Go!

Nelson, getting some lovin' at a recent "pet expo" in Washington. He's now on the road, somewhere in the wilds of Missouri. Photo credit: Bex.

E. slept at my friends' house in Zanesville, OH, last night. He arrived at midnight. Whew. I don't know if he and Nelson made it to his hotel outside Springfield, Mo., tonight. I hope so.

Go to bed!: It's 12:45 a.m., and I'm finally almost packed up and ready to go. It took me all evening to clean the house, do laundry, run a few last-minute errands, pack, and go for a quick run and lift weights.

Run like you mean it: I ended up running 5k in 23:41. Yowza. I only had an hour to exercise, so that was motivation enough for me to run fast. Then I did 5X12 deltoid lifts, 4X12 biceps, 2X25 triceps plus 25 tricep dips, 2X24 lats, and one measly 1X15 for chest because I ran out of time. Oh, and 40 squats so I won't peter out while running up hills.

I felt great afterwards. Energized. And to think I almost didn't exercise tonight. I thought, "I have so much to do before I leave at the ass crack of dawn." But I dressed in my running gear anyway to do errands. By the time I slipped my Nikes on, I was psyched enough to run.

Ciao, bellas. I'll post while I'm on the road. I head out at 5:30 a.m.

Next destination: The Deep South.