East Coast Bound

Trip Prep

I've been on a gazillion road trips over the course on my life but this trip was unlike all the previous vacations. This is vacationing with a purpose. Thirteen states, seven hotels, hundreds of hours in the car with two teenagers who, more often than not, do not get along. It's going to be awesome!

I've been planning and organizing this trip for well over a year and now that it here, it seems surreal. Once the planning was in place, the next step was organization and packing. I looked at tons of travel blogs and Trip Advisor and what I decided on amalgamation of several plans and recommendations from other seasoned travelers. 

The entire trip is a fourteen day odyssey starting in North East Dallas driving to Memphis for BBQ and overnight stay. I chose to break the trip intto segments and the travels plans easily broke up into four segments:

Section One: Fout days to Virginia/Baltimore, MD

Section Two: Four days in Washington DC

Section Three:Three days in Williamsburg VA

Three days through the Derp South

Within those segments, we are visiting several historic locations which have specific dress codes. The Private Capitol tour requires business casual dress. The White House Private Tour actually asks that you dress in "business appropriate attire." I printed stickers for each person in the family so they were able the plan accordingly, like clean underwear is a MUST!

Three of us were totally onboard with the game plan and chose their outfits in accordance with the daily itinerary. One member pitched an absolute FIT! Nightmare.

How do you pack for two full weeks? One week road trips are easy because you can do pretty much anything for s week. Two weeks s thousand miles from home required 98% of your life to be packed. So here's my solution. 

1. Pack a backpack for the first section and DO NOT open the main suitcases until you arrive are the second section of the trip. 

2. Pack each person their own snack bag in brown paper gift bags. Control the amount of foot and drink by putting the snacks in ziplock bags. This is because the snacks must be parsed out over the first four days of travel to Mount Jackson. Well, that and my son is a bottomless put and will eat everything within the first hour. 

3. Control trash. This is key for a successful road trip. 

4. Have the car checked out by a professional.

5. Fill it up with gas before leaving town.

6. Print maps, directions and get an Atlas. You never know when the cell service doesn't reach you. 

Right now my Xanax is kicking in and I'm about to fall asleep. We're headed to Arkansas, then on to Memphis. Must sleep...

Several times in recent days I've told this story. This happened in 2007. Someday, I'll add it to a book.
http://frenchfarce.blogspot.com/2007/04/deal-or-no-deal.html?m=1

Happy 3rd of July

Tonight, we have been invited to a private party in Addison to watch the 2nd  biggest fireworks display in the country. I don't know how they can make that determination but that's what "they" say. I am thoughtful of the place the men who signed the Declaration were at, emotionally and physically. How did they feel? What were they thinking? What would I do if I had been there? What would you do? July 2, 1776 "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even althoWe should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

John Adams to his wife, Abigail. 

Thank you note to our country.

To you, 56 brave men, who signed your own death warrants when signed Thomas Jefferson's declaration and literally risked everything for freedom and painfully birth a new nation. Thank you.

To the farmers and shop keepers, brothers, fathers, and sons who stood tall and brave, with your hearts thudding in your ears; at Lexington, facing overwhelming odds against the greatest army the world had known. And then, after facing the enemy at Lexington, you ran with all your strength, lungs exploding, legs aching to Concord to face them yet again.

To the mothers and wives and children who prepared food and fed a standing army, bandaged wounds, bore the future of this great nation, and in many cases fought alongside our brave men for the chance of freedom. Thank You.

To you Sir, the man who would become our first president; you left your home and your wife to lead a rag-tag bunch of country folk. You were not prepared for what lie ahead and yet you rose to the greatest challenge of your life only to face certain defeat and charges of treason. You and your army defined the new American Spirit. That fire-branded resolute desire to stand up and fight for what you utterly believe in and never back down no matter what; even in the loss at New York, when your faith was shaken, you stood, head-held high, to fight another day. Thank You, Sir.

To Dr. Franklin, renaissance man of the world, you chose to become a patriot and use all your wisdom and experience to help define a nation, lead younger, hot-headed, passionate men to sensible cool and rational decisions. You convinced an entire nation to come to the aid of 13 little colonies against their greatest foe and across the Atlantic Ocean. Thank You.

To Mr. Adams and his wonderful Abigail. for your passion for each other and for the new baby county you helped birth. You fought and won many battles of wits and words to bring those over to your belief that we could prevail and succeed.

To Caleb Gibbs, who chose my 4th great- grandfather, William Riley, to serve in the Commanders Guard, protecting General Washington. This is my legacy and my blood burns with the same independent spirit. Thank You!

To the Men and Women of the greatest generation. Thank you will never be enough but that's what I have to say. That and a promise: I will do all I can to be true to you and your ideals. I will pass on the legacy.

The all of those men and women who leave their own homes and their own families so that I might retain the hard-fought freedom, and that my own children are safe, thank you. You continue to give and serve with everything you've got so that the greatest nation the world has ever known will continue to lead and be the symbol of hope and promise. Thank you.

And to the Father of the heavens and the Earth: Even though a few loud, misguided people have lost sight of You, I know you will not forsake us and that YOU are faithful even when we are not. There are Americans who fervently believe in Your guiding hand and the principles so many fought and died for, so long ago and still fight for even today. Don't give up on us.

And last, to those who wish us harm:
You will not prevail in your malicious endeavors.
Ultimately you will lose.
You have picked a fight with a nation born out of tyranny and unafraid to stand face any enemy; A nation that would come to the aid to those who need help and stand beside all those you threaten. Do not underestimate the American Spirit. It is that Spirit that stormed the beaches at Normandy and fought alongside other nations to bring down the greatest evil in the history of the world.
Do not make the mistake of assuming our nation is weak because of its present leadership. It is that weak, misguided leadership that has awakened the American people and cause the American Spirit to stir once again.
Let this serve as a warning to those domestic and foreign who would attempt to cause us harm. Be very careful, your days are numbered.
God, Please bless this Nation.
I do pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
And to the Republic, for which IT stands,
One Nation, Under GOD, Indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for ALL.

Lets see...

I do want to make you think.
I do want to reveal truths; pull back the veil if you will.
I will challenge your perspective.
I will make you mad.
I will make you want to stand up and say, "AMEN!"
I might make you cry...
But ultimately, I just want you to think.

On the flip side:

There is a difference between "ignorant" and "stupid"
Ignorance can be educated.
Stupid is just stupid. Please, don't be Stupid.

According to http://www.merriam-webster.com  

Ignorant is defined as:

1 a : destitute of knowledge or education <an ignorant society>; also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified <parents ignorant of modern mathematics>

 b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence <ignorant errors>

2 : unaware, uninformed

Stupid is defined as:

1 a : slow of mind : obtuse  b : given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner c : lacking intelligence or reason : brutish

2 : dulled in feeling or sensation : torpid
3: marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting : senseless

4 a : lacking interest or point  b : vexatious, exasperating  (My personal favorite!)

 

I will reference this in the future when stupidity invariably shows its ugly head.

You have been warned.
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I had a blog; years ago. It was one of those blogs about what my kids ate and what sort of craft we were doing that Tuesday. It was a funny blog too. http://frenchfarce.blogspot.com/ this is the link to my old blog. No one at Google can get me linked up to the old blog so I will continue here.

Ignorance can be educated. Stupid is just stupid.

Ignorance can be educated. Stupid is just stupid. Don't be Stupid.