Before I left I had some of my family members and a few mentors write me letters in a notebook to read along the way. One note included this, “I know you are not a morning person, so enjoy all those sunsets.” Here are a few Ohio sunsets over Lake Erie. In true Jo style, I have yet to see a single sunrise, but I have seen a sunset in every state!
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Anyone that truly knows me knows I have been pretty die hard about trying to meet Dolly Parton for the past 6 years. I have gone to 2 concerts, tried to win meet and greet tickets, and waited out back for her. I went to the Oprah show and waited out back for her. I went to her store grand opening and tried to win meet and greet tickets. I wrote a blog about 365 ways to meet her. Basically, anything within reason and not making me seem like a crazy stalker. When I saw they were offering VIP experiences for her latest tour I couldn’t pass them up. The entire experience was incredible and a dream come true. Basically as soon as she saw I was on the list she had me escorted out to her tour bus, we had a preconcert tea party and then she sang directly to me the entire concert. Ha! Wouldn’t that be amazing? The truth: I arrived an hour early. They allow you to look at the merchandise without any lines. Then you get to have a bunch of delicious appetizers and a few free drinks. Next you get to tour some of her old outfits. They have cardboard cut outs next to each case of outfits to show you what time frame they came from. You also get to see some of her old instruments all rhinestoned up. At this point since I am not much of a drinker, I was decently buzzed and gave my number to one of her employees and told them if they were ever hiring to give me a call. He had heard me telling someone about my adventure so we also browsed through my website a bit. After that you are escorted to the meet and greet area. It is a brief time that you get to meet her and chat, and to be honest is was so sparkly I feel like I entirely blacked out when I met her and it was just a dream. Once I looked at the picture though it all came back to me. It really was that sparkly. If you look closely you can see rhinestones in her hair. And our boobs make the perfect yin yang, so we are destine to be friends forever! Being seventy, she could have easily stamped and mailed the concert in, but she didn’t. It was by far the best concert I have ever seen of hers. Plus I made some new friends! I feel terribly guilty for not having a post about Ohio yet since I have been away for a week now. I know not having internet is a good reason, but I had such an amazing time I feel like I should be shouting it from the roof tops and making the effort to stop at a Starbucks for the free Wi-Fi. Ohio’s welcome sign says “So much to Discover” and that rings true everywhere. With four presidents originating out of Ohio, to the creation of aviation plus the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Cedar Point and plenty of hiking trails there is something for everyone! I personally toured the Garfield house, went on a walk every night, took a very informative trolley ride around Cleveland, met Dolly Parton in Columbus, went to the Cleveland Aquarium, was recruited by NASA, jammed out at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and made sure my heart was in good working order on the rides at Cedar Point. I had a blast. A little back story, about 6 years ago I waited on a gentleman who was in town for the Xcel Outage. Thankfully he only has good memories of my serving/pie baking skills, but the first time I met him I kept screwing up everything. It was crazy busy and it took me forever to get his coffee and his order. I screwed up what kind of toast he wanted. Usually if I am in this situation I try to be nice, but quickly give them their bill so I can get the entire experience over with. This time instead I just kept talking and word vomiting random stories to try and turn this downhill experience around. Well it must have work because I eventually told him about my goal to road trip the United States; he said if I was ever in Ohio I could stay with him and his wife. They are truly the greatest people and amazing host. Not only did they open their home to me, they showed me all around Ohio and gave me 10 plus suggestions of things to do in other states. It was so nice to finally meet his wife. She is probably the most inspiring and genuine person I have ever met. She was so smart and interesting. Her eyes would light up when sharing stories and she has this wonderful hearty laugh. I could tell she was so passionate about life. Absolutely great people and I hope I get the opportunity to go back again. If you are reading this I don’t think I could thank you enough, but thanks again! Another Penny from heaven! This was stuck in the cement right outside my room in Michigan. I checked all the other steps, mine was the only one! It was such a nice surprise. When I find a penny, not only does it make me feel like my friend is watching over me. It also makes me think of all the support/advice I have had from family, friends, coworkers and so many more. Everyone has been so encouraging on this journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! From Holland to Mackinaw Island to a place where it is Christmas all year round, Michigan has so much to see and do. My grandma frequently quoted Ben Franklin, "guest, like fish begin to smell after three days." Taking that in to consideration, I decided to stay 10 days in Illinois! I also accidentally got locked out of the only bathroom with a shower for 3 of those days that my aunt and uncle were on vacation. This only goes to show that grandmas are always right. I think from the moment I hit the road I went into complete vacation/relaxation mode. The first two days I locked myself out of the place I was staying at and left the house once without my car keys. And as the time went on I never learned my lesson and I locked myself out again! For me Illinois wasn't about sight seeing, it was all about one on one time with family and friends. I visited four friends from college and met up with all my relatives. It was so nice to visit all we wanted and not be rushed. I even got to meet my second cousins for the first time. There was definitely a lot of love and laughter in Illinois. And of course I visited where I went to college, go Bradley. Lydia is still my home girl!
I've been on the road for 10 days now and everything is going great! I didn't know what to expect while traveling with two dogs, but they are adjusting well. For them as long as they are with me I don't think they care where they are. This pre-trip entry should have been written a long time ago, but it was hard for me to find the words. I went to Wisconsin back in May when I was originally going to start my trip, but then decided it would be better to leave mid-July. Wisconsin was a good mini trial run for my car. I've always loved driving through Wisconsin; I love all the trees, the hills and the open land. This time it was even more beautiful because I headed up north first to the Apostle Island. Unfortunately my cave tour was cancelled due to bad weather, but the scenic drive was nice and peaceful. Then I headed back down towards Milwaukee for the wedding of the year! I tied hundreds of bows, tried my hand at fondant for decorating a grooms cake, had a blast at the wedding and was either laughing or crying most of the time. Last fall, a good friend of mine asked me to make the grooms cake for her daughters wedding. Unfortunately, my friend was struggling with cancer and passed away before the wedding. What made this trip so memorable for me was that at each stop when I opened my car door there was a penny on the ground. Her name was Penny and it was like she was watching over me the entire time. I've saved all the pennies and they are traveling with me on the road. |
Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life” Archives
March 2019
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