Gettin' Antsy...

JUST THREE AND HALF WEEKS!!




<3 <3 <3

Watertown

So, I know our road trip isn't for about another month, but part of the "richness and substance" of this trip is discovering the small, unknown hideaways and treasures of small towns. What better way to start than to share some things about our town?




I've only lived in Watertown since I was 13. My dad moved my brother and I here from Milwaukee before we started high school. Sam is a native; born here, raised here. I met her in 2001-2002 when we moved here.

Some things I love about Watertown:

-Everything is locally named, i.e. Watertown High School, Watertown Daily Times. As you can probably guess there wasn't a lot of that in Milwaukee.

-It doesn't matter where I go in Watertown, it's likely that I'll run into a couple people I know.

-Main Street and Church Street. They're the main roads going through town (also known as Highway 19 and Highway 26 respectively). Main Street has TONS of small local businesses and it's always busy with people.

-The town really promotes local businesses and local activities with Main Street Maxwell Street Days when all the businesses have sidewalk sales. Also, there's summer street dances, Farmer's Markets at Riverside park every Tuesday in the summer, parades for just about every holiday and high school event and Riverfest (our free music festival at Riverside Park which lasts for about 3 days in August). http://watertownriverfest.info/



-Mullens: A local ice cream parlor that has been there for YEARS. They have different ownership now, but have kept the name the whole time. And a lot of the wall decor and memorabilia has stayed the same. It's an old-fashioned diner; they make their own ice cream AND you get a free ice cream cone if it's NEGATIVE 20 Degrees Fahrenheit or below. :) And there's also Glenn's Meat Market. In addition to fresh meat, he has a Brat Haus outside that people can use for charity and non-profit events. You'll know Glenn's when you see it: he has GIANT statues of animals outside, the chicken is the largest but he also has a cow and a pig. http://www.glennsmarket.com/index.html And Tribeca:





http://www.tribecagallerycafe.com/
They are my favorite book store. And they sell real freshly made gelato! Speaking of...I went there yesterday to get some after my friend Kayla and I were doing some planning for her baby shower. And I also ended up getting a couple books and a LOVELY new journal that has pictures of a glittery world globe on the outside and inspirational travel quotes on the headers of some of the pages inside from famous people and poets.



As you can see, we are preparing for our road trip: A large atlas to highlight our route, my professional grade Nikon DSLR, my lovely new journal, and some classic literature. :)

Sam and I spent some time at the park yesterday. Just enjoying the warmer weather, the green starting to bud everywhere, and talk about our trip...




This is why Riverside Park is one of my favorite spots...





Check out: http://www.watertowntourism.com/ Or come visit us! We can show ya' around. :)


Always and Forever,


Stephanie

Get Your Kicks on Route...Hmm, wait, what road are we taking?

So here's our map. Sam and I have already planned expenses, saved (still saving as much as we can), and now have the general route outlined. There's a few planned destinations but otherwise it's wherever the road and our whims take us. So that's why the map is just an outline. We'll hopefully end up in a lot of small towns, on a lot of back roads and acquire quite a bit of adventure and stories to share.

I've known Sam for about 10 years and we had talked about taking a cross-country road trip the summer after we graduated high school. For all the excuses in the book (i.e. no money saved, no vehicle, etc) we never ended up doing it. So now it's five years after high school has ended, and while life has taken us down different paths during that 5 years, we've arrived at the same place. And the place and the timing are perfect. And even though we could easily conjure up some obstacles, instead of using them as reasons not to go, we're coming up with ways to work through them.

It's really going to happen this time.

So, right now, it's a waiting game. Stay tuned. Road trip starts June 15th, 2011 and will end mid-July.

I'm so excited. :)



Always & Forever,

Stephanie