Tuesday, December 04, 2007

In Flux

So, here I sit on my sister's couch with the TV on mute (a re-run of Gilmore Girls is on) and two sweet little dogs curled up next to me. They'd be on my lap right now, but that's where my computer is. I am all moved into my sister's house. Granted, many of my boxes are still in her living room, but all I'm waiting for is the green light from my brother-in-law as to where in the basement to put them.

This is the first stop on the "downsizing my life" trip. If you remember, I gave up my apartment to save money. I am leaving for my cross-country roadtrip to Las Vegas in about a week and a half. I'm nervous about all the driving, but excited to see all the different places in the country decorated for the holidays. Living and cooking in another person's house is difficult. We made different things for dinner last night, but she was super understanding and didn't judge. I did have a glass of wine afterwards, but just one. I think maintenance is going to be very challenging while I live here for two weeks, travel cross country staying with relatives along the way and then move-in with my parents in Vegas. I don't think my parents are ready for me to cook something different for dinner than what they are having. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. They have been supportive all along my weight loss, I hope they will be understanding when I move in.

So, here's my route for my cross-country road trip:

Start: Northern Virginia (outside Washington D.C.)
Stop: Savannah, GA
Stop: Tampa, FL
Stop: Jackson, MS
Stop: Abilene, TX (or somewhere in Texas)
Stop: Marfa, TX
Stop: Albuquerque, NM
End: Las Vegas, NV (hopefully on December 24th or 25th!)

Any suggestions of places to stay, things to eat or places to (quickly) see while I am in one of these cities would be greatly appreciated. Oh! and suggestions about what to take in the car to eat and have on hand so I don't succumb to Wendy's frosties for all my nutrition would be greatly appreciated.

4 comments:

Jules said...

Thank you so much for the mention of Kate Harding's site in your last post. I really like what she has to say.

What a great trip you are going to have.

Vickie said...

This is what I do:

Take cooler with

Peeled hardboiled eggs.

Large baggies with cut/washed veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced onions, etc) - that I can eat as is or combine into a "salad".

I cook my own chick peas - but canned could work too - added to salads.

Can(s) of water pack tuna (remember a hand can openner) - can be added to salads.

Good quality chicken or turkey (sliced thick or in chunks) can be added to salads too. Easy to get just a slice or two from the deli.

I don't mind Rye Crisp crackers - so I take those as "bread" and then good quality thin sliced turkey from the deli. A little PepperJack Cheese goes a long way for me. I can do open faced "sandwiches" with the crackers, turkey and cheese.

Sliced cucumbers make good "bread" too for these open faced things. anything you would spread on a cracker (hummas) you can spread on cucumber.

I take brown mustard and a couple dressings that I can use on a lot of different stuff.

There are lots of canned fruit options now that are packed in fruit concentrate (no added sugar) pineapples, mandarain oranges, pears, peaches, etc. Easy to pack a large container of lowfat cottage cheese or low fat plain yogurt to add to fruit.

I pack lots of sharp knives, rubbermaid containers with lids for storage and for serving pieces, wipes, plastic spoons and forks, a roll of paper towel, several cases of water, several packages of different size zip lock baggies, flashlight, measuring cups, dishsoap (I have washed "dishes" with bottled water and a couple drops of dishsoap at rest stops more than once), plastic plates (thick kind), roll of paper towel, etc.

My husband and I could drive coast to coast with only stopping for coffee (him not me) and not eating any restaurant food at all.

Even with the kids - we manage to eat mostly our own food and very little processed or restaurant.

Martalu said...

Holy crap I can't believe you're going to Marfa! I've never been there, and I've heard it's the bees-knees! COOOOOOOL!

Abilene sucks ass, so hubby and I found a short-cut through the wind farms where we totally avoid that place. You should come to Austin instead!

For road trips, I usually pack cut fruit, cut veggies, granola, Pirate Booty, water, and Crystal Lite. It got me to California with no problem, but you're going way longer than I've ever road tripped!

HOW EXCITING!!!

Cory said...

WOW. Someone's actually going to stop in MS? That doesn't already live here? I think I'm in shock. Unfortunately, I'm not really familiar with the Jackson area so I have no suggestions.
Hope you have a great trip!