Recently, I met with my friend Nick to help him plan his road trip to the Northeast, given I traveled there last year. Of course, this just led to the travel bug biting me…
Two days later, my next trip is planned. 
Needless to say, when I get bitten, the Planner/Organizer in me wastes no time taking over. Planning for a vacation this year is in sharp contrast to my trip last year, when I did very little planning. I basically had a
list of destinations/points of interest and just drove. As nice as it was to not worry about planning the trip beforehand and once on the road, not being ruled by a schedule, in the end I wasn’t able to fully enjoy most
destinations due to them either being closed when I arrived or having to rush a visit because I ran out of time and had to get on the road. I was also over budget since my nightly lodging was last minute and often lacking in choices due to the town in which I ended up. With learned lessons under my belt, I’m determined to find that healthy medium this year.
The destination this year? The southeast!
My primary destination is Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Much like last year, with Acadia National Park being the focus, another park is in my sights this year, another step closer to fulfilling by bucket list item of visiting every NP. Congaree is one of the “largest expanse of old-growth flood plain forest in America” and one of the tallest forests in the North America. I’ll spend a day hiking around the bottomland and canoeing along the river, then set up camp for the night in the park. The next day, I’ll head east to the South Carolina shore, specifically Litchfield Beach/Pawleys Island, a setting in one of my all-time favorite books, Flabbergasted. Unlike the 2hrs I spent on a chilly beach in Maine last July, I plan to spend most of a day relaxing on a much warmer beach before heading south to Charleston for the night. The following day, I’ll head further south and bum around Hilton Head for a while (never been there), before ending up in Savannah (haven’t been there either) for the evening. I’ll take in the night life of this historic town, maybe visit some local parks and historical monuments the next morning, then head out to Tybee Island for a bit (haven’t been there either) before heading back north. A scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Smokey Mtns will end with a night
spent in a cabin around Gatlinburg. After spending a day enjoying hikes around the Smokies, I might swing by Nashville to visit my brother and sister-in-law before returning home. I haven’t confirmed when this trip will happen yet, but I do have a week in mind, and it feels so far off…
Here’s my tentative route:
Well, there it is! Have you been to any of these locations? Any suggestions on things to do, places I can’t miss, restaurants I should visit along this route?
Two months into the year, time for a check up on my 2010 goals (since I can’t think of anything else to write about at the moment…)
Goal: Increase emergency fund to 3 months of expenses
Category: Financial
Time Frame: End of the year
Status: Right on target!
Grade: A+
Goal: Get to work on time
Category: Personal
Time Frame: Daily
Status: No where close…
Grade: F-
Goal: Perform a Random Act of Kindness at least once a month
Category: Charity/Community
Time Frame: Monthly
Status: So far, so good. RAoKs performed include: cleaning snow off a co-worker’s car anonymously, letting someone in front of me in line at the grocery store and taking donuts to work, anonymously.
Grade: A
Goal: Participate in a 5K/10K
Category: Exercise/Health
Time Frame: End of October
Status: Going to do the Redleg’s 5K with Dan (and hopefully Kristy!), but haven’t started training yet.
Grade: D
Goal: Read a chapter of Proverbs every day
Category: Spiritual
Time Frame: Daily for 6 months
Status: Started off strong, but have slacked through February.
Grade: C-
Goal: Visit Cuyahoga National Park
Category: Travel
Time Frame: End of the year
Status: Have savings for the trip and a potential time frame of Memorial Day weekend
Grade: B
Goal: Read 20 Books, at least 12 of them non-fiction
Category: Hobbies/Leisure
Time Frame: End of the year
Status: 5 down so far, working on 3 more. I’ve picked out 14 of the books I want to read.
Grade: B+
Non-fiction:
- Uprising – Erwin McManus
- Men Are Like Waffles-Women Are Like Spaghetti – Bill and Pam Farrel
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
- What the Dog Saw And Other Adventures – Malcolm Gladwell
- Predictably Irrational – Dan Ariely
- Church History in Plain Language – Bruce Shelley
- Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs
- The Prodigal God – Tim Keller
For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women – Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn(Finished)How the Mighty Fall – Jim Collins(Finished)Choosing to Cheat – Andy Stanley(Finished)
Fiction:
Goal: Finish painting house
Category: Home Improvement
Time Frame: End of May
Status: Umm, no progress. Maybe warmer weather will motivate me…
Grade: F
Goal: Reach 175 found geocaches
Category: Hobbies/Leisure
Time Frame: End of the year
Status: I’m currently at 147 found geocaches. Planned out another dozen to find as weather/time permits.
Grade: B-
For the past 5 years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and (2009), at the beginning of each year, I’ve set goals for the upcoming year. These have been met with varying degrees of success, but regardless of the past (lack of) results, I still feel this is an important exercise for me (and everyone!) to do. This provides a roadmap, a direction for my future, showing what I deem important and on which areas of my life I want to work and improve.
As I’ve written about in previous years’ posts, I don’t like setting resolutions. Resolutions are a recipe for failure, usually involving changing a behavior immediately, then trying to keep that behavior change over a time period. When a resolution is broken, motivation is quickly lost and the resolution falls to the way side. (The typical resolution lasts through mid-February.) Goals, on the other hand, are something for which you strive to complete, taking baby steps along the way to keep up motivation and to mark progress. Goals are a steady climb towards new behavior and lasting change, not an unrealistic immediate change. For example, imagine how many more people would get into the shape they want if they changed a resolution of “Lose weight by going to the gym every day this year” to a goal of “Lose x pounds this year by: going to the gym with a friend once a week for the first 2 months, then twice a week for the next two months; sign up to walk a 5K in June, etc…”
One of the best ways to create and follow through on goals is to make them S.M.A.R.T. These goals that are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
You can read more about S.M.A.R.T. goals at goal-setting-guide.com, as well as numerous other sites on the web.
Keeping this template in mind, my goals for 2010 are as follows:
Goal: Increase emergency fund
Category: Financial
Time Frame: End of the year
Specifics/Comments: I currently have one month of expenses stashed away in a money market account at Vanguard. I will increase this to three months by the end of the year by adding 7.35% of each paycheck to the account.
Goal: Get to work on time
Category: Personal
Time Frame: Daily
Specifics/Comments: As I get more comfortable and settled at a job, I roll in to the office later and later, largely because I’m not a morning person and hit the snooze a few times too many, but also because I spend too much time on the web in the morning. I will reduce the amount of times I hit snooze to one and/or set my alarm for an earlier time (7:00 instead of 7:15) in addition to reducing the amount of time spent on the web in the morning, leaving the house no later than 8:20, instead of 8:40.
Goal: Perform a Random Act of Kindness at least once a month
Category: Charity/Community
Time Frame: Monthly
Specifics/Comments: I have been blessed more than I deserve and have been inspired by Southland’s John Weece to make a difference in people’s lives. At least once a month, or as God lays on my heart, I will perform a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK), all anonymously (or at least an anonymously as possible). RAOK’s I have in mind are leaving an extra large tip at restaurants, paying for the meals of people behind me in the drive-through, bringing donuts into the office for co-workers and sending encouraging cards to friends.
Goal: Participate in a 5K/10K
Category: Exercise/Health
Time Frame: End of October
Specifics/Comments: I didn’t do any 5K or 10K events last year and missed the feeling of being fit that resulted from the training. I will sign up and participate in at least one event this year. Events in mind right now are the Flying Pig in May, the Redlegs Run For Home in June and/or the Susan G. Komen in September. Decision on which one will be made by early April.
Goal: Read a chapter of Proverbs every day
Category: Spiritual
Time Frame: Daily for 6 months
Specifics/Comments: I will read a chapter of Proverbs each day as a way to reinforce the wisdom therein and to keep it “written on my heart.” There are 31 chapters, so I will read the chapter based on the current day (chapter 6 on Jan 6th, Feb 6th, etc.). Starting in July, I will choose a different book of the Bible (James?) and continue reading a chapter a day.
Goal: Visit Cuyahoga National Park
Category: Travel
Time Frame: End of the year
Specifics/Comments: One of my life goals is to visit every National Park. This is a baby step toward achieving this goal. As close as it is and despite having been to Cleveland a few times over the years, I have not yet made it to this park. First, I will research this park to determine the best time to visit and how much time should be allotted to visiting the park. Then, I will schedule a time to make the trip and start saving.
Goal: Read 20 Books, at least 12 of them non-fiction
Category: Hobbies/Leisure
Time Frame: End of the year
Specifics/Comments: This list may will change over the course of the year, but here’s the first few in the queue, in no particular order –
Non-fiction:
- Men Are Like Waffles-Women Are Like Spaghetti – Bill and Pam Farrel
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
- What the Dog Saw And Other Adventures – Malcolm Gladwell
- Predictably Irrational – Dan Ariely
- Church History in Plain Language – Bruce Shelley
- Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs
- The Prodigal God – Tim Keller
For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women – Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn(Finished)How the Mighty Fall – Jim Collins(Finished)Choosing to Cheat – Andy Stanley(Finished)
Fiction:
Goal: Finish painting house
Category: Home Improvement
Time Frame: End of May
Specifics/Comments: I painted the main level of my house last year, but procrastinated when it came to the 2nd level. My goal is to have this job completed by the time the weather starts getting nicer, though hopefully much sooner. I have the paint and all the supplies, so it’s just a matter of forcing myself to do it. In finer detail, the stairwell and upstairs hallway will be done by end of January and one of the bedrooms done by the end of each following month.
[UPDATE: Added this goal]
Goal: Reach 175 found geocaches
Category: Hobbies/Leisure
Time Frame: End of the year
Specifics/Comments: I’m currently at 146 found geocaches.
Michael Hyatt writes about “Seven Questions to Ask About Last Year”.
I thought this would be an interesting and thought-provoking exercise, so here’s my attempt at answering off the cuff. What about you? Post your answers in the comments.
If the last year were a movie of your life, what would the genre be? Drama, romance, adventure, comedy, tragedy, or a combination?
It would be a combination for me, starting out as drama (for the early year heartbreak and struggle with God), then turning into an adventure (white-water rafting and solo trip to the Northeast) followed by romance (meeting, pursuing and wooing a very special girl).
What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?
–God’s grace and mercy
–Personal growth
–Traveling
What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of?
These can be in any area of your life—spiritual, relational, vocational, physical, etc. Be as specific as possible.
–Being offered a leadership position in the church
–Working up the nerve to call Kristy
–Taking a solo trip to the northeast US
–Getting a promotion at work
What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?
Honestly and selfishly, there are times where I want acknowledgment of the sacrifices I make. That defeats the purpose of making the sacrifice if I expect to be acknowledged for it, though, and they pale in comparison to the sacrifices others make, and the ultimate sacrifice Jesus gave.
What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year?
As leaders, we naturally have high expectations of ourselves and others. Where did you let yourself down? Where did you let others down?
–Letting a breakup affect me for too long
–Diabetes
–Not communicating/keeping in touch/encouraging others as much as I should
–Rushing my trip to the Northeast, cramming it into only 5 days, most of it spent driving rather than enjoying God’s creation.
What was missing from last year as you look back?
Again, look at each major area of your life. Don’t focus now on having to do anything about it. For now, just list each item.
–Didn’t read as much as I wanted
–Should have memorized more verses
–Needed more quality vacation time
–Didn’t run a 5K/10K
What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?
Boil this down to a few short, pithy statements.
–It’s not about what I do; it’s about God’s grace and mercy
–Don’t let worry about the future distract/unfocus you from the present
–Don’t be afraid to take risks
–No one can make you feel a certain way; you have control over your own feelings, and can’t control other’s feelings.
Is 2009 really over? I cannot believe how quickly it has passed! It’s been quite a year, with a lousy first half but an truly awesome, action-packed and busy second half.
High/lowlights from the year include:
- Seeing a good friend get married/bachelor party fun
- Much personal and spiritual growth; learning about and experiencing God’s grace and mercy
- Being trained as a challenge course instructor
- Gillispie out/Calipari in as head coach of UK’s basketball team
(starting off the season with a 13-0 record…so far, and getting UK’s 2000th win) - Being given the opportunity to serve in a leadership position at my church
- Being diagnosed with diabetes
- Meeting and getting to know a very special girl
- Solo road trip to the Northeast and Acadia NP
- Return trip to Catalyst
- Getting an unexpected promotion
My goals for 2009 were as follows, with my grade for that goal:
Goal for the year: Cook more!
Grade: C+
I have cooked more than in previous years, but not as much as I expected when I set the goal. Baby steps…Goal for the year: Complete 10 credit hours towards my M.B.A.
Grade: F
I only completed 2 credit hours before putting my pursuit of a M.B.A on hold for various reasons.Goal for the year: Develop habit of tithing at least 10% and be giving to charities/others at 5% of my monthly income.
Grade: B
I’m tithing at 10%, but haven’t been consistent with other giving.Goal for the year: Memorize the Biblical book of James.
Grade: F
I got 10 or so verses memorized before becoming unfocused… I did memorize other verses throughout the year, but not as much as in the previous year.Goal for the year: Do something with my passion for creative ministries, puppets in particular.
Grade: F
There was some talk about getting a team together, and a friend started writing a script, but other priorities took over and there wasn’t enough time left to pursue this.Goal for the year: Quantify/qualify my strengths and find the sweet spot where these can be applied to my career.
Grade: D
I’ve learned more about my strengths and weaknesses in a job setting thoughout the year, but have yet to fully apply these to my career path.
Not a very good year in terms of reaching my goals, but I still consider the year a success based on the growth I’ve had and lessons I’ve learned. Quite the year overall, with many memorable experiences. 2010 should be just as memorable, if not more so!
I’ve been a horrible blogger over the last month. No excuses, it just hasn’t been a priority for me. More important things are occupying my time these days
So what’s been going on since my last post?
Work has been BUSY over the last couple of weeks. Not a bad, frustrating busy, but a busy that’s required me to put in some overtime. I’ll take that over being bored any day of the week, as long as it’s not an every day/week occurence, which it’s not, thankfully. Things have calmed down a little the last couple days, but will pick up again soon. It will be nice to have a three day weekend and time flies by the closer we get to the holidays.
Church is also keeping me busy. I haven’t mentioned this previously, but I’ve been serving in a leadership position for First Church of Christ’s new worship venue, R3volution, serving as Venue House Manager as well as Team Lead. I’m also co-leading a Sunday night LifeGroup Bible study that starts up it’s fall session next week. I’m incredibly thankful for these opportunities and have very much enjoyed serving in all capacities. I’ve discovered what has often been said that if you’re not using the gifts God has given you, there’s an emptiness and lack of fulfillment in life. Serving is my top gift and I definitely wasn’t fulfilled in the years I was looking for a new church home. Being able to once again use my God-given gifts for His kingdom has been a welcome addition to my schedule. I’m also blessed to be a a part of a great Sunday morning ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) with some truly awesome and Godly people that I love spending time with and getting to know.
And, of course, what’s been taking up a majority of my time over the last month has been my wonderful and very special girlfriend Kristy. We’ve definitely been keeping busy, tearing up the roads with travel and burning the candle at both ends. It’s been a great time; I wouldn’t trade a second of it! Over the last month, we’ve talked on the phone for countless hours, seen a DCI show in Indy, canoed in Indiana, paddle boated, flew kites, Wii bowled in matching monogrammed bowling jerseys, took a tour of my old stomping grounds in NKY, spent time with both sides of my family and so much more. Needless to say, things are going really well for us and I’m excited for the future plans we’ve made and to see what God has in store for us. This weekend, I get the privilege of meeting her family in Western Central KY, watching the Labor Day fireworks in Cincy and maybe having a relaxing day with no plans! Pictures of some of our adventures are up in gallery.
AT&T is absolutely driving me up a wall with all the dropped calls! It’s very frustrating! Can’t believe I’m stuck in this stupid contract for another year and a half. Bah! I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve ticked off someone who works at AT&T; the dropped calls come when I have a full 5 bars and many times when I’m at home, not traveling or moving around much, so there’s no explanation why the call would suddenly dropped. What’s equally odd is that about 30 seconds or so after the call drops, I’ll get a 2 second blank voicemail from the person I was talking to. I did read an article today that confirms what many people already know – AT&T’s network is very much strained because of iPhone use. AT&T is spending $18 billion to upgrade its network, but that does take time, and I don’t know how much patience I have left. One interesting thing that the article pointed out was that other providers will experience similar demands for bandwidth in the future, when AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity runs out and the iPhone is opened up for other networks. So, the issues AT&T have now and are addressing will soon hit other companies, so maybe it’s worth sticking it out with AT&T since they’re upgrading to handle the load. Food for thought…
Another interesting article from the last week – ‘Reading Rainbow’ Reaches Its Final Chapter. The 26 year run of Reading Rainbow, one of my favorite childhood educational shows, came to an end last Friday. What’s really interesting is part of the reason why – there’s been a shift from why to read to how to read. It doesn’t do much good to have a show about good books and getting enjoyment from reading if kids can’t read!
The show’s run is ending, Grant explains, because no one — not the station, not PBS, not the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — will put up the several hundred thousand dollars needed to renew the show’s broadcast rights.
Grant says the funding crunch is partially to blame, but the decision to end Reading Rainbow can also be traced to a shift in the philosophy of educational television programming. The change started with the Department of Education under the Bush administration, he explains, which wanted to see a much heavier focus on the basic tools of reading — like phonics and spelling.
Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that’s not what Reading Rainbow was trying to do.
“Reading Rainbow taught kids why to read,” Grant says. “You know, the love of reading — [the show] encouraged kids to pick up a book and to read.”
Well, I probably should have split this up into separate posts over several days, but. oh well, there ya go!
Two months ago this evening, I got up enough courage to pick up the phone and call the girl I had been hoping to meet for 3 years, whose phone number had recently been passed on to me.
Two hours later, I asked her on a date and she graciously accepted.
Two months later, she continues to make me smile and remind me daily of God’s grace and mercy.
Thank you Kristy for a wonderful two months! It’s such a short time in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like we’ve known each other so much longer. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and spending time with you and look forward to more times in the future!
Thank you for being you and allowing me to get to know you!
What can I say about this trip? It was great to have some time off work, to travel to an area of the country I had never visited, to mark some states and a NP off my list. The views at Acadia were awesome.
By the time I got back home, though, I needed a vacation from my vacation. I was so tired and worn out it was ridiculous. My eyes were bigger than my stomach in this case and I just crammed too much into too little time. I definitely did not get to enjoy everything New England had to offer, and didn’t really get to enjoy the stops I did make. I could have easily spent another 2 days in the area, and that still would have meant cramming things in.
Here is the route I took on my travels – a little over 2700 miles:
Other random thoughts:
- I found 8 geocaches in 6 states.
- I only bought one meal over the 5 days, the lobster dinner in Maine. Other meals came from the cooler and snacks I packed, and Lori.
- I ended up about $200 over budget, mainly from staying in a hotel one night more than I expected as well as the cost of hotels being more than I anticipated. Shopping trip to L.L. Bean didn’t help matters.
- Toll booths in New England are EVERYWHERE! I spent close to $50 just on them, $8 of that just to cross a bridge.
- Kristy and I decided there’s a moose conspiracy in the northeast. Signs are everywhere, yet no live ones to be seen.
- The iPhone was indispensable. I didn’t have to carry a separate mp3 player, the maps app helped me find a route around traffic and got me out of the jam when I was lost, the camera served as an adequate replacement when my digital camera’s batteries unexpectedly died, the geocaching app came in handy to find caches and since I was alone, it felt connected to family and friends as I posted updates on Facebook and txted.
The same can’t be said of AT&T. Most of the time I was in the northeast, I was on the Edge network; no 3G there. And that was when I had service. Most of my day in Acadia and the following day driving through NH and VT, I rarely had service. As popular of a park as Acadia is, barely 10 minutes from Bar Harbor, how could there be no signal?!?
All in all, I’m glad I took the trip. It was a good learning and growing experience for me personally and I’m glad to have traveled to that part of the country. Next time, though, I’m going to go back to my planning ways. It’s going to take me weeks to recover from the trip.
If you haven’t already, I would recommend you head up that way at some point in your life! Just make sure you have enough time to truly enjoy it!
Day 5 – Visiting the Staifers, Home Again
The last day of my vacation started early, shortly after 7am. I was very tired, having only gotten 4 hours of sleep, and I had a long day of travel ahead of me. My next, and last, destination was Payne, OH to visit my friend Dan and Lori. A long drive later, through an hour of HARD rain and the most boring part of my travels (the middle of Ohio), I arrive in Payne in time for dinner. Lori was awesome and cooked up a nice meal, which sure beat the sandwiches and granola bars I had been eating. We enjoyed the dinner, took a tour of their pasonage, Dan’s church and the town of Payne as we walked to a local ice cream shop.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long, as I was exhausted and wanted to get back to KY before it got too late. I got back on the road reluctantly, my bum protesting the mere though, and drove the final leg of my trip, south to KY. Thankfully, this last leg wasn’t too bad, especially from Dayton southward, which was familiar territory.
Wrapup thoughts from the trip tomorrow!
Day 4 – The Journey West, Theme of the Day: Frustration
Another early day for me. I hit the road shortly after 8am, a bit intimidated by how far I had to travel, especially given everything I wanted to do along the way. The goal for the day was to make it as far west as possible while hitting all my destinations along the way. My route would take me through the middle part of Maine, through northern NH and VT, down the VT state line and finally into New York. First, though, I had to finish up my visit to Mt. Desert Island.
The theme of the day – frustration – became evident early. In an attempt to circle the island, I got lost and wasted valuable time. Losing time was one thing, but I’m usually good with directions and it frustrated me that I kept ending up back at the same place, like I was stuck in a loop. I eventually made it back to the right road, continued my loop of the island and stopped at Bass Harbor to check out another lighthouse
The loop now complete, I headed west towards Bangor, where I left the major roads and struck out on Rt. 2 across the heart of the state. Frustrations continued to mount here; the road was a mess. Construction work along a good portion of it and in these areas it was barely recognizable as a road, just lumps of concrete. This was surprising since this wasn’t a small country road, but a decent sized 2-lane road that seemed to be well traveled. In a half a dozen spots, the road was reduced to one lane, complete with flaggers directing traffic. I’d end up sitting for five minutes waiting for oncoming traffic to finish, then drive for a few miles before repeating. More time was lost here, and to make matters more frustration, the scenery wasn’t all that nice. I was already missing the coast…
I finally made it to New Hampshire and the scenery improved greatly. Mountains and valleys, rivers and streams made for some great vistas. While in northern NH, I stopped by Franconia State Park, home of Old Man of the Mountain. At least it used to be… Somehow I missed the news, or had forgotten, that the granite face had fallen in 2003. While walking around the park, I was curious as to the lack of signs and wondering about how few people where around. The parking lot outside the entrance to the path leading to the Old Man was empty. I guess if I had read signs at the visitor center, I would have known. Nevertheless, I walked the path and saw where the Old Man had been.
After this brief stop, I drove northwest and crossed into Vermont. The plan as of that morning had been to stop in St. Johnsbury, VT and visit some of the maple farms and shops. Continuing the day’s theme, I arrived at Maple Grove Farms about 45 minutes after it closed. Frustrated and running well behind at this point, I didn’t waste any more time in St. J but continued the drive on to Montpelier and Burlington.
Before getting to Burlington, there was one stop I couldn’t pass up. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream plant! It was located in Waterbury, VT. There was a geocache outside, so I grabbed that, a perfect one for my first find in VT. I hadn’t planned on taking the tour, but it was only $3 and after the craziness of the day, I really needed a break. Free samples at the end, FTW!
An hour later, I was back on the road…getting really sick of driving at this point. I wanted to spend some time in Burlington, on the shores of Lake Champlaign, but I was well behind schedule and had a looong way to go still. I took the bypass around the city and began heading south. It soon began growing dark, so I missed the views of the Adirondack Mtns. The more I drove, further away home felt. Too many hours in the car at this point and not much time to enjoy things along the way had left me more tired and drained than when I started. Thankfully, Kristy kept me company most of the drive that evening. Though there was much frustration with dropped calls and no service, she kept me occupied and awake as I trudged on to New York. I wanted to at least make it to Albany, but with her help, I pulled into a hotel west of Syracuse after 2am.
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