Hotel. Motel.

The Holiday Inn. That's where we have been living for the past 2 weeks since arriving in Augusta. I won't say hotel life is all bad: someone else does your linens, vacuums your floors, cleans your counter-tops, free internet etc. (not to mention the Army is paying for it), but it is nothing like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (who by the way, are on a cruise ship now anyway).

Currently, there are boxes stacked bed-high all around, laundry needing to be done on the floor and some type of strange chicken concoction going on in the crock-pot. The good news is, we should be moving out of here on Saturday. We just paid a deposit on a little downtown number. It's an old historic building that a real estate group renovated and turned into 6 apartment units. Which means our apartment is only 600 square feet and doesn't have a dishwasher...but what it lacks in practicality, it makes up for in character.

More to come on life in Georgia...

Scenes from San Antonio

This is the historic Riverwalk in San Antonio.


I have to say this was one of my favorite places we visited on our road trip. The night life here was insane. They literally built a network of walkways and restaurants over the San Antonio River. We ate at the Republic of Texas (pictured above with the Texas flag cabanas) per the advice of Rachel Ray on an episode of her latest show, "Rachel's Vacation."

Speaking of the Texas flag, one of the strangest things I noticed about Texas was the people living there are absolutely Texans first and Americans second. Every bridge, restaurant and bank seemed to be freely flying the Texas flag as if patriotically screaming, "Remember the Alamo!"

I personally do not feel many emotions associated with the Alamo and was only grateful that it allowed for the infiltration of the many great Tex-Mex flavors of the South. But these Texans, they are serious about their flag. Perhaps this strikes me as odd because I've grown up my whole life in a state whose flag has a giant beaver on the back. And c'mon Texas, your flag is pretty much just the American flag for babies...(again, I suppose an Oregonian can't really make fun of other flags)

B says Boop Texas Flag


Adult American Flag


Flag that officially makes me unable to judge other flags

News from New Mexico

Welcome to Nuevo Mexico...

Tales from Tucson

For the record, I fully intend to make some cheesy alliteration reference to every place we visit. Tucson (NOT pronounced Tuxson you self-involved West Coasters) was pretty incredible. We stayed at this resort bordering the edge of Pima Canyon and thus were able to enjoy an early morning hike before we had to hit the road again. The picture above marks the trail's beginning.

This was a fun and frightening game I liked to play entitled, "Where's Andrew?" Andrew decided to scale the sides of the canyon while apparently wearing desert camouflage. Every time I got distracted and looked away, it took me minutes to locate him again...making me wonder if he had somehow plummeted during my visual absence. But then I remembered...he's Army Strong. Any luck finding him?



There he is!



















And proof there is some color in the desert: wild cactus blossoms.

Midnight Train

And so the 50+ hour road trip from Oregon to Georgia has begun...


Day 1: Medford, OR (B)
Day 2: Anaheim, CA (C)
Day 3: Disneyland/California Adventure (C)
Day 4: Tucson, AZ (D)
Day 5: Las Cruces, NM (E)
Day 6: San Antonio, TX (F)
Day 7: Baton Rouge, LA (G)
Day 8: Augusta, GA (H)

Technically we start day 4 tomorrow (I've fallen a bit behind with my updates in the moving process). So now, fresh from sharing the "happiest place on earth" with a bajillion other Californians who were coincidentally on their Spring Break, we're heading to Tucson in the morning (home of Nic Sedor). This will be my first time in the American desert so I am most looking forward to this stop. If anyone knows anything about any of these towns please let me know. Rachel Ray told me all about the food in San Antonio last week on the Food Network, so I'm good-to-go in that category. We miss (most) everyone...especially some yet to be born babies. Make it happen!