Voyage to the Center of America

Now, finally, I can kinda type and think about home without immediately tearing up.

And so... the much awaited blog about the drive to Ohio.

As many may expect, it was full of ups and downs... well except for Kansas.  Kansas was flat, very flat.  I do believe that the state of Kansas would have great success in raising money to install a moving roadway that went from one side of the state to the other.. you know, like those moving walk ways at the airport.  It seems as though there is no one who enters Kansas without the purpose of quickly getting out.  The same could be said for Chad and myself.  Soon after arriving in Salina, the game plan was to sleep and get the hell out... well raid the complimentary breakfast, and then get the hell out.  And that is exactly what we did.  As a punishment for taking a banana and plate full of sausage for the road, Kansas chose to rain fairly hard until we got out.  The only thing that can make Kansas worse, is having to go slower than the speed limit when trying to get the hell out. 

On through Misery... ahem... I mean Missouri.  As I drove, I soon started to notice I couldn't go more than half a mile without seeing a cop.  Clearly I was nearing St Louis.  After checking in and leaving Eros to make herself at home in a hotel room, Chad and I took off for the St. Louis Arch... the gateway to the west.  Too bad I was going the wrong direction... 

Chad and I proceeded to get into capsules (yes that is what they call them) with three other people from Arkansas... Arkansas, where people should have to apply for tourist visas to leave.  Needless to say, being stuck in a 5 x 5 x 5 capsule with three people from Arkansas only made a horrible ride worse.  The older man explaining to the girl that he is the authority on the arch and the girl continuously asking what would happen if we got stuck.  Once Chad and I made it to the top, we took our time taking awesome pictures in hopes that we wouldn't get stuck with the same group on our way down... p.s.  it didn't work!  But here are some pictures from the top.... and the outside.  You know to prove we were there... 

The capsule....



 



The view from the top...







 

 

The outside...



 

 

 

 

After seeing all there was to see in St. Louis, Chad and I were ready to leave the smelly city. 

 

The next morning off we went, with much to do, and Ohio as the final stop for the night.

 

First a stop at Lincoln's home in Illinois.  The first words to come out of tour guides mouth, Lincoln Fan #1, was to not reach behind the railing for any reason once in the house.  So in we went, and what was the first thing Zahra does?!?!? Well I dropped my admission ticket... yup... dropped it and like a feather floating in slow motion, back and forth, and back and forth, it went... Landing the parlour where Lincoln excepted his nomination for presidency.  DOH!  From that moment on I thought nothing but, don't drop your ticket, don't drop your ticket!  So I can't recall much more than that... so here are some pictures.  Add your own captions as you wish.

 

Where the ticket fell....

 



 

On we went to Fairmount, Indiana... to visit the hometown of the great James Dean and Jim Davis, the writer and creator of the Garfield comics... (Jim Davis was a surprise once we got there.)  I would like to say we spent a ton of time cruising around the quint little town, but no.  We got there 10 minutes before the James Dean museum was closing.  Chad jumped out of the car while it was moving, and I parked.  Below is the only picture I could snag after I ran in to use the bathroom.

 

James Dean's Triumph.

 

Then we drove the around the town trying to find his old house and high school.  I would have taken some pictures, but the towns only cop began following me. It was an all hands on deck situation. 

 

On we went, making a pit stop in Bellafonte, OH (pronounced Bell Fountain... clearly).  We had some delicious pizza where the community director herself was our server.  That wasn't a joke!  When I asked her where would be a good place to get a hotel room in Columbus, she proceeded to tell us she was the towns activities director.  And this folks, is why middle America can be so darn cute!

 

With a belly full of delicious pizza, Chad and I made our final descent to Columbus.... where... I believe is another great place to stop for the evening.  The going's on once we were here (becoming Miss Columbus, Farm Day's at the Science Museum, the Columbus Zoo, etc..) need there own blog.... and I need to sleep. 

 

Rest assured the boxes are pretty much unpacked, and so blogs will become more frequent.... Thank you three day weekends!!!!!

 

 



Packing Stinks, But Goodbyes are the Worst!

First, I should take a moment to thank everyone for checking in so frequently… even if you didn’t find anything new. 

Needless to say, packing, moving, and starting a new job have kept me…… Um what is the word… CRAZY, OH MY GOD, BUSY!

There are boxes stacked up EVERYWHERE, but I needed to take a break to update.  Good thing Eros is part mountain goat!

So, speaking of boxes let’s talk about how many there were to move.  Boxes, furniture, etc. 

All of this…

This….

And this…

All of that, plus bed, had to be loaded into two large “ReloCubes.”   And,  I get by with a little help from my friends.  So thank goodness for Kerry, Andy, Andy’s brother Aaron, and little Charlie.   Now before anyone calls the labor board on me, it is important to note that Charlie was working as the project manager, i.e. standing by to make sure everyone was doing their job correctly.

See!!!!

While that was a lot of work, it was not nearly as hard as the goodbyes…

The goodbyes started at an awesome “Going Away” party put together by Josh and Natalie.  Anytime a picture like this is snapped of me, you can be guaranteed it was a good time.  

As I set there with some family and friends, getting a mini roast of my very own (thank you Josh and Chad,) Colorado also decided to give me a goodbye.  Such a beautiful sunset that I will no doubt miss, and demand to see again soon.

The following days were filled with… guess!?!?!  Packing!!! As I continued loading each box, I was overwhelmed with emotions that stemmed not knowing when I would be back in Colorado to see everyone.  I pushed through and soon the BIG day was upon me.  The day in which I would get in the car with a newly bathed Eros, and begin driving towards my new life in Ohio.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING could have prepared me for how hard it really was to say goodbye to my parents.  Now, before the judgment ensues, please remember, for thirty years, I had never been more than 15 minutes from them.  And while they can be… um… parents, I like to believe I have pretty awesome parents.  If you know me at all, you know how much I adore my mom and how I pretty much think she is the best thing in the whole entire world! My heart and tear ducts, have never worked as hard as they did that day!  And rather than continue (which I can’t cause it makes me tear up) I will just say giving her a hug and saying goodbye was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do…

But I did it (sigh) and continued down the road to pick up Chad for the next steps of the adventure… Which leaves me a great opportunity to wrap this post up, and leave you all hanging for another. :P

In the efforts to leave you with a smile, and not a visual of a sobbing Zahra driving down the road, a picture of Eros’ pre-move spa day… As you can see, she was not impressed!

-Zahra

And so it begins...

It has been 30 + years in the making, but in less than two weeks, I will begin the cross country journey to my new “home” in Ohio. 

As I begin making my rounds of goodbyes, I have thought, “so many people will miss my fun little stories and quirks.”  In reality, I think it is more about how I am going to miss sharing them with everyone I am leaving behind in Colorado.  Enter “A Little Dose of Zahra…”   No better place than a blog to share stories, pictures, new recipes, completed sewing projects, and life as it happens.  Come to think of it, it might be a good way to get people in Ohio hooked as well! 

So, if you are ever feeling a little low, you now know where to go for a little dose of Zahra to get you through the day. :P (this is your cue to bookmark the page, become a subscriber, or do whatever you do… )

There are sure to be some great posts in the near future regarding but not limited to: packing, packing, last day of work, going away parties, packing, road trip antics with Chad, first days in Ohio, and missing everyone/everything in Colorado, and unpacking. 

Stay tuned!

-Zahra