If you've been following along, you know that Alex, our pup Maddie, and I just made the drive back across country to relocate to Long Beach, California. Along the way we stopped in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Mt. Vernon, Asheville, NC, Nashville, Dallas, El Paso, and Phoenix. And we had a blast! Unfortunately, we seemed to hit most of our major destinations at night, so lots of photos came out far too dark to be enjoyable. We sifted through them and picked out our favorites, most of which are from Mt. Vernon, which was where we stopped the longest.
If you haven't been following along, catch up on the details in past posts here. 
When we left the East Coast there was still plenty of snow, as you can see in this first picture. We woke up in DC to a light dusting- nothing compared to what we left behind in Maine! You also may notice an adorable little pitty head snoozin' in the backseat...thats Maddie, our 4 year old, freakishly adorable pitbull. She was great on the drive, and spent most of the afternoons having puppy dreams in the backseat.

And here's Mt. Vernon! George Washington's home and life project. It took 30 years to expand the house from its modest beginnings to the grand home it is today, and we were lucky enough to catch a tour with a great tour guide. The property is owned, operated, and upkept by the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association, who we thank for keeping the house from ruin and allowing tours on the beautiful property. 

The view from the side entrance to the grand gardens, which unfortunately were pretty dead this time of year. All of the buildings were beautiful- and I was constantly surprised at the architectural details around the property.

Posing in the foreground of Alex's shot of the front of Mt. Vernon. On the backside flows the Potomac River (yep, the famous one from the painting on the shore), to the left side is the gardens, and to the right are orchards and livestock.

And views from the whole property, including some sheep that still reside in the barn, and the beautiful brick carriage house.

After Mt. Vernon we drove clear through to Tennessee and visited the Grand Ole Opry the next morning. It was a surprisingly large complex with a hotel, aquarium, and movie theatre on the property. We aren't much for country music, but I love all things historic, so it was great to check out. Plus, giant guitars were EVERYWHERE! After Tennessee we spent a night in Dallas and a night in Tucson before driving home. I wish I had more pictures of the last half of our trip, but by then we were sick of being in the car we made a serious effort to drive as many hours as we could. The one constant on our trip? Our ADORABLE pup. She was so great, and it was fun having her as a traveling companion. Now that we've arrived, we're spending lots of time unpacking, organizing, and making trips to Target. I'll update you with pictures of our place as soon as all the cardboard boxes leave the floor. We're just so happy to be back, and to be welcomed by such warm weather. Alex begins work Monday, and I have an interview with a vegan organization next week. Wish me luck!