It Is Trish

I am home!!  This is both a wonderful and horrible thing, like most of life.  While I am so excited to be back amongst family and friends, I am sad to say goodbye to many MORE family and friends elsewhere in the United States.

That has been the biggest takeaway of my road trip:  I have family and friends everywhere.  I had so much fun visiting people, seeing their cities with them and living their lives for a night.  I was overwhelmed with how generous people were, changing their schedules to fit mine, offering couches and beds to sleep on, and giving me food to eat.  It really made me feel grateful for all the wonderful people in my life.  

Here’s a list of all the awesome people I got to hang out with this past month!  

1. Christy Kenefick (and kids)
2. Elizabeth Waibel
3. Sarah Osborn
4. Stephanie and Paul Huguley
5. Danny Maloney
6. Bill and Diane Stark
7. Sue Crowe
8. Stephanie Broach
9. Lindsay Talley
10. Melanie Grace Smart
11. Jennie and Dusty Hughes (and kids)
12. Bill and Sally Smith
13. Nate Forsythe
14. George Guthrie
15. Northbrook Ladies
16. Mallory Huber (and roommates and friends)
17. Ashley and Stephen Thomas (and baby)
18. Sanjay, Chrisette, Ketan, and Anju
19. Tyler Skidmore
20. Nancy Thomas
21. Glenn Kreider
22. Ruth Cooper
23. Mike and Christy Trabun (and kids)
24. Michal Ann Morrison
25. Liz and Sam Polglase
26. Saranac Roomies (Megan, Rachel, Jennifer, Rachael)
27. TFC Connection Group
28. Mike and Libby Stroh (and kids)
29. Erin and Tim Messer
30. Kaitlyn Pfeifer
31. Emily and Joe Monahan

And here’s a list of all the states I visited (more than the 13 that I anticipated)!

1. Illinois
2. Indiana
3. Ohio
4. West Virginia
5. Pennsylvania
6. Maryland
7. Washington DC
8. Virginia
9. North Carolina
10. South Carolina
11. Georgia
12. Alabama
13. Tennessee
14. Arkansas
15. Texas
16. Oklahoma
17. Missouri

All that driving, so what’s the damage?

4,086 Miles
$215.02 on Gas

And the purpose?  Fundraising!

$5,050.00 Raised (WOO HOO!)

This trip was for Fun and Fundraising, and I think both were a major success!  I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and now that it’s over, I would definitely do it again!  Roadtrip 2017?

Thanks for reading my updates!  I hope you got to experience a little piece of the joy, confusion, exhaustion, and exhilaration that I did!

Flashbacks

#32DaysinMyCar Has Begun! (Galena, OH)
Ohio to Maryland, With a Stop at Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA)
Japanese-Themed Day in DC (with a special guest star!) (Washington, DC)
A Lazy Thursday – Excellent! (Rockville, MD)
Book Day in Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
A Harry Potter Festival in Chestertown, MD (Chestertown, MD)
Cookie Gets Blessed: The Feast of St. Francis (Rockville, MD)
From Maryland to South Carolina: Off to See Stephanie! (Spartanburg, SC)
Traveling Alone: Day Trip to Asheville (Asheville, NC)
Connecting with Family in South Carolina and Alabama (Spartanburg, SC and Alabaster, AL)
A Slower Day in Alabama (Alabaster, AL)
Life on the Lake (Birmingham, AL)
Paddleboarding and a Reunion in Atlanta (Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA)
Deep Thoughts at the Parthenon (Nashville, TN)
Mini-Reunions from Senegal (Nashville, TN and Jackson, TN)
Reconnecting to My College Life (Jackson, TN)
Rooming with the Hughes Family (Jackson, TN)
Concerts, Conversations, and Girl Time in Memphis (Memphis, TN)
Post Office Visits and Neurotically Healthy Arguments (A Busy Day, Clearly)  (Memphis, TN)
Last Day in Memphis (Memphis, TN)
Back in Dallas: Reunited with Anju and Ketan (Dallas, TX)
Keeping Busy in Dallas (Dallas, TX)
Two of My Favorite Dallas Families (Dallas, TX)
Awkward Conversations with Old Roommate(s) (St. Louis, MO)
Selfies with Penguins (Springfield, IL)