HOT-lanta

On New Years day, we ended up eating and resting most of the day. We had beneits and hot chocolate at Cafe Du Monde...so yummy! Then for dinner, we went to Mothers for some real southern cooking. I got a fried shrimp po'boy...also delicious! Then we headed to a bar called Lucy's where I discovered a great new beer called Purple Haze. We then headed down to Bourbon street just to say we had gone but we were all so tired and could not hang with all the party people. The Sugar Bowl had just ended so the street was packed with Florida and Cincinnati fans.

Yesterday was very sad to leave Molly, Laura, and Josh. I once again shed some tears in New Orleans as I set off to Atlanta to meet up with my new roommate, Josh. First I made a stop at Sucre in New Orleans to pick up some New Orleans-famous macaroons for Josh's family. I was on the road around 9AM. It was definitely a lot more boring without my friends with me. We have to read the book, "3 Cups of Tea" for school so I ended up buying the audiobook and listened to that most of the way. It's funny to me that it took us 2 days to get through Texas but yesterday I passed through 3 states (Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) all in one day! I stopped in Montgomery for gas and met a nice man from North Carolina who was shocked to see my California license plate.

Thanks to my GPS (I really don't think I could have made this trip without it!), I finally made it to Hot-lanta around 5:30 (with the hour time change from New Orleans). And let me tell you, it is FAR from hot here. It's currently 8:30AM here and it's 18 degrees!! The scary part is that Durham is actually colder...I hope I can survive this cold weather! I was really nervous to meet Josh but him and his family are extremely warm and they have welcomed me into their beautiful home. I also met Josh's girlfriend, Ashley, who is also so sweet. I talked with him and his family for a while and then showered and headed to dinner. I must say, I definitely see what everyone means by southern hospitality now - everyone here is just SO nice!

Then Josh, Ashley, and I went to a bar to have some drinks. We got to know each other and talked about our living situation and "pet peeves." Apparently Josh is always hot, so he keeps the house pretty cold. Uh oh, I'm cold a lot! But we decided we'll need to compromise on that issue and I'll just have to wear my snuggie more. He let me know that he's pretty clean (good!) and I told him that I really like to bake...his girlfriend said that was perfect because Josh loves to eat! So I think it's going to work out just fine.

I'm taking a break from driving today and spending the day in Atlanta. We're going to make a trip to Ikea since there is not one in Durham and if I buy some stuff, I can put it in Josh's U-haul because there is still plenty of room. Tomorrow we leave for Durham - my last car ride!! Wohoo! Josh's parents are coming with us to take his car and he'll drive the U-haul. It's about 380 miles - piece of cake and the shortest drive I'll make this trip. They want to stop in Charlotte to take me to a good BBQ place on the way.

I still can't believe how far I've come and that I'm so close to Durham and starting the program! Monday seems like months ago, when we packed up the car and headed out on this journey. I'm both excited and nervous but I know it's going to be a great adventure. Josh's parents keep telling me that Durham is a wonderful place and I'm going to love it. I'm really looking forward to seeing my parents on Wednesday in Durham and having them help me get settled.

Hope everyone enjoys their last day off before heading back to work tomorrow!

Love,

Amanda

Happy New Year!!

We woke up very early on New Years Eve and headed out of San Antonio on our way to New Orleans. We did a quick drive by the Alamo on the way out. Here are some of the highlights…

- Song of the day: “Ready to Run” by the Dixie Chicks. Very appropriate!

- For the first stop of the day, we took a detour off of I-10 to check out the Shiner Bock Brewery in Shiner, TX (population 2070). We were the very first customers to arrive at 8:58AM and they open at 9:00AM – we even beat a few employees there! We received 4 free beer tastings and we all agreed that the holiday cheer (with hints of peaches and pecans) was the best!

- We wanted to also stop at the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory, but it was closed on NYE! So sad!!

- There was heavy fog during the entire drive through Texas

- We lost Laura and Josh in Houston because they took a wrong exit but thanks to my amazing GPS (thanks, Christina and Chris!), we stayed on track and on the I-10.

- We stopped in Beaumont, TX to get gas…not too much going on in that place

- Once we got into Louisiana, the terrain changed to swamps and a lot more trees

- We arrived at Laura’s friends’ (Tim and Carrie) house in Uptown New Orleans around 5:30PM and then started getting ready for our dinner and night out on the town. We dined at Cuvee in the Wherehouse district of New Orleans. The general manager is also one of Josh’s best friends from college so we got some royal treament! It was a nine course meal with wine pairings and included, foie gras, turtle soup, rabbit patte, date salad, veal, lobster, and flourless chocolate cake for dessert! We were still eating at midnight so we rang in the new year with a champagne toast at the table. I cried for a bit at the thought of not being in California for midnight L

After midnight we finished all of our glasses and headed to Tipitina’s to watch the jazz funk band “Galactica.” Despite our long trip, we all managed to stay up til 3AM!

- New Years day morning we headed to Willie Maes Scotch House for America’s best friend chicken. We scarfed down a HUGE plate of friend chicken coupled with red and butter beans. New Orleans by far has been the best food of the road trip!

- We’re taking a break from driving today and exploring New Orleans a bit. We’re going to go walk around the French Quarter and possibly catch the crowd after the Sugar Bowl later on.

- We’ll have to say goodbye to Molly today, which I’m sure will make me cry once again! I’m so happy to have had her in the car with me this past week and am going to miss her very much! I’ll be on my way to Atlanta (my second to last stop) tomorrow to meet my new roomie and Josh and Laura will be off to Jacksonville, their new home!

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2010 be filled with health and happiness!

-Amanda, Molly, Laura, and Josh