Flags, Fallen, Founders & Freedom

*ATTENTION* Watch this video before proceeding to the reading of this blog. *ATTENTION*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZdTSSQ4cks



(Note - We took our own video, but due to the lame connection capabilities of our hotel's wireless internet, we had to resort to a youtube video - our apologies!)

Precision…the first thing that comes to mind after having seen the changing of the guard twice as well as 2 wreath ceremonies. The site – Arlington Cemetery, the final resting place for thousands upon thousands of brave men and women who gave their lives defending the multitude of stories that exist in the boundaries of Washington D.C. As you enter the cemetery between two iron-clad gates, you come first to a tourist/information center that can answer any questions or listen to any comments you may have regarding Arlington Cemetery. At first, you don’t really notice and can’t really see what lies between the dozens of pathways that snake through the hollowed ground. After walking 50 yards or so, the site becomes obvious. As far as you can see in almost every direction, white tomb stones bearing the name, military rank, and years lived of American soldiers spot the landscape. It doesn’t seem real at first that so many lives could have been lost due to war. And just when you think, after you have walked hundreds of yards, that the tomb stones could not go on anymore, you find yourself at the beginning of another plot of land, acres and acres wide with hundreds of more white engraved headstones. After attempting to wrap our minds around the enormity of this place, we found ourselves standing in a sun that was absolutely cruel to bake in at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. But it was worth it. I’ll ask you to look up what these soldiers must go through in order to earn the privilege of standing guard at The Tomb. Once you realize the time and dedication required to earn this position, you cannot stand there and see those men as anything but true, genuine, 100% American heroes. The pride they must feel to stand at what is called “America’s holiest shrine,” cannot be matched. These soldiers will literally risk their lives to take their guard for the 30 or 60 minutes they are assigned to. If you don’t believe me, check out youtube and there is video of a soldier guarding the tomb in weather that we all would be ordered to find shelter in. They have stood at that place pacing their 21 steps back and forth for decades, every minute of every day of every month of every year. These men are deliberate with every single step they take, every turn of their body, every click of their heel, every time they change the position of their gun, and most importantly for them, every salute they give to the 3 soldiers that lie in peace at the feet of these guards. The precise nature to which these guards go about their duties is astonishing and I hope everyone gets to see it in their lifetime.

On a lighter note, we made 4 new friends in front of the National Archives Museum, 2 of whom are going to hook us up with a meeting of Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson. Okay, well, maybe we won’t get to meet them but we can say that we know 2 guys who have done special effects for these actors’ films, among many others. While waiting to go in to the museum, we were able to listen to these 2 men’s stories about their life in the fast lane with some of Hollywood’s top stars such as the two mentioned before, Tom Cruise, Samantha Mamba, Guy Pierce, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. They were in town for 30 days shooting an upcoming sports-based film featuring Witherspoon and Wilson as the main characters. You heard it here first – I think that obligates someone reading this blog to take Rachel and I to the movie, since we’re so close to Reese and Owen…I mean, we’re practically good friends with them now. One second, Owen is calling now…

Okay, sorry. He was just inviting me to the premier but I told him I have a blog audience who I figured would rather take Rachel and myself, but I told him you all said hello. Anyhow, we also met a mother and her daughter who were visiting D.C. for a few days like we were. The mother was originally from Honduras and the daughter, an entering freshman in high school. They were fun to talk to and it made the time we were forced to wait outside go quickly.

Inside the National Archives Museum, a shoe exists that is unlike any other shoe I have ever seen. No, not the famous General George Washington’s shoe…no, not the shoe of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln…I’m talking about the shoe of a larger man. I am of course referring to the Big Aristotle, the Big Diesel, the self-proclaimed King of Facebook, Shaq “the Shaqteriffic” O’Neal. One of Shaq’s size 23 (which is 16 inches long!) Reebok’s is on display for the public to see – talk about a National Archive. The shoe is on display as part of an anniversary celebration for the N.A.M. As cool as that was though, the real reason we were there presided in the bottom level of the building in a rotunda that allows no flash photography, no leaning on the glass, and thanks to security guard Eddie, no loud obnoxious 8th graders. In this room, we saw the original Articles of Freedom, which include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The Declaration while cool to see up close, is almost non-readable as the ink once used by the founders has nearly faded completely away. The Constitution and Bill of Rights however, still contain dark enough markings for the reader to see. It is indescribable the sense of awe you feel when looking at these documents that you know are the foundation for what we have today (or should I say, what we had years ago but seem to be fading away).

Our final stop on our final day in D.C. was where it all unfolds – where our taxes get raised, the pork gets spent, the corruption breeds, the debt gets larger, and the bold-faced liars are given an immense amount of ego-boost, the United States Capitol (I’m really not bitter, I promise *cough*). This building is larger than I originally thought and extremely well protected. As crazy as the politics are these days, the whole experience was truly amazing, one we will never forget. Without getting in to too deep of a thought for this one, I’ll just say this – we’ve kept track of what is going on in the world via the internet and television while we’ve been on this trip and I sure hope that somehow, some way, our leaders and many of our citizens get their acts together because soon if something does not change, none of this history, none of these stories, none of what is built in D.C. will matter. It’s a sad statement, but I believe a true one.
But the stories that all of these monuments and buildings are built on is the exact reason why I think it will all be okay – goodness will prevail.

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh & Rachel

D.C. Day 2 Highlights: Changing of the guard, sunscreen, a shower at the end of the day, a decent hotel for shelter, honoring & remembering our nation’s heroes, our nation’s freedoms, new found friends (including Owen and Reese), sitting down, Chipper (our ’07 Ford Escape).

Not Your Normal Mall

There’s no way to capture all that D.C. holds in a single blog so you will be getting an extremely abbreviated version of our Nation’s capitol. It didn’t take us long to realize that 2 days would not be nearly enough time to see all that there is to see and do all that there is to do. With the 2 full days that we did have, we attempted to experience as much as we possibly could. Time was not so much a limitation but the extent to which our feet would allow us to walk. Yes, nearly all there is to see is within a 2-3 mile radius, but to truly immerse yourself in the history and the story that Washington D.C. tells, you would need a full day for every 2 museums. The first attraction that comes to mind was the Holocaust Museum which has recently been a target of the national news media for the shooting that occurred on June 10. You could definitely see the amped up security efforts. Before we even got in to the main part of the museum, we walked by at least 10 security guards. The make-shift memorial that has been set up for the security officer who was killed in action was sitting just outside the entrance. If you have heard the story of the man who was charged with his murder, then you will recognize the irony of the entire situation as this museum gives anyone who passes through it an extreme reminder of what can happen when and if peace do not prevail. This exhibit could take any single person 8 hours to get through and you still might not have the chance to see everything that you would want to see. The amount of reading required (and a somewhat knowledgeable background to World War II) is extensive and probably not for children under the age of 12. If you are not able to stomach some extremely grotesque and unfathomable images of the atrocities that occurred under the reign of Hitler then you may not want to view much of the main exhibit in the museum. The mood while in the museum is quite somber, the dark air silent, and the focus intense. You leave with a new found view of what exactly happened during one of the World’s darkest periods.

Five of the monuments/memorials are all within view from each other. These 5 places of remembrance can be viewed fairly quickly, but the uniqueness and awe they inspire in you will last a lifetime. These 5 memorials were the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. The amount of literature available to read at these monuments are enough to make a book full, so I’ll let you look up the information that we learned while at these sites, but one place in particular is worth pointing out. While at the Vietnam War Memorial (the wall), we were able to learn from a man who had a first-hand account of the events that unfolded during the war. This particular memorial is staffed by an all volunteer force made up of Vietnam veterans. They give their time and passion to anyone who is willing to listen to their stories, their knowledge, or their memories from the war. None of them bitter, none of them full of complaints, just truly genuine people wanting to share their experience and maybe a new perspective for you to hear. It was an honor to shake the hand of a man who survived to tell his story of the Vietnam War. This does not take away from how truly wonderful the other memorials are, but this one stood out.

The main attraction in D.C. was our final stop of the day – the White House. As we approached, there seemed to be a small commotion happening just in front of the famed spot for picture taking. Two policemen on horses were pushing everybody back to clear the area in front of the gates that surround the White House. We started to leave the area but 3 minutes later, the policemen had left and the crowd had once again gathered, so we gathered with them. We took our pictures, took another couple’s picture, then decided to call it a day and headed back to our hotel via the D.C. Metro. The Metro was surprisingly simple to figure out – all you need is a Metro official to explain the initial set-up of the system and you are good to go. We found our way around without any trouble and we both realized that we were probably panicking over nothing. The worst part is that there is not more Metro to connect the National Mall area. If you decide to venture to D.C. bring your walking shoes, because wow…you do a LOT of walking! More to come about our 2nd day in the city soon!

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh & Rachel

D.C. Highlights Day 1: Metro-ease, sunscreen, shade, water, good walking shoes, reminders of peace, Vietnam vets, patriotism, the Lincoln Memorial café with “friends” to chat with from Texas, silly protestors, cameras, a shower at the end of a long hot day!

Some People Won’t Like This

I’ve heard it said that cats always know the way home. It’s as if they have some sort of extra sense that allows them to the way back to their place of dwelling. They have a special connection with wherever their home is. Call it supernatural, call it an extra sense, call it what you will…but I’m fairly confident that in my human nature, I experienced this animal-instinct of feeling at home on June 12, 2009. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I can now say that I have finally found my home away from home away from home. The Chapel Hill campus was absolutely stunning to both Rachel and myself, probably for different reasons. While there is no denying she was able to see the aesthetic beauty, I saw a beauty I have been dreaming about seeing since I was 7 years old and became a fan of North Carolina basketball. I have dreamed (literally and figuratively) of stepping foot on the UNC Chapel Hill campus for years and years. Words cannot describe the excitement I felt as Rachel and I passed sign after sign directing us to the UNC campus. Once there, it only got better because the Dean Smith Center, where the UNC basketball team plays their games, was open due to high school graduations going on. That meant we were able to see inside of the building. Hanging in the rafters were the retired jerseys of past UNC basketball heroes. Next to those jerseys were 5 of the 6 (yes, 6) NCAA championships that they have won. Simply put, it was gorgeous, and I can now die a happy man.

I also visited another campus near Chapel Hill, which will go unnamed as I do not want to ruin this blog by mentioning the name of a far inferior school. If you wish to say the name out loud, be careful or your tongue may fall straight out of your mouth. If you don’t know what school I’m talking about, just look online about 8 miles northeast of the UNC Chapel Hill campus and you will see this wretched place. Against my better judgment and because I can now lay claim to being the best friend in the world, I graced this other school’s campus with a Tar Heel fan’s presence, only to foolishly give them some of my money, all to make 3 certain people happy. Let’s just say, they are forever in debt to me regardless of the amount we spent in the other campus’s store. In fact, I kind of like the sound of “the other campus” instead of its true name – I may start using that on a permanent basis. With that said, I will still show some respect. Rachel and I went to a place called Krzyzewskiville, a place in front of the other school’s basketball arena that is named after the other school’s head basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski. We decided to go in to that arena and there we were thrilled to see that a junior high basketball camp was going on which was being led by team USA and other school’s head coach, Coach K. Seeing as he is the epitome of class and genius when it comes to the game of basketball, we stuck around to listen to him speak and failed in our attempt to meet him. However, it was an honor to have seen such a respected and dignified basketball coach. With that, we went as fast as we could to leave this other school behind forever.

We did not realize until after we were in North Carolina that we did not have a Chapel Hill map from AAA – which stressed Rachel to the max. Thankfully, Chapel Hill is a fairly small town that centers around the UNC campus. We had a few extra minutes on our only night in North Carolina so we decided to “get lost” (there was only 1 or 2 streets to get lost on, so we weren’t that worried) and in doing so, came across some fantastic southern white picket-fenced middle-of-a-forest homes. Many of these homes were mansion-looking but there were a few that were somewhat quaint. However, regardless of their size, they were beautiful. These homes had to have been straight out of a Better Homes & Garden magazine. The landscaping was immaculate, the trees around the houses were lush with green leaves and pine needles, and the windows were adorned with shutters. While these houses, I think, excited Rachel more than myself, I could still appreciate the splendor of these Southern-style homes.

Our Washington D.C. hotel which was next on our list of cities did not have a check-in time until 3 PM. The drive to D.C. was only 4 hours though, so we had some time to kill in the morning. The previous night while on the UNC campus, we had seen a building that contained the UNC basketball hall of fame but it was closed, much to our dismay. With the few extra hours we had, we decided to go back to UNC and check this monumental site out – and oh man, I get excited thinking about it! The place was a holding-ground of all things UNC basketball related. As you enter the shrine, you are greeted with a dark room that has 5 cases spotlighting UNC’s first 5 NCAA championship trophies. The next room contains the numerous nets that the UNC teams have had the pleasure of cutting down from so many tournaments and championships won along with framed newspaper clippings, former players’ shoes and jerseys, and plaques and trophies from years past. The third and final room which is 10 times the size of the previous 2 rooms, was filled with everything you could imagine having to do with the UNC basketball tradition. From a wall that contains every name of every UNC player to play in the NBA, an enormous UNC logo that has numerous players’ signatures, to televisions with continuous highlights running from every moment you could think of that has to do with UNC basketball. But the best is saved for last. As you reach the last part of the room, there is a case that I would give my left arm, my left leg, a kidney, a lung and maybe even part of my heart to have. You can probably guess, if you know me, what this case may have held. I won’t go in to detail of all the MJ stuff this case had, but let’s just say I was contemplating how to fit this case into our vehicle for the drive home. Don’t worry, I left everything there *innocent eyes*.

I realized a childhood dream on June 12, 2009. While it revolved around a certain team in the world of college basketball, it was truly important to me to have experienced seeing this campus and this hall of fame. Some of you may find it silly to have such an obsession over a little basketball team – but I wouldn’t trade that dream and my fanicity of the UNC Tar Heels for anything. We all have our own dreams and whether they are silly or not, they are real. Everybody has that one thing they dream about and possibly have dreamt about since they were 7 years old, maybe younger. I truly hope that someday, you get to experience your dream, even if it is on a minor level. Our dreams, our aspirations, our desires, our deepest wishes, are what make life interesting and worth living. I still have many dreams, many hopes, and many desires that I hope I see come to fruition at some point in my life. But for now, I’ll take what I’ve been given. We come in to this world with nothing, we leave with nothing, but we leave behind a ton. Part of what we leave behind finds its form in the accomplishment of our dreams, so what are you leaving behind?
What are your dreams?
What do you love? What is your passion? If it’s a basketball hall of fame – so be it.
Just as long as it’s not that “other school’s” basketball hall of fame.

From the Road Less Travled,
Josh & Rachel

North Carolina Highlights: UNC campus, UNC basketball hall of fame, seeing beautiful homes, almost meeting Coach K (but getting lots of pictures), 6 NCAA championships, not running out of battery on the camera even though it was blinking at us!

License Plate Update: Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina (go Tar Heels!), Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Alabama, South Carolina, Missouri, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Connecticut, Kansas, Vermont, West Virginia, Delaware, Washington D.C. (49/51 … because we’re now counting D.C. as a “state” for this count).

Don't Worry, We're Still Here!

Hey, so you are probably wondering, "Um, helloooooo you are in new cities, where are the new blogs???" Well not to fear, we've had a couple super busy days in North Carolina and now we are in Washington D.C. and I'm sorry, we want to go look at all the cool things before we sit down to write a blog. But we will have a blog about our North Carolina trip, (with video I might add...) and we will have a blog about our Day 1 and a blog about our Day 2 in D.C. So, keep checkin' because we definitely will get a blog posted here soon. Sorry for the delay! Talk to you all soon!

-Josh and Rachel

Names and the Stories That Go With Them

Little Michael grew up in a fairly well-to-do neighborhood. Down one side of the street lived Doctors, a lawyer, and some affluent business men from the community. On the other side of the street lived nose-to-the-grindstone blue collar workers, all living paycheck to paycheck. Across the street from Michael’s house was a convenience store where Michael’s family and the rest of the neighborhood would buy household necessities – milk, bread, ice, and a multitude of other things. One day, Michael’s best childhood friend told Michael, “My dad says I cannot play with you anymore.” Michael’s best friend, who was white, would not be allowed to play with him anymore because Michael was black. Michael was heart-broken much like any 6 year old would be.

Luckily, as a 6 year old, Michael would not have had to deal with 5:00 traffic in 2009 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. If you have any luck, you will not have to deal with Atlanta traffic either because…OMG! (OMG = oh my goodness, that’s for those of you who may not be up-to-date on your texting lingo). I take back everything I said about Houston being a crazy city to drive in. I said that all prior to knowing that I would have spent more time on the freeway than off the freeway during our stay in Atlanta. Okay, okay, I may be exaggerating a bit, but seriously, it took us 2 hours to get from the Braves game back to our hotel, which are only 19 miles away from each other. If you do the math, that makes your average speed 9.5 miles per hour. At certain points on the Atlanta freeway system, there are over 8 lanes of traffic all headed in the same direction, and which at any given time, 5 of them are at a complete standstill. Literally, 5 of them will not be moving, 2 of them will be crawling, and the last will be moving fairly quickly but it is the one lane you can’t be in because it is an exit only, the exit you don’t need *refer to video at bottom*. Now this fits somebody like myself great because if you know me, I’m not what you would call the “fastest driver” in the West. However, when the freeways do pick up to “normal” speed, it is absolutely, horrifically, unimaginably…scary. You will be going 75mph in a 55mph one moment and slowing down to 10mph in a matter of seconds all the while avoiding 4 cars in front of you trying to merge to their exits, 3 cars behind you attached to your back bumper, 9 cars in front of you slowing down because of the 3 semi-trucks in front of them, the Earth moving in one direction beneath your back wheels and the other direction beneath your front wheels, 24 tornados forming over your head, a volcano erupting in the distance in the middle of a blizzard, driving uphill in a mountainous terrain both ways. I know, sounds crazy right? Well, to add to the story, just pretend that it’s true, because that’s what it felt like. Oh yeah, did I mention the girl with her left foot hanging out of the window, talking on her cell phone, in the middle of rush hour traffic – and she was the one driving?! (Doesn’t make my volcano sound too out of place does it? I think I would have rather taken my chances with the burning lava than the psycho-driver girl). Anyway, back to the Atlanta story.

After we got into Atlanta the first night, we decided to not brave the traffic and settled on a good ‘ole Cracker Barrel night. It’s amazing how similar these restaurants are 2,000 miles away from each other; I think they use the same decorator. We came back to the hotel and decided to call it an early night so we could attempt to get up early for a full day in downtown Atlanta.

After the early events of our 2nd day in Atlanta, which I’ll discuss later in this blog, we made our way to Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. You would have thought Atlanta, Georgia was right in the middle of the Equator. Rachel’s skin on her legs was so hot that you could have cooked an egg on them. Apparently, one of our readers does not believe we are intelligent enough to sunscreen-up every time we are going to spend some time in the sun. He underestimates our genius – we remembered and good thing because for 5 innings, that Atlanta sun bore down on us with all its might. We caught a break in the 6th inning when little white puffy clouds turned into dark, ominous thunder and lightning-bearing clouds which gave us some cover. The game ended with the Braves losing 3 to 1 and not a moment too soon. Not 60 seconds later, the Atlantic Ocean that we just left arrived over the top of Turner Field. This was not just a little drip-drip storm, but a storm that kept us and 10,000 other petrified fans in the halls of the Braves stadium for about 20 extra minutes. Neither Rachel nor myself have seen that much rain in that short amount of time, ever. The thunder literally shook the steel rafters holding up the stadium – needless to say, we were glad to finally get back to our hotel, shower off the globs of sunscreen we had smeared over our entire bodies, order in some Chinese food, and relax for a few minutes before diving into our new blog.

Something I was super excited about was my brand new Atlanta Braves jersey Rachel had been saving for me for months. I had pointed out a really nice authentic Braves jersey that I wanted over a year ago and Rachel spent months looking for it after the store we saw it in had sold out of them. She surprised me with it last night before bed and her and I were both able to rock our new looks in our new Braves baseball gear to the game today.

Oh, and about Michael…you see, I didn’t just randomly tell you some story about some kid named Michael to open this blog. That is actually a true story. But who is Michael and why should you care about him? Well, in 1934, a man lay on his death bed with his son at his side. The man’s dying wish was that his son would find a way to keep the family name going after his death. The son, who had a son of his own, decided to keep that wish for his father. Soon after his death, the son marched himself and his own son to the local courthouse and decided to have their names legally changed. While many of us desire possessions, materials, money, and basically just “stuff,” this dying man’s desire wasn’t for his gold pocket watch to be handed down or for a house to be left for his grandchildren, or for his fortune in stocks to be passed down through the generations, no, his name meant more than anything. He obviously felt that he had lived up to that name well and was entrusting that name to his son and his grandson. If you think about some of the most famous people in history, it usually isn’t their bank account that we remember them by – but their name. John F. Kennedy, Adolf Hitler, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Napoleon, Jesus…all people we remember, some well-off financially and others not, but we do not remember them by their portfolio worth. We remember the stories behind their names.
Sometimes, I think about what my name is worth.
I hope that you too will think about the story that will be attached to your name someday.

Today, we were able to see inside the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr. We saw first-hand at the MLKJ Historic District in downtown Atlanta, just what his name has meant to millions of people. Shrine after shrine after shrine, Dr. King is remembered by the words he spoke, the actions he performed, and by the lives he changed. I am grateful, after all these years, to know the whole story of Martin Luther King Jr. This blog is dedicated to the memory of that man who once famously said, “I have a dream that one day, my 4 little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Because sometimes, a name, even if it has to be legally changed from Michael to Martin, is worth more than all the money in the world.

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh and Rachel

In memory of, Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 (born Michael Luther King Jr.)

Atlanta Highlights: Braves game, Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, shelter in the storm!, Cracker Barrel’s fixin’s, surviving Atlanta freeways, advanced map reading skills, good ‘ole southern hospitality, a decent hotel room (even with the weird smell), a blind tour guide that didn’t let his disability stop him from his passion, chocolate milk!

License Plate Updates: *so we forgot to post in Florida, so here’s our latest update* Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina (go Tar Heels!), Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Alabama, South Carolina, Missouri, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Connecticut, Kansas, Vermont, West Virginia (47/50)

Pensacola Day 2: What’s Happened to Customer Service?

I think it’s time to take up online shopping permanently. That way, you would never have to deal with “customer service” people anymore. Do you ever get the feeling that you are annoying the person who is taking care of your transaction? Or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who gets the “I don’t care about the customer, I’m going to act like you’re not here” treatment. We have been fortunate to have had the experience with both while on this vacation. You read about our first instance with “exceptional” customer service in Van Horn, TX with the Ramada desk girl. Day 2 in Pensacola took us to Pep Boys for our 3,000 mile oil change that we will need twice while on our honeymoon. I stepped in to the Pep Boys store and was looked at by 2 employees behind the counter. Silly me, I thought you should greet a customer when they walk in to your store and you’re standing 3 feet away from them with a counter that separates you. I guess the correct thing to do, according to the Pep Boys customer service manual, is to turn your heads back to the computers you are typing on, speaking only with other Pep Boy employees. I waited another minute while the employees typed away on their screens. After the casual/in-your-face clearing of the throat (you know, the polite little sound you make when you want somebody to look up at you but in your mind you are thinking “Hey jerk-wad look up at me, there’s a customer in the store!”), one of them glanced up from his computer and with a rather snarky tone, asked, “Um, can I help you?” Now at this point I was thinking “Gosh, Pep Boys should be a little more peppy” but I thought that they may have been in a rush so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I told them that I needed an oil change and with an annoyed look, he glanced at his watch and retorted “It may be about 2 hours you might have to come back.”
We didn’t go back.
In fact, no one should ever go back to Pep Boys. They should be called Non-Pep Boys for their non-peppiness.

We ended up getting our oil changed right next door and we were on our way to the famous white beaches of Pensacola. The sun was blazing, the clothes were skimpy (on both genders – some guys should not wear some things *shivers*), but the water was amazing. You can actually let this water touch your skin unlike another ocean that I know (I say that just to get a rise out of all you Pacific Ocean lovers…my wife included) (Rachel made sure to type “my wife included”). We spent about 40 minutes wading up to our necks in warm gulf water and then ate a piece of “Death by Chocolate” cake at a little restaurant called Crabs. I will be digesting that cake after we get back to Boise – it was that huge! We took a stroll at a nearby shopping strip that had some beach shops, restaurants, and a giant clam shell. After a few hours at Pensacola Beach, we had had our fun in the sun for the day and decided to hit up a Walmart to restock our dwindling food supply.

On a final note our last minute hotel change worked out well as we were both pleased with our stay at Towne Place Suites in Pensacola. It’s funny how we are never pleased with the temperature as Americans. We were both “dying” of heat while standing in the sun on the beach and “freezing to death” back at the hotel room due to the blizzard-abilities of our air-conditioning. But if the temperature of a hotel room is the least of our worries on this trip, I’d say it has been a success thus far. On to Atlanta where another historical site awaits us (Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial) and a baseball game where the Atlanta Braves will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates – go Braves! More soon!!!

From the Road Less Traveled,
Rachel & Josh

Pensacola Day 2 Highlights: the Atlantic Ocean, chocolate cake at a seafood restaurant, Walmart, other people from Idaho who are 2,500 miles away from home that wave hello even if their license plate has a Vandal logo on it *yuck!*, showers off the beach to wash off the sand from your feet and legs, modesty (the little we saw), waterproof sunscreen.

Pensacola – Day 1

You forget how nice a 4 ½ hour drive can be after you have experienced multiple drives in a row of 7 hours or more. We left Baton Rouge this morning (June 8th) for Pensacola, Florida and the famous white beaches they lay claim to. The drive was smooth and quick, and it seemed as if no time had passed at all as we arrived to our newly booked hotel. You see, last night (the 7th) we wanted to check out our Pensacola hotel one more time before we got there, and after we looked on googlemaps (which can literally see your front door or anywhere you well please to look – hopefully they don’t have cameras in our bathrooms), we decided to make a change. The area around our original hotel didn’t look “inviting”, and by that I mean the area was dungy and dirty looking, something like our Van Horn room only on a wider scale. So, we rebooked with a new, Towne Place Suites Marriott hotel and I think both of us are pleasantly surprised. While the room was a bit more spendy, it is well worth it. We have a refrigerator, microwave (and you KNOW I was stoked about THIS), a flat screen LG television, a stove (didn’t really care about that one), and some other basic amenities that make your stay just a tad nicer – remember, it’s the little things that can add a lot sometimes! However, all these things won’t be used much (I reserve the right to change this statement based on the usage of the microwave), because we will be spending the majority of our day 2 in Pensacola on the absolutely gorgeous white beaches that surround “the Island”, or the main attraction in Pensacola. A bridge that is about 4 miles long leads out to this stunningly beautiful beach island with hotels, restaurants, condos and shops that all look out over the enormity of the Atlantic Ocean – a site that never ceases to amaze me. This is my 2nd trip to the Atlantic, and I’ve had quite a few to the Pacific, (this is Rachel’s first to the Atlantic and I don’t think she believed me that the water was like a swimming pool, unlike the Pacific that feels like an Arctic blast the second you step in the water). But each and every time I get near an ocean, I can’t help but be filled with awe and wonder at this place God has given us, because it is so overpowering and inspiring and absolutely thrilling to be a part of it all.

The minute we got into our hotel, we were itching to get back out and drive down to the Pensacola Beach area to check out the sites and mostly, the water. It was warm as expected, and the beach was packed! Hundreds of people filled the water front, many playing a game of beach soccer, beach volleyball, some laying out in the Pensacola sunshine, and others just out enjoying the feel of the sand on their feet with their families and a family pet. It was peaceful and pleasant, something we all need to experience! We gathered some shells (as you can see in the picture), walked around a few of the shops for a while, and grabbed some dinner at a place called Crabs. I ate something called the White Dory fish, and after I finished it I came to a sudden realization that I may have just finished off millions of kids’ dreams – if you recall, Marlin (Nemo’s dad in Finding Nemo) made a good friend along the way in his adventure of trying to find Nemo. Yeah – did it just hit you too? Marlin’s friends name…DORY! Ahhhhh! What did I do? I’m sorry! Well, guess I’ll have to get over it because the White Dory fish tasted excellent. Rachel’s grilled chicken burger wasn’t too bad either. Before dinner we enjoyed a rousing game of mini-golf at the Tiki-Torch Arcade and Mini-Golf course and I have to say, this was one of the best mini-golf courses we’ve ever played at. The course had this one hole that dropped a good 30 feet through twists and turns to where the hole was…it was really cool. As I began to write this segment, Rachel gave me permission to mention that I won our little competition, but silly Rachel, she should have known that the only reason I was willing to mention mini-golf was because I won…maybe she’ll know me 100% someday ;o)!

Another cool part of today was passing through four different states. We went from Louisiana, to Mississippi, to Alabama and finally in to Florida (and no time zones – something is weird there.) The land down here is SO green! I guess that’s what you get with 70% humidity year round. It’s amazing to see an area so different from the one you live in – the people are different, the buildings and roadways are different, even the air is different. But as I sit in this Pensacola hotel, with a humid Atlantic night sky just outside the hotel window, I know that I can see the same red moon that my family can see back in Boise, the same lit up night sky that the business man laying down for a nights rest can see in New York, the same big dipper that orphaned Rawandan children will see tomorrow night as they look up at the heavens wondering when someone will come help them, the same blackened blanket that covers the wide expanse above us that the son and daughter of a drug-lord in a South American jungle will see…we all experience this miracle called life. It’s the spin we put on it that makes the difference. It’s the circumstance of our very being that enables us to see these things with the attitude that we do, and our situation allows us to see it all with a sense of gratitude, amazement, bewilderment…you name it. I just hope that someday, I can help someone less fortunate than myself to come to see it the way I do. Someday, I hope I can help someone see it in a way they’ve never seen it. I hope you can too.
By the way, tomorrow it’s supposed to be bright and sunny here in Pensacola.
In some places it will be rainy.
But tomorrow will be a great day anyway!
More soon!

From the Road Less Traveled,
Rachel and Josh

Pensacola Day 1 Highlights: Seeing the ocean!!!, warm ocean water, a quick drive, M&M’s, Microwaves for the long-awaited hotdogs, Mapquest directions to the beach & back, last minute hotel changes (for the better), digital cameras on mini golf courses to capture fun moments!

Bridges and Swamps

I’ll never understand how changing lanes at 80 plus miles per hour with a car 2 feet in front of you and 2 feet behind you is safe. But apparently in Houston, that’s the daily norm. Personally, I don’t like being able to see the neck hair of the driver in front of me nor the raging nostrils of the driver behind me – call me crazy but I’ve always felt at least 3 car lengths was safer than 6 inches, but maybe that’s just me. We both understood quickly why Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States.

Not a lot of new things to report from the road today, but a few things that may be of some interest to you. For as grand as the Mississippi River is made out to be it sure goes by quickly. The bridge that crosses it is over and done with in a matter of 30-40 seconds. Now if you want to talk about a bridge – wow, there’s one that runs through Louisiana that dwarfs any bridge I’ve ever seen. Our sympathies go out to the construction workers who were subjected to the arduous task of drudging through the swamp infested area all the while having to maintain a construction-based mindset while building the bridge between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This thing, I’m not kidding, was at least 40 miles long. It makes the Mississippi bridge look like a simple hop across a stream. More than the length of that bridge stands out though, as we suddenly felt a little closer to home when we came upon a fellow Idahoan in a white Camry. It was odd to see the red, white, and blue plate that sticks out like a sore thumb 2,800 miles from home. It was a pleasant sight for some well-traveled eyes in our own vehicle, and it made me realize just how much cooler Idaho plates are than just about anywhere else. Just a hunch, but I’m guessing like most people in the Southeast, our fellow Idahoan was wondering if all these people down here even know where Idaho is at. If you’ve discussed geography with Easterners, you know that they get Iowa and Idaho mixed up quite often. It makes me want to punch somebody in the jejunum – just kidding, but seriously people, Idaho and Iowa are NOT close, is it really that difficult?!

It’s quite obvious that we’re a few measly miles away from the Atlantic Ocean because you can feel it when you step into the air; you’re breathing becomes somewhat labored. If you didn’t know any better you just might think that one of your lungs has collapsed. The humidity in Boise as we looked it up was 56% on a rainy day, the humidity in Pensacola, Florida (where we’re headed next) was 74% on a partly cloudy day with no rain. Maybe that will give you a clue as to what we are facing for the next 4 days. Don’t you feel so bad for us?! *cough*

Finally, the La Quinta Inn in Baton Rouge was a very pleasant stay. The staff was nice, the bed was comfortable, the ice machine was near by, and the air conditioning worked great. As we drove through Louisiana, we thought about the craziness of actually being in the state of Louisiana. Neither of us had been there before and it was almost surreal to think that we are truly into a week of our honeymoon. While we enjoy the trip of a lifetime, life outside of our month long dream world goes on. I realized this as we watched the news last night and saw that 2 United States news reporters have been sentenced to 12 years in a labor prison in North Korea for “illegally entering” the communist country. As we leave each and every state as freely as when we entered it, our thoughts and prayers are not only with those 2 journalists but with everyone who does not possess the freedoms we do as Americans. I would encourage everybody who is reading this to take a second to think about just how lucky and blessed we are and to look at just where this nation is headed. That is not a political statement, but a statement that has with it a deep-rooted belief that this country was founded on strong moral principles and that the government works for US, not the other way around. Thanks to everyone who has commented and for the encouraging words – it means more to us than we can say in a blog. We look forward to reading your words every night!

From the Road Less Traveled,
Rachel & Josh

Baton Rouge Highlights: another night of Dominos Pizza (delivered to our hotel room!), a close NBA finals game (come on Magic!!), the ability to back your car up right to your hotel door, getting out of San Antonio easier than we entered, a friendly hotel desk attendant, having each other to enjoy this trip with!

License Plate Update: Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina (go Tar Heels!), Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York (37/50)

Remember the Alamo!!!

***Even though this entry is a bit longer, please stick through it! ***

For all you Alaska-junkies *cough-Jer-cough*, eat your heart out. We now know why the infamous Texas pride we hear from Texans is what it is. In 4th grade we are all subjected (much to a 10 year old’s disdain) to the history of the state in which we reside. For us, that is Idaho, and if you ask me to recite any of that information I just might slap you. However, my guess is that if you ask a 4th grader residing in Texas to tell you the history of the state of Texas, you may get a lesson in why the Lonestar State is the greatest thing since sliced bread. After taking a tour of the Alamo, we personally feel that the pride of a Texan is justified. While there is more to say about our trip to the Alamo than a simple blog would give justice to, let me just say this: I am even prouder to be an American than I was before. To know that we touched the walls that protected 200 men for 13 days while they were bombarded with rifle shots, canon balls, and a constant barrage of Mexican soldiers was not only humbling but inspiring. What we came to learn was that the Alamo was so much more than a place we learn about in our short 5th grade or 9th grade American history course. This is a living, breathing, American artifact, one that covers a good 9 or 10 acres. Rachel and I got to take an audio tour of the grounds where 200 Texans died defending their right to exist as a free entity. Every spot on the site contains a piece of literature with some part of the story that makes the Alamo so great. From the knives of James Bowie and the courage of William Barrett Travis, to the intricacies of the Mexican soldiers’ buttons from their uniforms and the chunks of rock that had been blasted from the mission church that housed the final stand of many of the 200 Texans, Rachel and I learned that the cry “Remember the Alamo” was more than an army remembering a place, but a united Texan military remembering the lives of each and every one of the Alamo defendants who gave their lives in March of 1836. If you ever get a chance to check this place out, do so!

On a lighter side you won’t believe what else we saw!!! We got to see the very place that Miss Congeniality herself (Sandra Bullock) stood to shoot a scene from that very movie. During our Riverwalk/River boat tour of the downtown San Antonio area, we passed the place in the film where Sandra Bullock shot her swimsuit scene. Another location that was cool to see was a bridge that was used in the movie Selena which featured Jennifer Lopez. Although not quite as historic as the Alamo, it’s always fun to be able to wax some pop culture trivia on your friends. We give you permission to use these tid-bits of information the next time you are playing Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture Edition. One thing we didn’t realize about the Riverwalk was that 9 out of 10 businesses are restaurants (or that if you go in January you can forget about a boat tour because the river is not there – they reroute the river underground to perform yearly maintenance on the Riverwalk). It would have been fun to walk the area if we were 2 little starving children in need of a meal, but our deli meats and bologna have gone over quite well during our first week of the trip. We had also just eaten pizza at the Rivercenter Mall so we were not very hungry.

Robert Frost must not have come to the fork in the road we came to while attempting to find our Doubletree Inn hotel because if it was the same fork, there would have been some naughty words contained in the poem. (I promise neither Rachel nor myself swore during the locating of our hotel). On that same token, for anyone who swears by Google Maps, you may want to take a second look before heading off on your next trip. We have found this out the hard way, twice in the same city. Although, on a positive note, Rachel’s map reading skills have increased two fold (no pun intended). But honestly, why does it take rocket science to re-fold a city map…it’s as if the very nature of physics is present while attempting to put back together a map of a metropolitan area. While the downtown San Antonio area was somewhat difficult to navigate, we eventually found our locations and enjoyed them all quite thoroughly.

After a long, hot day in the San Antonio sun (98 degree to be exact), we decided to spend a little time cooling off in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub in the courtyard at our hotel. Once in the hot tub, we made 2 new friends, both women who were near 60. At first thought, it may seem out of place for 2 early 20 year olds to be having a casual conversation with 60 year old women. However Rachel and I feel as though we can claim a somewhat advanced maturity level for our age. But no matter how old or young you may be, a 24 year old boy will never feel in place, especially around two 60 year old women in bathing suits, who find it necessary to bring up the forbidden social topic of discussion – yes, you guessed it, the good ole Menopause discussion. At this point of the night I would have rather been standing ON the San Antonio sun, melting away into oblivion but I thought it may have been rude (or even more awkward) to get up and walk away. So like the champ that I’m claiming to be, I stuck around to listen. I think Rachel may have had an easier time contributing to the health of the discussion but what in heaven’s name could I have said at that point?! “Yes, isn’t it horrible to be going through hot flashes?”… “Gee, I didn’t realize you could go til 60 without having to have gone through it”… “Well, from my experience…”, no, none of these seemed to fit. So I did what any self-respecting 24 year old boy would have done – I began to rack my brain in search of a different path than the one we were on. I believe at that very moment, I felt the Earth shake due to God’s falling out of his chair hysterical laughing at my situation. How that conversation was brought up I do not know as the beginning of our conversation centered around camping, but I am glad to be laying in a Baton Rouge hotel far away from any thoughts of 60 year old women discussing their bodily functions. I was glad to have Rachel there, as a nurse can always ease the situation when talking about various aging processes. I will be forever grateful to her.

In sticking with the theme for these blogs, I will now attempt to find a positive from the hot tub adventure. While menopausal females would probably not have been our choice for hot tub buddies, it is still always great to hear about people’s lives. We heard from these women about so much more than their current states of menopause, but we heard about their families, their homes, their friends and most importantly we were able to detect the love they felt for the people that surrounded them. They were there on a 59th anniversary of a Vietnam Platoon’s yearly get-together. Old friends and brothers-in-arms coming together to celebrate life each year, and perhaps in a place not more fitting than where over 150 years ago, 200 men celebrated life in a much different way: by giving their lives. The whole reason we are able to share with you about our trip is thanks to the men and women who stand on the frontlines of countless wars around this world who proudly wear the American uniform. I believe it would be beneficial for us all (and perhaps some certain politicians) to heed the cries of the brave Texans who fought in stead of the slain Alamo fighters. That cry, “Remember the Alamo” is a principle that we all should find pride in to this day: that we live in a free nation, a nation the promotes freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to practice whatever religion you want, and freedom to travel as you wish from one state to another, sharing your adventure with your friends and family around the country knowing they have the freedom to read what you have to write. And, you may just also find yourself in a position to freely discuss the particulars of 60-year old menopause – maybe that is something I do not want to freely discuss ever again. With that said, we are thankful to “Remember the Alamo!”

From the Road Less Traveled,
Rachel and Josh

San Antonio Highlights: The Alamo, The Riverwalk boat tour, AMAZING smoothies at the Rivercenter Mall, the ability to find ourselves out of being lost, a 180-degree turnaround from the Van Horn hotel, a good hot-tub chat (most of it), a good shower head, the 2007 Ford Escape, $4 clean clothes (laundry), more free ice at hotels.

Yes, I’m a US Citizen

It was good to see that the US Border Patrol actually does exist. You see so much news and hear about the Border Patrol but are not exposed to the dangers that face this country on a daily basis. So driving into Van Horn, TX at 10pm at night, we got to witness first-hand the safety devices in place that attempt to keep us safe. I’m not sure if a simple question of “Are you a US Citizen?” will keep us all safe, as anyone can answer that question however they want, but I’m glad to report that Rachel and I passed the Border Patrol test with 100% accuracy: “Yes we are both US Citizens.”

It’s too bad the US Border Patrol (or any other security force for that matter) could not have protected us from the Ramada Inn Limited in Van Horn, TX. Had we known what we were getting in to, we would have chosen a Mexican shanty over this dirty, inadequate, bug-infested, smelly, musty, side-of-the-road hotel. We were greeted with a happy hello by a little cock roach in our bathroom, which made sense due to the fact that the shower tiles and tub had more grossness on them than the Vegas streets at night. Our bed, which had questionable fuzzies in it that also contained a bug (which had deceased), was about as soft as the freeways we’ve been driving on. Luckily, Rachel being the smart girl that she is, had packed a sheet in our vehicle to cover up our belongings in the back of our car. This “belongings-protecting sheet” became a “Rachel and Josh protecting sheet” as we chose to strip the bed and use that as the sheets we slept on instead of the hotel-provided sheets. We then huddled under our one small blanket in place of the comforter which provided for a long, cold night. Among the other “fun findings” were moths, a broken table chair, blinds that didn’t cover the whole window, yellowish stained walls and a pierced front desk employee who was watching VH1’s “A Shot at Love with Tequila” (or something to that affect). All I heard on the TV when we checked in was explicative after explicative followed by a girl saying “Like, all I could think about, like, was like, making out with her.” Needless to say, this has been the earliest we’ve exited a hotel on our trip thus far, and probably the earliest we will have exited any hotel on our trip. I’m pretty sure (don’t tell anyone) we left the hotel without having showered or shaved and still left cleaner than when we got there – yes, the shower was that gross!

I didn’t realize that El Paso, TX was 8,962,481, 317 miles long. I believe we aged significantly during our time driving through the city. However, I couldn’t help but notice, the beauty that existed as we looked out over the vast amount of lights that sprawled for miles. It is amazing to see God’s creation at night time when you look at a city the size of El Paso. It’s somewhat humbling to know you were one of a few who get to experience a sight such as El Paso, TX at 10pm, a sight that overloads your senses with light and darkness all at the same time.
On a less philosophical note, we passed through 2 time zones in one single day. Does that mean that June 4, 2009 for Rachel & Josh only contained 22 hours? If so, then…that sucks! You all got 24 hours and we got jipped 2 hours of our day. Therefore, if you are reading this, you owe us 2 hours of your time when we get back! You can choose (as long as we approve) how to spend those 2 hours. Okay, just kidding, a day like our Van Horn day reminds me of something. While our day only contained 22 hours and a hotel room that I would love to see Paris or Brittany stay in, it reminds me that the Ramada Inn Van Horn motel as unpleasant as it was for us, is a dream palace to some. I couldn’t help but think of driving in to Tiajuana, Mexico on 2 separate occasions. Earlier, I joked about rather staying in a Mexican shanty, but truly it is no laughing matter. While we enjoy an opportunity to travel around the greatest Nation on Earth at our own pace and leisure, millions starve, wars rage, political corruptness ensues, starvation exists, and still…there is beauty and love to be seen. How is it possible that one person’s dung-hole is another person’s castle? It doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t seem fair, but when in life are we ever promised fairness? I guess you could say that fairness lies in the eye of the beholder. We can choose to let the injustices drag us down, or we can choose to live the life that we have been given. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that has been given to us. We choose to wake up and drive to San Antonio today, and I hope you choose your own “San Antonio,” and to simply do what you can to make this world a better place.

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh & Rachel

Van Horn Highlights: (believe me when I say this took some fine-tooth combing): a nice air-conditioning unit, a working television, a purple sheet and green blanket (which we provided), an ice machine, arriving late therefore allowing us to spend a minimal amount of time in our hotel, a roof over our heads for the night.

License Plate Update: Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina (go Tar Heels!), Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi (36/50)

World Famous Blog #3

This is the world famous sentence #1 of the world famous blog #3 of the world famous honeymoon of the world famous Josh & Rachel Fife. Now back to the world famous reality: not everything is world famous. But apparently putting “world famous” in front of anything can make it an international landmark, or so thought Rosie and her café in the middle of Podunk nowhere, Arizona. Seriously, (this is to be taken literal), it was 100 miles from everything. It was the only place for hundreds of miles on our way to Phoenix from our exciting Vegas stay. It seems that the state of Arizona does not believe in rest areas. We saw no rest stops for hundreds of miles and then out of nowhere, there were 2 that were extravagant. They could have made those 2 a little less extravagant and added a few more earlier on, but Arizona planning and zoning didn’t ask us. Thankfully, like many 3rd world status countries on this earth, they believe in McDonald’s which we used as a make-shift rest stop where we fixed our own meal in the parking lot and only used their restrooms.
Our trip turned into a divine adventure when Rachel was titled a “Guardian Angel” by the nephew of an 84 year old woman who had fallen in the parking lot of the Excalibur hotel as we were loading up our car. Rachel was in the restroom when she saw the lady cleaning up her bloody hands and knee. Being a nurse, instincts took over and Rachel couldn’t help but offer her services. She remembered that they had packed a $9 first aid kit from Walmart in the car, and knew that’s exactly what she needed. Security thought it more important to mark the occasion with photographs than to help a profusely bleeding 84 year old woman (I say profusely to add effect to the story) – it wasn’t really gushing blood but definitely didn’t look good. Not having time to wait for security to document everything, Rachel left the lady and her nephew with band aids & ointment for her to bandage herself up after security was done filing a report. Finally, an hour later than we had hoped, we managed our way out of the city of Las Vegas leaving behind a world that you can only take so much of; two days was certainly enough.
Hoover Dam, although not terribly exciting, was cool to see. Going around the entire Dam at 5 miles per hour was not too cool but it gave us a chance to take in the enormity of just how large this Dam is. It was one of those things we could have stopped for and spent an hour and a half looking at and then have been able to tell everyone what we saw but the view from the car was sufficient. In any event, we can now say we’ve seen the largest Dam in the United States *yeah*.

Now I want you to look at this sign.

Now we all know that had I lived another life, it would not have been lived as a mathematician; however (call me crazy) but I think the mileage between Flagstaff and Phoenix equals 36 miles according to the sign. But if you check your local atlas, as we did, you will see that Flagstaff and Phoenix are not 36 miles apart. Hmmmm….so we have one thing telling us one thing and another telling us another thing. It turns out, whoever is in charge of road signs in Arizona makes mistakes. What we thought was going to be 3 hours, turned into 5.5. If I had the right mind (which apparently I don’t) I’d say we take up the popular thing to do in the United States and sue over “emotional distress.” This could be our million dollar “McDonald’s cup of coffee.” But alas, we won’t even complain too much about a non-working air conditioning unit, a broken television, a burnt out light and noisy kitchen staff at a $280 Anniversary Inn hotel stay (on our wedding night!) so something tells me hundreds of other people will also experience the syndrome known as SDS (Sign Dysfunction Syndrome) as they are heading to Phoenix, Arizona.
Some other quick notes about our day in Phoenix (Scottsdale actually): the 3rd floor of our hotel was bouncing/swaying. They should probably put little tablets of Dramamine on your pillow instead of mints. While the hotel was nice, it would have been nicer if they knew how to control water temperature. The sink water was warmer than the hotel’s hot tub (when turned to cold) and the hotel maintenance custodian man, seemed to think a 1 degree temperature rise in an already cold hot tub was sufficient enough for an “enjoyable” dip in the hot tub – it was not! Other than that, the few people we came across in Old Town Scottsdale were very helpful and nice and it was a nice one night stay on our way to bigger and better things.
For your daily lesson, never underestimate the power of generosity. It can completely revitalize a dying hope in random people and you might just be in the position to be someone’s “Guardian Angel” which is semi-ironic in a city such as Las Vegas where people are all about themselves, good times, selling their bodies for a buck, and drinking nights away. As sad as the world can be, I find extreme hope in one thing: kindness can still rule the day, and that is an encouraging thought in a world that needs some encouragement. More from Van Horn later…

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh & Rachel

Phoenix/Scottsdale highlights: A super soft (double) bed, a nice shower head, less than expected hot temperatures, generous people, Denny’s within walking distance, 29 mpg gas mileage on our Escape, Rachel’s map reading skills, not having to carry a heavy cooler 10 miles from our car to the room (Vegas…*cough*)

License Plate Update: Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina (go Tar Heels!), Virginia (32/50)

Blues and Circuses

*Sorry this is so late! We wanted to post both nights, but unfortunately hotels in Vegas see it fit to charge 12.99 for internet access for 24 hours so we thought we'd hold off and post a one-time Vegas blog, thanks for being patient!*

There’s a fact I have to face in life: windshield wipers just can’t keep up with some rain storms, especially when those darn semi-trucks pass you and kick up an ocean of water onto your already covered windshield. You just have to keep driving – and drive we did, right on into a traffic delayed, construction laden Las Vegas, a city that truly never sleeps. Well, we slept, but the city keeps on going long after the eyes of many have closed for the night and many professional alcoholic consumptioners have found a place (sometimes randomly) to pass out for a few hours in hopes of ending up in the correct hotel room. I’ve been here 3 times now, and it never ceases to amaze me just how crazy some people are – it’s quite scary, and 2 days in Vegas for Rachel and myself has been enough. We did just about everything you could do in two days – well, just about everything that doesn’t involve night clubs or excessive amounts of alcohol followed by meetings of random people who you may or may not end up spending the remainder of your evening with at who knows what Casino with who knows how many other random people that they met earlier in the night – in other words, if you aren’t in control, you could end up in a big mess.
First night brought us the Blue Man Group – which was super awesome for the 3rd time that I’ve seen them. We were a little hesitant at first – when we got to the blue man theatre and the usher looked at our tickets, he said “Wow, first row…you better keep those ponchos on.” See, the blue men use paint and other random yuck that finds its way into the crowd – let’s just say I’ll never look at chewed up Captain Crunch or chewed up Twinkies the same again *shivers*. Luckily, none of the nasty found its way into our laps, and we escaped with clean clothes and great memories of the awe-inspiring abilities of the Blue Man Group and their band. Second night, Cirque de Soleil, and let me just say this…if you’ve never seen a CDS show, GO SEE ONE. I mean, this CDS that we saw defines the word Random (Big guy dressed as baby with unmistakably, almost scary baby laugh, a guy dressed up as a red rooster that did about 30 flips in a matter of 5 seconds on a trampoline, an Einstein look-a-like that locked up this dude in a cage and hit on the dude’s girlfriend…) yeah, see what I mean, random. But the acrobatics and incredible maneuvering those people are able to perform while swinging 50 feet off the ground with a simple rope or two tied to their waist – just amazing!
Before the CDS, we played some Keno and actually won 90 bucks! Well, we had spent about 25 trying to win it, so we were only up 65, then the Jack of Black decided to take another 62 bucks, so we ended plus 3 from where we started – TAKE THAT VEGAS! We came, we saw, we conqu…well, conquered is a strong word but, we won and that’s what counts!
There are a lot of rude, gross people – Vegas reminds me of that but, my dwindling faith in humanity was restored on a small level when we met a new friend from Australia on our way back to our hotel after walking the strip up and down. Leon offered to take pictures for us, and we in turn took some pictures for him. Though our time with our friend was short (literally 5 minutes), he was a kind face in an unkind city. While kindness (and clothes in many cases) are lacking, Leon showed me that occasionally, someone can surprise you. I like to think it was a sort of Christian Karma, because earlier in the day, at the CDS show, an Asian man (who spoke not a lick of English) spilled 2 of his popcorn tubs on his way to his seat where his family of 4 was waiting. The sadness over such a simple thing broke our hearts when we saw what he had done, so we decided to do something about it. An usher had told him he could go get more popcorn, but it was apparent he didn’t understand, and the usher didn’t have time to help him. Rachel and I pondered and decided to attempt a random act of kindness. We went and got him more popcorn and took it to him, and even a non-english speaking man knows how to show his gratitude to an English speaking, die-hard American. He knew enough to say “Thank-you thank-you thank-you!” and we watched from out seats as the man and his family ate their large popcorn. You see, even though Vegas wasn’t the greatest first big-city of a honeymoon, and even though we missed dinner tonight for a Treasure Island Pirate show that got cancelled due to strong winds, and even though the weather was 3,483,881,305 degrees outside, and even though we were trapped into buying a 7 dollar water of Evian (it SO tasted like the same $2.49 water at the gas station!!!) little things bring you joy. From the Asian man with his popcorn, to the maid leaving Rachel’s lost necklace on the bathroom counter, to the Leon’s in our world who will offer to take a picture for you…the little things count. In the midst of Sin-City where sin is definitely rampant – all you have to do is look on the ground as you walk back to your hotel at night to see the streets and sidewalks littered with inappropriate images of father’s daughters offering “services”, there is still a glimmer of hope. If anything, our honeymoon thus far has shown us that true love is what counts (and waits), that you can still have good clean fun even though Joe Dirtiness and his groupies surround you, that being hounded by hotel workers who want to sell you a time-share to their hotel doesn’t have to ruin your night, and that occasionally, Leon will take your picture, and that will make your day!
From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh and Rachel

Vegas Highlights: Blue Man Group, Cirque De Soleil, Keno Winnings, M&M’s and Coke, Random spots of shade, Air Conditioning (Thank you God), WATER WATER WATER, (even 7 dollar water), Random Acts of Kindness, Leon from Australia, and the Nike Store.

Happy birthday Janet!!!!!!

Hasta Luego Boise, Hola Everywhere Else!

10PM, May 30th, the day before the big 30 day road trip, Josh and Rachel’s Pad: Progress on packing – Zero. Yeah, 30 days of away-from-home and we had absolutely nothing packed the night before. What were we thinking? Well, we were thinking “Gee, we got married this last weekend, had 20 million things to take care of through the week, had 2 weddings to attend less than 48 hours before we left, my brother’s graduation…hmm, maybe we should fit in packing.” So, at 2 AM, packing irritation had taken its toll and we decided to hit the sack in an attempt to get some amount of hours of sleep, which turned out to be less than we had hoped for. At 6 AM, Mother Nature thought it would be funny to kick in, and it kicked me (Josh) straight in the back of my throat – the ever dreaded allergy throat itch, the kind that you have to make a disgusting hacking sound in order to itch the back of your throat for a few seconds of solace from itchy-throat allergies. Rachel in turn wanted to kick me in the head (although she is too kind to say it), but like the amazing, loving wife she is, got me some water and consoled me, and we went back to sleep for another couple of hours, although I think we both felt the travel-excitement. We wanted to get out of Boise around 11:30 or Noon, but when do things ever go as planned? We finally got to my house to pick up my forgotten-about health insurance card around noon, then hit the Maverick for a quick fill-up. This is when the fun began. Apparently, it is an international violation of ethics to not pull your car out of the fill-up spot while you pay INSIDE the gas station when someone is waiting behind you, and Moses’ mother herself informed me as I got back to my car from paying for my gas that I should have more courtesy and pull out of the way for her and grandpa next time. While inside, I thought it necessary to buy 2 bags of ice as opposed to 1, which was to fit into our already over-flowing cooler in the back of our jam-packed Ford Escape. We pushed and shoved the ice into the cooler as much as possible, and realized oh, we need some dry ice to put into this cooler that has no more space available. As we pulled out of the gas station, I glanced down and noticed black and brown dirt and oil and tire tread all over the bottom of my shirt. I guess after I smashed the ice on the ground, I decided to rub the wet bag all over my shirt (not on purpose though). So I had my first change-of-clothing experience in the middle of the Walmart on Overland Road – nothing better than to bare your chest to the hundreds of drivers coming in and out of Wally World, but it’s probably fitting because that seems to be the theme for many shoppers these days at your local Walmart. So, finally, at 1:42 PM, we drove out of the parking lot and were headed out of Boise.
Thus far, outside of being yelled at by George Washington’s grandmother at Maverick (seriously, I don’t know how this lady was walking) and changing shirts at Walmart, nothing too exciting. Rachel saw the Lagoon Theme Park for the first time that she can remember (from the freeway), a little rain coming into Salt Lake that made the windshield wonderful to look through thanks to the smearing of around 53 bugs that ended their short lives, and we are now waiting for Dominos Pizza and watching our delivery progress online – yes, you can watch your order delivery online now, how exciting! The only other thing that was semi exciting was a 10 minute detour trying to find our hotel. Rachel came through though with some amazing map skills and got us to the right place at a decent time. She thinks she can’t read a map but I am witness to some pure map ownage today! Seriously, our honeymoon has been amazing so far, I promise! Salt Lake City is sort of a stop-on-the-way for bigger and better things. Tomorrow we’ll be hittin’ up Las Vegas, which is going to be incredible! Tomorrow we’ll see the Blue Man Group (from the FRONT ROW) and then the next day we’ll see Cirque de Soleil, which I hear is awesome! Overall, really great trip so far.
You can look at things a couple ways – One, everything that could have gone wrong did and we didn’t get to go to Spaghetti Factory like we planned and I got yelled at and my shirt got dirty and we couldn’t find our hotel right away and yadda yadda yadda, OR…we are at the beginning of a major life adventure, one we will never forget, one that we will remember for as long as we live, an adventure that will take us through 27 of the 50 greatest states in the world through the greatest nation on earth, through history and famous landmarks and famous places, all the while getting to spend time with my favorite person in the world, (and I think she would say the same ;o). It’s a time for a glass-half-full approach, because in the midst of economic downturn and war throughout the world and sadness and homelessness and atrocity here on the home front (can you believe this Jon and Kate plus 8 ordeal, sheesh!), it’s also a time of great people emerging and love and so many things to be thankful for – like a new family, new people, new gifts, new life together and new things all around. And hey, if worse comes to worse, I got to meet Grandmother Time today!

Salt Lake City Highlights! – Pizza, some cool rain clouds and lightning, a super nice hotel room, a hot tub, our first blog, thoughts of an exciting day tomorrow!

From the Road Less Traveled,
Josh and Rachel

License Plate Update: Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maine (16/50) - We played this game as I was a kid growing up, so we’ll see if we can see all 50 license plates by the time we are back!