Another Jeep Christmas

It was another great Jeep Christmas with many gifts from All Things Jeep. Really, husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas and all I had to say was anything from ATJ. I can't think that shopping for me can be any easier than that. Just can't go wrong there.

Minnesota!

We opted to drive the 600 miles to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN with plenty of room for lots of luggage and some comforts of home. During our stay, Edy got to stay clean and warm in a Marriott parking garage. It was nice having our own transportation to get around town and we got to see a little snow during our stay.

Favorites

Here she is again seen driving around West Hollywood in her Jeep with wheels almost to her hips. Ciara sporting some of my favorites: A black Jeep and a Louis Vuitton bag. This celebrity has some very good taste.

Ciara - Got Me Good

Check out the baaaad black Jeeps in the music video by R&B singer, Ciara!

Oklahoma!

Spent the weekend in Oklahoma at Osage Hills State Park for our annual family reunion and thought this sight of our cabins below the lodge was an awesome view.

Sweats and Coffee

Just a Saturday running errands in our sweats. Molly takes a trip to the vet for annual vaccinations but first we stop by Starbucks for a complimentary chew bone.

Flat Black

This black one caught my eye parked in Fayetteville, AR. I walked around it and everything is painted flat black. I like it!

Chipped

Well, darn it! That didn't last long...

I had a clean, new windshield for two months and came back from Sturgis with a chip in the glass. I've become too familiar with the guys from Safelite when I can ask for them by name. The trend seems to be to keep patching until a year passes and then replace.

The Best of Both Worlds

We've got a Harley and a Jeep in Sturgis!

I took a solo drive up to Terry Peak and sat listening to the wind in the mountains.

This Jeep life is good!

Checked In

We made good time getting in hours before sunset so we check into our motel and head for the car wash.

To Ride or Not to Ride

For this years' Sturgis Rally, I have a real dilemma. Do I take the Harley or the Jeep? I know, it's "Bike Week" and all but it's my 14th trip to the Black Hills and I just didn't want to leave Edy behind. We've borrowed a friend's trailer that only holds one bike so Edy pulled the trailer with my husband's bike in tow for the 750 mile journey north. The back was loaded down with luggage, chairs, a coffee maker, and a cooler. It was pretty nice to just reach back for a soda and snacks in the comfort of an air-conditioned ride.

Spiderweb Shade

Finally had the opportunity to take the tops off and attach the spiderweb shade. What a difference the ultramesh makes in filtering the sun on a 100 degree day. I don't have any appointments at work this week so I'm going to leave it like this for awhile. Breezy, shady and cool!

Jeeps are for Girls

The owner of this Rubicon teaches classes at my gym. I haven't got to talk to her yet, but by the looks of all the gear, I'm certain she would have some great off-road stories. I also like the fact that we have the exact same wheels. There's a bumper sticker in back that says, "Silly boys, Jeeps are for Girls".

Kansas Princess

Vacation road trip adventures are a ton of fun, but it's still so nice to cross the border back into my own state, back to what's familar and heartwarming. I had another awesome Jeep adventure with you, Laura!

Santa Fe, NM

I took Edy to the car wash and shammied her off outside our hotel, The Hacienda Hotel & Spa, in Santa Fe. The doorman gave us a special Princess parking spot right in front of the hotel. It's good to be a Jeep Girl in New Mexico!

Jeep Girls Gone Southwest

Rio Grande Bridge

Edy was stopping traffic on the bridge across the gorge outside of Taos, NM.

New Mexico Bound

How thrilling to be able to take Edy on a road trip with my friend, Laura! Remember, she's a Jeep Girl too and the reason why I have my own. Edy caught a ton of bugs and grasshoppers on the windshield and grill traveling through the flat lands of Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle. The view got much better once we crossed into New Mexico and the curvy, ski mountain roads through Eagle Nest and Angel Fire on our way to Taos.

Design Flaw?

As much as I hate to admit it, I think there is one major problem with my Jeep and that's the vertical angle of the windshield. It's like it takes rocks straight on and in over one year I have 5 chips in my windshield. I called KDOT and they told me they sweep the short stretch of highway I travel on my commute every two weeks - but I find that hard to believe. So, today, I bit the $100 deductible bullet and had Safelite replace my windshield outside my office. The guys told me they do replace a lot of Jeep windshields.

To the Lake

I have one favorite lake I like to go to but each time I pick out different campsite areas for a different camping experience. This time, I took the time to set up the tent but put the air mattress on the ground inside the tent instead of in the back of the Jeep. Just to mix it up a bit. The dogs get to swim and I get to spend an entire day sunbathing. I keep it simple and relaxing.

Road Trip Company

Molly kept me company on an 8 hour road trip to Texas over the weekend. She basically slept the entire way. I sacrificed having a drink holder in the front console to allow room for a travel pillow for her head to rest on - such a cutie!

Zombie Apocalypse

This one always looks like it's got somewhere more fun and better to be instead of parked outside my office building. Curiousity got the best of me and I did some searching on the internet about the Zombie Response Team. Check out the interesting techniques to defend against the undead and trick out your ride.

Patriot Rental

I was excited to hear the guy at Hertz tell me I'd be renting a 2011 Jeep Patriot for a recent 3 day, 985 mile work trip. It sat much lower than what I'm accustomed to but was roomy and had some nice features inside. Silly, I know, but the best feature was the shelf in the dash that held all my travel gear like GPS, cords, sunglasses, hand lotion, etc. The satellie radio and lighted cup holders were handy and I found it interesting there was a 2 prong electric outlet in the center console. Makes me think I need to search around in my Wrangler to see if I have this option hidden somewhere.

Drive-in & Camping

I practically spent the entire weekend in the back of my Jeep. Hubby went on a motorcycle trip so I took Mom to the drive-in Friday night. That Sportz air mattress in the back made it pretty comfy and I ended up dozing through both movies. Early Saturday morning I loaded up the dogs and camping gear for a trip out to the lake. Sheba loves to swim and fetch and I thought it would be a good idea for her to teach Molly to love the water too. I decided not to take the tent and we spent Saturday night sleeping in the back as the full moon lit up the night and the windows open to the cool breeze. Waking up to the birds singing and fixing breakfast is my favorite part of camping out.

Island Jeeps

While on our cruise vacation we went to several islands and there were Jeeps everywhere. This one just like mine in St. Thomas only with a Virgin Islands license plate.

Jeep Luggage

I have a nice luggage set already or I would buy every piece of the Jeep luggage that I found at Walmart. I did get the duffel bag on the left to use for camping gear. The bags pictured are canvas suitcases, but I also saw some Jeep plastic hard suitcases in the clearance section. Check it out.

Cold Air

After walking 3 miles for the MS Walk at Sedgwick County park, Molly and I both worked up a sweat and cranked the cold air up high for our drive home. Molly clowns around sticking her face up to the vent and bites at the air.

Road Hazard

I've been losing pressure in my right rear tire the past two weeks. Today I take it into the dealership and the mechanic calls me back to show me the end of a 6" pick lodged into the tire. It was a crazy sight to us all and since it was next to the sidewall it couldn't be patched. Fortunately my dealership is in the tire business and I got a new Goodyear tire for $152. The new tire and spare tire went to the front and used tires to the back. Proof there's some hazardous things out there on the road.

Dog Park

Molly loads up on the weekend to go to the dog park. I remember back when she was a little puppy too small to sit in the seat and now at 9 months she sits pretty. My pretty Jeep dog!

Finally...SNOW!

Another month went painfully by with no snow and then finally...we get about 2 inches. Not what I've been hoping for but enough to make me want to get up early and ride around on the side streets before heading to work this morning. I took great enjoyment out of driving in the center lane snow drifts and throwing a high rooster tail of snow from my back tire. It was a beautiful thing!