Roadtrip Blog

Alrighty, who’s ready to cry? 

I am so excited to share with you guys that I made it on the Faces of Fentanyl memorial Wall!

Initially, the DEA museum was not able to fit us on the wall, but after finding a duplicate submission, they suddenly had room for me. Do you believe in miracles?! I sure as hell do!

Whew! It feels good to finally share that news. And I don’t know how Amelia managed to keep it a secret! That girl usually can’t keep her mouth shut about things like this. 

We found out I was on the wall the very next day after posting that I wouldn’t be. We didn’t want to share the news with anyone right away because we didn’t want to jinx anything. 

But we found out not a moment too soon. We had just lost Tucker, we found out Cody Degrave somehow obtained a good lawyer, and we just felt like everything was falling apart. 

We even thought about going home. 

I am so glad we didn’t, y’all. There are no words to describe how it feels to be recognized as a person, not just a statistic. It was an emotional day, for sure. My mom was an emotional wreck.

This moment only happened with the help of Lauren, another glorious member of Shatterproof. Her persistence and enthusiasm are unmatched for any bad news that comes our way. She took initiative to personally contact the museum. We could not have gotten here without her help, as well as the help of the DEA museum coordinator, Chaise, and the director, Kevin. Thank you, everyone!

So remember, set backs happen. What’s important is to keep going. I know, huge cliche, but it’s true!

Like my mom says, where there’s breath, there’s hope. 

I’m on a federal memorial!

Our damn fan broke, and if you know me, you know I can't sleep without my fan! Luckily, the front desk had one we could borrow for the night. 

But OMG, you guys, we are in the home stretch! These last few days at NYC were amazing. We got to meet Maritza, one of the many faces of Shatterproof! When we reached out to the organization, we only hoped for them to follow and share our page. She has gone above and beyond! She wrote the article about our trip and has been so supportive of our journey. Thank you, Maritza for everything.

Central Park was beautiful, and Marvin did surprisingly well in Times Square. He managed to avoid getting trampled in the rain.

We spent a whole day at the 9/11 memorial and could have spent more time. I was in 4th or 5th grade when it happened, but I didn't quite understand the impact. Visiting this memorial, you don't have a choice but to understand. Very powerful, y'all, like seriously.

Only one stop left!

Meelzie and I tried to spoil mom on her big day! We went glass blowing at a cool place called Belfire before leaving Maine, which was amazing! I got to be a big part of the pieces they made. And mom wanted to see that flea market from the show Flea Market Flip, Elephant's Trunk. It was full of old stuff, yay. She liked it though, so that's what's important. Happy Mother's Day, mom! You better know how much I love you.

Maine has been bittersweet. We took a Steven King tour and visited some cute coastal towns. Mom and Amelia bought more candy. I swear, I see cavities in their future. 

The not-so-sweet part was having to say good-bye to Tucker. But there is a little bit of comfort in the knowledge that he is now living his best afterlife with me, in an eternal car ride. 

This is something that we considered might happen when we decided to take Tucker and Marvin on this trip. Tucker was 11 years old and was definitely slowing down. Yet, the light shone so bright in his eyes that we held onto hope that he would make it home. 

Nevertheless, he didn’t. Tucker became too tired to stand and wouldn’t even get up for treats. When that dog doesn’t move for a treat, you know something is up. But we are trying to take comfort in the knowledge that we gave him the best last two month of life he could have asked for. Tucker loved car rides so much that he often refused to patiently wait long enough for Marvin to go potty before tugging everyone toward the car. 

He loved swimming, taking himself for walks, and burped like a human. 

He had a lot of personality!

Tucker was my mom’s rock, and I can’t do much more to ease the pain, but I can assure her that he is with me. 

If you zoom in to the bottom left corner of the first photo, you'll see a rainbow. It is just below the bridge, which is called Rainbow Bridge, and this bridge connects Canada and the US over Niagara Falls. Meelzie took this photo and we can't stop staring at it. 

We also stopped in Montréal to see the Notre-Dame Basilica and just wow. Wow, wow, wow. 

Real talk, y’all. Substance use disorder, aka addiction, is not pretty. And it is often stemmed from mental health. I know for me it was! And everyone knows that drug use can lead to overdoses. What y’all may not know yet is that Narcan, an antidote to opioid overdoses, has been used to save many people from overdosing. Fatal overdoses happen because people don’t know how to take proper action right away once overdose symptoms present. These symptoms could include pale/blue fingernails and lips, vomiting, and loss of consciousness.

Nalaxone Nasal Sprays such as Narcan are now being sold over the counter and can reverse overdose symptoms almost instantly. This can and will save the lives of millions of people who will overdose. Because the reality is, Overdosing is the leading cause of accidental death in the US. A lot of people think this will never happen to them or anyone they know, but Fentanyl is in nearly everything sold on the street nowadays, even caffeine pills and Aspirin. So please be careful. Don’t buy anything from anyone you don’t trust. And remember to keep Narcan on you. It just might save lives.

There are many resources out there that will tell you where to buy it, but Good Rx does more than that. It will tell you where you can get it for free. Good Rx also has information on other harm reduction resources such as fentanyl testing strips.

A link to their website is in our bio! Oh, and Amelia wants me to tell you we’re not sponsored by Good Rx, we just really think its an excellent resource!

Dang, if I had only known about Mackinac Island a long time ago! I think I would have settled down here. Well, settle down might not be the right word choice because it gets crazy in the summertime. I could have been a millionaire, though. The server we talked to at Mustang Bar and Grill told us it's possible to make over $20,000 in tips during the summer. And I don't even need a driver's license! No cars allowed, you guys! Only bikes and old school horses and buggies. Not to mention how charming the streets look with their cute little shops. And two Great Lakes. I could go on and on. Meelzie and mom feel the same way. Although, Meelzie keeps pronouncing it "Mack-in-ack" on purpose. I can't believe my grandma didn't live here. She loved horses and had a stable full of them.

Speaking of family, We had a very fun time at our cousin, Kaylynn's house. She and her family are so cute, I'm so proud of her. She and I have always had a special bond, so I am very glad we were able to spend time with her and the rest of our crazy awesome Michigan Family.

Marvin and Tucker got to run around in her fenced-in yard. Sorry that Tucker kept stealing the kiddos' toy balls! 

We got scratchies!

We lost, but it helped make the long driving days not so lame. We also met an amazing woman name Jen Hubbard in Wisconsin. She is in recovery for both opiates and alcohol and she is such a strong and inspiring person, like seriously y'all. She and her family host a marathon that raises funds for recovery resources. Anyone in this area please consider supporting!

I don't know about y'all, but Yellowstone National Park and Mt. Rushmore have never exactly been on my to-do list. But I was pleasantly surprised at how cool these places are. 

Not looking forward to the many days of driving we have ahead of us though, uggghhh.

OMG, you guys. I don't even know where to start with the stuff we've done over these last few days.

I won't say anything about Monterey except that it is stinky as f*ck. Unfortunately, we couldn't do the Big Sur because of the road closures from the rockslides. Whatever.

We made our way to Boulder City, Nevada and visited some family that we haven't seen in years. So close to Las Vegas, yet so far away. Mom wouldn't let me test my luck on the slot machines, but she said we may get some scratchies for the road. I suppose that will do. Before we left, we made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam, where Tucker decided to sh*t on the sidewalk. Sorry people! 

Next stop was Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Meelzie found this hot spring to visit and it is probably one of my favorite things we've done so far. And it wasn't one of those bougie commercialized hot springs. This one was about as natural as you can safely get. This place was so high in the mountains, they require tire chains on the drive up when it snows. Fortunately for us, the roads were clear enough to get up there.

We saw Fish Creek Falls, which was pretty, but we couldn't get close enough for a good picture. Unlike the hot springs, the trail to it was not cleared of snow and mom wore flip flops like a dumba**.

Gotta love her though. 

Well, here's a first. My mom and sister willingly brought me to jail. Alcatraz in San Francisco. Besides the gorgeous views, this place gave us the creeps. I never want to see my baby sister in a jail cell again. 

On a lighter note, we got to see so many of the San Fran wonders. We couldn't escape the city without hitting up the Ghirardelli headquarters, where mom and Meelzie stuffed themselves full of ice cream yet again. As if they weren't hopped up on sugar enough, they also happened to find one of the largest candy stores in the world.

And you bet we stopped to see the Mrs. Doubtfire and Full House houses! It was cool to see the places that defined part of my childhood. 

Among our adventures were the infamous twists and turns of Lombard Street and the ups and downs of a Cable Car ride. 

While we were out and about, we had the best pet sitters San Francisco could offer. Thank you Emily and Brendan for taking such good care of my boy and Tucker. They had so much fun!

San Francisco had so much to offer and I truly felt like I belonged. There is so much culture and acceptance for others. I could definitely see myself living here in my next life. 

Our next stop was the rainy town of Forks, Washington. Rain, rain, and more rain. Mom and Amelia fought like the rain: cats and dogs, those two. You noticed how much I said "rain", right? The Twilight Saga was filmed there, so we just had to see it, according to Amelia. I must admit it though, Quileute Beach was picture perfect, even with the clouds.  

The Redwoods. All I can say is Damn.

Also, thank you Gloria for sharing my story and our journey. And for recommending Stout Grove.

Speaking of Stout Grove, our car was in the shop so we rented a Jeep Wrangler to drive the dirt road. Amelia was in heaven.

Seattle, pfft. I'll be seeing you never again. Nothing good to say... okay, Pikes Place Market was cool. BUT that's it. Those people need to quit being so angry.

Anyhoo, Vancouver is where it's at. We stayed at this bomb a** hotel with an amazing view. However, we got lucky. Mom and Meelzie acted real dumb and didn't start looking for anywhere to stay until we had already crossed the Canadian border. And you bet their phones didn't get any service. Thank goodness for Starbucks and their free wifi. Then mom acted EVEN dumber and followed a stranger we met there who said he knew of some decent hotels. Jeezus mom, are ya tryin' to get kidnapped? Luckily the dude was actually being nice and not a total creep. 

The hotels he led us to weren't pet friendly, so we ended up going back to Starbucks until mom stumbled across the place we stayed on the internet. And let me tell you, it was fancy as f*ck. It even had those robes and slippers you see on tv.

For those who don't know, Vancouver is another city where a lot of filming happens, so I was put through agony yet again while mom and Amelia drove hours throughout the Vancouver area, looking for locations from the Show "Virgin River". At least these locations were worth it. The view we got of Shannon Falls -I can't even put into words you guys.     

Amelia belongs in the snowy mountains. I don't know what kind of whack-job chooses the cold, wet snow over sunny palm trees, but you do you baby sister.

Yeah, mom and I have had enough of Lake Tahoe.

There are so many people to thank. Detective Meisner who worked tirelessly on my case, the medical examiner, the DA's office who is prosecuting, the judge who agreed to set the $50,000 cash bond, and the ladies at the victim witness program who have talked my family through the court process, just to name a few. It is going to be a long process but one day my family will see that Justice is coming for me. It wont ever bring me back, but I hope it will bring just the slightest amount of closure.

And thank you to my mom, who has never stopped fighting for me. She always said where there's breath, there's hope. I can't breathe anymore, but she still somehow has hope and amazes me with her strength.

It has been one helluva busy time in Arizona, let me tell you. 

We couldn't drive through without visiting some good family-friends who we haven't seen in YEARS. They took great care of us during our stay and made mom one of the best steak dinners she's ever had. We made a day trip out to Sedona and walked some shops. Amelia spent half an hour in a bookstore, I don't know where that girl gets her smarts from, she must have been switched at birth. Even the bookstore clerk commented on her fancy book choices. Before leaving, we stopped by the Chapel of the Holy Cross and damn, it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. One of our friends lit a candle for me. Thank you, Alex. 

Oh, and it snowed the whole way down the mountain. Mom was about to sh*t herself driving. 

Our next stop was Lake Havasu. I have wanted to come here since seeing it on an episode of "Bad Girls Club". Season 8 episode 8 for all y'all who want to know. You can bet I made mom and Meelzie watch it. They loved Lake Havasu and took the dogs on a Ferry boat ride. We met the sweetest ladies, Trina and Roni. Thank you both for the heartwarming conversation and your support. It means the world to us. 

We didn't get to go on a party boat like in the Bad Girls Club, but mom found this bad a** tiki boat tour, Havasu Tiki Tours. The captain was amazing, and we got some great pictures of London Bridge. I definitely recommend this tour if you find yourself in Lake Havasu.

Mom loves it here. She says its her favorite spot so far. What can I say guys, I have good taste in vacation spots.

I can't even put into words just how BEAUtiful the white sand dunes in New Mexico are. Y'all really need to take a trip over there to see the sunset.   

We covered a lot of road during our 3 travel days and crossed 4 state lines. I think it's safe to say we're all tired of driving. I'm gonna be honest y'all, the bickering between my mom and sister is getting on my nerves. 

Galveston Island has been on mine and my mom's bucket list for a long time. We made it there only to find out that the damn pier is only open on the weekends during the offseason. But whatever, we still had fun and it was a nice break from driving. 

Our next stop was Waco, TX, where mom got to be the nerd this time. We visited the Magnolia Market that is owned by Chip and Joanna from house hunters or something. We picked up some baked goods and walked the shops. The Silos are pet-friendly, so the dogs got to come along, too. 

This time Amelia was sick. We knew something was up when she said no to freshly baked cookies. That girl saying no to cookies? Does she need a hospital? She made it through the day, though. What a champ. So now we've got a trooper and a champ on our hands. Good job guys. 

Overall, Texas was a lot of driving, but very dog friendly. 

Mom caught a stomach bug. She was absolutely miserable for 12 hours. Luckily it was only 12 hours, but she looked green and felt like hell. She was such a trooper and still made the 7-hour drive to Atlanta, GA. 

The next day, my nerd-of-a-sister insisted on us visiting the fictional town of Mystic Falls. Sound Familiar? Yeah, that's the town the show "Vampire Diaries" was set in. Really, it's this adorable little town called Covington, about 40 minutes southeast of Atlanta. If that isn't bad enough, there was another town nearby used for the filming of the "Vampire Diaries" spin-off, "The Originals" and you can bet she made us go there, too.

Amelia could hardly contain herself, what a dork. 

The next day was spent looking at houses and townhomes. Bor-ring! They wanted to see what money can buy in Atlanta, so I was dragged along from home to home. 

I was wondering when we'd get to do something FUN, and then finally, we went to Six Flags Over Georgia. Now that's more like it! Mom doesn't wait in lines very patiently, so we splurged on a flash pass. The first two rides we were next in line for broke down, so we got off to a rough start and mom was about to freak the f*ck out for wasting her money. Eventually we got on our first ride, and it was so worth the wait! If you could've seen mom's face going up those slopes! I think it's safe to say she's afraid of heights in her old age. She hasn't been on a coaster in years, but she has already proven she's a trooper. Things picked up after that. We went on Batman, which mom and Meelz both thought was my favorite, but I was really holding out for Goliath, which is the equivalent to the Raging Bull back at my home park, Six Flags Great America.

We had a blast in Atlanta. There's so much to do, but geez, you people don't know how to drive down here. We're on to our next destination.   

Oh, and my poor boy got his first booboo on their watch. Good job guys. I thought I could trust you. So much for Marvin being in good hands. 

I'm just playing y'all. His little paw got sliced a bit when he had the zoomies. He'll be okay. He handled it like a champ. Seriously, I thought my sister was gonna cry and my mom was panicking. He handled it way better than they did! 

I feel like we traveled the whole damn galaxy with how many places we visited in this short amount of time.

First we stopped in Savannah, Georgia and walked through gorgeous Forsyth Park. Everyone loved Marvin and Tucker. Mom and Amelia just had to have more ice cream, so we went to an ice cream shop on river street. The cobble stone street and historic buildings are so cute and charming and we found the coolest fountain! 

We made a quick pit stop to Tybee Island, my favorite vacation spot, where mom parked illegally AGAIN. We only got to spend 5 minutes at that beach because she was worried about a parking ticket. Geez, just pay the f*cking meter already.

Our last stop was unplanned. Mom has friends who live in Florida, so we made a detour to visit and ended up in St. Augustine. We tried another dog-friendly restaurant. Dog food=delicious, human food=not so much. While this Floridian restaurant was a miss, we found the best dog-friendly hotel. The dog park is huge and it has tennis balls and obstacle courses. It was the perfect place for Marvin to get the zoomies. Tucker has been a trouper this whole time. I don't think his lazy a** has done this much walking since before his double knee replacement surgery when he was 5.

They're such good boys though. These dogs really have been the heart of this trip. I can rest easy knowing Marvin is in good hands.

Besides an hour-long traffic jam on our way here, we have been having a blast in Myrtle Beach. My mom and sister visited here a few years ago and raved about a restaurant they tried. It's a colorful place with amazing food and paper table cloths that have games like tic-tac-toe on it. You can also write on the walls there. Mom and Meelzie took advantage and wrote our website in several spots. River City Cafe -you have our hearts. And our stomachs. 

Then my pig sister and mom just had to have their filling of ice cream, so we went to Crazy Mason's Milkshake Bar. I'm not one for sweets, but those shakes did look epic. 

The last restaurant we tried was a dog-friendly place that had a separate menu for our puppies. Marvin and Tucker enjoyed some chicken Jerky and peanut butter balls, while we enjoyed the wind blowing our hair in our face. It was outdoor seating only. Mom ate more hair than food. Sorry mom but look at how happy Marvin and Tucker were!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we went to the beach again. Marvin was afraid of the water at first, but this time the ocean didn't seem so angry, and eventually Marvin had some fun in the waves. What a cutie. 

I've always felt the water is where I belong. It gives me a sense of tranquility that I will carry with me everywhere we travel. 

I can't wait for our next adventure! 

We made it to Virginia Beach and decided to stay in a cabin at a KOA campground. Mom made me camp and the weather was not kind to us. It was raining all day and night, so much that we couldn't get to our cabin without drowning! Don't know why I bothered straightening my hair. The muddy mess, the wet dog smell, the frizz. Mom and I got cranky because we couldn't smoke a dry cigarette, so we had to sprint it to the car to get our smoke on. We jammed out to some music and texted some good friends with an update. You know who you are! Of course, Meelzie stayed inside and protected her "alvioli" or whatever it's called. What a goodie two shoes.

We did make it out of the campground for a couple of hours the first day. We saw the King Neptune statue and took the puppy dogs to the beach. Marvin saw the ocean for the first time and was terrified. In his defense, it did seem pretty angry! Tucker, one of my mom's older dogs came on the trip, too. He loves the ocean. Our beach adventure was cut short though because mom illegally parked and we were paranoid we'd be caught. I could have spent the whole day there, even with the gray skies.

Today was still cloudy, but it stopped raining. It was such an off day. Do you ever have those days where everything seems to go slightly wrong, and you feel like you don't operate yourself as good as normal? Yeah, that was us. Mom couldn't drive for sh*t and usually she's such a good driver. 

We got Tucker and Marvin groomed. They were long overdue for it. Now they look and smell so much better.

We visited a Japanese garden, and the loudest construction I've ever heard was happening next door. It was still such a calming atmosphere, though. I let mom know that I really love this place. I left her a rock with a painting of a ladybug on it - ladybugs are her favorite. She got the biggest smile on her face. I am so grateful that she's bringing me on this trip. I wish I could physically be there. Like in my human form. I hope she knows how much it means to me, that she's still fighting for me, even in my afterlife.

We left hella early, 6am! Okay, that was a totally lie. We meant to leave at 6am, but we actually left at 9am. We were very late, but we made it to West Virginia nonetheless. And let me tell you, it was a long a** boring drive! There wasn't much to see until we crossed the West Virginia state line. Except the Ohio welcome sign-that was pretty cool. 

Mom did make sure to pack me with my favorite things for the car ride, so I was entertained the whole time. My sister played good music while I did my thang, sat back, relaxed jammed to the music, and enjoyed the ride. Those songs brought back so many memories of so many amazing friends and family. 

I swear my sister has the tiniest bladder. We should get her some adult diapers with how many times she made us stop. My damn puppy made it longer without a bathroom break than she did.

West Virginia is just a rest stop, so we aren't doing much besides sleep. Tomorrow we reach our first destination. I can't wait to get there!