Road Trip - Cruisin' the States

So, Marc and I continued our 'Journey of a Lifetime' across the U.S. on Monday, driving from Annapolis, MD down to Merritt Island, FL. ROOOAAADDD TTTRRRIIIPPP! =)

We were sad to say goodbye to Dad Magnone and the lovely town of Annapolis but were excited for our next set of adventures literally 'down the road'. I'm not sure how Marc actually managed to get all of our stuff into this rental car, but he did and around 9:30 am on Monday, we were off!

Maddie and Dexter have become expert travelers - at least as it applies to riding in the car. They only attempted to come up front a couple of times before settling in their respective spots in the backseat...we do a good job of giving them a lot of room to move around back there but we try our best not to let them up front, or they will be in our laps the entire way...and 14 hours is a long time to have two dogs in your lap...I'm just sayin'. =)

A packed 'packed' car...

The babies settling in above and below is one of our first signs in Virgina

Passing the Pentagon - it is huge!

This was a huge Phillip Morris office we passed on 95S - all I could think about was how many people in that office must have or are going to have cancer in their life...go figure...

Welcome to North Carolina! Dexter was checking things out...

We ran into MOBY somewhere along the interstate (above)

I caught Dexter 'grooming' his sister in the picture above. Often Maddie will be sound asleep and all of a sudden Dexter will start licking her face and ears and eyes and nose...so cute...she just lays there and acts as if it's the best thing ever...lol.

Back to sleep in the picture above - new positions...haha... Below Dexter is working on getting into something - not sure what be he definitely looks guilty.

Maddie May - sound asleep above - she stayed that way most of the trip... Where as Dexter was roaming around often - the picture below is him trying to sneak over the barrier we have between the back and front seats...nice little peek-a-boo action going on...

Here we are in South Carolina! This is where traffic STOPPED - just a lot of construction which ended up in us losing at least an hour...making the drive a little longer...blah.

Above is this GIANT place called South of the Border...looked like an amusement park of some sort, it was crazy! There were all these signs throughout S. Carolina as we got close to it reminding drivers to stop at South of the Border... We couldn't tell but we think it might be closed down - it sure was desolate......

Somewhere in South Carolina we finally gave in and let the puppies come up - they were whining and begging and crying and really all they wanted was to lay in our laps...so the rest of the ride we were each 'with dog'....

This is where the pictures get bad...the one above is us leave South Carolina and below - 'We're Glad Georgia's On Your Mind' aka Welcome to Georgia... It rained almost the entire way to Florida so between it getting dark and the rain, our pictures started to stink after these...

We finally made it to Florida around - eh - 8:30ish...and were trying to figure out whether we should keep going or stop and snooze for the night. We opted to keep on going...

And I'm SOOOOO glad we did because I got to eat at Krystal's...for those who haven't had this treat, you're missing out! I used to eat there all the time in Mississippi when visiting my family but haven't been back lately and haven't seen a Krystal's in a long time. Sooo - once spotted, we stopped and I chowed down...soooo yummy!

So that was our trip! It took us about 15 hours to get there with a lot of site-seeing along the way... We had a nice time although we both kept talking about how surreal everything in our life has become - I mean if you would have told me three months ago that I'd be on a road trip traveling from New York City to Merritt Island, FL to stay indefinitely, I would have told you that you were crazy! =) Funny how life can change JUST LIKE THAT...but all is well and we're enjoying our time in Florida. We had a fun drive and are happy to be here - will catch you up on our Florida time soon!

Washington D.C.

While we have been in Annapolis, I finally got the chance to go to Washington D.C.! I never realized how excited I would be about this until the opportunity came up and then I was overwhelmed...couldn't figure out where to plan to go first! =) We had a really nice time - went in one Saturday afternoon for a play that Dad Magnone had gotten tickets to. It was a political parody play - was....interesting. But we had a blast, of course...great dinner, great sites and great company. Can't beat it! Below are several of the pictures from our day trip - enjoy!

Above is an OLD building we walked by that I thought was really cool - this was right after we got off the train from Maryland coming into D.C. I was camera happy - as you'll see. =) Below is Marc and Dad Magnone walking towards the White House and all the monuments...

Here we are - WELCOME TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!!

I can't tell you how crazy this was for me to finally see in person...I think I've just read about it and seen so many times in my life that to finally be standing in front of it was surreal. Not to mention all the history surrounding this area of the U.S. and specifically this house......it's just mind-boggling to take it all in. At least it was for me...if you didn't notice, it was kind of a big deal for me - lol!

These were some of the funny sites from our day - I still haven't been to the website on that box above but I couldn't help but take a picture as I was laughing out loud at his 'statement'. As for the picture below - I couldn't help but think about Jill and Zach and their trip to D.C. when I saw these. They are nifty little scooters that you ride around on while you are touring - the guy in front is actually the tour guide! How cool is this, seriously!? Next time I'm in D.C. we're going on this tour! I can't wait to strap on my helmet and ride around on my scooter - so awesome!

For dinner we went to Old Ebbitt Grill - another historical landmark in D.C. Food was so good - we had a really nice dinner and then headed out for more site-seeing before the play.

Once we left dinner, we just started walking -there is really so much to see, I had no idea. We only made to the Washington Monument before we had to head to the show - but the walk was incredible and all the sites along the way made me feel like I was walking through a history book.

This view of the Capital building is beautiful - especially at night with everything all lit up...the picture doesn't really do it justice but hopefully you get the idea. We had such a great time and I can't wait to go back...

Daily Routines

Marc and I have *tried* to create a daily routine of sorts while we've been here in Annapolis - waking up in disarray and not having a 'plan' in place just makes you want to roll over and go back to sleep....so, as I said, we've been working on this daily routine.

I normally jump up in the morning with the dogs (you all know how much I love mornings...right...) and take them for a walk...then shower up and head to either the dining room table or Dad Magnone's office for quiet and work time. Marc has been sleeping in a little bit (astonishingly) and then will get up - head to computer - check facebook, emails, blog, etc. - and then wander around aimlessly the rest of the day looking for things to do. For those of you who know Marc, you know that he doesn't do well without specific structure, goals and objectives during his days...we gotta get him a new job! =) He has done a great job taking care of the dogs while I'm making calls and shooting emails - they are SO FUNNY to watch and hang out with on a daily basis. Constant entertainment and NEVER a dull moment...

We have managed to get out of the house for some great dinners and visiting with Dad Magnone and Randy, who lives in Baltimore. Have enjoyed running around this town and getting to know it a little better as well... Right out the door of Dad Magnone's place is a long street full of shops and restaurants, great for walking, that leads right down to the pier and marina in Annapolis. We've been meeting lots of people - my hairdresser (Kate) is along the way so we always say hello and we've become friendly with the girls at Starbucks as well. Of course any time we have Maddie and Dexter with us, we can't walk 10 steps without stopping to talk with someone...they are always a topic of conversation.

Anyway, we're adjusting well and are definitely enjoying our stay in Annapolis. We'll probably head down to Florida sometime next week for our next stop on the U.S. Road Trip of our Lifetime - looking forward to seeing Mom Magnone and crew!

Here are some pics from our days here in Annapolis - enjoy!

Playing...

Walking...

Sleeping...

Job Searching and Facebooking (wow - can't believe that's a verb now!)

Maddie's 'Leave Me Alone' Sleeping Spot...

Dexter's 'Mom, I promise you'll be more productive if I'm in your lap' begging position...

Hanging with Randy at our new local favorite - Fado's...

This is Dex and his bigger buddy, Klause - a Bull Terrier aka Spuds McKenzie dog!

Dad and the pups resting after a long day of play and walks...love it!

Cute little Maddie curled up under her paw - she loves to sleep like that!

And Dexter...somehow managing to fall asleep on his back in a reclining chair...dangerous but comfy for our little Jack, I guess...

Our spoiled rotten JACKS - more updates to come!