South Cacalaki

We finally got our wheels out of Florida!  It was a long drive, but we landed just south-east of Columbia, South Carolina in between the small towns of Swansea and Pelian.

Wrapping up in FL

I know I've been awful quiet for a while...I apologize.  It's so very easy to get wrapped up in other things.  I know I owe you updates on a ton of states, the entire Mississippi River Valley as a matter of fact, but I'll get back to that soon.  For now let me tell you where we are and where we are going (kinda).

Disney 5K

I did it! I finished my first 5K.

Our journey continues

I can't believe it's almost over. We planned to travel south along the Mississippi River and now, as we make our way along the Florida panhandle towards Orlando, our original plans have come to an end. I want to start over. I want to make some changes. I want to slow down and enjoy more. There are some cities I want to see again. There is so much we missed! 

We decided early into this journey that we had no intentions of moving back into our house in Orlando. And so the journey continues. 

Here's to many more amazing memories with this beautiful family of mine!

Aurora borealis

Mom woke me up at 3:00 AM one morning when we were in Minnesota. She said Aaron do you want to see the aurora borealis.l said sure and wrapped up in my blankets and went outside.

Travel quotes

My kids make me laugh. Now that I think about it, my whole family makes me laugh. A lot! And when the rest of them aren't saying something funny, they make fun of me. So I decided to keep track of some of the funny things they (we) say.  I'll probably update this post periodically.

If I had it to do all over again...

This trip has exceeded my expectations. From amazing landscapes and wonderful small towns to incredibly educational museums and the nicest, most welcoming people any where in the world, I have gotten more out of this adventure than I planned.

Mine craft family night

We had a mine craft family night last Sunday. Minecraft is a video game that Aaron and I love. It is a game where you can load a world and live like a king or start from scratch.

New fitbits!

Us and The Setzer family were having some trouble with walking. So my dad challenged them to a walking showdown. Loser family has to buy ice cream for the other family.

 So we all got new fitbits and we are walking like crazy. So much so that my mom wouldn't let me in the house until I got 2,000 steps one day. And she says next week we have to walk 10,000 steps at the same time!  We are in the lead right now!

Papa met the Setzer family online and there're really nice. Doug and Mandy Setzer have two children, Logan and Paige. Paige is my age and Logan is three years old. I hit it off with Paige and so we are friends now. It makes me feel good to know I have a friend that's just as crazy as me.  I can't wait to see them again at the rally!

We are going to Tampa for a not back to school rally. It's going to be AWESOME! There is going to be a talent show there. I'm probably going to twirl and there's a little girl that wants to do ballet but has never done it before. I can't wait to see her.  I know she will be great! Paige is hosting the talent show. I wish I could have hosted the talent show. Organizing is just my thing.

We are at Lake City at the moment and it is Tuesday, and Paige will join us on soon.This campground is called oak 'n pines. We are staying here for two weeks. We were supposed to stay at the last campground for one week and this one for one week but we didn't like the last one so we left the day after we got there. I just realized that I got way off topic. 

So the blogs take a long time to post so each paragraph is about 2 days apart. Paige is with us now and it is super fun to have her around. We might be able to have a sleep over tonight. Her little brother Logan is the most adorable three year old ever.  That's all for now so I will se you next time, BYE!!!!

3 weeks in Minnesota don't ya know...

After leaving Wisconsin, we made our first venture into totally uncharted territory when we headed for Minnesota.  None of us had ever been there, so no one really knew what to expect.  Luckily we were pleasantly surprised!

Mall of America

LWe spent a week at a campground near a casino called Mystic Lake. The property was on a Dakotah Sioux reservation. It is located south of the twin cities: Minneapolis and St Paul.

The highlight of the week was going to the Mall of America. We actually were able to go twice. The first time we walked around and looked in stores but didn't buy anything. The second visit my grandma went with us.  This was when I got my ears pierced at the mall. I chose the amethyst earrings. It is my birthstone, that is why I chose it. It is also my favorite color. 

Minnesota fur traders

We went to Murphy's Landing in Shakopee, MN. There was an old fur trader's log house from the 1840s. The fur trader got furs from the Dakotahs and traded for things like copper pot, tools, and other stuff from the white man. The fur trader sold the furs to people in Europe for lots of money.

I got to touch a lot of furs. Mink, bear, otter, deer, beaver, fox and more. There was a really old stove for a fire to cook and keep the place warm. There was a bed that had furs for blankets. 

Crossing the Mississippi River

We went to the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca state Park. Headwaters meens start.

We walked down a short path from the parking lot, over a bridge and there was the beginning of the river. I saw stones from one side to the other, a bridge made out of a log that was cut in half and a few people. I ran across the log bridge and then walked across the stones. The third time I tried to cross I got my foot a little wet. The water was really cold!

Camping with Aunt Pam

We didn't get to play with our electronics very much on the trip to Devils Lake. It wasn't really a bad thing though because it got us outside more. We only had electric hookups. We didn't have water, we had to fill up our fresh water before we got there. It was hard. The bathhouses were clean. 

Beanboozeled around the campfire

I had been wanting to do the beanboozled challenge for months now. We tried to do it a few times but it was never the right time. I saw the challenge on YouTube.

It's not easy bein cheesy!

For the past 2+ weeks we've been running all over "Cheesehead" land.  It's been a very enjoyable stay and I wanted to share some overall thoughts about the state...as well as update on some of the sights we were lucky enough to experience.

Heading North...

Well...here I am with a late post again.  We've got plenty to catch up on, so let's get jammin!

We'll Be Back!!

Our goal when we started on this journey was to travel along the east coast and then north to Minnesota and follow the Mississippi River back to the Gulf. We roughly planned this to be a six month trip. I believe it was before we left Florida that we began making plans for additional trips to Canada, out west, and New England. We quickly realized that full timing could be a reality for the next few years.

Maker faire Cincinnati

We went to maker faire Cincinnati.it was great. 

The Ping Pong ball explosion was my favorite thing. They put liquid nitrogen in a bottle and put it in a trash can full of 576 ping pong balls and it blew up. There were ping pong balls everywhere. I helped clean it up.

Catching up the last three states (WV, OH, IN)

Ok...so I know I promised some of you I'd be better about timely blogging...but it's so easy to just let my eyes close and start snoring....  Anyway...I promise again...let's see how it goes this time😀

To recap, we've rolled through or into 3 new states since my last post.  I'm going to try to stay with the highlights as much as I can in the interest of actually getting this done, so bear with me, but be warned...it's going to be a long one!