Rediscovering America Part I: Road trip!

For those of you who haven’t heard, WE ARE STAYING IN LONDON!!!!  John has finished up with school (he graduates in about a month).  He got a job offer from a London-based consulting firm and accepted!!!  So, we are staying. 🙂  I’m still working part-time at the American School and searching for work to fill the rest of my days.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

John finished his dissertation in early September and didn’t start work until late October, so we opted to take a month and spend some time in the US.  While there we visited ten states and Washington D.C. to see family and friends.  It was so wonderful to see everyone–some people we haven’t seen since our wedding!!!

First stop:  Shelbyville, Kentucky where my parents live.  We landed there, had a few days to recover from jetlag and spend time with my parents before embarking on our three week road trip.  One day, we got a phone call from Projjal, a dear friend from Singapore.  He thought he was calling us in London just to tell me he was in Kentucky.  Turns out, he was driving right through my hometown.  So we met for dinner at Claudia Sander’s Dinner House.  He really wanted some fried chicken 🙂

While in Shelbyville, we made a trip out to Bagdad, KY to visit Newt at the B&N.  The B&N is a gas station with a little diner in the back.  John loves the bologna sandwiches and I love the fried fish sandwiches.  Believe it or not, it is vastly different that the fried fish that comes with fish and chips.  I guess I’m just a fried fish fan.

The next day, we took off on our road trip…

Next stop:  Knoxville, Tennessee to see my grandparents!  We stayed there for a few nights, enjoyed lots of American football, and ate some incredible food.  Had such a great time with them!

Next pitstop:  Chattanooga, Tennessee!  My college roommate and sorority sister, Caroline and her husband John (in John’s fraternity) live in Chattanooga.  We were lucky enough to be able to see them on our way through.  Thanks for coming to meet us, guys!!

Next stop:  Atlanta!  We stayed with our friends Dan and Frances and had a chance to see many more friends at a pub.  What a fantastic night–we really liked Atlanta!

The next morning, on our way out of town, we had breakfast with Sissi.  Sissi is a friend from Singapore who has recently moved back to the US.  Great to see her!

Next pitstop:  near Birmingham Alabama to see Kel!  Kel is the brother of Landon–John’s childhood best friend.  We hadn’t seen Kel since before we were engaged, so it was great to have lunch with him!

Next stop:  Auburn, Alabama!  There we got to see Landon’s parents and our dear friends and adopted parents Kelley and Debbie Mossburg.  They both went to Auburn and have recently moved back.  They took us for a fabulous birthday dinner (for John) and we chatted and caught up for most of the night.  Great to see y’all–we miss you!!!

Next stop:  Tallahassee, Florida to visit John’s grandparents!  This was my first time to Tallahassee–I enjoyed it!  John played golf with his granddad, while grandmommie and I had tea and chatted for most of the day.  Granddady cooked an amazing meal one night.  The night we got in, they drove us to the coast to their favorite restaurant.  Great couple of days!

Next stop:  Orlando, Florida–John’s hometown!  While there we had a chance to spend time with Steve, Lucy, Caroline , Matt, and Lydia and friends we have in the area!  We went to a football game, shared some fantastic meals, and got to spend some great time together.

The next night, we grabbed some drinks with David and Mandy Drinkard.  David was one of the first people I met at Furman and Mandy is one of my sorority sisters.  They moved to Orlando a little while ago–so glad we can see then when we’re in town!

The next morning, we went to our friend Lee’s art studio, where she creates beautiful glass works of art.  Check out her website.  She let us play with some glass and create some cool pieces.  She is very talented and has new designs coming out all the time.  Be sure to check out her cross collection and her Christmas ornaments.  They are beautiful and make great gifts!

Next stop:  Greenville, South Carolina where we stayed with Tyner, Zeke, and Adleigh Lollis (Tyner is one of my sorority sisters and was my Maid of Honor in our wedding) and saw lots of great friends!

Next stop:  Richmond, Virginia to see my baby brother, Patrick.  He works there as a lobbyist and political consultant.  It was our first time to Richmond since he moved there a year ago.  He showed us a great time in his new city!

Next stop:  Washington D.C. where we stayed with Matt and Elizabeth Kuhn and saw lots more friends from university.  Matt was John’s roommate for three years at Furman and Elizabeth is a dear friend of mine and a fellow Kentucky girl.  We’re destined to be friends for a long time…:)

After dinner, they took us to a rooftop with a fantastic view of the US Capitol.

The next day, we were on our own to do some exploring.  In true Candeto fashion, we fit in four museums, lunch, and the National Archives.

After exploring we met Matt and Elizabeth for dinner, where they had invited lots of our friends!

 

And after a wonderful evening of delicious southern food (yes, in DC!) and dear friends, Elizabeth and I just had to top it off with something sweet–in true KY girl fashion!

The next morning, we drove back to Kentucky.  What an amazing trip we had.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who hosted us, came out to see us, etc.  We are truly blessed to have so many great friends.  We love you all!!!  Come see us in London!!!  🙂