Day One: Hubbard, Ohio

HELLO FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

Well, it has officially begun. We are IN OHIO. After 7 hours of driving! I just want to say that so many of our friends and family wished us safe travels this morning. I really appreciate it and it definitely helped to calm some of my pre-trip nerves, so thank you! A special shout out goes to our friend Kyle who is going to make us a playlist every day. For the rest of you, please step it up to this level of friendship. Now, let’s recount the day, shall we.

Before leaving, Joey and I decided that we would not be eating anything “Jersey” related, so no bagels, pizza, etc. (and let’s be real- these things won’t be good anywhere else anyway). SO, this morning I had my last egg and cheese ft. home fries. It was glorious and I miss it already. Please enjoy these flattering photos documenting my meal:

Once Joey got home from work (yes, that’s right, he went to work today and then immediately began driving across the country!!), we packed up the car! The first leg of the road trip also features a special guest appearance by the one, the only, JAMES BRACCINO. That’s right, this trip comes with 2 Braccino’s for the price of one. We have now assembled our elite team of drivers and hit the road!

Mini Rant: After MONTHS of giving me a hard time because I wanted to bring a suitcase in this trip, James ALSO BROUGHT A SUITCASE. TAKE THAT JOEY, YOU OWE ME MANY APOLOGIES. End rant.

But of course, before leaving we stopped to take pictures first. We are going coast to coast, so here is our “before” pic! Please note the most important member in our party, the lovely red Honda Fit. When I asked Joey the name of his car, he said “Honda Fit.” This is a terrible name for a car so I have decided to call her Bertha, but Joey hated that and said “Fred” but I wasn’t into that, so we settled on Winnifred or Fred for short. Ain’t she a beaut.

And then, WE WERE OFF. I hate to disappoint you, but today was literally just driving. There are no fun activities, sorry. We listened to some tunes, took turns driving, and looked for COWS. Some highlights are of Joey and James reliving their elementary school sing a long days with some dude named Mr. Ray? And of course, a rousing rendition of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Here’s a glimpse into our karaoke time:

Not the next American Idol, but would still steal America’s heart with their spirit.

Next, we were so excited when we got in Pennsylvania!! But then we were there for SO LONG!! Why is this state so long!! You’re annoying!! We also stopped for nuggets. An important detail. And of course, a few hours later we got to Ohio.

We are all settled into our hotel for the night, and are ready to wake up super early to hit the road again tomorrow! Where will we go next?? What is life like in the car?? How is Emily keeping track of three weeks worth of hotels, activities, and time zones?? How will Winnifred hold up?? Stay tuned for another exciting addition of “Emily Forces Herself to Write a Blog Post After Driving for Literal Hours Because She Knows She’ll Regret it if She Doesn’t Do it.”

DAILY STATS UPDATE:

• Number of States We’ve Been In: 3
• Miles Driven Today: 387.8 Miles
• Miles Driven Total:
• Cows Spotted: 15
• Hours in the Car Today: 7 hours
• Total Hours in the Car: 7 hours
• Chicken Nuggets Consumed: 20
• Windmills Spotted: 0 (thanks Ankita for the suggestion!)
• State License Plates: 22/50 States (thanks for the suggestion Grandma!!)
• Number of Bathroom Stops: NONE!!
• Number of Musicals Listened to: also none 😢