A Chance Meeting...

Well folks we made it! That's right....we are in Oklahoma City! We arrived to Kaylyn's house on Saturday night and enjoyed a nice steak dinner with her family! I'll admit....I'm quite glad to be out of the car and sleeping without any snoring noises from my fellow traveler

So many of you are probably thinking, "But what about Pops??? He didn't have any dates!" Well fear not...as it turns out Pops had a date all along!

It all began back in February when Charlie went to visit his brother in Denver. While there he happened to meet up with a lovely lady (we'll call her Ms. Denver). They hit it off, exchanged emails and began a nice friendship. As life would have it the two would meet again.....not in Denver....but in Oklahoma!!!

As fate would have it, her son happens to live 3 minutes away from Kaylyn! And she just so happened to be visiting OKC the same weekend we arrived! Is that meant to be or what! But due to our late arrival on Saturday, the two were not able to meet.....

So with a sad heart Charlie had to leave OKC on Sunday without seeing his lady friend....but who should we see as we pulled up to the airport....you guessed it Ms. Denver! To our surprise her flight was leaving at the same time! We all hugged, laughed, and enjoyed a brief hello.

So you see....you just never know who you might meet in a different state!

(Unfortunately due to our shock we forgot to snap a photo....but believe me....she was very charming!)

So my friends ends a lovely journey out west...but who knows....perhaps there may be a few dates in OKC! I'll keep y'all posted!

A soak in the Baths

When I first began planning our trip to OKC was determined to make this one stop...Hot Springs Arkansas. Many of you are probably asking "Why???" but my friends I wanted to sit and relax in the natural hot springs of the Ozark Mountains.....and keep in mind after traveling in the car for four days you would want a nice soak too!

When we first pulled into Hot Springs I wasn't too impressed....the town was very run down and I was a bit skeptical. But then we hit the historic district lined with the many bath houses built in the 1900's. There were cute shops and restaurants as well as interesting architectural buildings.

So the next morning

and I went to soak in the original Buckstaff Baths which were built in 1912. I chose this bathhouse because I wanted to experience the traditional baths instead of soaking in a large pool of natural spring water. In this bath house men and woman are separated, men staying on the first floor and women on the second floor.

The first step in this traditional style bath house was to soak in your own individual tub filled with the hot water coming from the springs. All I can say is it was heavenly! Next, you are wrapped in a sheet and transported to a Sitz bath, which looked like a little tub that we would use for pedicures. But nope.... your feet don't go in this tub....instead your bottom does! Apparently these baths are good for lower back pain and hemorrhoids....hahahha. Let's just say this one wasn't my favorite.

Next I was wrapped back into my sheet and brought to a chamber that looked like a shower stall with a bench in it. This was the steam room. There were metal doors with a round cut out for your head to stick out of. I was instructed to sit on the bench while she closed the doors around me. Only my head was above the steam and a towel was wrapped around my neck. At first it felt wonderful...hot steam all over my body....but then I became too hot! And then I became cluster-phobic because I felt like my head was disconnected from my body! It truly is a weird sensation to have your head separated from your body! I lasted about 15 minutes before finally escaping the steam chamber!

Wasn't too sure what was coming next but I figured my hour was almost be over so how bad could it be! But the last step turned out to be lovely. I was wrapped back in my sheet and told to lie down on a padded table. Then my body was wrapped in hot towels and a cool compress was placed on my forehead. I laid there for a while slowly drifting off to sleep. I have never felt more relaxed! Unfortunately they only let you lie there for about 20 minutes!

I am now convinced I will be returning to Hot Springs in order to experience all the bath houses! What a unique experience and wonderful way to learn about a historical pastime of the early Americans.

FYI: The pictures of me in the tub, steam chamber, and benches are in a museum....I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the actual bath house....too many naked bodies:)

Oh and of course I found a cupcake shop...the name was quite fitting.....

Well Hello Nashville....

I have fallen in love with Nashville....what a beautiful little city! I was quite surprised to find that it looked like an old western town but then again it is the country music capital....

But I didn't just see sites in Nashville.....that's right folks....I had a date! And for privacy sake we'll just call him Mr. Nashville! He was quite the southern gentleman...picked me up...opened all the doors....and treated me to a nice dinner. Turns out this southern cutie grew up on a farm....I mean really....how much more wholesome can you be! While the conversation was a bit...ummmm...interesting (who knew the topic of farming could last 3 hours...) I quite enjoyed myself! Let's just say I may be paying Nashville another visit.....

You may be asking, "Well what about Charlie....where was his date??" Well folks, he fell in love with a truck stop waitress back in Kentucky....

I had a date with a Stalagmite

Who knew Kentucky had the world's longest cave system with approximately 390 miles of mapped caves....I didn't! But let me tell you...it was quite impressive! Although I would have preferred to put on a hard hat and light in order to venture into the world of spelunking....we opted for the shorter "historic" tour and walked through 2 miles of Mammoth Caves. Even found ourselves squeezing through "Fat Man's Misery" all to duck our heads as we entered into a narrow passageway landing in the deepest part of the cave. I will definitely be returning to this National Park with the hopes of more spelunking adventures...

I had a date with Frank....

And he stood me up.....that's right....Frank Lloyd Wright....

Our agenda today was to visit Fallingwater, a house designed by Wright for the Kaufmann family back in the 1930's. I have always wanted to see this amazing house built on a waterfall but to my surprise as we pulled into the site we were turned away as this historic landmark is closed on Wednesdays....

So we hit the road traveling through West Virginia on our way to Lexington, Kentucky. What a beautiful drive through the mountains with spring in full bloom! After a quick loop through Lexington (which is quite nice I must say) we headed to the race tracks... Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and is ranked #1 in horse tracks within the USA. The grounds were breathtaking and I now long to come back in my dress and big hat and shout "Move your bloomin Ass..."

What do you mean "A date a state"

A little background information....

Charlie: A recent widower, who lacks the knowledge and skills necessary for the current dating trends, begins his journey into the world of dating in the 20th century.

Bridget: A broken hearted graduate student, who once again finds herself thrust into the frenzied dating world, hopes to one day find Mr. Right.

So as I began to ponder life's events it occurred to me....My father and I are dating at the same time! How can this be? How could this happen? If we both decided to online date would he accidentally come across my profile (because we all know men like younger chicks)?? Would we potentially end up at the same restaurant with our dates?? I mean really...what 20 something female has to think about these things....well apparently I do!

As my schooling takes me across country to the great state of Oklahoma, my father and I decided to embark on a road trip....and so the brilliant idea of A Date A State was born.

Now originally I thought it would be quite entertaining if my father and I had dates in each state we passed through. It wouldn't matter who they were or what the date would entail....all we would need is a picture. The crazier the people the better. I mean really, who doesn't love a crazy date story. Due to time constraints and my lack of organized packing, lining up dates in each state did not happen. So instead we are heading out onto the open road in search of adventure...and possibly a few dates along the way.