Short Stop in Phoenix then....California Time!

Hey everyone,

So we finally made it to Arizona and boy was it hot here! I forgot how 100 degrees and blazing heat felt, and it was brutal!

But not to be discouraged, we still had a good time preparing for our California adventure! We met up with Ryan's sister Sharon who lives out here and his other sister Megan, who flew into Phoenix to visit and come with us to California.

So we set about getting ready and didn't really spend much time exploring Phoenix. (More on that in a post(s) after I talk about California.)

Anyway, we bought more snacks, loaded up the car as much as we possibly could and set out for California! We left Phoenix and drove straight west to Los Angeles. Now most people would skip over LA, but all of us had never been and just wanted to see what it would be like. This went against both my mom and Mrs. Coleman's wishes (they worried about the traffic).

And well, the traffic was bad (not as bad as the moms made it out to be, but bad still.), but we had a mission. To get cupcakes from Magnolia's cupcakes. Yes, that's right. We had to go through L.A. to West Hollywood in order to get cupcakes that Ryan had claimed were the "best cupcakes in the whole world." Ryan loves the cupcakes so much that he compares every cupcake we've ever had in Georgia to Magnolia's. So, in order for Ryan to finally prove to me that Magnolia's were truly the best, we went. And well, Ryan was right! They were delicious and worth going to L.A and then we went north to San Jose....

Just kidding! We didn't go to LA just for cupcakes, we had lunch at Jane's on Third street a trendy lunch spot in West Hollywood. We sat outside and it was so much fun people-watching, plus the food was delicious! People in L.A. are just so different in style and personality than other parts of the country, so many backwards caps and tank tops, haha! And I was also surprised how 1950's West Hollywood looked. It was upscale but also a little retro at the same time.

Anyway, afterward we went to Beverly Hills and drove on Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard. This time our mission was to find Betty White's house. We all love her and Ryan was able to look up her supposed address, so while we explored we hoped to catch a peek of her house. Alas, we didn't find it. But oh well, we had a good time anyway! Here are some photos from the first stop in L.A!

(Note: First pic: Magnolia's. The second, a sign I saw in West Hollywood, unfortunately, the restaurant (or bar?) was torn down. :-(   Third: L.A. traffic. Awful! Fourth: Sunset Boulevard, pretty drive!)

Afterward, we finally left to head up to San Jose. And that felt like the longest drive of our lives! We all took turns winding up I-5 to the Bay area. The interstate took us through some beautiful scenery. I was amazed at just how wide and varied California is. There are high mountains, beautiful beaches, desert, forests, plains, etc. it was incredible just to drive through all of it.

Finally, we arrived in San Jose completely exhausted. I was so excited to see my Aunt Chris and Uncle Tom though, I knew that they had an exciting time for us planned and would be able to guide us on the best things to see in the Bay area. More on that in my next post! Take care!

Nick

Let's Head West Part Two: Albequerque

From there, we made the very boring drive from Amarillo to Phoenix, passing by the desert areas of the state. We did, however, gave ourselves the break from monotony to stop in Albequerque.

Albequerque is a really cool city. I had no idea how cool until we got there. For one, they have a beautiful range of mountains as their skyline. Secondly, almost all of the houses are built adobe style and have smooth clay edges compared to houses everywhere else. I think its neat that they were able to keep that aesthetic throughout the entire city.

Anywho, we decided we wanted to see the mountains up close and personal so we went on what's called the Sandia Peak Tramway. The tramway is one of the steepest in North America and rises up to 10,380 feet! So we got on and the views were incredible! It was amazing to rise through the national forest and see such natural wonders. I was slightly terrified because you are so close to the rocks and you rise so high into the air! But we loved it! Ryan took all the pictures because I was too afraid id drop the camera. i didnt want to get close to the edge, but Ryan made me do it anyways, haha. For me, it felt like being in Colorado again, I forgot how much I missed the mountains. You can see some pics of that adventure here!

Afterward, on the way to Phoenix, the onlly thing of note was getting stuck in two-lane traffic with huge semis in front and behind us. Eek! Here is a photo of the road, I-40.

Of note, we did eat dinner in downtown Flagstaff, Ariz. and noticed Flagstaff is the coolest weather-wise part of the state. The air felt fresh and crisp as I tracked down another local place on Yelp to eat at.

The name of the restaurant was Beaver Street Brewery and I loved the atmosphere, very family friendly but quiet and warm with the interior kind of like a mountain ski lodge and dim lighting. I loved just sitting there and basking in the warmth. The food, unfortunately, left something to be desired and Ryan and I didn't finish our meals. Oh well, it was a nice rest before Phoenix anyway.

Ryan drove the remainder of the way over the extremely curvy downhill I-17 into Phoenix. I was a little nervous about it but Ryan loved it! And then we were finally in Phoenix, more about those adventures in the next post. Until then!

Nick

Let's Head West! Part One: OKC

Hey everyone,

So you probably think I either vanished off the face of the Earth or that I forgot to post anything on the blog since leaving Missouri. Well, neither of those are true, I've just been caught up with having so much fun!

But now that Ryan and I are on the road again from Phoenix, heading back to Atlanta, I finally have a chance to catch everyone up on the wonderful adventures we have been having, so without further ado.....

Ryan and I left Missouri and were sad because we had a wonderful time with my family in St. Joe. Hyvee and Shatto Milk silently wept as we left, for Ryan and I had probably bought about half of their entire milk supply when we were there. But we were off, with Phoenix as our destination, as we would meet up with Ryan's sister Sharon, who has a house there.

On the way to Phoenix, we sped by the Kansas Plains and went south on I-35 to Oklahoma where we stopped in Oklahoma City. Ryan and I were curious about what to do in OKC and we remembered that the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum was there, so, we were curious to check that out. Ryan and I really didn't know many details about the bombing, because we were in elementary school when it happened.

And it was a beautiful memorial site. The site was very quiet, very peaceful in stark contrast to what happened there in 1995. I was amazed at how much damage the initial bomb made to all of the buildings around it and how much different the entire block was because of the damage. If you see before and after shots of the area, you'd be surprised at how much damage a bomb could do.

But the memorial was beautiful outside and inside in a building right next to it was a very well done museum. As a self-proclaimed museum buff, I was impressed. You start upstairs and then you enter a room where the door automatically shuts behind you. In the room, you listen to a tape recording of a meeting that was going on next door right before the bomb exploded. I was amazed by how the recording just demonstrates how the ordinary routine of our lives can be shattered by tragedy in an instant. It was very moving.

The rest of the exhibit details the damage, the investigation and capture of the bomber Timothy McVeigh, and how ordinary people became heroes that day. It was all very moving and powerful. The site is ran by the National Park Service and it is one of the best sites I have ever been to, here are some photos we took!

After the museum, it was late afternoon and we hadn't eaten lunch. So, being the foodie I am, I got out my Yelp app and found this amazing funky burger place called S&B's Burger Joint. The decor was vintage 70's punk music with album covers decorating the table and a sort of neon colored highlights throughout the room. It was like a place you might find in New York rather than Oklahoma, but it was amazing! The burgers were juicy and delicious, and they had "loaded fries" that were delicious! Ryan had sweet potato ones complete with marshmallows and brown sugar and I had ones with queso, peppers, and crispy onions. If you find yourself in OKC sometime, you must go!

Afterward, we drove through OKC and were surprised that they have a very picturesque "riverfront" area. Although the "river" was very tiny, this was the nice area where the Thunder play and we took a picture of my favorite fast-food restaurant, Sonic's HQ. And then we were off again.

We drove across Oklahoma and Texas and we saw some of the damage that the tornadoes did to areas west of OKC. Whole billboards were shredded, we saw the twisted metal of farm equipment that hadn't been cleaned up yet, and trees ripped up. We actually didn't even get to see much from I-40, but it was enough to show just how bad those tornadoes were. Fascinating to see that damage up close!

We drove through to Texas to Amarillo and were surprised by the beautiful countryside that you can see around there. Some very nice scenery! That night, we made it to Amarillo where we decided to stay for the night. The next post will tell about our adventure from Amarillo to Phoenix. Stay tuned!

Nick

Joetown Adventures, Part 3, The Grand Finale!

On  Friday, we had our biggest touristy day yet. Ryan and I booked a tour to go visit the Shatto farms where they make milk, butter, and cheese. All week, Ryan and I had been buying out  the milk supplies at the grocery store because we are so obsessed with this milk. They make delicious flavors of milk like orange cream, banana, cotton candy, strawberry, chocolate, coffee, and their 10^th anniversary flavor, Cookies and Cream. And Ryan and I have drank them all! So on the dairy farm tour, Ryan and I got to see the milking process and the farm’s production, and got to see a Shatto milk truck styled like a delivery truck in the 1950’s, and complete with a horn that moos instead of honks! They even let us milk a cow! Here’s Ryan milking the cow here!

 

The best part was that once the tour was over, we got free samples of ALL of their products, including all the milks I mentioned plus all of their butters and cheeses. It was HEAVEN, haha. Then we acted like tourists and bought about everything we could as souvenirs.

After the dairy farm tour, we went to KC to check out the Kansas City Branch of the Federal Reserve, the WW1 Museum, and the Liberty Memorial, a 300 ft. tower that looks out on all of Kansas City. I love this museum, it’s one of my favorites as I love the history and I love how they designed the entire place. The Memorial was really fun too, as it gives a spectacular view. You can see some of it in Ryan and I’s picture here.

Then we went to my cousin’s to see his new house. My cousin puts HGTV to shame with his renovations. They took an unsightly 1960’s Brady Bunch style home (it had lava rock on the walls of one of the rooms…Eek!) and have updated it so far to be a really modern, fun house! We enjoyed going through and seeing all of the plans. My favorite part of the tour was the basement. Their bathroom down there is so small that Ryan looks like a giant in a hobbit’s bathroom (see picture below).

But, had fun visiting my cousin and talking about things. But once again, we had to get going and we came home to the delicious home-cooked meal whipped up by mom. As an added bonus, my mom also made peanut-butter butterscotch cookies which were delicious! Needless to say, I was a very happy camper!

Right now we are on the road to our next destination, Amarillo, Texas where we’ll stay overnight until we get to his sister’s in Phoenix. Tune in for my next update on OKC and today’s journey!

Nick

Joetown Adventures, Part Two

The next day, Wednesday, we went to Kansas City to see my friend Gabs and her fiancé Scott. Gabs has been my friend since we lived in the same dorm our freshman year at Mizzou, and I love, LOVE seeing her. I always make a point to meet up with her whenever she’s in town. Gabs filled Ryan and I in on her wedding plans. Her wedding is going to be in March, which I am so excited to go to!

Then we went to Hallmark’s (the greeting card people) headquarters in Kansas City. This has been Ryan’s dream place to be since birth as he is obsessed with everything Hallmark. I had lived near KC my entire life and had never been. But, we decided to finally visit. Ryan was like a kid in a candy store, excited by everything and I was pleasantly surprised. They do a decent job of interpreting and displaying the material they have. It’s not extensive, but it’s fun and gets the general ideas they promote across. Ryan and I got to take goofy pictures like this one here and we got souvenir bows that we watched being made by a machine. Here's pics of that adventure here!

Then we went and visited my sister Kylie and her husband Jason and their new house. They bought a nice new place in Kansas City (finally getting out of St. Joe, yay!) and it was exciting to hear about their plans for the future. I realized then that my sister’s house was yet another way in which I look up to her. I can’t wait until I can buy a house and have a stable career like her, and I felt very proud of her.

Thursday, we woke up with plans to venture into the Missouri countryside. My aunt Linda is currently building her dream restaurant in tiny Stewartsville, Missouri, about 15 miles east of St. Joe. Her place is going to be called “Goldie’s” (Check her out on Facebook under “Goldie’s Restaurant”, a homestyle restaurant named after my great-grandma who lived her whole life on the farm and taught my mom and her sisters how to cook farm-style meals. My aunt even painted the restaurant a mint-green like my great-grandma’s house used to be. Construction seems to be coming along well and I’m excited to eat there the next time I am in town!

Afterward, we drove down to my Aunt’s house in Plattsburg, Mo, which is even more remote than Stewartsville. It was fun taking Ryan to the Midwest countryside. I forgot how quiet the outdoors can be, and being on my aunt’s farm was peaceful. It was also fun because my cousin Beth (Linda’s daughter) met us there with her three adorable children Grace, Landry, and Beau. Ryan and I got to blow bubbles, push them higher on the swing, and play with toy cars the whole afternoon. It had been a while since I played with kids and they were so cute and adorable! Ryan and I had a blast. When we were done, Ryan enjoyed speeding back to town on the back country roads and was especially excited to go 100mph on some of the more remote roads. Here's some pics from that time as well!

Both pics from my Aunt's restaurant Goldie's in Stewartsville

Grace on her swing. Isn't she beautiful?

My Aunt's garden

We ended the night watching Out to Sea and Identity Thief with Grandma Helen (Mom’s mom) and my family. All in all, a pretty great day!

Joetown Adventures Part 1

On Monday night, we arrived in St. Joseph, Missouri, known to locals as St. Joe or the “Joetown”, a small city about an hour north of Kansas City, Missouri. St. Joe is known for being the former home of the Pony Express, a starting point for the Oregon Trail, and hometown of yours truly and a majority of my family. And…that’s about it.

But, I always enjoy coming back to see my family. My parents live in a nice little home outside the city limits in some woods and Ryan and I found it to be a nice, peaceful retreat from the craziness of the city. Anyway, we were treated to my mother’s delicious home-cooking including homemade turkey, stuffing, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, hot rolls, and lemon cake. So yea, you could say we were spoiled with some delicious Missouri home cooking. J

As usual, the week started with Ryan helping fix all of the broken technology in my parents house, with him not finishing with all of the repairs until the night before we left. But in the meantime, on Tuesday we went around to see my entire family and spend time with them. We visited Carol, a family friend and ate at the St. Joe institution Barbosa’s, a Mexican restaurant that basically serves a menu of fried Mexican food. But the chips and queso, Ryan’s favorite, were quite delicious!

We also saw my Grandpa Harman (Mom’s dad) and visited my great aunt (Dad’s side), who is 94, and my Grandpa Woodbury (Dad’s dad). My great aunt, who the family has always called “Auntie”, gave me a very nice graduation card, remarking how my great-grandfather, who’s anniversary of his passing away was coming up, would have been proud of me graduating with my Master’s. It was very touching, and made me realize how much I miss my family when I am away, and how many little moments like that I miss by being far. But, I am determined to live in a major city and I love the opportunities I have in a big city. So I am not moving back unless I find the right career opportunity, but Missouri and my family will always have a place close to my heart. That's it for this post. My next one will have the remainder of our time in St. Joe!

(Sorry, no pics here. More info and pictures in parts 2 and 3!)

Oh, Columbia!

So on Sunday, after another round of breakfast casserole, we finally had to leave St. Louis to head to my parents house in St. Joseph, Missouri. 

But on the way home to St. Joe, we wanted to stop along the way in Columbia, Missouri where I got my undergrad degrees at the University of Missouri. I've been to Ryan's school, Ohio State, often, but he had never visited mine. So off we went.

The first thing we did when we got there was eat lunch. So of course, we had to go to a Columbia, MO institution: Shakespeare's Pizza. Shakespeare's is the best pizza place in Missouri and is famous enough that it was featured on an episode of Good Morning America. So of course, we had to have some of the delicious pizza with fresh toppings. 

After lunch, I took Ryan on a grand tour of campus which included a tour through the best rec center in the country, the new student center, beautiful Tiger Plaza, and of course the Columns with Jesse Hall in the background.

So in my humble, non-biased opinion, I proved to Ryan that Mizzou is a much better university than "The" Ohio State University....Lol, just kidding. I liked Ohio State too. But it was fun to revisit Columbia and relive some of my school memories. Here are the photos from Columbia!

See You in St. Louis!

Welcome back!

So we are in St. Joe right now, but I'm a little behind on the blog posts (we've just been so busy having fun!) So in this post, you get to hear about our time in St. Louis.

Well, last Saturday (June 1st), we reached St. Louis at night. For Ryan, it was his first time driving over the Mississippi and we had a very warm welcome from the St. Louis skyline. I never realized how nice the city looks at night, where you can't really see the old, abandoned warehouses and can really see the Arch come to life! Ryan noticed that all the Paneras in St. Louis say "St. Louis Bread Company" and he couldn't get over how weird it was the whole time. Why does St. Louis not name their stores "Panera"? If you know the answer, let us know!

We were welcomed with open arms by my cousin Cassie and her boyfriend John. They live in a really nice neighborhood in the Ballwin area of St. Louis. We were also welcomed by Cassie and John's dogs Romeo, who, true to his name, loves everyone and Beckett, who only loves John and is terrified of everyone else! Ryan and I were sad the dog didn't like us being there. It was just sad to see the dog run away from us every time, but that's what pets do at times.

But we settled in for the night and awoke to a delicious breakfast casserole that my cousin made for breakfast. Ryan had yet another first, as he had never had the dish before. Seriously. In the midwest, breakfast casserole is just a given breakfast food, so we were shocked! But once we got a taste of the delicious sausage, eggs, and cheese combo, we couldn't get enough!

After watching a few episodes of Snapped! on Oxygen with my cousin, Ryan and I finally went to explore. First stop, the Arch of course! I had been to St. Louis to see family several times, but I had never been to the top of the Arch because my sister was always too afraid of heights. So Ryan and I were eager to explore. It was cloudy, which wasn't ideal to go to the top of the Arch, but we dealt with it. So the Arch ride was really interesting. Unlike other sites, you take this little tram to the top. I was a bit worried at first, because I thought I would see more of the bottom of the Arch as we rose upward. But actually, it's pretty confined. So tight that I was worried with Ryan and I couldn't fit, they cram five seats into a tiny little capsule and Ryan and I were a little squished, but it was worth it because the view at the top was spectacular! I thought it was cool that a Cards game was going on nearby at Busch Stadium, as I could see the game from above. We really enjoyed getting to see the city and the river and I thought it was interesting to see all the flooding in St. Louis.

Views from the Arch!

Afterwords, we drove to the headquarters of Panera (or St. Louis Bread Co.) and snapped a picture at our favorite casual food place's headquarters.

Then, we drove to nearby Forest Park and were stunned. Forest Park was constructed as the grounds for the 1904(?) World's Fair and traces of that fair linger still today. The park is surprisingly huge. The welcome pavilion still stands today as well as some other structures. Ryan and I were in awe over how beautiful the park was and if we had more time, we definitely would have explored more. We were also impressed that all of these things in Forest Park were for free, considering every similar activity in Atlanta seems to always have a high cost.

Anywho, we ended up back at Cassie and John's and we had a cookout where we hung out also with my Uncle Jerry, Aunt Lynn and their kids Ben and Claire. We had a lot of fun and John cooked amazing food with Bobby Flay recipes (like his baked beans with cilantro, which was amazingly tasty!)  We sat out on their deck and listened to their plans for their house. John is a great carpenter and hand makes all of this cool furniture. Really enjoyed the style of their house and took note of some of their style ideas for the future.

In the end, we were definitely impressed with St. Louis. I had never been a huge fan of the city when I lived in Missouri, but it's growing on me and its definitely somewhere where I could see myself living if the situation ever presented itself. But yea, we enjoyed our time there.