Newport Vineyards and Cliff Walk!

Today, we woke up and drove to Newport, Rhode Island. It was a bustling town full of confusion. We denied them ten dollar parking and walked down the streets looking for a restaurant. My iPhone spoke of a deli down the street and while on the hunt, Erica and I passed the most strikingly, frightening woman. She was a tall, sharp build with piercing eyes. I caught her stoney glare and I think my heart stopped for a second. It seemed she was chilling my very soul. Quite scary. She didn't even smile at Erica! Now that's crazy.

The deli was pretty delicious. We sat at the front of the little store and watched the people walk by. Erica and I tried to guess which ones were travelers and which were local.

After lunch, we drove to a winery called Newport Vineyards. We got a tour of the place and then did a wine tasting. They showed us the vineyards and the huge barrels where they store the wine.

The wine tasting was super fun. They gave us a long list of wines and we got to check off which ones we wanted to try. We tried about five reds and whites and two dessert wines. I enjoyed the whites.

The Pinot Grigio was my favorite. I'm not a huge red wine fan, but I liked their Gemini for the reds.

When our wine tasting experience was over, we giddily found our way to the cliff walk. It was a beautiful walk along the coast. We went through creepy tunnels and such. There were so many interesting smells. Some wonderful... and others like rotting seaweed. Best of both worlds.

Our destination for the next day was Cape Cod, so Erica and I drove to our next campground: Jellystone Park! Before we got there, we rented Did You Hear About the Morgans.

We really like watching movies, if you can't tell. :) It's so relaxing.

Burlingame Park: The Sequel!

Well, a neighbor took care of our bat problem. We got up late today, stepped outside, and... voila... bat gone. Thank you, Jesus!

Erica and I planned to leave for camping around four. Then, it happened like it always does, we had all this time to get ready and still left an hour late. Ha. Good thing no one was waiting for us.

On the way to the campsite, we ate at the Wilcox Tavern again. Got the same stuff, and surprisingly it wasn't as good as it was before. Hm. Maybe next time we should go for some variety? Erica and I just remembered how wonderful the restaurant was the first time and we wanted that experience again. However, the cheesecake and coffee was... there are no words to describe how delicious it was. Well, lesson learned:

Here's to brand new experiences (not recreating past ones)!

Since we weren't going to have internet at the campsite, Erica and I went to the coffee shop we had visited the first time we came round, parked, and bummed internet from there to download a movie. The coffee shop was closed because it was quite late, so I placed the computer right next to the back door for a better signal. Erica and I waited in the car and to pass the time, we watched Jim Gaffigan and Brian Regan videos on my iPhone. Haha.

When the movie was downloaded, we left Dave's Coffee Shop and drove to Burlingame. Our favorite! We slept in a cabin because there was a chance of rain and watched the old Parent Trap. It was simply delightful.

And then what happened...

We were planning on going camping today, but motivation was low and weather was rainy. Not a good day for camping.

So, we went to Barnes and Noble to catch up on travel journal and do random stuff. Erica wanted to do some research on Cape Cod: our next adventure.

She went on a walk through the mall after research and I worked on my Revelation book. As I was typing, a shadow covered up the pages of my Bible. I turned to see who it was and, as I did, something hit me in the head and everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, my eyes opened and focused on my surroundings. I was scrunched into the trunk of a car and could see a little crack of daylight shining. At first I started to panic, but then I remembered what Carman did when he got scared... He got righteously indignant and made evil pay. I knew I could do the same thing.

I ran my hands along the sides of the trunk to see if there were any possible defense weapons. That's when I felt a crow bar. I wrapped my fingers around it and then began to search for a possible latch to the door.

As I was doing this, the car stopped and I waited. The door slowly opened and I sprang out of the trunk, crow bar in hand. The mysterious man toppled back surprised. His hands went in front of his face as I started pounding him with my weapon.

He fell to the ground and I seized the opportunity. The driver's side door was open, so I hopped into the front seat. The key was still in the ignition. I revved it up and flung the car into reverse, accidentally running over the guy.

Luckily, I was familiar with the area. I pulled the car up to the mall and went back to my seat at Barnes and Noble. Erica wasn't back yet.

I picked up where I had left off with my book until Erica showed up. We ran by Target to get her a cardigan and tried to go to the post office. Then, for dinner: Taco Bell! Yum.

I talked to some people on the phone when we got back and Erica had a lie down (she slept). When she got up, we watched While You Were Sleeping...

...and ate ice cream and popcorn. Then we watched a mystery movie. We can't remember what it was.

The Bat

Today, we got up and discovered a baby bat struggling for life on the front porch. Yes, a baby bat. The thing had fallen from its home above the front door and was now writhing on the door mat. Ants were crawling all over it. *Shudder* It was disgusting. I tried to find a male on the premises to get rid of it...but no luck. So, we left it there.

Erica and I could still hear it squeaking in the kitchen, so I shut the windows and turned on some music to drown it out. I know... cruel. But they have diseases! And they're really gross.

At night, we had the privilege of going to a wine tasting party at Karen's friend's house. Erica and I brought brie and crackers. Sooo good. We met some very nice UConn people. One girl from Houston. Represent!

The wine was good... the cheese to die for! Ha. I love cheese. The weather was a little cold but compensated with good conversation. Overall, good and busy day.

We watched The Women later that night.

Pretty funny.

Craig Day

Today, we got up and packed for Craig's. McDonald's was the lunch choice where we tried a Mac wrap...it's a cheeseburger...in a wrap. Very interesting. Definitely would not be my first choice if I had to do it all again.

After McDonald's, I napped on the bed while Erica packed. Then, it was time to go pick up the key to Craig's house. We got the key from Karen and she took us to Craig's.

Craig's house was better than expected in some ways...and smelly in others. It was an older house with a basement so there was a moth ball aroma floating in the air.

For dinner, we went to Jack Rabbit's. They had this awesome burger with, and I quote, "Buffalo Blue cheese sauce, Gorgonzola cheese, lettuce, and celery salad." It was basically amazing.

After dinner, we discovered three different malls that had been hidden away. It was raining off and on. I believe we evaded wet pant legs. Thank goodness!

Erica and I got candles for Craig's house and Febreeze. It was very needed! And it kind of worked. A few blogs from now, I'll give you a run down of all the deodorizers we used and which ones were most effective. :)

That night, we watched Made of Honor. Very entertaining...

And then... bed.

Wickham Park

Today, Erica and I explored the many wonders of Wickham Park.

We made a picnic lunch to eat out in beautiful nature... but ended up eating it in the car because gnats were swarming around our heads outside. Plus, it was a little cold.

There were several gardens at the park. One catered to all the senses. They had different plants that had various textures, smells, tastes... we didn't eat any of it. Don't worry.

There was a... bird? garden. That one was pretty cool. It had these beautiful peacocks that spread their tails out to reveal awesome colors! Well, one was all white, but possibly even prettier than the colored one.

Another garden we went to was a Japanese garden. There were ducks there, which I'm sure is completely natural...

...And I couldn't resist. When there is a group of birds hanging out one must chase them. I think it's an unwritten law.

Our favorite garden was the English Garden. There were all these beautiful flowers, archways, and gazebos. Perfect place for senior pics!

Another special moment at the park was when Erica and I spotted a statue of St. Francis of Assisi! I love that guy's writing and his life story so I had to take a picture with him. I mean, how often does one see a celebrity like that?

After Wickham Park, we went to a very cold Starbucks (not the weird one). We stayed there for a few hours working on Texas stuff. Erica and I went to Taco Bell for dinner and it was delicious as usual.

We decided to go to a movie and the prices were outrageous! We saw Letters to Juliet.

It was cute and mildly entertaining. However, on the way back to Karen's we were both feeling very lost and down. Erica and I felt as though we had lost our original vision for this trip. We couldn't figure out why we thought we needed this much time for vacationing. What was next? So, when we got back to Karen and Paul's, we worked on our New England bucket list.

We put in a calendar a general idea of what we wanted to be doing. It felt good to plan again. The next day is goodbye Karen's house and moving on to Craig's.

Weird Moments... or people

We woke up earlier this morning. Hurrah! Erica and I didn't want to fall into a bad habit of sleeping away half the day. That would just be terrible.

We started out at Middle Grounds coffee shop to get some work done. Then we moved on to Starbucks--the weird one in Vernon. Erica went to run errands.

When she got back, we were about ready to go and then... it happened. An older couple began conversation with us. They had been sitting by me for about half an hour before Erica got there. The man looked a young sixty and he sat very relaxed in his chair. He held a cup of coffee casually and ranted to the woman sitting across from him about pretty much anything.

The lady looked about the same age except the years had not been as kind. She was completely bored with his stories. Nodding and saying, "Yes, I know. You told me." She said that quite a lot.

When Erica came to the table, they looked up and seemed quite inspired. They began conversation and before Erica and I knew it, we were there for another half hour listening to their stories. They had the craziest stories. Friends dying from freak snowmobile accidents, heads getting chopped off by barbed wire, drowning in ice covered waters... They discussed places they've lived... anyways, they just kept talking and talking with no sign of an end.

Erica and I decided after that monstrosity of a one-sided conversation, that it was high time we went to eat dinner. We left Starbucks and went to Thai Cuisine. It was very good and I ate way too much... as usual. Then, to top it off, we went to Dairy Queen. Ha. We know how to eat--us foodies. Then, we went back to Karen's. I believe, we watched the second half of Last Comic Standing with Karen and Paul. Then, Erica and I might've watched When Harry Met Sally. Not sure.

Thought for the Day

From the travel journal:

"Around me when I look, His handiwork I see; 

This world is like a picture book to teach His love to me."

- Jane E. Leeson

Today, the only handiwork Erica and I saw was the back of our eyelids, the t.v. screen, and the inside of a Cracker Barrell. We slept in until noon... and we were ashamed. We couldn't believe ourselves.

Our achievement for the day? We ate almost an entire tube of Pringles while watching Law and Order and You've Got Mail.

Karen came back and we all went to Cracker Barrel. I got chicken fried chicken. It was so good. We had a long, detailed conversation about marriage and what that entails. It was tons of fun mainly consisting of Erica and I asking Karen questions because obviously we don't have any personal marriage experience yet. This is us and marriage experience:

When we got back to the house, we watched the Bachelorette. Hey, gotta keep up with times. Funny stuff. And then we watched some of the Last Comic Standing.

We were taking a Connecticut Day. It's a new holiday if you weren't aware...

Question Mark Day

Today is Sunday. Karen and Paul ran errands and we... sat on the couch. I can't really recall what we watched or what we did...

I know that Paul made us breakfast. It was so good! He made us Juevos Rancheros.

Ingredients:
Fried egg
Black beans
Sour cream
Salsa
Jalapenos

The rest of the day, we watched Law and Order and read books...

Since Erica and I had sooo much to do, we ended up being late for church.

The setting of Karen and Paul's church was really cool. The chairs were set up in a circle with the band to one side and a table in the middle. Kind of awkward because I kept making eye contact with people I didn't know, but it was alright.

It was kind of like... singing, singing, singing, oh! they're looking at me! singing, singing, singing, ah! I just stared at someone a little too long! singing, singing, how you doin'? singing, singing, sing-- oops! I was not just staring into your soul...

There wasn't a sermon that day because they were doing a volunteer appreciation day of sorts. It was nice to see that so many people were involved in the church.

We also took communion that day. They did it in a cool way. We went up there together and told each other about what Christ had done and took communion. It was different. More meaning, I think.

After that, Erica and I went to Subway and then a UCONN dairy bar, named Daisy's. It was good ice cream! Kind of cold outside though. Erica and I were freezing in line and ran back to the car to eat our delicious desserts.

When we got back, we watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland with Karen and Paul. Refreshing day. :)