Still Making Dreams Come True!

Ever since I have known KA she has talked about her dream of going on a tour of the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory in Vermont!  Everyone knows that KA LOVES ice cream, but let me tell you, this dream came with a serious price tag.  Let me give you the quick run down of what it costs to make this dream become a reality:

Price of on Gas:  $164

Hours Spent in the Car: 13

Price of Parking Ticket: $115.00

Cost of 1 Night in a Hotel: $135.00

Seeing KA’s Face as we Pulled into the Parking Lot:  PRICELESS!

“There are some things that money can’t buy!”

When we arrived at the B&J Factory KA was like a kid in a candy store!  First thing we did upon arrival was got in line to purchase our tickets for a tour of the factory.  The tour consists of seeing where, how, and what the process is for making ice cream!  SO COOL!  When we got to the front of the line, KA asked the ticket master if we had won the ”we traveled the farthest so we should get in for free” prize!   Are you asking yourself if that is a real prize?  I know I was!  Guess what, its not!  KA was making it up!  She somehow convinced the ticket master that since we had traveled so far, and this had been her dream for so long, that we should tour the factory for free… and it WORKED!  We totally got in for free!  I love that girl!  Below is a picture of us sporting our free tickets!  Don’t worry, the factory made a pretty penny off of us from all of the purchases we made in the gift shop!  Good times!

(My sirt says: “Body by Ben & Jerry’s” / KA’s shirt says: “Ben & Jerry’s Factory – Vermont”)

After the Factory tour you walk through a long hallway which has framed pictures of the Top 10 Most Popular flavors sold.  KA is standing next to hot item number 5…

Half Baked: This is KA’s Favorite Flavor! 

Once you get outside of the factory you get to see the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream bus aka: “Cowmoblie”.  Lots of history behind this bus… brief history below. 

The “Cowmobile”!

History Lesson:  Ben & Jerry’s launches its “Cowmobile,” a modified mobile home used to distribute free scoops of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in a unique, cross-country “marketing drive” — driven and served by Ben and Jerry themselves. The “Cowmobile” burns to the ground outside of Cleveland four months later, but there were no injuries. Ben said it looked like “the world’s largest baked Alaska.”

Top 10 Most Popular Flavors: YUM!  What are your favorites?  

I found this link below as I was googling something on Ben & Jerry’s…For a good laugh, read the article, then read the comments that people post.  Halarious!  Who are these people?

PETA wants Ben & Jerry’s to use Breast Milk

Does life get any better than this?  I think not!  Best friend KA and I decided that it had been far too long since we had gone on a girls road trip, so for Labor Day we packed up the car and headed out for a fun weekend to Vermont and Boston!

KA (who currently lives in DC) arrived at my house late on Friday night.  We decided that it would be best for KA to drive up to NY, for us to stay Friday night at my house, and then head out first thing Sat. morning in order to avoid speeding hours in traffic trying to get out of the city.  When KA arrived finding a parking spot for her car was the first thing on our agenda.  There is parking available under my building, but it cost $12.66 for the night, why pay for parking when right across the street was a PREMIUM spot that was open (which never happens) which we could park for FREE!  We circled the block to get the spot, got the car parallel parked, and thought to ourselves what great luck we have!  We got the only open parking spot on the whole street.

The next morning we woke up to find that we had nothing that even resembled good luck!  Yeah, it was the only available parking spot because we weren’t allowed to park there!  As tradition would have it, KA and I always receive at least one ticket on every road trip we’ve ever been on… however this ticket came before we even started the road trip!  SO CLASSIC!  Yea, the $12.66 parking under my building was looking like a pretty sweet deal compared to the $115 ticket we received for parking in a “temporary construction zone” overnight.  Honestly!  A: We didn’t see the sign… that’s what happens when the sign is posted 25 feet above your eye line.  B:  It was a holiday… I didn’t see any construction happening… and C: What does temporary really mean?  Are we talking about 5 minutes, 1 day, 6 months… can we get some clarification!  Who thinks we can fight this with a NY judge and win?  Post your comments below.  

For some the news of a $115 ticket would ruin the start of road trip… not for KA and I.  These things are just classic and happen to us all the time!  We just complain for 5 minutes, than laugh about it for 10 minutes, and move right along!  Our first destination – VERMONT!  Woot!  In order for us to get to Vermont we had to travel 6 hours in the car.  Since KA and I haven’t seen each other is so long this 6 hour drive went by in a flash!  Now,  anyone who has traveled with KA as a driver knows that she is an expert at driving with her legs.  I swear her legs drive more than her hands do!  Since we have been friends for so long this never phases me because she really does have some serious skills.  Check out the pictures of KA’s classic driving below…

KA Driving with her Legs

Question:  What are her hands doing?

Answer: Talking to Mom Henshaw and eating Popcorn!

Keep in mind that KA even turned to the camera when I took this picture!  That means that she wasn’t looking at the road, she was driving with her legs, holding popcorn in one hand and talking on her cell with the other!  AMAZING! After writing this blog, and reviewing these pictures, I am starting to wonder if I should be more worried about being in the car with KA driving…Nah!

I obviously was not too worried about KA’s driving… Check me out…Happy as a Lark! J