Why I Farm Roadtrip Countdown: 2 Days to Go

Today was another full day of preparing and packing for Why I Farm Roadtrip! (You can read about the work I've done so far here, here, here and here.) I can't wait to hit the road Sunday! My first stop is the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art's Grant Wood Studio.

Better safe than sorry! Wish me luck I
never need to use my new spare k

This morning started bright and early with a stop at Ames Ford to pick up my spare key. I bought my car used a couple years ago so it only came with one. I figured it's better to be safe than sorry and get a spare, but I hope I never have to use it!

When I got home, I put in a few hours on the laptop working on emails and AgSolver social media. It's a challenge to stay on top of all my emails, but I'm learning slowly but surely. I hope I get better as I spend more time on the road.

For a break, I went out to my car and rearranged. My cooler will help me stay on budget so I'm not eating out all the time, but it takes up so much space! I turned it sideways to free up more space on the back seat for my camera bag, but now any front seat passengers have to sit with their knees in the dash. I also took the headrests off the back seat. No one will be riding back there and it will increase my visibility. Packing such a small car is like a giant jigsaw puzzle!

After that, I had to get back to work writing and emailing. I confirmed everything for my stop at the Grant Wood Studio in Cedar Rapids and sent off a few emails to Cedar Rapids news outlets. It paid off! Later in the afternoon I got a call from the Cedar Rapids Gazette wanting to know more about my story. I'll be meeting them on Sunday at the Grant Wood Studio and can't wait to see their article.

Thanks, Iowa Beef!

I got the call from the Gazette just as I was heading out the door to the Iowa Beef office. Brooke with Iowa Beef messaged me in the morning saying they'd been following my trip preparations and wondered if they could help me out. I was so surprised! I can't thank them enough for their generosity. I came home with hot pads and other goodies for my Why I Farm Roadtrip hosts and additions to my new 50 state sticker and t-shirt collections. I put the stickers on my cooler right away. They look great! I feel so good knowing I can get fresh, healthy beef on the road thanks to the beef certificates they gave me. Although I'm beyond excited to kick off this adventure, I know there will be days on the road I'm exhausted and missing home. It means so much to know people back in Iowa will be cheering me on.

My 50 state sticker collection is off to a great start!
Thanks, Iowa Beef!

After finding places to pack away all the goodies from Iowa Beef, I needed a break! Packing is hard work. My boyfriend came over to watch Netflix while I cleared off all my camera's memory cards. It felt so good to just lay around and do almost nothing for a while.

Now it's back to email and writing until I start to doze off. I better get a few more sent off before it's time to turn out the lights. Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!