Mansfield Knights Inn

... got seasonal work at Macy's. However as I am going home now that has all slowed down (hence I finally have a chance to update my blog!!) and just working my last week at the restaurant which I love, going to miss them all loads!!

So apart from work I went to my first football game in Cincinatti with my cousin Jenny which was class. Drinking beer, watching live sport . . . can't beat it!!

Been on a few nights out with Erica and some of ...

... br>
Been living with my cousin Erica and her boyfriend Mark, got the basement which is class! Like my own little apartment, Grampa bought me a car so I am pretty mobile which is awesome too. So working a lot trying to save and get back on the move again!!

Went tailgating at an Ohio State game which was crazy, everyone partying hard in ...

... Walmart up the street ( i kid you not). if this isn't middle America, then i don't know what is...

i cant believe how much "stuff" i shoved into Baby B (my car). even for a cross country trek, i over-pack. hooray for consistency. everything is piled in like a big game of Jenga. so there is no way for me to take anything out, without having to repack the entire darn thing. which means i will probably only get the toiletries out ...

... acts that night.

Next day, met up with Barry and got the flight to Detroit where my Grampa and Aunt picked me up. The next few days were spent visiting with family, drinking beer and eating good food.

Then there was Thea's wedding . . . what an awesome day!! So much fun and obviously Thea looked beautiful!!!

More visiting with family and then left for Columbus (3 hours south of Bryan). The capital of Ohio!

... a care in the world except to take care of my feet.

My pack weighs 18 lbs - not bad considering that 3 lbs of that is my asthma meds! Will add another couple of pounds for water / snacks. The weight will only decrease from this point - so that is a good thing.

Buen Camino! (Good Walking!)

... my entire week. Sharing e-mails even with friends from remote villages can be two-way reminders of the way relationships continue to flow through our thoughts and prayers. And of course nearly daily chats with my Tagalog guru help me slowly crawl towards my ultimate goal of being fluent within the next couple of years. Hah-tingnan natin (we'll see). I was a bit at a loss when we returned and part of the debriefing was what our commitments would be ...

... a decision. When Cathy asked me to accompany her on this trip or camino (walk) my knowledge was minimal. . . Spain and walking. I've read several books, found and reviewed a couple of terrific forums where former pilgrims share their experience of walking the camino and answer questions for others who are preparing for this trip. All methods of research have been very insightful! Four lists from former ...

... how to play pickleball when we were at Carolina Landing in South Carolina. Yes, we played later that day and get this. They kicked our butts. They were so Happy , we cried.We played the next day and they did it again. Now I know why they arrived here. To BEAT us. OMG maybe they are Pro's We bought a new wireless router from Best Buy but it would not work with our Verizon air card so we brought it back and went to a ...

... has just bought him self an old school house which started its life in 1890 or so. He is about halfway finished in turning it it to a home with most or the old old building still standing and unfinished wood being used to transform it. We stayed there till 11ish chatting, larph and general taking it easy with a few beers before heading back to camp. We spent Sunday sleeping and taking it slow as it was memorial day ...

... WET. Being from California we are not used to much rain so Emily and I had our eyes focused on the road without speaking, we just stared as far in front of us as we could. We witnessed several cars on the side of the highway, one in a ditch, some turned in the opposite direction...We delt with this for about an hour and a half while being passed by several semi trucks who didn't like that we were going so slow! Oh well ...