Traveling with Friends

Logan and I take lots of trips just the two of us, but traveling can be fun as a team sport as well. When I started planning my trip around the world when I was in the 3rd grade, it wasn't just me. I had several friends on board too. Because I've always believed that traveling is something best when shared. Don't get me wrong, I think you can still travel solo, but since I consider myself a social person by nature, I have a "more-the-merrier" philosophy. This time last summer a group of our closest friends got to go to Disney World for a wedding. I've been to Magic Kingdom three other times, but this fourth time was truly magical. It's amazing when you have a group large enough that you require your own boat for It's a Small World. Logan and I were able to reserve one of our condos in Orlando, so all of us could stay together. I had a blast, but I think Logan was a nervous wreck. You never knew where that one fish statue was going to end up...in the dryer, on the refrigerator, or even in our bed. I assured Logan that this was perfectly normal behavior for roommates. One of the many joys of traveling with friends is that you can always expect the unexpected.



When Logan and I aren't traveling with friends we're often traveling to visit friends. So many of our friends have moved off to some really cool places. So we get to not only reconnect with our MS pals, but we get to explore a destinations with locals. In the last few years, we've been to visit friends in Atlanta, Virginia, San Antonio, and most recently North Carolina. I don't even get that upset when our friends move off, because I know we'll get to go visit them.


Faith and Sloane moved to Virginia for a year, and we were able to spend some time with them in VA and Washington D.C. Now VA is one of mine and Logan's favorite states, and we're planning another trip back this October. The best thing is that they've since moved back to MS, and we're getting to see them this weekend.

Matt and Jessica moved to San Antonio last year, so we headed out west for spring break this year. This was my first time seeing the Alamo and some of the other interesting attractions this Texas city has to offer. Matt and Jessica knew the coolest places to go eat and were already experts at navigating the city, so Logan and I had it made. Matt would make a great spokesperson for San Antonio. He made a great case as to why we should move there. We're pretty settled in Guntown, but I definitely hope we will be able to visit them again.

At least once a year, Logan and I make it over to Buford to visit Mallory and Justin. Every year we try to knock off one of the 1,000 things to do before you die in US and Canada. Last year we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival, and this year we went to Alpine Helen. Our first trip to visit them we got to run down 78 flights of stairs in fear of our lives during the first Atlanta tornado. (This picture was actually taken right after we ran for our lives. That is why we're looking kind of dramatic.) Our near-death experience has not deterred us from visiting our great friends. And I'm happy to report that all later trips have been less intense.

Last week we visited Jenn and Tim on our way to PA. They moved to Charlotte, NC last summer while Tim is in residency. I told them that they are in a great location because they've opened us up to the Atlantic states. The exciting thing with the Chens is you never know where they'll end up next, but wherever it is, they'll know that we'll come see them.

Traveling with our friends and to visit friends is one of my favorite things to do. One of these days I'd love to do a group cruise with everybody. And Mallory and I have already been discussing the possibility of an all-inclusive sometime. (I hope Logan doesn't read this.) Personally, I can think of few things more enjoyable than traveling with some of my favorite people. It's the extra cherry on top.

The Sweet Life

Every year Logan and I take an anniversary trip. Our first year we went to Disney; our second year Charleston, SC (also our honeymoon destination); last year was a Mediterranean cruise; and this year was Pennsylvania. We got a lot of funny looks from people when we told them that we were driving to PA for our 4th anniversary until we told them about Hershey, known as the Sweetest Place on Earth.

The fun in any trip is not just the destination but the journey itself. One might thing 1,000 miles to a resort town in PA might not be worth it, but it is when you plan in side trips. Our first stop was in Charlotte, NC, where we got to spend some time with our dear friends Jenn and Tim Chen. The Chens introduced us to IKEA, a shopping wonderland. Logan was not excited about me adding more items to our already packed trunk, but I assured him that he would be grateful since I could now organize our bedroom, which I guess I need to be doing soon....Jenn and Tim also took us out on paddle boats. When we weren't avoiding being nibbled by curious geese or trying to catch a peek of goslings, Logan and I were trying to get as close to the fountains without getting soaked. (We would have succeeded if it had not been that the fountains move.) All in all, we had a wonderful time and look forward to future Charlotte visits.

Once back on the road we were bound for Hershey. When we pulled into our resort that night, I was amazed by how close Hersheypark was to us. From the sitting room in our suite, I could hear the chocolate train pulling into the station. The town has streetlights in the shapes of Hershey kisses, and I promise that the smell of chocolate greets you everywhere you go. Our suite was larger than our first apartment, so we had plenty of room to spread out and plan for our next two days, which included a trip to Gettysburg, Hershey World, Hersheypark, and even chocolate massages at the Hotel Hershey. One of the highlights for me was the chocolate tasting at Hershey World. What made it even sweeter was that I had a 2-1 discount, so I told Logan that we could go Dutch. (I thought it was humorous because we were actually in PA Dutch country, but I don't think Logan got it at the time.) I've done my share of wine tastings, but this was my first chocolate tasting. Now I know the proper way to smell, taste, and even hear chocolate. It was unbelievable.

On our way to the last leg of our trip, Philadelphia, home of my father, we detoured to the Amish Country. We visited towns with names like Bird-in-Hand. After eating a delicious lunch that included a piece of shoo-fly pie, we watch an interactive movie about the Amish and toured a farmhouse and one-room school. My favorite part of the afternoon was taking a horse and buggy through the farmland. We waved at children playing in the front yards and even stopped to buy some homemade pretzels from an Amish home. The views themselves were unbelievable. At times I thought that I was in England. The PA countryside is supposed to have some of the most fertile land in the country, and I now think the most beautiful, as well.

I have not been to Philadelphia since I was eight years old, and Logan had never been. Logan was not nervous about driving in Philly on the way there, but once we got into downtown traffic, we were relieved to pull into the Crown Plaza, throw them the keys, and not look back until we had to leave. We decided that we would walk the city, which really is the best way to see it. Although we didn't have a lot of time, we managed to experience a lot. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Eastern State Penitentiary (Logan's favorite tour), Betsy Ross's home, and Elfreth's Alley. I don't know which is better about Philly, the food or the people. We had two joggers stop and offer to point us in the right direction while consulting our map (not something you would expect in a large city). We will definitely be back here.

All in all we went to 10 other states on this trip. We have so many great memories from this trip. We rescued a baby bunny from being killed. We went on a ghost tour in Gettysburg, one of the most haunted places in America. We visited one of the world's most esteemed gardens, Longwood. We survived the night in a roadside motel in VA that looked like it was used in the filming of No Vacancy. There was never a dull moment for sure. I think the Sweetest Place on Earth combined with the City of Brotherly Love made an excellent anniversary itinerary, and I would do it all again.

Spring Fever

Spring break to me has always meant more than getting a week out of school; it is a challenge to hit the road and seek out an adventure. I love road trips any time of year but especially spring break. I am an home with my atlas in my hands. My first spring break road trip was my 9th grade year. I joined a friend and her family on an RV journey out west. Seeing as it was a childhood dream to travel in an RV, I was ecstatic. The way a dinner table could morph into a bed was hardly less than magic. And who would have thought a shower could fit in a broom closet? That was my first and, to-date, last RV venture, and it was my first introduction to the massive state of Texas. (One of these days I'm going to convince Logan to rent one. I'm planning on a future family vacation to Yellowstone, and my idea of roughing it includes sleeping on an indoor bed that was once a table.) While traveling through that never-ending state, I remember thinking that the barbed wire museums were great and all, but I was waiting for the real wild west with its ghost towns, canyons, and red monuments. For me, Texas was standing in my way to my real destination. Now, I'm giving it another chance.

I have been to Texas three times since then, and it has yet to pull at my travel-heart strings; however, I have never gone to Texas for the sake of going there. In the past, it has been the location of an outreach mission, a conference presentation, and a cruise embarkation point. Logan and I have been out of the country several times since we've been married, but this will be our first time in Texas together (except for the Houston airport in route to Vegas) since we were in high school. This time, we are going to the cultural capital, San Antonio, to visit some dear friends who have recently made Texas their home. As much as I've read about San Antonio's famous riverwalk and musems in Southern Living, I feel like I will finally be able to feel a connection with the Lone Star state. My husband is more skeptic. Logan, who loves history, had his first taste of San Antonio when he was much younger and was left disappointed when the Alamo didn't appear as it did 175 years ago. As a child, he envisioned cowboys and indians and was disallusioned upon realizing the city had surrounded the famous monument. My mission is to restore his wonder in the Alamo and, for myself, finally kindle an appreciation for Texas.

This will not be as difficult as it would seem because we have two San Antonians to lead us. And besides it's not a road trip without friends. While I am a sucker for the touristy attractions, I am looking forward to experiencing SA with the locals. All I know about SA, which is not alot, revolves around Southern Living and the riverwalk. Part of the goal of any road trip, I would imagine, is to be flexible and ready to head off the beaten path. Therefore, for once, I am not going to do tons of research and planning. I'm going to be a carefree girl who detours for barbed wire museums on purpose.

Oh, and one more thing about road trips...I think they should always include multiple destinations, which is why Logan and I will be spending the night in Baton Rouge, LA. I am teaching In the Sanctuary of Outcasts this semester, and I promised my students that I would visit the National Hansen's Disease Museum located in Carville, which is the setting for the novel.

Time for Travel

As my sister-in-law reminded me, January is a sleepy month for a lot of people. Now that the holidays are behind us, we have a long stretch until Spring Break, which is when most travelers go on their first trip of the year. Personally, I like to not only plan out my trips for the year during this month, but also I like to squeeze in a few trips before the ground softens. January and February are two of the best months to find deals in traveling. Logan and I have beaten the crowds in Gatlinburg the week after New Year's and found that the Christmas decorations were still up. We have also been on a Caribbean cruise, which cost us a fraction of the price, and we even had elbow-room on the ship. This year we're going to take a weekend trip to Branson and stay in a two-bedroom cabin at Big Cedar Lodge.

We have wanted to stay in a cabin at Big Cedar for a few years, but they're very difficult to book. January is an off-month to travel to Branson because a lot of the shows are on break. However, that also means that the crowds that clog the strip will also be absent. We can sprawl out in our cabin on the lake, eat at all the good restaurants in town with no wait, and maybe enjoy a snowfall in the Ozarks. While a lot of the top attractions are closed, the mountain drives are always open for business, and when we want a popular attraction we can always go to the Titanic Exhibit, which is a half-size replica of the actual Titanic, equipted with real artifacts from the ship and the blockbuster film (Logan's favorite of all time). We experienced this a few years ago and are ready to see it again.

I love traveling places out-of-season, especially for a quick weekend get-a-way. It's only then that one can really see how the locals live. Also, you have a better chance of getting more one-on-one assistance at the resorts and restaurants, along with much better deals. It's a long time to Spring Break, so I'm looking forward to a quiet, relaxing mountain holiday to jump start the new year. Did I mention we're taking my parents?