Below freezing. Icy roads. Kids building snowmen in their front yard. Cars burning snow brown as they barely inch up steep, icy hills.

Where in the world could we be?

I’m thinking that your first guess was PROBABLY not Alabama….but…hello Alabama! But let me back up a bit…

So far we have stayed in NYC for a couple of nights, doing a WOD of 75 burpees in Central Park for time, and finding a lone pull-up bar where I FINALLY got more than one unbanded kipping pull-up! The trick? A quick hip thrust!

After NYC we headed down the eastern seaboard to Virginia Beach where we ate the TASTIEST food as we looked out at the ocean. We seriously had the nicest, most talkative waiter EVER who loved to make his presence known each time he came over with “Okay, talk to me Goose” in his little Virginian accent :) That night, we stayed in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Southern nickname count for the day: 4. There were a couple “sweethearts” “sugars” and “maams” :) Love the south.

Next stop? HOTlanta! Well, actually Marietta, GA. We stayed with the lovely Tyler and Erin, had some drinks in downtown Marietta, nearly lost function in our toes due to the FREEZING temps and a long walk home from the bar, got a tour of Life University, went to a truly southern Christian church (which was AMAZING!!!) and ate some tasty southern BBQ! mmmmmm. Sweet tea? TOOOOOO sweet. Pretty much forced to say you want sweet tea though when you walk in a restaurant.

Onward to ‘Bama; Birmingham to be exact. We stayed with some of Nick’s friends in Birmingham, and got to hang out with them and their dog Buster and two year old, Carter Man! ‘Bama was not what we expected. I’m not sure what I thought it would be like, but hilly and freezing was NOT where I was going with my thoughts..

That brings us up to speed…here we are on the road leaving ‘Bama, on our way to NOLA (New Orleans ). Can we just take a minute to address the fact that I have constantly questioned…what the HECK were we thinking packing shorts? I honestly thought, ohhhhh the south will be sooo warm…um…I’m looking at the temperature outside right now, and its 34 degrees…34 DEGREES! To be fair though, the cold has literally been following us. It’s as if something is trying to make us turn back…mwaahhh hhaaa haaaa…you want to leave the cold? Well take this! Well, with 1494 miles under our belt, it’s going to take a little more than an inch of snow to derail us now…although, it seems that that is literally all it will take to derail multiple vehicles from the Alabama highways…

So, with 1494 miles under our belt, what are we doing to work off all that pent up energy? Rest stop WODS Literally EVERY SINGLE TIME we stop for gas or a full bladder, we do SOMETHING; anything from 50 squats to a WOD of 25 box jumps onto a park bench, 20 pushups and then another 25 boxjumps. I have been SOOOOO sore the whole time we’ve been traveling!!! Yesssssss!

25 bench jumps, 20 pushups, 25 bench jumps

So, we thought it would be fun to do a little hotel reviews at the end of each post…so, the first of multiple reviews…Sweet Stays with Nick and Jen!

Sweet Stays with Nick and Jen:

New Years 2011: Club K.L.E.B: This all night bed and breakfast is the place to go for all your partying needs, from Level 5000 can crushing, to all night rocking out. This state of the art facility offers the newest 3D television and all the eggs you can eat…all while maintaining a super fun and friendly upscale hostel environment. Club K.L.E.B. is the Cheers of Beverly! I’ll Cheers to that!

Chateau De Halls: Magnifique! This Castle in the Clouds offers the best views in Beverly. This is the perfect place to recharge for the weary traveler. Management is super attentive to all your needs…comfort is truly their specialty. From the best coffee to the super punch of healthy power you’ll get straight from their Vita mix…they’ll send you off better than how they found you. Chateau de Halls: they do relaxation right.

The Hewitt: Set in the quiet country side of Danvers, this classy establishment will greet with you a smile and a delicious Paleo-friendly dinner at any hour of the day.  Food at the Hewitt is not to be overlooked; the flavors and pairings are only matched by the intensity of the conversation. Dinners at the Hewitt stimulate both your mind and your palette.

Stay tuned for more! Next episode on Sweet Stays with Nick and Jen: Our last night in Beverly and our two nights in the city that doesn’t sleep!