I did it! I did it! I made it to my last state a couple weeks ago and can now claim to have visited all 50 states! For anyone really bored, here's a list of a highlight from each state, not necesarily the first time, but maybe the most memorable. I'll freely admit that my visits to Alabama, Rhode Island and South Carolina are pretty lame, but hey, 50 is 50.
Alabama - 10 minutes on I-10 on Oct 17, 2009, just so I could say I did all 50.
Alaska - 3 weeks working at a fish factory, 1996
Arizona - it's all a blur. Birth, first 18 years, med school, birth of first 2 kids...
Arkansas - visited Vernon and family while driving Mom home from Nauvoo mission, 2007
California - Disneyland seven times in 10 years of marriage, 1999-2009
Colorado - toured Air Force Academy with Russ before he and Margie were dating, 2002
Connecticut - hung out in Hartford several times while doing clerkship at hospital in nearby Springfield, MA, 2001
Delaware - paid ridiculous toll fees for the privilege of driving 20 minutes through state multiple times en route to Philly or NYC while living in Maryland, 2003-2006
Florida - Tami and I had a fun Miami/Orlando/Bahama cruise after med school graduation, 2002
Georgia - Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta with Margie, 1991
Hawaii - fun 7-day cruise to 4 islands to celebrate finishing residency, 2006
Idaho - backpacking with Ray through backside of Grand Tetons, 2008
Illinois - first AWA plane ride, to Chicago with 19 hours stuck in O'Hare on way home, 1990
Indiana - hitchhiked to watch Ken on BYU folk dancer tour, 1995
Iowa - watched Dallas and Carrie Beck for a week, losing Dallas at the mall, 1991
Kansas - took Tami to first family reunion while engaged. She passed the Richardson family test. 1999.
Kentucky - drive through horse country, 2006
Louisiana - Anesthesia Conference in New Orleans, eating at Commander's Palace, #1 restaurant in America, 2009
Maine - lighthouse tour, 2003
Maryland - Johns Hopkins Hospital resident, 2003-2006
Massachusetts - trip with just Dad and I to tour Harvard, 1991
Michigan - Henry Ford Museum, 1996
Minnesota - canoeing with Ray, 1992
Mississippi - drive through Jackson while at ASA, 2009
Missouri - took Tami on swaying Gateway Arch elevator - absolutely terrifying, 2002
Montana - attempt to visit Glacier National Park, 2002
Nebraska - Winter Quarters Temple Open House, 2001
Nevada - Las Vegas weekend, watching Blue Man Group and stay at Palazzo, 2008
New Hampshire - interview at Dartmouth, 2002
New Jersey - Ocean City beach vacation, 2005
New Mexico - Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with Ken's family, 2009
New York - lived a month in Manhattan Upper East Side studio apartment, 2006
North Carolina - interview at UNC, 2002
North Dakota - locum tenems work in Why Not Minot, 2007
Ohio - summer internship at Wright-Patt and living with Hancocks, 1992
Oklahoma - drive through with Tami and Mom, with stop at Cowboy Museum, 1999
Oregon - Dean's wedding and drive along coastline, 2001
Pennsylvania - Thanksgiving with Evans, 2004-2005
Rhode Island - flew in and out en route to Tami's first East Coast trip, 2000
South Carolina - drove through en route to DisneyWorld, 2005
South Dakota - Mount Rushmore, 2002
Tennessee - Knoxville World's Fair, 1982
Texas - took (and passed!!!) anesthesia oral boards, 2007
Utah - married in Bountiful Temple, 1999
Vermont - fall foliage vacation, staying at B&Bs, 2003
Virginia - Appalachian vacation, 2004
Washington - Seattle vacation, including Space Needle, 2003
West Virginia - Blue Ridge Mountains trip, 2005
Wisconsin - drove Aunt Barbara's truck home from mission, 1996
Wyoming - trekked for a day with Pioneer Reenactment, 1997
