49 by 29: July 21 - Reunited!

 Philadelphia airport. 5 a.m.

Detroit airport. 8-ish a.m.

Indianapolis Starbucks. 3-ish p.m.

Coffee:

-House blend in a to-go cup from Peet's Coffee and Tea in the Philadelphia airport. Consumed while shaking off the haze of getting up at 4 a.m. to catch my 6 a.m. flight to Indianapolis.

-Medium roast in a to-go cup from the Coffee Beanery in the Detroit airport. Consumed with second breakfast while reading and killing time on my layover.
-Grande mocha lite frappuccino with whip at a Starbucks in Indy. Consumed on the way to getting my friend Sarah spray tanned for her upcoming wedding. Eeeeeeyyyy!

From the journal:
Said goodbye to Jer today. I will miss him but am so glad he so enthusiastically agreed to this adventure. We made great travel buddies. 49 down!

Said goodbye to the road today...at least this portion of the road. I will miss it but know I will always be "on the road" in some respect or another. It's in my blood.

I left Philly at 6 a.m., paused in Detroit, and landed in Indy at 11:30. I seriously thought I would pee my pants with excitement when Ben and Sarah picked me up! I can't believe it's been a year and a half since we last saw each other while working together at Operation Christmas Child in Denver. Guess it just goes to show that true friendships last over the miles (and travel over the miles to reunite whenever possible).

The day was spent running errands and doing wedding prep with Sarah and her maid of honor, Robin. We got Sarah a dress for rehearsal dinner, got Sarah spray tanned, got crafty stuff for her crafty wedding, got to meet Ben's parents and lots of other wonderful folks, and got tired. Or at least I got tired, so I took a nap while Sarah's bridesmaids gathered for a night of wedding prep and pre-wedding girl hangout time.

Later in the evening, I met up with my cousin, Nikki, and her family for frozen yogurt. It was so great to meet her husband and kids and get to know them! I do wish my extended family lived closer so we could know each other better, but we bonded right away. That's the beauty of family blood. A big THANK YOU to Nikki and Bennett and Caden and Eva for the wonderful evening!

Me and my cousin Nikki, her husband, Bennett, and their kids Caden and Eva enjoying some frozen yogurt goodness at the Orange Leaf in Indianapolis.