Farms, Farewells, Friends, and Family

Hello Dear Friends....

I bet you thought we were lost 

in Dakota Territory!

Nah, no need to send out a search and rescue team...

by the end of each day we were so tired

and some of the hotels did not

have internet access. And..
I really wanted to give her all of my attention:)

Our cross country journey was so
beautiful and memorable!

Thank you for all the prayers of happy and safe travel.

We had bright blue skies most of the 

trip and no rain until Chicago.

I was sooooo hoping to see the Chicago skyline,

but it was socked in with fog.
Maybe next time!

It was very interesting to see the
scenery changes along the way. Each state is beautiful
in a special way.
I LOVED all the BARNS and FARM houses
that speckled the countryside
from Minnesota to Pennsylvania!
**Amazing, Peaceful, Happy**

Here is the view from the passengers seat...
the quality of photo's, well, its hard to focus at 70mph!
I wanted to stop so so sooooo many times.

On this memorable trip, my daughter and I were 

able to visit my dad's sister Barb and her husband, Dale.

They live in Wausau, WI

(I cant wait to do a separate post about our time there!)

THEN...

we drove and drove to Gettysburg, PA

The new home for my girl!

Nothing pleases a mother more than to see her

child *shine* and *twinkle * with joy.

I am really excited to do a post about that part of the trip!

After a few days and a *tearful*
farewell...I went on to
Norfolk, VA
to spend a day with Diane, a dear friend of mine.
The underwater tunnel really freaked me out!
The next morning I woke up with a
 *BAD*HAIR*DAY*
So...in typical Jodi fashion...the day went like this...
Slept til 8, spontaneously rearranged the living room,
scoured the house for decor and the garage for paint...
pulled old chest outside...
Painted old chest in black & distressed it to use as
a coffee table (turned out AweSomE)
 This was all before Noon...and in my pj's!
Then...
I went and got a SERIOUS hair CUT!
SHORT...
Then off to Home Depot for new knobs for
the dresser that I painted when
we got back to the house.
Then, just in time for bed, I finished up a photo wall!
*WHeW*
About that time, I looked at my friend and she looked anxious...
I said "Whats wrong"?
She said "I hoped to get more done while you were here"!!!
Its ok, we are still pals, I didn't hurt her.
hee hee

This is the point where I was
 supposed to fly back home to Washington.
I have deferred my homecoming..
 as I am now
with my mom in Arkansas. My stepdad (for 26 years)
is having a triple bypass this week. He has COPD and
other complications, so please pray for him and his
recovery. He is one of the sweetest & nicest guys
you could ever meet!

I will post again sometime this week...
Thank you for your patience during this busy time!
xoxox Jodi
PS... I do have ALOT of photo's to share!!!

Plains, Trains and Automobiles!

Hello my friends!

and fellow travelers...

Guess What? We are ON our

Biiiigggg Road Trip!

But...before I tell you more 

about THAT,

I want to Shout out a BIG KAHUNA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my Father in Law Today!!

We had a wonderful party

for him in Portland on Saturday.

We surprised him with a

Luau style Party!

The menu was awesome, just like you

ordered a plate lunch from

Da Kitchen on Maui!

 We put together a book with a lifetime of photo's

and letters from family members and dear friends.

He enjoyed that very much!

Our old dog, Sammy, even joined

the celebration!

Poor old tuckered out dog!

On Sunday morning my daughter

and I jumped right up slowly got up

from bed with our food coma...

and put on e*l*a*s*t*i*c pants

and squeezed our bloated buns into "Tango"

our little orange sports car Hyundai

Accent.

Hugs and kisses for everyone...then off we went!

Pretend you are on the road with us

and looking through the window...... First stop......

 Multnomah Falls, OR

The Hood River along the WA/OR border

MOM, really?!  uh-huh:) xoxox

Heading into Eastern Washington...

Then, we decided it was time for lunch....

In Ritzville, WA...YUMMMMY

Passing through Spokane, WA

Oh, Mr. Sun, how I have longed for you! Please come on our trip!!!

Leaving Washington, heading into IDAHO

Lake Coeur d'alene ID

Cascade Mountains...SNOW!!!

Entering MONTANA

HUGE Eagles Nest!

Time to stop for the night!

We woke up on Monday to ICE outside our

hotel window....brrrrr!

Good Morning Sunshine! Time for Breakfast

MUST.HAVE.COFFEE

Good Times!

Rocky Mountains!

We REALLY wanted to see this! But it was Closed....

Getting flatter! Montana is HUGE

Potty break, whew!

Good bye beautiful Montana, Heeellllooooo North Dakota

Tango and the painted valley, North Dakota

(Tango is the nickname for the car...)

a hill!....just one....

Tonight we are in Bismark, ND...

Don't ya know.
See ya tomorrow as we head to
Wisconsin!!
Where we will be visiting for a few days!!