Goodbye road, hello home!

Our trip is complete, this is officially our last blog post until our next journey. Last night we were greeted at Melissa's parents house with the heartwarming smell of homemade meatballs on the stove and our families. It was fitting to arrive home on the day of Melissa's Birthday. 

 It feels like just yesterday that we were headed off to our first stop in Montreal Canada. The weather was brutally cold but our determination to go on this trip was unchangeable. Now we are at the point of figuring out what we will do upon our arrival home. This trip was meant to help broaden our creativity and show us new ways of thinking. We are not sure where it happened exactly, but there was a moment when our brains wiped clean and we finally could start thinking again. Sometimes it is funny how close your next opportunity in life is but you are too busy to notice. With that being said, Melissa and I have decided to officially partner up and run Melissa Stimpson Photography straight to the moon! I (Marc) will be taking over for the commercial sales for the company. I have been working as a successful sales professional for most of my life, but now I truly love the company I am working for. 

Now that you know about our next big adventure lets see some fun topics from the road trip:)

What We Learned About One Another:

Melissa learned about Marc:

1. Grows an awful beard
2. Very quiet driver
3. Sings because he enjoys it not because he is in tune
4. Can relate to every country song
5. Is fearless when it comes to Karaoke 
6. Makes a great meal on an open fire
7. Never knows what day it is
8. Comes up with ridiculous business ventures constantly
9. Is offended if I don't think his jokes are funny
10. He is a great writer

Marc learned about Melissa:

1. Morning, noon, or night Melissa can fall asleep without notice
2. She is not fond of Super 8 Motels
3. She won a hotdog eating contest in middle school
4. great navigator and map reader
5. She will try anything once
6. Fun to argue with
7. No matter where we go, people think they know Melissa
8. She doesn't think I'm funny
9. Is only allergic to Western Mass
10. Makes a great boss

Our Roadtrip Essentials:

• Melissa's yellow fanny pack
• Marc's Cape Cod Sweatshirt
• Clark's Desert Boots
• iPhone
• 6 Disc CD Changer
• yelp.com
• priceline.com
• American Express 
• Road Atlas
• Camera - Nikon D700
• Laptop - MacBook Pro
• Wal-Mart special Buck Knife
• VW Jetta

What Didn't Make the Blog:

• The fact that we never used a GPS the entire trip
• Our good friend Julia rode around in Las Vegas on a motorized scooter 
• The VW battery dying in Dallas because the lights were left on
• Melissa's daily naps
• Mastering the duet of Lady Antebellum's song "I need you now"+ Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's "Picture"
• Marc was cleaning out the car and accidentally mixed the car keys with the trash and threw them away. We looked for over 30 minutes until we realized that they could be in the trash... 
• Marc ate alone at an all you can eat sushi buffet in Las Vegas
• the Goatee
• The speeding ticket in South Carolina
• Because the Goatee made Marc look completely different his ID was rejected at the Longhorns Bar during super bowl Sunday
• The infinite Charlie Sheenism's

Who we listened to:

• John Mayor
• Damien Rice
• Jack Johnson
• Matt Costa
• Bronze Radio Return
• Zac Brown Band
• Keith Urban
• Fleetwood Mac
• Eric Church
• James Taylor
• Riannah
• Gregory Paul
• Kings of Leon
• Florence and the Machine "the dog days are over"
• Adele
• Celine Dion

We would like to say thank you to everyone for their continued support of Melissa and I. Without the love from our friends and family surely this trip wouldn't have happened. With this experience we have learned to jump out of our comfort zone and take a risk every now and then so you can feel the excitement and surprise in life. We hoped we have inspired our readers and brought a smile to your day over these past 6 weeks.

Days traveled: 51

With much love,

Marc and Melissa Stimpson

Virginia

Welcome to the 2nd to last post from the adventures of M&M. We will be home in a few days and will have one final post with all of the fun filled events that never made the blog. Now on to our most recent adventure...

Because we have always heard great things about Williamsburg and the surrounding areas, we made sure to put it on our list of stops. While the touristy feel of Williamsburg was over whelming at times we felt as if we were on a field trip against our will, it was still an amazing blast from the past. The best part was when we decided to head down the colonial parkway to Yorktown. The draw to this city for me was the Revolutionary War battlefields. To learn about the this little battle called the Revolutionary War was an enlightening experience:) If you have yet to hear about the history of this war be sure to travel to the Battlefield of Yorktown and ask for Ranger Mac for the full story. 

After hearing about all of the battle stories and tactics of Yorktown, we headed to Jamestown before sundown. Well, we were sorry to learn that Plymouth was not the first settlement in America, it was actually Jamestown. This was also where the Disney character Pocahontas was originally from. Enjoy the photos of how our country came to be.

Days Traveled: 49

M&M

Williamsburg

 Yorktown

 Jamestown

Savannah & Charleston

Not sure why they call it the dirty south because there is nothing dirty about either of these places. We thought a more accurate nickname would be the "Charming South" But then again, I cant recall any rappers that are repping Savannah or Charleston as their hood. We will begin with our visions of Savannah and work our way into the very different feel of Charleston. 

Over the years I have fallen in love with the overly buttered, oiled, and salted food that Paula Dean has been putting in front of the television. I just love the way she has so much fun while she is cooking and you can feel her personality through the television. Well, she is from the quaint city of Savannah and she actually owns the most successful restaurant in town called "Lady and Sons". There is a charm about this southern city that carries through everything. Sometimes you have to look through the tourists traps and tourists themselves to see it, but spend enough time exploring and you are sure to find it. Although it was tempting to do the Horse drawn carriage, we walked throughout the city for the entire day so we could see everything and save $40.  During our walk we stumbled upon many different town squares with their own statues and unique gardens in each of them. We also tried to visit as many of the historical homes as possible during our walk. Since we were 4 days early of St. Patricks day, the city was fairly quiet and we weren't sure what to do after dinner. We did some research and decided to be those corny tourist who take the Ghost tours through the city in a hearse at midnight. Let me tell you, this was one of the best ways to see the city. The ghost stories were both funny and scary at the same time, which is great for us since we are big wimps. After tossing and turning all night from the scary stories, we packed up and headed for Charleston S.C. 

When we arrived in Charleston we were surprised at how developed it was. I guess we were expecting it to be more like an old colonial or beach town. But it had a great mix of beaches, historical homes, parks, and trendy shops and restaurants. Because of the College campuses close by, the city has a young and vibrant feel. It truly makes for an interesting mixture of the new world meeting the old world. Once again we passed on the horse drawn carriage ride and walked through the city. There are not too many pictures of this city because we were limited on time and we were too busy shopping. So if you are looking for a place that is close to the beach, full of history, has a great mix of restaurants, unlimited shopping, and has a great night scene, then Charleston just might be the perfect place for you. 

Days traveled: 47

M&M

 Savannah, GA

 Charleston, SC