Road Trip 2014 Part 3

    Although this is part of the road trip diaries, this section is about the time we spent in Denver (not actual driving). We got to Denver on a Monday night just in time for dinner with Elizabeth's aunt and uncle. We had delicious Thai food and with full bellies we went to bed for a night of good rest before exploring Denver.

    Our Tuesday started out with breakfast and "lotties" which meant delicious lattes from the local coffee shop in Lakewood. We headed to LoDo (Lower Downtown) and the 14th Street mall. We took our time, soaked up the sunshine and sights, and just strolled down the street. We stopped at another coffee shop, Katrina played a tune on one of the pianos that just hangs out in the street in anticipation of creating beautiful music when a stranger sits down; we stopped in the Convention Center and eventually made our way to the newly renovated Union Station.

Village Roaster in Lakewood.

Denver Convention Center.

Street chalk art!

In Union Station.

    After all of that walking around we found ourselves thirsty and hungry so we made our way to the Denver Beer Company where we shared drinks and pretzels to boost our stamina! We needed the pick-me-up since we drove over to Aurora where Elizabeth and I got our ears pierced! Elizabeth got two in her right ear and I added one more in my right ear. It felt like a great way to end our year in JVC which has most definitely made a permanent mark in our lives (and now our ears).

Yay Elizabeth!

My turn.

Three holes in our right ears!

Sunset over the mountains.

    We spent the night in Denver again with the intention of leaving early for Santa Fe on Wednesday.

Road Trip 2014 part 2

    And now to Denver! We started out by 8:30am on Monday from Boonville, Missouri and had about 11 hours in front of us which included driving through Kansas. Before crossing the river however we stopped in downtown Kansas City, MO for a coffee break and drove through a beautiful neighborhood with mansion sized houses and well kept yards. This gave us the stamina to cross into the unknown flat lands.

     I feel like we listened to the entirety of each of our music devices and had to resort to finding radio stations that were within reception range. (Good thing we all love country music!) As we drove through Kansas we saw the stunning wind turbines that stretch on for miles, just about as many as the wheat fields it felt like. I couldn't get enough; I am fascinated by the power of the wind creating energy through a machine that to me is so elegant and powerful at the same time.

     And so our stop that night was in Denver. We approached the city and saw the Rocky Mountains in the distance with the sun setting behind them and the Denver downtown skyline. We arrived at Elizabeth's aunt's house and ordered Thai food before turning in for bed.

Road Trip 2014 part 1

     We packed up the car and left Syracuse by 10am on Saturday morning (two Saturday's ago now). I had no space to put my feet in the back seat so for most of the drive I sat cross-legged. Jacqueline, Katrina, Elizabeth and I were packed tightly in the car with adventure and many miles of road in front of us. We had already said goodbyes to Brendan and Paul the days before and to Paige that morning. We turned on happy tunes and hit the road. We were headed to Dayton, my house exactly, which was about 9 hours of driving. We switched drivers a few times and ended up at my house with no problems along the way at about dinner time. Aka grilled burgers and veggies and a bonfire! Thanks family!

     Even though we were only staying for the overnight, breakfast, and church on Sunday morning, one of my very best friends from college (who I hadn't seen since Christmas) decided to pop on over from Indianapolis. Erin, ironically enough, was about to begin a year of service through the Francis Corps program. Francis Corps has two placement sites in the world, Syracuse, NY and Costa Rica. Yes you heard me correctly. I had just finished a year of service in Syracuse and within two weeks after I had left Erin would be heading to the very same city to begin her year of service with an orientation before she actually moved to the Costa Rica house. As you can imagine, a photo shoot occurred since so many great people were all together!

    And then we were back on the road! By 1pm on Sunday we had begun another full day of driving, 8 hours to look forward to. During this drive we certainly had our fair share of both laughter (Disney song sing along) and tears (listening to our "community" songs) which were big highlights of the trip (well, the true driving portion) for me.We were going to stop in St. Louis about dinner time so we could refuel the car and our bodies. At this stop, Jacqueline would be departing from the road trip and heading home to Iowa with her mom who was to meet us in STL. We got to the city and had decided to go up into the arch since no one else besides me had before. (Quick side note: I LOVE ST. LOUIS!!!!!!!!! This is probably obvious because I went to school at SLU but for real, I love this city!) We enjoyed going to the top and seeing the city just as the sun was setting.

    As the evening came to a close we had to say goodbye to Jacqueline and get back on the road for two more hours to get to Boonville, MO where we would be staying the night. Next up, the trip to Denver....through Kansas...alllllll of Kansas!

The beginning of the end...

JVC has ended.
I left Syracuse.
I stopped working at Samaritan Center.
I no longer live in a two story brick house with a yellow bedroom.
I no longer live with six other young adults who chose to do a year of service like me.
It's over and I cannot believe it.
A year, gone, so quickly.

    JVC is a unique organization (for many reasons) but especially because the volunteers from year to year do not meet one another. My community members and I ended work on Friday, August 8th. Then we left town on Saturday, August 9th. (and the new JV's moved into the house the following Tuesday) The transition out of this year and into the future is something that will take me quite some time. Obviously, I had to get home somehow so a road trip seemed like a good idea. Here is the itinerary...multiple posts to follow...

Day 1: Syracuse, NY to Dayton, OH (9 hour drive) [my house, but then I continued on...]
Day 2: Dayton,OH to Boonville, MO (8 hour drive) [significant stop in St. Louis along the way]
Day 3: Boonville, MO to Denver, CO (11 hour drive) [stopped in Kansas City, MO]
Day 4: Denver
Day 5: Denver, CO to Santa Fe, NM (6 hour drive)
Day 6: Santa Fe
Day 7: Santa Fe
Day 8: Albuquerque, NM to Phoenix, AZ (1 hour flight)
Day 9: Phoenix/Sedona/Flagstaff
Day 10: Phoenix
Day 11: Phoenix, NM to Dayton, OH (2 flights, many hours)

[And after I talk through the road trip details I will provide an update to the forever question "what's next?"]

The photos we left in the house of our community. (Each year adds to the wall.)

Bye yellow bedroom.

Each person who has lived in the house adds to the wall.

All packed up, no visibility out the back but who needs to see anyways?  :)