will back post with some pictures of recent adventures soon... and soon I will have new adventures to share with the world. I have become involved with a special human being who has brought me to this new path in my life, which I am embracing with open eyes, mind and heart.

I don't know why...

I don't know why I let people upset me the way I do. I don't want to have the "my life sucks" attitude, but I do. People make me feel bad about myself, make me feel inadequate, make me feel all alone. Sometimes I really wish I could just pick up and go away. Stop telling me I can, because I can't and those few of you that always tell me "we all love you", stop. Seriously. Actions speak louder than words. I dislike myself right now, no matter what anyone else says. And there are certain people that just make me feel worse and worse about myself. I feel gross, and fat, and ugly, and because of all of that, unloved. Even if someone was interested in me, I don't think I would allow myself, in the state I am in, to get involved. It's a double-edged sword. I don't know how to explain it. I just needed to get this off my chest. I wish I knew how to fix it. I am sure I will have more to write later, but for now I need to go do something else.

Chicago Day 2

Living on the Ledge! This morning Jen and I got up and went to the Willis Tower. This of course used to be the Sears Tower. This was a really cool experience. We were scared to death to go out into this window box thing. We were holding hands we were so freaked out. You can see it in the picture though.

After the Willis tower we headed to The Magnificent Mile, AKA Michigan Avenue. Seriously, we could have spent the entire trip there. Garrett Popcorn was amazing! If we had found it earlier, we would have been eating it the whole time. This was a fabulous day. We stopped at a place called Big Bowl. Super Yum!

To be continued...

Chicago!

Chicago day 1...

We were staying at the Hampton Inn and they had some breakfast items I could made do with, along with my box of Chex cereal I was good to go. After breakfast we headed to Navy Pier. It was kind of a let down. First of all, it was over 90 degrees that day and we were dying, secondly, there was an overabundance of biting flies. OK, so I was the only one they were attacking, and I can't figure out why, but I was kind of annoyed. We walked and walked and walked forever. Did I mention that it was like a bazillion degrees? Oh well, lunch redeemed the day. We went to the Webber Grill. It was amazing. They had a great gluten free menu. I had a fancy version of a bacon cheese burger and fantastic mashed potatoes and cole slaw! Super yum! It even came on a gluten free bun. I was super excited.

After lunch we wandered around some more. We walked over to the Hard Rock because Jen desperately wanted a tank top.

This was going to be the night we all went to Uno’s for their famous Chicago Stuffed pizza and because they have a gluten free menu. PEOPLE… DO NOT GO THERE. I was sadly disappointed and super glad we called ahead. Even though their website clearly states that they have the gluten free menu, they do NOT. I even called their Due restaurant and they did not have it either. They are the only two locations that do not have the gluten free menu.Seriously?The original store does not carry the full menu. Whatever! I was hot, and pissed, and I nearly seriously injured myself tripping on some sidewalk, I grabbed the iron gate and just jacked up my hand. Goodie, I am ever the klutz. Anyway, while walking back to the hotel to figure out what I was going to eat for dinner, while everyone would be enjoying their fancy pizza, I passed a place that I recognized from the glutenfreeregistry.com called Ben Pao. It as decent, their lettuce wraps don’t even compare to P.F. Chang’s.

After dinner we went on our river/lake architecture tour, which was amazing! We hoofed it over to the dock and hopped on our boat. What a cool experience. We got the low down on all the buildings and saw some beautiful sights. J

I was really upset that my camera wasn’t working correctly. When the boat docked we headed back towards the hotel and stopped at this (really crappy) bar next door. We ended up leaving there and just going back to the hotels breakfast room and drinking what we had in the cooler. Turned out to be an OK day in Chi-town!