Off We Go...

Ali here. Just left Ashley's house.  We officially have a place to stay for all but ONE night of our trip :) Woohoo!  Ohio, New York and Boston hotels are booked, DC hotel taken care of through TEA, not to mention the wonderful friends and relatives that are putting us up on the way. Yankees/Braves tickets charged, NYC Circle Line cruise tickets purchased, and the car is packed.  I should say, my stuff and Carol's stuff is in the car...Ashley's suitcases were still on her living room floor when I left her house.  

For those of you new to our blog, here is a quick synopsis:

The three troublemakers from the end of the 8th grade hall are setting off on a grand adventure to explore some fun places on our way to the NEA Representative's Assembly in Washington, DC.  The conference itself will also be quite a riot (or at least the evenings will).  Ashley and I are going to Ashley's best friend's wedding (no Julia Roberts' style ridiculousness here though, sorry) in Akron, OH after stopping to see my wonderful cousins/aunt/uncle in Cincinnati.  Then we will head to Lykens, PA to hang out with my best friend's mom (her wedding was last summer, also no ridiculousness).  From there we will venture to Hackettstown, NJ to pick up Carol.  

It may seem weird that Hackettstown is in bold to you, but you have no idea the amazingness that springs up in my mind when this city is mentioned.  I have eaten many a delicious melt-in-your-mouth, not-in-your-hand morsel from that very town, as have you, though you probably could not have named the town those snacks came from!  I can thank a dear friend from college for that, and only the lovely 3 south ladies will understand my excitement about actually going there.  

Look at that, off topic already. Back to the point.  Ohio, Pennsylvania, pick Carol up in New Jersey, go to NYC and find her daughter Elizabeth.  Here's hoping Carol figures out where Elizabeth is coming in and when Elizabeth is leaving sometime before we all show up in New York.  The four of us will romp around the city, then Carol, Ashley and I will hightail it to Boston, MA for the weekend.  I don't believe either of them has ever been.  I can't wait to get back to New England, it has been far too many years.  A quick overnight stop in Rhode Island (the homeless night) and First Beach in Newport in the morning before heading to our final destination, and the main reason for this trip, our nation's capitol.  All the while, we will be sure to write about and post pictures of the awesome people we meet, sights we see, objects we trip over, arguments we have, and other miscellaneous cacophony that should ensue from 3 teachers going 2 many places in 1 summer :).

So, if you are already reading this far and you know one of the three of us, you are probably thinking, I guess I should follow and see what she's up to this summer.  If you know two of us, your interest is probably a little more piqued and you are most likely looking forward to seeing what shenanigans we get up to.  If you know all three of us, especially as a unit...I can only assume you are on the edge of your seat, hoping we post again before you turn your computer off.  It will be that awesome, I promise.  However, I do happen to know all three people going on this road trip, so I am going to sign off and go to bed, because I know what happens when Ashley and I are in close quarters and I haven't had enough sleep.  Let me tell you, it ain't pretty. (No, I will never ever ever use that word/phrase again.  My apologies.)

Thanks for reading, 

Ali

P.S. I was yelled at by someone's roommate for not having already posted this and someone said it wasn't getting posted until 2 am.  Check out that timestamp.  NOT 2 am.

P.P.S. Shout-out to my baby little younger sister as she turns 20 in just a quarter of an hour!!! Happy Birthday Jani!!!