Road Trip

I'm leaving today for my (almost) annual trek to the Mid-West. I'm flying to Chicago today to visit with my long-time friend, Tammy. Tomorrow, we'll pack up the car and drive 6 hours to glorious Dayton, OH. We're going to WGI - Winter Guard International. The Color Guard Championship Competition that I've been attending since 1996. I've only missed two since then - I don't know whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing! ;)

Our trip these days really isn't about the color guard competition at all. Truth be told, we only go to watch about 4 hours of the top guards on Saturday night, and that's it. What I'm looking forward to is what happens after the competition! Hundreds of people make their way from the UD Arena to the Marriott Hotel about a mile away. We all hang out in the lobby, the bar, and the banquet rooms - sipping on cocktails, and socializing with old friends. Tammy and I routinely still 'til 4:00am or so. Since I used to move to the Mid-West (1 year in Dayton, and 2 years in Madison, WI) to participate in specific color guards, a lot of my friends from those years still live in the mid-west. It's such a wonderful opportunity for us to visit with so many friends who we only see once a year.

Tammy and I look forward to this trip every year. There's nothing like a good 'ol road trip to catch up with an old friend!

We'll be doing all the usual things: big breakfasts each morning (including the ever-decadent Bob Evan's!) a stop or two at Dairy Queen (mmmmm.... Blizzards!) a trek to Graeters Ice Cream in Cincinnati, a Chicago-style deep dish pizza..... Yep, it's basically all about the food! ;)

And last but not least, there's the day-trip from Dayton to Hebron, Kentucky when we drive to the Gap Clearance Center! Yes, we really do drive to the next state over just to find some bargains!

I almost forgot to mention: I just bought "Road Trip Attire" for us to wear our Ohio adventure. Christopher found them for me at a cool t-shirt store on Castro Street. They are brown t-shirts with an outline of the state of Ohio. The best part is the text that's written around the state:

"Friends don't let friends live in Ohio"

That's my new motto.