Across The Dash

05/29/2026

Today the road split in two directions. And my heart along with it.

My son's groom dinner was north.
My daughter's medical emergency was south.

I was sitting almost exactly in the middle when the call came.

One road led to a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
The other led to a scared daughter whose kidney failure symptoms were getting worse while she was far from home.

So I turned the car around.

But tears were literally running down my cheeks as I did.

Not because I didn't know what choice to make.

Because sometimes life doesn't hand you clean choices.

Sometimes it hands you two people you love at the exact same time and says:

"Choose where you're needed most."

Some decisions just hurt no matter which direction you choose.

And people looking from the outside may never fully understand the weight behind certain choices because some things go deeper than you can explain in a Facebook post.

And honestly?

The last few weeks have felt a lot like that.

But maybe that's what the road is teaching me.

I started this journey thinking it was a gap year.
An adventure.
A chance to wander.

What I'm learning is that there is no such thing as a gap year for parents.

Not when your kids need you.
Not when life happens.
Not even when they're grown.

And the truth is...

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Of all the things I've done in my life, being a mom is one of my greatest honors.

Right behind being Nana.

Apparently that job doesn't come with vacation days either.

05/28/2026

I knew I had to do 4 states today but silly me … I didn’t account for the time change and now I am late to my son’s grooms dinner 😳🤦‍♀️

My Ford flex understood the assignment!

But I’ll be honest I am actually not going that fast. The app glitched for a minute. 😂

05/27/2026

Across The Dash TRAVEL HACK #35

One of the first things I do when I cross into a new state is stop at the welcome center.

Not just any rest area. Not the gas station.
Not even the iconic state food for the competition.
My 1st stop is the welcome center.

Honestly, they’ve become one of my “must see” parts of this road trip.

There’s just something about walking into a new state, talking to locals and immediately getting a feel for its personality.
Some have beautiful artwork and displays, some have incredibly kind staff who tell you about hidden gems nearby, and almost all of them have clean restrooms, picnic areas, maps, travel info, and enough snacks or caffeine to revive a tired traveler. 😅

It’s become my reset button between states.

A small pause to recap the last state before the next chapter of the drive.

What’s your go-to stop when you’re traveling?

05/25/2026

Yesterday I made a stop for the “iconic state food contest” for the famous Oklahoma onion burger… at Tucker’s on Route 66.

I’ll admit… when people first started telling me:
“You HAVE to try an onion burger in Oklahoma…”

…I wasn’t exactly convinced.

A burger with a mountain of onions smashed into it didn’t sound like something my tastebuds were going to write poetry about.

But then I took the first bite. And honestly?
Surprisingly good.

The onions cook down into this sweet, savory flavor that somehow tastes way better than it sounds. It feels like one of those old-school comfort foods that accidentally became legendary.

Now… slight plot twist:
The burger wasn’t fully cooked on the onion side. 😅

I’m not going to complain because I actually like my burgers medium, but I just sat there thinking:
“Well… this is either authentic Route 66 charm or Oklahoma is trying to kill me gently.”

Overall rating?
I’d give it a 5 out of 10

Not because it was bad… the first bite actually surprised me in a good way. But by the 5th bite… maybe not so much.

So if I’m doing an official cross-country food competition here, I gotta be fair and some states are bringing serious competition.

Fun fact:
Oklahoma actually has an official Onion Burger Trail.

Yes. A trail.
For burgers.

America is wild sometimes and honestly that’s why I’m loving this trip.

Now I need opinions:
What state do YOU think is going to win this food competition by the end of my road trip?

05/25/2026

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05/24/2026

So many drivers told me:
“It’s impossible”

I said…
“Watch me”

One thing this road trip is teaching me?

Fortitude

A lot of people say:
“You can’t do that.”

And I’ll admit…
it’s definitely not easy.
But I figure out how to do it anyway.

Today will be my 7th state driving for rideshare platforms as I cross the country.

But this map shows how complicated the backend system really is.

Today I switched my Uber driving region to Missouri while sitting in Kansas. The switch itself only took a few minutes.

Then I opened the map…

…and this map perfectly illustrates my entire experience with these platforms.

Suddenly I’m approved in this random patchwork across the Midwest:
Missouri, Iowa, parts of Ohio, random pieces of Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana… somehow even the sides of South Dakota.

But then there are tiny missing sections everywhere like somebody spilled whiteout on the map and just left it that way. 😂

What most people don’t realize is rideshare driving across the country isn’t as simple as: “Turn the app on and drive.”

But it’s also not impossible like many drivers tried to imply when I talked about my plan.

Every state has different rules.
Different inspections.
Different insurance requirements.
Different background check systems.
Different markets.
Different pay structures.

Some states make it easy but others act like you’re applying for federal clearance just to pick up a passenger. 😂

And honestly?
Figuring it out has become part of the adventure.

Every time I hit a roadblock, somebody inevitably says:
“See? You can’t do it.”

Meanwhile I’m over here like:
“I’m doing it” 😎

Because this trip was never about doing things the traditional way.

It was about learning how to find a way forward in real time.
One goal,
one step,
one mile,
one city,
and one state at a time.

Not just through the platforms systems…
but through my own doubts and fears too.

Pushing forward.
Adapting.
Problem solving.
Finding a way to make it happen.

And somehow…
little by little…
I keep finding a way forward.

And those whiteout spots on the map?

I’ll figure those out too.

But for today…

Missouri, get ready because I’m on my way! 😄

05/23/2026

People love posting the glamorous side of travel.
The sunsets. The cute coffee shops. The “look how free I am” moments.

Then there’s me… posting the unflattering reality.

Yesterday I was in a Texas truck stop parking lot with my hood up asking strangers if they had jumper cables. 😂

My battery completely died… And no one had a jump!?

But here’s the part that made me feel like a winner…

I originally got my Planet Fitness Black Card membership mostly because it made sense for road life. Showers. Message chairs. Rapid workouts. Red light enhancement. Stretching. WiFi and a place to reset for a minute. That’s all a must for my travel life.

But it also came with AAA coverage and streaming perks… and other perks, which ended up saving me money twice. First when I canceled subscriptions before this trip… and then yesterday when my dead battery turned into a free roadside assistance call instead of a giant unexpected expense.

And THAT is the kind of travel budgeting travel hack nobody really talks about.

Not just finding cheap things… but building little systems that save you when life inevitably goes sideways.

Because eventually it will. 😂

And honestly?
That membership probably paid for itself yesterday in one single moment.

**Disclaimer before anyone asks…
no, I’m not getting paid for this ad. 😂
I’m just a woman driving across America accidentally discovering that my gym membership apparently comes with roadside rescue and emotional support.

Honestly though… what’s the most random membership perk you’ve ever actually used in real life?

05/22/2026

I came to Amarillo ready to judge Texas BBQ for my ‘State food competition’…

…and somehow ended up taking selfies with the Tyler and getting a personal BBQ breakdown from the pit boss himself.😂

This trip keeps proving something:
The best parts of travel are usually the unexpected people you meet along the way.

Full Across The Dash video coming later… but here’s a little taste of Texas. 🤠🔥

PS: it was BOMB!

And honestly, heading into weekend and the unofficial start of , this just feels like a good reminder to appreciate the freedom to gather, travel, laugh, and share meals together while remembering the people who made that freedom possible.

05/22/2026

When I started this trip, Route 66 sounded romantic.
Freedom. Adventure. The open road.

What nobody talks about is the in-between.

The exhaustion.
The uncertainty.
The nights wondering if you’re crazy for even trying.
The constant balancing act of work, gas, sleep, bills, editing videos in parking lots, and somehow still trying to enjoy the journey while living it.

Today I pulled up to the halfway point of Route 66.
And for a second… I just sat there staring at the sign.

Because halfway points hit different in life.

Sometimes they’re exciting.
Sometimes they make you realize how far you still have to go.
And sometimes they quietly remind you:
“Look how far you’ve already come.”

A year ago, this version of my life didn’t even exist yet.
Now I’m out here crossing America in my white Ford Flex with Amarillo by Morning playing through the speakers, chasing stories one mile at a time.

And somewhere out here between Chicago and Santa Monica…
between old neon signs and empty highways…
this stopped feeling like just my journey. It started feeling like ours

~~❤️~~

05/21/2026

🌶️ NEW MEXICO understood the assignment. 🌶️

Today’s official Across The Dash State Food Challenge stop:
Monroe’s Restaurant

I asked locals where I should try authentic New Mexican food before leaving the state… and Monroe’s kept coming up over and over again.

So I walked in but I was completely overwhelmed by the menu 😂 and Tiffany helped me narrow it down to something iconic:

🔥 Enchiladas Montadas (stacked enchiladas)
🔥 “Christmas style” chile
🔥 beef, chicken & carne adovada
🔥 calabacitas
🔥 Puerto Rican beans
🔥 all the onions apparently 😂

For those outside New Mexico…
These are NOT the rolled enchiladas most of us grew up with.

Here, they stack the tortillas flat, smother everything in red & green chile, melt cheese over the top, and create what can only be described as spicy edible architecture.

And honestly?
The SIDES deserve recognition too.

The calabacitas had this savory seasoned squash flavor that felt homemade instead of “restaurant side dish filler,” and the Puerto Rican beans were completely different from the standard refried beans you usually get everywhere else.

The carne adovada though…
THAT was the mic drop. 🔥

Also New Mexico has this saying:
“A day without chile is like a day without sunshine.”

After today, I get it.

This officially enters the Across The Dash State Food Competition before I continue east toward Texas.