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If you’ve taken road trips out west, you know just how large those states are. Heck, it took us four days just get out of Texas! (Sorry, Tex)
Now that we’re in smaller states, we’re moving a little faster. That means we’ve worked four jobs in one week! That’s three whole days of work in one week! How do you people do it?!
I’m only partially joking here.
Here’s a snapshot of our last week:
- Tuesday: Oh My Cupcakes! and Shop Dog Boutique
- Friday: Wurst Bier Hall
- Saturday: Carlos Creek Winery
This week I’ve been blessed to indulge in gluten free cupcakes and gluten free pizza, treats I rarely am able to enjoy. And Carlos Creek Winery has some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted. Who knew Minnesota had great wineries?
Plus, we’ve been able to work through three states in one week, catching up to our schedule! After three long days of filming, we plan to take tomorrow off in Minneapolis. You can’t visit all 50 states without a trip to the Mall of America, right?
A few weeks ago, I talked about counting our blessings on this trip to better recognize all of the kindness being extended to us in our travels. Now that we are halfway through the month, Heath and I tallied up all of the meals, lodging, donations, and even free donuts given to us in the past two weeks. This number rounded up to a whopping $500.
Our lifestyle humbles us daily. We are greeted by smiling faces, befriend RV park neighbors, learn from everyone we meet. People buy us lunch and give us directions.
But most importantly, people invite us into their lives. One of the hardest things about life on the road is living without community. Our friends and family live miles away and it’s difficult to stay in touch.
But for one day during our jobs, we become part of a community that feels like family. We befriended the young bakers in South Dakota and clinked glasses with the servers in Minnesota. These are people who give us the one thing we really need: support. When we feel tired or discouraged on the road, new co-workers find a way to give us the support we need, right when we need it.
I feel confident that if I’m ever back in Alexandria, Minnesota or Albuquerque, New Mexico or any other place we’ve visited, that we would have friends welcoming us with open arms. And that is priceless.
