Cross Country Journey (part 5).

A big, huge thanks to Katherine for housing the three of us for so many days, including an impromptu extra day (y'all know I have a hard time leaving Chicago).  We had a terrific time with you: long chats, yummy meals, STARBUCKS, and even a blind group date (!). Hopefully, you'll get a chance to come up here sometime soon.

Hudson loved the chance to stretch his short legs for a few days in Chicago and take a break from the trembling vibrations of a diesel truck. We took him down the Wiggley Field (dogpark) to run around, take a short dip (he's not a fan of the ole H20), and he even attempted to befriend Katherine's cat every.single.day. 

Hudson trying so hard to be friends with Otis

But as much fun as we were having and as heartbroken as it made me, we couldn't stay in Chicago forever....eventually (and reluctantly, on my part) we headed back on the road. A third of the country left to go until we got to our new home...Jamie was eager to get this thing over with.

yay. the truck. again. yay.

And what did we see on this leg of our journey, you may be asking yourself?

the open road.

small homes.

large homes.

factories.

and corn.

lots and lots of corn.

as far as a dog's eye could see.

Umpteenth night on the road: Buffalo, New York.
for the record, we typically made hotel reservations the night prior to our stay. partially to create a destination goal, partially to ensure we were getting a good deal, and partially to stay away from creepy locations.
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Btw, did anyone catch the significance of the "large home"?
Here's another shot:

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It's alpha phi, you guys!

Syracuse, NY....aka the first chapter.

• In 1886 Alpha Phi became the first women's fraternity in America to build and occupy its own chapter house.
• In 1902, Alpha Phi called the inter-sorority meeting that resulted in the formation of the association now known as the National Panhellenic Conference. This was the first intergroup organization on college campuses.
• The Greek letter Phi is pronounced "Fee". It is a common misconception that this pronunciation is because Phi follows the vowel Alpha. However, the pronunciation of Phi as "Fee" rather than "Fi" actually results from the fact that the organization adopted the Greek rather than anglicized, mainly American, pronunciation of the letter because it sounded more feminine.

My two favorite "Notable Phis":

Alice Waters (Gamma Beta - UC Santa Barbara)

Kimberly Williams (Beta - Northwestern) -  (uh...FATHER OF THE BRIDE!)