Ring Around America

Berlin Diary

2010-03-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time, Berlin Diary was written by William Shirer, a US radio correspondent based in Berlin during the lead up to - and beginning of - WWII. He stayed in Germany through the end of 1940 and wrote about the events in his hidden diary. The story was important to me for a couple of reasons.

First, it reads like a mystery novel. WWII has never had a huge draw to me since it basically consisted of a crazy man attacking everyone and then getting smacked down by the US/UK. But reading it from a 'pre-historic' perspective is amazing. Shirer writes about events on a near-daily basis and it's incredible to be reminded that nobody knew what was going to happen. We always look at history in the past with the final result completely clouding our judgment of the events. This is a rare instance that is completely unbiased by the end result because he simply had no clue. Some people thought Hitler was a harmless fad, and some thought his rise to power would be the end of mankind. Some knew he could never invade France, and others swore England would surrender without a fight. And absolutely nobody thought that Japan would end up ruining everything for the Axis powers.

It was just so incredibly interesting to look at that event and realize how complex and unknown it all was. For me, it was a great reminder that the future really is unknowable with any measure of confidence. This health care thing (for instance) may be brilliant and everyone in the country will love it in a decade. Or it may bankrupt the country and send it into a tailspin that ends the 'American empire'. From a 'present' perspective, nobody really knows (although they claim to). However, 10 years from now, you can bet your life that people will pop up everywhere saying 'I always knew .... would happen. It was so obvious.'

Anyways, it was great for me to be reminded of how little I know.

The second fascinating thing about the book was the Nazi propaganda. Most nights Shirer would record what the Germans had printed in the paper and told the citizens about the war. It was absolutely mesmerizing to see the lies that were bought into by the German people during that period in history. It reminds me very much of North Korea today or the Iraq Republican Guard 10 years ago. Completely unattached from reality, yet by tapping into a people groups' core beliefs and desires and consistently shouting the same lies, they begin to believe. It makes me even more skeptical of media and the political establishment.

Anyways, Berlin Diary by William Shirer. It's a long book but a great read. I was really sad when it ended in December of 1940...just left me in the middle of an incredible story with no closure at all.

- jeremiah

Books

2010-03-05T10:05:00.001-08:00

(This is 99% for my own reference so I can remember what I read when I'm old next year)

Alright, I felt childish making a list of youtube videos, so I'm now it's time for book reviews.

I started go through some of my favorites from this year, but all the stuff I read last year is still sitting there in my mind, begging for closure. So these are books of 2009....in no particular order.

Dead Reckoning - A collection of adventure/travel/explorer memoirs from the late 1800's. People dressing up and trying to sneak into Tibet and such. Didn't read them all, but a few were really good. Writing style was so different then.

Travels With Charley - I love Steinbeck. This book was great cause we read it during our trip around the country (or maybe after...I can't remember) so it felt very applicable. Mainly Steinbeck's stories from driving around America along with his thoughts on our country's culture.

Confessions of a Street Addict - Jim Cramer. That guy drives me insane. Didn't finish it because I got annoyed that his investing strategy was based completely on cheating.

A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market - Easy, enjoyable read. Although I don't know a single other person who would enjoy reading it. Actually, Sarah's uncle might like it...haha.

Free - Chris Anderson's latest book (guy who wrote The Long Tail). Really good discussion/investigation of the changes in our economy and how the free price point affect us (this blog is free, i will probably mention it on twitter which is free, while using free wireless at the coffee shop, etc.)

The Disciplined Trader - Good book. You wouldn't like it.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator - My favorite book of all time. Probably the 5th or 6th time I've read it. Again, not sure if I know a single other person that would like it though...which is sad 'cause it's brilliant.

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within - This is by the E-Myth guy. I really like the concepts in E-Myth but not so much this one.

History of Love - Fiction. Just realized those first few were all non-fiction. Read this book in Costa Rica, which helps, but it was great either way.

Same Kind of Different As Me - It was good. Thoughtful book, you've probably already heard plenty about it.

The White Tiger - About India. I loved it. Thought it was really well done and fit perfectly with my stereotypes about India. Whether or not that makes it accurate, I don't know, but I really liked it. Also fiction.

The 10 Most Beautiful Experiments - Sarah and I read this on our trip. Talks about the story and the people behind the most 'beautiful' scientific experiments of our history. Interesting book although a good reminder that I do not need to be in the medical field.

The Things They Carried - This won some awards and is about Vietnam. Sarah really liked it...I thought it was alright.

The Road - It's at the dollar movies if you'd rather save the time. Great book and incredibly well-written.

Outliers - Sarah and I read this on the trip as well. Classic Gladwell. Interesting, repetitive, and important. Well-researched as always, although that may be why it seems long to me...you can tell me stuff in a book and I will believe you, you don't have to prove it.

Crazy For The Storm - Memoir of some kid who was in a plane crash with his dad and had to get off the mountain on his own. It was alright...didn't change my life though. The kid grew up in Malibu so it's hard to relate.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work - Alain de Botton is great. Read some of his stuff if you get a chance. Ben Harmon swears by his architecture book. Oh, that's next on the list.

Architecture of Happiness - See above. He's British.

The New Market Wizards - Another investing/trading classic. Detailed interviews with the best money managers in the world. Good stuff, but again, anyone reading this wouldn't like it.

The New New Thing - About Silicon Valley and specifically about some famous guy with a really generic name that I can't remember. It's written by Michael Lewis though, and he's great (although he did write 'the blindside' and that automatically makes me skeptical). I love his other books and found this one fascinating as well.

The Knack - Can't remember much...probably not a good sign.

Banker to the Poor - Auto-Biography of Mohammed Yunus who started Grameen Bank and is the father of the whole micro-finance movement. Very worthwhile read. Fascinating individual and inspiring book.

Dead Aid - Can't remember the authors name, but she's some girl with the most impressive resume a 30-something could possibly have. Basically argues against the model of aid that has been present in Africa for almost a century. Very convincing and convicting. Her and Bono fight a lot these days.

The Talent Code - See Outliers. Even more scientific though. Also really well-researched and thought-provoking.

Superfreakonomics - Great book. I love that kind of counter-thinking and really enjoyed the book.

Octavian Nothing - This was a weird book that I read 'cause Sarah did and it was about...i don't even know. Slavery and racism and other stuff like that. But it was teen fiction so not as heavy as it sounds.

Into Thin Air - Love Krakauer's stuff. Crazy first-hand account of the deadliest day in Everest's history. I know I'm at least a decade late on this one...sorry.

Under the Banner of Heaven - More Krakauer. Very historical, detailed, interesting.

Poisonwood Bible - This may sound strange, but I loved this book. Almost certainly my favorite book of the year. Barbara Kingsolver tells an incredible story and I just loved it. The story, the setting, the characters...all amazing. A lot of people don't like it, but I was sad when it was over.

Devil of Our Own Design - Really good book about the financial system and a bunch of other arcane stuff that I find fascinating. Every person who saw me reading it asked how I liked the new Dan Brown book. It was different than that...trust me.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - This is also by Kingsolver but I mostly read it cause some days we just really want to move to a farm. Or as I like to say it 'I wanna move up to Nashua, get a little spread, get some sheep, and tend to them.'

That's all I remember. Glad I made that list...been meaning to do that forever.

My goal for 2010 is to read fewer books and actually do some stuff. It's not looking good so far...

- jeremiah

Lists.

2010-02-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

My little sister (in-law) got me a book of lists for Christmas and it's pretty awesome. It made me appreciate the idea of lists and trying to pick your 'favorites' in a world where the amount of attention-getters is just overwhelming. So...I decided to make a couple lists of favorites. I wanted to a do a recent book lists, and I still will (probably), but I decided a good start would be a list of my favorite youtube videos. So here are a few of the must-sees.

(When I started putting the list together I realized that things like this really fall prey to the idea that C.S. Lewis talked about a lot where you tend to remember whatever is most recent. I know there have to be some older classic videos that I love, but it's so much easier to think about things that are more recent.)

In no particular order -

Latarrian. I heard he filmed a show recently, can't wait to see it...

The 'Hastily Made Tourism Video' is brilliant. There is a bad word though so consider yourself warned.

(Here's the 2nd Cleveland video if that wasn't enough)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

Great video that people like to use as an example of leadership. I think the example works, and it's fun to watch.

I had to put a Flight of the Conchords video on the list. There was a time when me and my little brother would sing this to each other every night before bed.

If you like Lost, this is cool.

A throw-back...in honor of Alabama.

Whew, almost forgot this one. Reminds me of life in the Shire.

Okay, this little girl is unbelievable. I don't exaggerate when I say I have probably watched this 25 times.

Thought I'd end with something inspirational. There are some shorter versions if you'd rather. I just watched it twice and almost cried both times.

That's all I've got.

Thanks,
Jeremiah

Blogs are hard.

2009-11-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Consistently updating a blog is surprisingly difficult. I know tons of people who have started a blog at one time or another, and only about 2 that consistently update every day. I obviously fall into that first category, but now that the time has changed and it gets dark at 4:00pm in Birmingham, I'm considering a comeback. The bad news is that our lives are far too tame to be interesting right now but perhaps this will serve as a means of inspiring myself.

I do read a lot of books so maybe I will just talk about those.

- Jeremiah

Halloween

2009-04-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

I don't actually like halloween at all, but last year Robby and I carved the best pumpkin ever.

It's the second coming of Christ. Josh Hausen just sent me the picture and I thought it needed to be shared.

- Jeremiah

Costa Rica Wedding (Surfing)

2009-04-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

The A Bryan Photo guys just started posting some shots from the wedding in Costa Rica last month. There are some really great shots and you can look at them all on their blog.

Here are a few of the good ones so far. And yes, at first glance they have nothing to do with a wedding.

The whole crowd out surfing -

Here's Drew, the groom the day before the big wedding -

Look at me protecting my skin from the danger of UV rays -

We're excited to see the actual wedding part soon...but for now this will have to do.

- Jeremiah

'I'm On a Tree' and Mean Dog

2009-04-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Anytime you get your own blog post at A Bryan Photo, it's a pretty big deal. So I'm awfully proud of the latest...brilliantly entitled 'Jeremiah On a Tree'. It consists of this one picture -

Even better, here's a great video from our trip to Costa Rica and a really mean dog that terrorized the guests up and down the entire beach. (In a possibly related story, last time I was in Costa Rica I went to Manuel Antonio after our car wreck and the first time I tried to run - after barely moving for weeks - I got attacked and bit by a random dog. I'm not sure if this was the same dog, but I didn't take any chances. Except for this one.)

Man vs Wild: Costa Rica Edition from A Bryan Photo on Vimeo.

I know of at least four people that were bit by this dog while we were there. Oh well.

Surfing pictures to come tomorrow...

- Jeremiah

Balloon Thief

2009-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

I spent about four days in Pamplona during the summer I was in Europe. I traveled with Dwight (one of my best friends) and we arrived at the start of the Festival of San Fermin. Within about 3 minutes of being in Pamplona we had already given in and purchased the standard attire (which we wore for the rest of the week).

Here's Dwight

And me...

Our time there was part fascinating and part miserable since we had nowhere to sleep (for some reason we ended up sleeping on the ground near a river...and also northern Spain is the windiest place I have ever been) and nothing to do from 8:30 in the morning until 8:00 the next morning. So we did what we could to pass the time. This included wandering around town, looking for cheap food, and arguing with the police who had detained me and taken my camera the first day. However, our nights were filled with two joyous events.

The two things we did in the evenings were attend the nightly fireworks jubilee with throngs of white and red clad Spaniards -

and spend hours at the local fair.

One evening while we were at the fair, someone robbed the balloon vendor. Lucky for us, he didn't steal the vendors money, but his balloons. Few things are funnier than a huge crowd of people chasing some crazy bandit through a fair while the bandit has about 80 large balloons in his hands. We just stood about 50 yards away and watched the clouds of balloons race through the paths of the fair while people screamed and tried to run after him. I can't think of a more obvious thing to steal than helium balloons but the fearless attitude seemed to fit the zeitgeist (I learned that word in high school) of the whole place. In the end, he eventually ran out of sight and I'm not sure if he was ever captured, but I remember me and Dwight just looking at each other as if to make sure we had just seen the same thing. Only in Pamplona...

- Jeremiah

A Year with David Brooks

2009-03-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

Some of you know David Brooks and for those of you that don't, let me just tell you that he is very unique. He has lived a life that really does span the globe (except for Central/South America and most of Africa...he has decided he probably wouldn't like those places as much) and in 2006, I spent 10 or 11 months working with him in Europe. He called me out of the blue this morning so I thought I would write in his honor (he's not dead or anything...it just got me thinking about that strange year).

David loves good stories...especially those that are slightly unbelievable or impressive. Thankfully, the 10 Commandments don't say 'Thou Shalt Not Try to Make Others Envious' or David and those that spend time with him could be accused of violating that one. For instance, here's a quick list of the things we did during that year -

- Went to the Olympics in Torino, Italy
- Went skiing in the Alps
- Stayed in the Monastery of St. Bernard in Switzerland
- Went to Cannes, France for the Cannes Film Festival
- Went to the Monaco Grand Prix and drove part of the track at night between races
- Went to Germany for the World Cup
- Ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain
- Spent countless evenings biking along rivers in Tuscany
- blah blah blah

Part 2 -

The above list is the one I would pull out if I was trying to impress people with some of the 'things' I have gotten to do in the last few years and the thing I have realized more and more is that they just wouldn't care. There probably isn't a person alive that knows we did all those things (at least until I press 'Publish Post') and for me that is the funny thing about so many life experiences. For the people that are with you when things happen, the memories are great but pretending like others are going to care is a huge mistake. Everyone out there has remarkable experiences and somehow that makes everything look alike.

So basically I have already gotten tired of the whole 'telling stories' thing because I still don't think they are all that interesting. I may try to post some random pictures with some short anecdotes but the whole thing just feels way too selfish. Thankfully there aren't as many people checking the blog since our trip has ended...if you are still checking, thanks. Since the story thing isn't too exciting, I may just start writing about the economy.

- Jeremiah

Weekend...

2009-03-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to post much over the weekend even when I'm trying to stick to a plan...

A Walk to Beautiful

2009-03-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago Sarah and I watched a movie called 'A Walk to Beautiful'. It was about Ethiopia and it was an amazing story of the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa and the young women who travel from around the country to be treated there. It was a heartbreaking movie (in a good way) it reminded me of the last time I was in Ethiopia.

Last January I traveled with Sarah to Ethiopia as she began her time there. Since I wasn't really supposed to accompany her on this trip, I immediately tried to find a way to get out of town and leave her to get settled. My plan was to travel south through Kenya and spend some time in Tanzania before returning two weeks later for my return flight. Unfortunately, the week before I arrived in Ethiopia, Kenya broke out into riots and 'civil unrest' over an election or something (I don't even remember) so that ruled out travel through Kenya by bus. This left me with no plans at all and I ended up traveling to the northern part of Ethiopia with a guy I met through Sarah's group.

(This is a shot looking over the Rift Valley and the Blue Nile on my way to Bahir Dar...it's hazy)

It took about 12 hours of driving to get to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana - the source of the Blue Nile -
where he and his wife had lived for a few years. I was there for nearly a week but there were two specific events that stood out...one was the day we spent with a local family 'celebrating' one of their holidays. In this case, a celebration really just meant that they ate slightly more food than usual and lucky for me, I got to share in that meal (I say that sarcastically because Ethiopian food actually makes me cringe...I'm not exaggerating when I say that the meat was so tough I would occasionally have to chew for more than 10 minutes before swallowing).

The most fascinating part of the day was sitting in a thatch hut for hours and hours. The interesting thing about spending your day in a little hut with people who think you're an alien is that it forces you to come to grips with the vast differences in our lives. They all lived in one-room mud huts with dirt floors. They wore the same clothes every single day. They ate the same food every single day. Their daily routine was the same every single day. And yet here I was showing up in their hut because I had just flown from America to Ethiopia just to try and impress a girl. It really was a powerful reminder of how big our world is and how blessed I have been with so many opportunities and physical blessings I always seem to forget about. That was a very grounding day for me.

(These next three are pictures of the kids that hung out with me in the hut all day)

The next day I accompanied the couple I was staying with to a woman's hospital in Bahir Dar. I have an aversion to all things medical (unlike the rest of my family) so when I didn't understand what was going on at this hospital initially, I pretended to know for fear that someone might actually try to explain it to me. It turns out that hospital where I spent the afternoon was an extension of the Fistula Hospital in Addis that Sarah and I watched the movie about this week. It was amazing how a few hours I spent over a year ago suddenly had far more meaning.

I guess the point of this story (without going on forever) is mainly that you should watch the movie 'A Walk to Beautiful' and be reminded about how easy our lives are, and also, that life is so crazy in the way random experiences often come full circle long after you have started to forget them. It really gives me hope that the Lord does have a purpose for all the odds and ends we experience.

P.S. The next day I saw some hippos.

- Jeremiah

Telling Stories

2009-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

One thing I have realized recently is that I do a very poor job of telling stories. I was reminded of this over the past week while in Costa Rica. Between time spent catching up with friends and Rehearsal Dinner stories, I thought more and more about this fact. I feel like I have gotten to be a part of some really incredible experiences in my life and I have decided to try and get better at story-telling.

So, for the next week I am going to try and write one story from my life each day. I'm not sure what the stories will be about, but they will probably be very self-centered and self-indulgent so please feel free to ignore them. I just don't do a good job sharing stories and experiences with others and this is my own way of trying to work on it. So we'll see how it goes...

- Jeremiah

Back in Birmingham...

2009-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

We'll write more soon, but I just wanted to point out that we added our Twitter feed over on the right side of this blog. For those of you on Twitter, you can 'Follow' me if you want...my name is 'miahmiah'. It is basically a 'micro-blogging' platform that keeps up with what we are doing in 160 characters or less. Short and simple.

Oh yeah, and here is a picture from the wedding this weekend -

- Jeremiah

Alajuela

2009-03-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I are in Alajuela (just outside of San Jose, the capital) for our last night in Costa Rica. We happen to be staying at a little bed and breakfast just a block away from the place Drew and I rented after the infamous wreck last time I was in Costa Rica (as I was typing that last sentence I looked down and noticed the rib that is still popped out of socket from the impact...guess I will have that as a reminder until I get fat enough for it to go away).

The trip has been great and it was such a blessing to be a part of the wedding and get to spend time with so many good people. The guys at A Bryan Photo shot the wedding so the pictures will certainly be amazing. Once I get better internet I will post some pictures and videos from the past week.

Also, I have decided to really commit to keeping up this blog despite the end of our travels coming in less than 24 hours (sad). While the subject matter may change a decent amount, there will still be something here to read so keep checking back if you like.

- Jeremiah (and Sarah...except that she just fell asleep reading a book and is taking no part in the writing of this blog entry)

Costa Rica...

2009-03-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Central America in the morning and can't wait to spend a few days with good friends at the beach. We'll be back on Tuesday and plan to spend some time at Ikea (in Atlanta) before heading back to Birmingham.

Also, it looks like we may have the first RV rental scheduled and we are really excited about another couple getting to travel in the Mav for awhile. If you are interested in taking a road trip sometime this Spring or Summer, we'd still love to hear from you (ringaroundamerica@gmail.com).

That's all for now...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Manuel Antonio

2009-03-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, Sarah and I are headed to Costa Rica on Wednesday for the wedding of my college roommate. One interesting thing about the wedding is that he chose to have it on the beach in Manuel Antonio...the same beach we decided to drive to after college. It took us about 10 weeks and 7,000 miles of driving and ended in a way we were hoping to avoid, but it was quite a trip nonetheless.

So, in honor of that journey, I decided to post some old pictures from that road trip (now almost four years ago) since I will be headed to that same spot in a couple days.

Along the road...this was a common sight.

Another shot on the road.

One of the huts we stayed at along the way...this one even had a garage.

Chichen Itza

Somewhere in Chiapas

Lake Atitlan in Guatemala

Drew with Alejandro, a hitchhiker we picked up. Twice (one week and about 1,000 miles after picking him up the first time).

Tikal in Guatemala.

Tulum, near Cancun, about three hours before a hurricane hit the Yucatan.

A hut we lived in for about a week somewhere in Mexico (these are not in order at all).

The view from the top of a volcano in Guatemala looking over Lake Atitlan.

The sunset in Barra de Navidad. I've seen a lot of sunsets, but this place is the best.

And the unofficial end to our trip. We will be driving this same road on Wednesday, hopefully with more success.

Thanks for humoring me...I hadn't looked through those pictures in years.

- Jeremiah

Update...

2009-03-13T09:32:00.001-07:00

We are back in Birmingham and trying to get settled in our little apartment. It is strange being off the road but also nice to have a bit more stability. For the first week in Birmingham we had to drive the Maverick around town since we didn't have a car yet. We finally got one on Monday and now have a little Prius to go with our motorhome. It's a great combination for people in their mid-20's...but we love them both.

It looks like we will be keeping the RV for at least this year so it is definitely up for rent if anyone is interested in taking a road trip in the near future. It looks like we will probably charge around $300/weekend and $500/week plus mileage and insurance. That should work out to about half of what any other rental companies charge and I think the Maverick is a lot nicer as well. And at least 25% of the cost will go to charity (we haven't figured out those specifics just yet) so that is another bonus over other rental places.

Anyways, life is good and we are headed to Costa Rica next week for the wedding of my good friend and ex-roommate, Drew Roberts. We will have more updates then...

Thanks for sticking around,
Jeremiah and Sarah

8,531 Miles Later...

2009-03-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it back to Birmingham after 10 weeks on the road. Our time in Kentucky was wonderful and we headed South just as the snow was melting. The first few days have been spent unpacking the RV and working on our 'new' apartment. It feels good to be back, but it is very strange as well.

We have more film and videos that are on their way and we will still post those as soon as possible. I'm not sure if many (any) people are still checking this blog since we have kind of disappeared for the past couple weeks, but we haven't completed it just yet. Plus, we still have our trip to Costa Rica in two weeks and will have more from that adventure as well.

Also, I plan to post a bit about our current/future plans now that our travels have slowed down.

Thanks again for keeping up along the way (we actually had over 20,000 visits to the blog and website since the wedding...although it sounds like half of those were from my mom). It means a lot that many people cared what we were up to.

More soon...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

i love graeter's

2009-02-25T11:39:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to let y'all know we survived the trek through the midwest and we're staying in Lexington with the Sizemores to give the Mav a bit of a break. A cold front followed us into town and left a nice blanket of snow that we 've enjoyed the past few days and we've also had a great time catching up with friends and family in the area. Sister Sarah and Roommate Sarah even made it up for a quick visit so it's been really nice to be close to familiar faces and places again. We plan to hang around til the end of the week and then hit the road to finish up the last leg of our trip. I suppose that's all for now and thanks again for keeping up with our travels!

- Sarah and Jer

Driving through Kansas

2009-02-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

(This post is now a day and a half late...sorry)

Besides our stop in Colorado to hang out with some family, the last week has consisted mostly of driving. Lots and lots of driving. We are currently in Russell, Kansas and hoping to make it to the St Louis area tonight before being back in Lexington on Friday. We have some more film we are waiting to get developed and since nothing very interesting happens while you are driving through Kansas (although we did get pulled over for the first time yesterday...always adds some excitement) here is a video from last week on the Northern California Coast.

You may want to make sure your volume is turned down because the video consists primarily of really loud wind.

More soon...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Snowboarding

2009-02-17T18:33:00.001-08:00

We ended up calling my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins yesterday on our way through Colorado and, despite the two hours notice, they invited us to come stay with them for a night or two. If you know Greg, Tammy, Lydia, and Caleb, it will come as no surprise that they had just finished a day of snowboarding and wasted no time convincing us that we needed to give it a shot. So this morning Sarah and I joined Tammy and Lydia at Arapaho Basin for our first attempt at snowboarding.

We even have pictures to prove it -

(Thanks for the pictures Lydia!)

Right now we are all sitting around the fire eating Creme Brulee. The plan is to get back on the road tomorrow and be in Lexington this weekend.

Hope all is well.

- Jeremiah

Maverick Onward

2009-02-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well faithful readers, our western wanderings have come to an end and we are officially headed East now. I know you're all probably wondering about the half-dozen locations on our map we've left unvisited but basically the deal is it's winter and the farther north we went the more miserable the weather got... unbelievable, right? So after a couple disappointments involving various remote national parks, unexpected road closures, and a lack of tire chains, we realized the time had come to maneuver the Mav from the beautiful west and begin our return trip home. Tonight we are outside of Arches National Park in Utah and over the next several days we plan to make the journey over to Lexington, KY to spend some quality time with the Sizemore parents.

So there's the update and hope you all had a pleasant Valentine's weekend! Oh and a big "well done" to all of our loved ones that participated in step sing... we hated missing out this year but we're so proud of all of you :)

Eastward bound - Sarah and Jeremiah

Sunset in Big Sur

2009-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is one last video from our drive last weekend up the coast. It was a pretty great sunset.

We are leaving Napa Valley today and headed for Yosemite this evening. Also, we sent away more film last week so look for that soon.

Hope all is well.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Waves and Rocks

2009-02-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

During the same drive through Big Sur, we walked out to a point near a lighthouse where there were some huge waves breaking on rocks out in the ocean. Below is a quick video. I was pretty obsessed with watching the waves crash over and over.

Tonight we are just north of San Francisco at a campground near Point Reyes. It's raining and we are both just reading/researching in the comfort of the Maverick. The trip is still great although I would not recommend driving Highway 1 over Mt. Tamalpais (at least not in an rv)...that was pretty rough.

Also, I think we decided on some of the details if anybody out there wants to use the Maverick sometime later this year. I will post those, along with a calendar, later this week if we have internet.

Love to all...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Elephant Seals

2009-02-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, here is our video from our first stop on the drive from Malibu when we ran into some Elephant Seals. I don't think I can explain how much Sarah hated these things...I really thought she might throw up just by looking at one. It was a bit drastic.

The first video is from when we arrived.

This one is just a few seconds long but gives you a better idea of how much Sarah enjoyed this encounter.

That's it for now...

- Jeremiah and Sarah the Elephant Seal Lover

Seal Cove Inn

2009-02-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

I promised a video of some elephant seals, but since I don't have internet here and can't upload videos with my wireless 'connect card' I will have to save that for tonight or tomorrow.

We are in Half Moon Bay this morning just a bit south of San Francisco. We were talking about how we had originally planned to stay in hotels occasionally just to change things up and how we hadn't actually done that a single time in the first 7 weeks. So last night I started looking for nearby Bed and Breakfasts and found the Seal Cove Inn.

They have a special where the rooms are half price(ish) if you call the day of and make a reservation so we are headed there in a couple hours. It should be pretty awesome.

Also, we were headed to Yosemite yesterday when we suddenly started feeling weird about it and changed our minds. I don't think we were ready to drive East yet. 'Don't drive East' has pretty much been the only rule of this trip so far and we weren't quite ready to violate it. So I think we are headed towards Oregon now.

I've thought a lot lately about how blessed I am to be living the 'life I always dreamed of' at 26. It seems so unfair yet it's just so much fun. Oh well...

Thanks for keeping up...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Big Sur

2009-02-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

We spent the day (now yesterday thanks to no internet...) driving through the Big Sur area of the Central Coast and it was incredible. The weather started out a bit overcast, but by sunset near Monterrey it was gorgeous. We took a few videos along the way and here is one from about mid-way through the drive.

Tomorrow we have some great videos of elephant seals...so look forward to that.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Quote of the Day

2009-02-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

Continuing the theme that Malibu is just a weird place to be...Sarah and I were getting yogurt today and we were sitting outside on the steps eating it when two guys stopped behind us. They had just met each other and were exchanging business cards. The biker-looking guy handed the other guy his business card and said -

"Remember, I'm the one that got bit in the a%$ up at Hugh Hefner's place. That d*$% llama got my entire right cheek!"

After overhearing that conversation, I came to the realization that Malibu may not be the place for me to settle down. Also the fact that I was getting groceries yesterday and was waiting for the guy in front of me to finish paying when I realized he had a really familiar voice and looked up to see Tony Danza just chattin away with the checkout clerk.

Oh well...it's still gorgeous here at the RV park.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

More Medium Format

2009-02-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures we haven't posted yet. These are all from the Grand Canyon...

(This last roll I loaded really tight so every shot had vertical lines on it...)

That's it for now...

- Jeremiah

Oh Famous People...

2009-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

One thing about being in Malibu, is that you are always around famous people...it just depends how hard you want to look at everyone to see if they are 'famous'. Well, here are our two celebrity stories from the last couple days.

First of all, shortly after arriving at this RV park, we took a walk around and realized that the Airstream parked down the lot from us actually is Matthew McConaughey's...so that was kind of funny. It was featured in Architectural Digest recently and it definitely is the same one. So we now take a look everyday just in case he has showed up to hang out for a bit.

The other 'run in' we had was this Saturday when Sarah, Jas, James and I were walking down the beach in front of all the celeb houses. We were headed back towards the car when a girl in a bikini ran down the stairs from her house with a guitar and just stood in the ocean with the guitar over her head and then started playing it. She then sat down on a rock and started singing some song...it was Pink (this girl).

If you don't know who that is, don't worry, it's really not that exciting. But it fit with the theme. Famous people.

Anyways, we're still here. Life is good.

- Jeremiah

Almost A Year Ago

2009-02-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

About 10 months ago, I was in LA visiting my sister Susannah and I drove up to Malibu to spend the weekend with Jas, Katherine, and James. That Saturday night, we went to a restaurant across from the beach called Malibu Seafood and met Katherine's sister Amy and her friend John David. It was a great little restaurant with an amazing view and we had a lot of fun talking and laughing and getting to know each other.

Yesterday I found myself back at Malibu Seafood. About 300 days had passed but I was once again there with Jas, Katherine, James, Amy and John David. The strange thing is that I also had my wife, Sarah, with me this time and due to the crazy and unexpected events in Jas and Katty's lives over the past year, the rest of the Arnold family was with us as well (Brooks, Kim and Grace) along with Sarah's cousin Johnny.

It was such a weird feeling to see how drastically life can change in such a relatively short time and it really made us both stop and think. The Lord has been so good, but these last 10 months have rarely been easy for most of that group. Here's a quick video of us there.

Thanks again for keeping up. We are certainly treasuring this time and it has definitely made us even more thankful for those back 'home' (wherever that is).

Love you all...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Where we are staying...

2009-01-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick video of where we are staying in Malibu. We are on the side of a hill a couple hundred feet above the ocean. The view from our 'kitchen' window looks south to the smog filled city across the water and out front is open ocean. It's pretty ridiculous.

Malibu Beach RV Park from Jeremiah Sizemore on Vimeo.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Malibu...

2009-01-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it to Malibu just in time for the sunset. The view from this place is just amazing. We'll post a video tomorrow. We plan to be here for a week before heading on up the coast.

Also, Sarah is pretty sure that Matthew McConaughey's Airstream is parked across from us. So that's cool. Even though it is not true. It's still really cool as an idea.

Love to all...

- Jeremiah

Still in Pomona

2009-01-28T20:02:00.001-08:00

We're still hanging out here with Jas and Katty and James in Pomona. It's been a lot of fun and a great time to catch up and get to be a part of their busy lives for a bit. I don't have any pictures of James yet (but I promise I've taken some) so here are a few from Arizona and New Mexico.

I have posted a similar shot before, but Deet said she likes pictures of Sarah cooking so here it is

Sarah in the Petroglyph State Park (still not loading the camera right at this point)

Our one picture of petrified wood

The train on our way to the Grand Canyon

Sarah in the Painted Desert

And another one of her at Petroglyph...

We're headed to Malibu tomorrow. Hope all is well.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Texas

2009-01-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

I had been waiting to get some film developed before I posted in-depth about our time in Georgetown (now over three weeks ago).

We ended up pulling into town on New Year's Eve and spent the night with Sarah's family. We didn't plan to stay long at first, but it was so relaxing and enjoyable that we just kept hanging around. We ate home-cooked meals, walked around the ranch, played a lot of WiiFit, toured Austin and enjoyed living in a stationary house for a few days. Our hosts (the McLachlan's) were so kind and we had so much fun catching up/getting to know them. Sarah's uncle had Tivoed all my favorite CNBC market-commentary shows so I got o catch up on those (much to Sarah's dismay) and we even got to watch Kentucky win their 3rd-straight bowl game (it may not sound like a big deal, but it was).

Here are some pictures.

This is Sarah down by the river on the Ranch.

Sarah and Amanda, her cousin.

Sarah's cousins on the trampoline.

The McLachlan's...our wonderful hosts.

The list of people to thank is a long one, but we loved hanging out in Georgetown and Austin with you all. Thanks for having us...

- Sarah and Jeremiah

California

2009-01-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

We're in Oceanside, CA tonight. Right now we have some steaks on the grill and we are waiting for those to finish up. We drove through San Diego today and it was pretty gorgeous. Since we just got more pictures developed, here are a few from the last time we were at the beach (and the last time we were at a Louisianian Fish Camp).

We'll be in Pomona tomorrow so that probably means we will eventually be posting pictures of James. Just something to look forward to...

- Jeremiah

Rent the Maverick

2009-01-22T20:46:00.001-08:00

We made it to California and will be in San Diego for the weekend before hanging out with the Katty, Jas, and James in Pomona 'til they get tired of us. Things are still going well and we feel so blessed to have the time to take this trip.

We have been talking more about what we want to do with this motorhome when we get back to Birmingham, and we really hate the idea of just putting it in storage until we use it again this Summer or Fall. So...if any of you would be interested in renting it at some point, we would love it. We are working on putting together a calendar that shows when it will be available, but until that's ready, feel free to send us an email - ringaroundamerica@gmail.com - if you're interested. By late March it will be ready to hit the road again.

Here's a link to the details of the Maverick. It can sleep 5 (6 if you have kids) and will be a whole lot cheaper (and nicer) than other rental RVs.

Just a thought...

- Jeremiah

Some more film...

2009-01-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

We are on our way to San Diego today. Vegas has been fine but it's not really our scene.

Here are a few more of the black and white shots from the rolleiflex. Hope you like them.

(this one's my favorite)

(this happens when you don't know how to load the camera)

We're back on the road...

- Jeremiah

Rollei

2009-01-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

We just got our first load of medium format film back, and while I didn't exactly load the film right, there are still some great shots. Here's one of my favorites.

In case you wonder what the inside of our rv looks like...well, it basically consists of Sarah eating Rice Krispies Treats cereal.

From Ring Around America

I will be posting many more gems like this one soon.

- Jeremiah

Inauguration

2009-01-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

We are in Hurricane, Utah today and we just finished watching the inauguration. It really is such an incredible story. If you had watched a movie where that happened it would have seemed almost silly...it really is stranger than fiction.

(Update) Actually, before I could post that, we moved on to Vegas. A very different place than Hurricane. We also finally got some more film developed. Here are a couple shots from the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest (the first 3 are T3).

From Ring Around America

More soon...

- Jeremiah

In the Canyon

2009-01-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Last week Sarah and I got to hike down the South Kabab Trail into the Grand Canyon. Here is a quick clip from the place we stopped to have have lunch, read, and try to comprehend that place.

It was such an incredible sight...I have never seen anything like it in my life.

We're camped at Zion National Park tonight and planning to spend the day hiking and biking tomorrow before heading south and west.

- Jeremiah

Wedding 8mm

2009-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

The guys at A Bryan Photo just posted the 8mm from our wedding. Thanks Rob (and Branden) for getting it all together! We don't have real internet so we still haven't gotten the last 15 seconds to load...but we love the rest of it. Here it is if you're interested.

Sarah & Jeremiah Wedding from A Bryan Photo on Vimeo.

We are at Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border for the night. Zion Canyon tomorrow Lord willing.

Thanks for keeping up!

- Jeremiah and Sarah

(oh yeah, and we have more Grand Canyon stuff to post once we get a real connection)

The Grand Canyon Is Ridiculous

2009-01-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got the chance to go to the Grand Canyon. I had never been and was incredibly excited about getting the opportunity. We actually stayed in Williams, AZ on Monday night and then road a train to the canyon before riding the train back that night.

Below is a short video of a few images from our trip. Whenever I ride a train or get to experience something that makes me feel spoiled I think of this song...and since today was filled with both of those things, I used it in the video.

Grand Canyon Railway from Jeremiah Sizemore on Vimeo.

What a world my parents gave me...thanks moms and dads.

- Jeremiah and Sarah.

Cooking Hamburgers

2009-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

We're in Williams, AZ right now and we are about to take an old train to the Grand Canyon for the day. It's chilly up here but beautiful. We're still hoping to have some more pictures to post at some point...but until then, here's another video. It's from Albuquerque in the Sandia Mountains.

Hope everyone's January has been great so far!

- Jeremiah

Pictures Developed

2009-01-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

We got some filmed developed when we were in Albuquerque, but unfortunately we didn't check the cd until we had left town. While the prints were definitely our pictures, the digital copies were definitely not. But, since we want to make the most of the situation, we thought we would share a few of our favorites from the roll we did get.

Here's the whole family with Goofy!

Little Albert loves Christmas!

Dreams really do come true!

And a Donny and Marie Osmond billboard...does it get any better?

Anyways, that was kind of disappointing. Also, after a tight vote, I finally shaved. It was getting really itchy.

Oh yeah, and we went to the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert yesterday and it was absolutely beautiful. We will post more on that soon.

- Jeremiah

Three Week Anniversary

2009-01-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our 3-week wedding anniversary and we used that as an excuse to go to a nice dinner. We were in Albuquerque so we took this tram up to the top of the mountain overlooking the city and had dinner up there during sunset. It was over 11,000 feet high and had beautiful views on all sides. Here's a quick video of us on the ride up.

We are on our way to the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert today before heading to the Grand Canyon after that.

Hope all is well.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, while we have been out on this trip, a new year has started and we have had to think about what we want to try and 'accomplish' this year as a couple. One of the things on our list is to read through the Bible together (super creative I know...it has to be the number one Christian New Year's resolution of all time) but we have already run into our first obstacle. I Chronicles.

Reading through that book is crazy hard, especially when you are reading out loud. Here's an excerpt -

72 and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 73 Ramoth with its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands; 74 out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 75 Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands; 76 and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim with its pasturelands. 77 To the rest of the Merarites were allotted out of the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono with its pasturelands, Tabor with its pasturelands, 78 and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasturelands, Jahzah with its pasturelands, 79 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands; 80 and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, 81 Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands.

Saying the word 'pasturelands' out loud 50 times in a row is pretty tough. In all seriousness, we are pretty excited about trying to get through it and we found some good 'reading plans' here if anyone is interested.

In other news, we have CNBC this morning for the first time and that's pretty exciting. The economy lost (at least) 525,000 jobs in December which is crazy. At least we can live in the Maverick if things get worse.

- Jeremiah (and Sarah's making cinnamon rolls)

Wedding Pictures Are Up!

2009-01-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Our wedding was just posted at this link.

The 'Selects' have about 150 of the pictures, and the 'Proofs' have the rest if you want to look through them all.

Here are a few we love -

Again, the whole gallery is here.

We're in Santa Fe for the night. It's beautiful...

- Sarah and Jeremiah

New Mexico

2009-01-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well...we finally made it through Texas. It took a lot longer than planned but we really enjoyed our time there. Today we are headed to Santa Fe (even though it's cold) to stay for a couple nights before heading to Albuquerque.

The sunset last night was beautiful...we are still taking a lot of pictures but we haven't gotten any developed recently. We will post them soon though...

Hope everyone is enjoying the New Year so far. We feel so spoiled to just be traveling for awhile.

Oh yeah, and I got a call from the repair shop this week and my 4runner (which broke down as I was leaving for Montgomery the day before my wedding) is pretty much totaled so if anyone likes to work on cars and wants to buy a '96 4runner that overheats, let me know. I'm really tired of of dealing with it. So now, when we get back to Birmingham, Sarah and I will have a total of zero cars and one motorhome. Haha...

- Jeremiah

We're in Lubbock

2009-01-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

We just got to our campground in Lubbock and took a quick swim (indoor pool) after a long day of driving. Well, it wasn't that long, except that waiting in line at Wal-Mart can make any day drag on (after finally getting to the front of the line and unloading our groceries, the woman in front of us realized she had left her debit card and proceeded to wait for her husband to bring it from home. Seriously.).

We drove past the most ridiculously large wind farm I have ever seen in my life. It must be T. Boone Pickens' new one because it was literally 110 miles long (with maybe a 10 mile break in the middle). I'm a little obsessed with wind turbines and such so I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only problem was that we were driving into the wind the entire day and barely got 7 mpg (we had been averaging 9.9 for the trip) and it was a fight to keep the Mav in its lane.

Anyways, here we are yesterday in Ranger, Texas -

New Mexico tomorrow (Lord willing). Thanks for keeping up, we've been so blessed and had so much fun the past couple weeks...

- Jeremiah

Wedding Photos Preview

2009-01-05T11:25:00.001-08:00

Bryan (of A Bryan Photo) just posted a quick blog entry about our wedding and travels. Here is one of the pictures he included.

and a couple more...

So great...check out the entire blog entry here and be on the lookout for our pictures in the next week or so.

- Jeremiah

Tamales in Dallas

2009-01-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

We stopped in Dallas on Saturday and had dinner with Sarah's Aunt Cindy and Uncle Ben. Her cousin Johnny was also there for a bit and we all got to hang out around the fire for the evening.

We also went to church and brunch with Danielle Greenwade, one of our favorite people in the world, and that was a lot of fun. We are waiting out the freezing rain here in Ranger, Texas today and making our way towards New Mexico from here.

- Jeremiah

Leaving Dallas, Driving through West Texas, and My Beard

2009-01-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

We got the chance to stop in Dallas last night and visit with more friends and family before heading towards New Mexico. We are currently stopped somewhere in West Texas and settling in before the freezing rain hits tomorrow.

We have another video we are uploading now, so we will post it tomorrow. In the meantime, vote in our poll about whether or not I should shave (I realize this is a pretty vain idea, but the poll is anonymous and if anyone - besides Sarah - actually votes, we might incorporate it into the blog later on). It's on the right side of the actual blog (so if you are reading this in a feed reader, you won't know what I'm talking about).

Hope all is well...

- Jeremiah

Back on the Road

2009-01-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

We are about to pack up the Mav once again and hit the road. Georgetown has been great but we need to keep on moving. Here's a video of the ranch where we've been staying the last few days. It really has been a lot of fun.

Also, Kentucky did win their bowl game last night. Although I'm sure everyone watched it. Headed to Dallas now...

- Jeremiah

Georgetown, Texas...

2009-01-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I have stopped for a few days to hang out with some of her family in Texas. It has been a lot of fun so far and we are still debating when we will hit the road again...probably Saturday morning. There's a hugely important bowl game this afternoon (Kentucky vs. East Carolina) so we can't miss that.

Anyways, we are about to head down to the river to get some fresh air and hang out. We'll post something more interesting soon...promise.

- Jeremiah

Polaroid Book

2008-12-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

When we left our wedding, the guys at A Bryan Photo gave us this small book of polaroids to take with us. The below video shows a few of the shots...it really is great to have something tangible to take with you as you leave.

Right now we're on our way to Georgetown, TX to spend New Years with some of the Wolf relatives. Hope y'all enjoyed seeing some of the wedding pics and hope everyone has a memorable New Year's Eve.

Still travelin...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

Poche's Fish-n-Camp

2008-12-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

Last night we made it to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana and ended up staying at a little rv/fishing park. It's been great and we'll get back on the road in a few hours and head towards Texas. Below is a quick video of the camp...

Also, we recently updated the main Ring Around America map with our latest projections.

Thanks for keeping up!

- Jeremiah and Sarah

A Few More Pictures...

2008-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Now that we have a better internet connection, here are a few more pictures from last week (and one from the wedding day...more from that soon).

We are at the coolest little 'Fish-n-Camp' in Louisiana tonight and I have to run help Sarah finish the pancakes. We'll post a video tomorrow morning.

Love to all - Jeremiah

Christmas Dinner (Thanks Deet!)

2008-12-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day, the weather at St George was beautiful and we walked on the beach for hours. The island felt deserted and it was great to be out in the sun. After that, we settled in for the night and cooked our Christmas Pancake Dinner with our special new griddle. It was pretty exciting...

This morning we are at Grayton Beach right next to Destin. We were driving by last night and the place looked pretty, so we stopped for the night. We'll head farther down the coast this afternoon.

- Jeremiah

Sweet Bunnies

2008-12-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

We got our first roll of film developed on Wednesday while we were having our Christmas Eve dinner of fried shrimp and crab cakes. The roll was from the "mom" camera the abryanphoto guys got us. Here are a few of our favorites...

Right now we just left the island and we're driving along the coast towards Pensacola. We don't know exactly where we'll stop but it's a beautiful day so we'll probably end up hanging out on one of the beaches along the way. This internet connection is pretty rough so there will be more pictures and videos to come - Sarah and Jer

Feliz Navidad/Walking to the Bay

2008-12-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!! Sarah and I opened a few presents from our family this morning before taking a walk out to the bay. Now we are back in the Mav making some cookies before we head out to the beach.

There's a beautiful trail across from our campsite that winds through the woods to the bay on the other side of the Island and here's a quick video of us there a couple days ago.

We are taking a lot of pictures and will start posting them soon...we just happen to only be shooting film so it takes a bit longer to get those turned around (hence the stream of videos right now).

Thanks for keeping up! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas...

- Jeremiah and Sarah

St George

2008-12-24T09:25:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick video of us arriving in St George. It was a beautiful evening...just a bit windy.

Arriving in St George from Jeremiah Sizemore on Vimeo.

It's Christmas Eve and we are in Appalachicola for the afternoon before heading back to the island for the rest of the week.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

It's Getting Beautiful Here...

2008-12-23T15:49:00.001-08:00

The weather in St. George is great and it's getting warmer. It's supposed to be about 75 on Christmas. It's pretty funny being at the beach...by ourselves...living in a motorhome...and listening to Christmas music. But it's so much fun.

We have tons of pictures and videos to post when we get a better connection. We may head into town tomorrow to eat some hush puppies and get online...otherwise it could be a few more days.

Thanks again to everyone for being a part (not apart) of our wedding. We just got some firewood so we are off to start a fire and try to bake/fry chocolate-chip cookies on it. Sounds like a long-shot but we'll see.

- Jeremiah and Sarah

On Our Way!!

2008-12-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

'The Journey' has begun and its pretty exciting. We want to write more about the wedding soon, but for now, I wanted to post this link.

- Jeremiah

Changing the Route?

2008-12-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

So...as the beginning of the trip gets closer, we are starting to reconsider some of our route choices. The weather is the big wild card with our budget being a close second. Because of these two things, we are now considering going to St George Island and then heading West first, before hitting the east coast in March on our way back. If we run out of money, we want to make sure we can see a lot of the National Parks first. You can view our current map but it may be changing soon (and if it doesn't load correctly, you may have to hit 'refresh').

It is supposed to be in the 70's this weekend in Montgomery. Rain is the big question now...

One other thing - I meant to post our engagement pictures on here but I never did. If you are bored, you can look at them here.

- Jeremiah

Ring Around America University

2008-12-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Spending two or three months on the road will give Sarah and me plenty of free time. One of our goals for this trip is to learn a bunch of new, and possibly random, skills. We have been working on our list of things we need to learn, but we haven't gotten too far as of yet. So...if you have any thoughts or suggestions regarding what we should learn, please leave a comment or send us an email (jeremiahsizemore@gmail.com) with suggestions.

Some examples we have been thinking of include - learning a language, learning to play an instrument (the harmonica and guitar are the two current options), learning to play poker (this one is a bit risky), snow-shoing, kayaking, making 'ships-in-a-bottle', puzzle making, etc...(personally, I want to 'learn' how to start a hedge fund, but the point is to do things together)

Also, if there is something else that would fit the 'I always wish I had...' category, let us know about this one too.

Only 5 more days...

- Jeremiah (and Sarah)

Getting Closer...

2008-12-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

The wedding is now less than two weeks away and Sarah and I are currently sitting in a coffee shop trying to figure out the remaining details of the ceremony. Neither of us are super-detail-oriented people and we haven't been able to completely finish this last step...but we are getting close.

We did some shopping for the RV last night after church and we think it will be ready to go. We still haven't posted any pictures of it but we will once we are traveling. It's still pretty incredible.

The only other significant trip-related detail is that we are once again considering driving to the Keys at the beginning of the trip. We initially wrote it off this summer when gas was close to $4 but making the long drive is much more tempting now that it will only be about $1.50/gallon to get there. Plus, it's been cold - even in Birmingham - and that makes the warmer weather that much more attractive. So we'll see...

That's it for now...

Jeremiah (and Sarah)

Blessing Shower

2008-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

So...the other big event this weekend was the Blessing Shower. I had never heard of such a thing so I was very curious to see just how it would all turn out. If you haven't been to one, it consists of meeting a lot of people, eating a really nice dinner, and then having everyone offer blessings to the couple that is getting married.

Our Blessing Shower was hosted at the home of Tanya McLemore (that's her with me and Sarah in the picture) and the place was absolutely amazing. It was decorated - both inside and out - like few things I have ever seen. The dinner was wonderful and it was a great opportunity for our family to meet so many of the Wolf's closest friends. Once the dinner was over, Sarah and I sat in the middle of the room while dozens of friends and family offered their advice, wisdom, and blessing over our relationship. It was a pretty intense night and one that meant so much to the two of us. It would be hard to explain the specifics of the evening without having a video or reading the actual blessings, but we are so thankful for the encouragement and all the effort that went into the entire event.

Here are a couple more pictures from the evening.

The Miscellaneous Tea

2008-11-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Jeremiah, his family, and I traveled south for some pre-wedding festivities with friends and family in Montgomery. This was the first time our parents got to meet each other as well as the first little journey we've made together in our new motor home (see the pictures at the bottom), so for multiple reasons this trip was significant.

After a beautifully unforgettable dinner on Friday night and a wonderfully restful Saturday, we spent Sunday afternoon meeting and greeting some of Montgomery's kindest ladies who gathered with us to celebrate the approach of our big day. This precious event took place at the beautiful McElvy home where we enjoyed 3 hours of cake, punch, presents, and lots of smiling faces. Everyone loved getting to meet Jeremiah along with the rest of the wonderful Sizemores and another big hit was the Maverick which we brought along and parked next to the house for all the guests to see and explore ( and be jealous of :) ). We even had some of our favorite Birmingham friends make it down for the party which was so so special to us and made the afternoon that much more enjoyable and memorable. All in all, it was a sweet afternoon with sweet friends and after a gathering and a weekend like this it finally feels as though the wedding day countdown has officially begun... 26 days to go til we're on the road! - Sarah

We got one!

2008-11-19T12:41:00.001-08:00

A Georgie Boy Maverick to be exact. We drove the beauty down from Chattanooga last weekend and it is now sitting quietly in a storage facility, trying to get mentally prepared for the long trip it is about to face.

We are taking it down to Montgomery this weekend and hope to post some pictures of it soon...it's pretty hilarious.

- Jeremiah

Finding the right RV...

2008-10-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I finally got to spend a few days together last week in Birmingham, and we spent one of those days driving around the area looking for RVs. The whole trip hinges on finding the right vehicle and it was really good to personally see some of the options we had only looked at online.

Initially, we planned to go look at a Coachmen Concord in Chattanooga that we liked -

It was about 23 feet long and probably would have been a good option...but in the meantime we ended up at Suncoast RV south of Birmingham. They had a pretty big selection (apparently RVs aren't selling too well with $4/gallon gas...who knew) and I think we found our favorite one so far.

It's a Winnebago Aspect -

It doesn't look much different in the picture, but its a bit longer, has a U-shaped couch and a 'bedroom' (rather than just a couch bed). It's at the high end of our price range - of course... - but it looks like our top choice right now.

We'll keep you posted.

- j

The 'Ring Around America' Blog

2008-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

So, we made this website as a guide to our post-wedding adventure as well as a way for people to give non-traditional wedding gifts (we have a really small apartment and I don't really love 'stuff' anyways) and we really have no idea what to expect from it. My guess is that the few people who do see it will just kind of laugh and wonder why we are so strange. But either way, we hope it will be a good way of staying connected to friends and family over the months we are gone.

And that's the point of this blog. Rather than just a map of our travel plans, we can update this with actual stories and anecdotes about the people and places we see along the way. We also decided to add a brief 'Wedding' page to the website and there you can find the details about that event.

Until we drive away from our reception in an RV, this blog may not change a lot, but once the trip begins, we hope to update it frequently. We should have plenty of time to do so...

Thanks for reading.

- j