Friend road trip-Anna, Mike, Matt

August 30, 2012

After my time with Joe and Natalie my mom joined me on my travels. She was wanting to spend a little more time with me and I was happy to have her come along. We headed down to the city where I went to college. My friend Anna was heading into town that same night and I have not seen her since I visited her while she was living in South Korea-maybe 3 years ago? We went to college together and she became a really good friend of mine during our last year there. We met on an alternative spring break planting trees in South Carolina and bonded over being 5ft tall and having the same exact birthday one year apart! Ha!

My mom and I arrived into town and set ourselves up in an adorable bed and breakfast-one that actually serves a full breakfast in the morning. See more about there here. I have never actually stayed in a bed and breakfast and was so excited that it turned out to be less than other “budget” hotels in town that do not serve breakfast or a glass of wine upon arrival. It was so cute inside too, very cozy and not at all over done with decorations like a lot of these sorts of places.

Later that evening my mom and I met up with Anna and our friend Mike at a old haunt of ours. We enjoyed some craft beer and danced to a local band favorite. After that part of our evening my mom and I went to a 24 hour cafe for a late night snack (making weird faces).

The next day we went to the farmer’s market (yes!!) with Anna and took a tour of campus for nostalgia. Then we had lunch at a favorite restaurant of ours in town and I got the macaroni and cheese I remember being oh so good (it did not disappoint).

I also got to see another good friend of mine from college that I haven’t seen in 4 years and meet his really sweet girlfriend. Aww.

Friend road trip-joe and natalie “Dodge City”

The last little thing I wanted to share about my time with Joe and Natalie is Dodge City. They just purchased a house and some property. Included on the property is an big old barn and Dodge City. Basically the old man who lived in the house before then was really into anything old west and decided to built himself a mini town. He built 10 buildings including an outhouse, church, a school, a saloon, a dentist/barber shop, a general store, a jail, a bank, a guest cabin, and a boutique. They are all built out of old barn wood so they actually have an authentic feel. He even decorated each one with antiques and furniture.

I had the best time popping in and out of each little building and exploring every nook and cranny. I was a little surprised when I happened on a family of mice but I bet they were more terrified.

friend road trip-grilled pizza with joe and natalie

August 29, 2012

While staying with Joe and Natalie we were trying to decide what to have for dinner one evening. Natalie suggested grilling or maybe making a pizza. I said why don’t we grill a pizza! It was so much fun and super easy. We used a jiffy pizza crust and added a bunch of fresh cut herbs from their yard to the dough. Once the dough was ready we grilled one side, loaded the toppings on and grilled the other side. It was super tasty and really good looking.