Mini-Vacay

If you read my last post, you know that I was in somewhat of a panic over all the things on my to-do list in such a short time. And although my sweet husband was aware of this, he thought he had the perfect solution to my stress - leave it all behind and go on a mini-vacation to family & friends. At the last minute. To a place that takes 14 hours to get to. In the car. With three childr....er, boys. LOUD boys. Of course. That should definitely cure my anxiety. Even though I said 'NO' a few thousand times, in the end, I decided to try out the little thing called spontaneity . I texted my boss to let him know I would be off a few days (totally NOT my style), packed my entire family in 20 minutes and at 9pm EST, we were officially Midwest-bound.

No real drama on the drive in except the I-40 detour and my speeding ticket. Yes, by now, everyone has heard about my speeding ticket. Apparently D1 has forgotten that he had one of his own less than two years ago on Father's Day. And I remember very clearly how understanding I was but he wasn't quick to reciprocate. We were just under an hour from our destination and I was going a bit over the speed limit (just 86 in a 70) when a trooper pulled us over. This encounter was not without humor, though (as if I thought it would be, given the company I keep). D1 happened to be in the 3rd row with d3 and the other two were sitting behind me in the captain's chairs. I pull over on I-70 and Sarge comes up on the passenger side and before he even mutters the dreaded 'license and registration,' d2 shouts to him 'Hey, what's your name? I'm going to my grandma's. We live in South Carolina. Is that a fireman's hat?' Sarge didn't really have a sense of humor. He then informs me of my excessive speed but tells me he would reduce me to 82. I figured it must be a significant reduction in fines. Uh, yeah. A whopping $20. In comparison to the total, it's peanuts. When he returned to give me the citation, d2 was firing off another round of loaded questions when Sarge asked if they all belonged to me. The sarcastic side of me could have answered that in a few ways but I just decided to stick with the compliant response of 'yes, sir.' And in hindsight, I wonder if he thought D1 was one of mine, too. After being up almost 30 hours, I probably looked the part. Had we thought about that a little longer, we could have had a little fun with that, too. D1 could have easily played the role and likely gotten me out of the ticket - or in jail.

Once we get there, all the boys want to do is ride the mower or sit in the 'ole red truck and pretend to drive. Constantly, back and forth. I have pictures but Blogger is not cooperating to post them. Picture two little boys on a zero turn lawn mower. One smiling, one frowning. I'll let you decide which is which.

Our visit was definitely a whirlwind but it actually was one of the best, even if we didn't make our rounds entirely. We did get to have a big dinner with many of our close friends, which was lots of fun. I got to hand-deliver some baby gifts that I otherwise would have mailed and see these momma's in their glowing selves. The boys got to spend lots of time with their grandparents, particularly Grandpa S. In the truck, on the mower and in the hot tub. They love it. d3 developed yet another obnoxious cough while we were there that is still lingering.

Although D1 was on spring break all week, I had to get back to work to close out the month so late Monday night after the boys were sound asleep, we packed it up and headed out. The drive home wasn't horrible but we had a few encounters I could have done without. First of all, Tennessee drivers are the WORST. Sorry, M. I think you are from TN so don't take it personally but they (some) are just horrible. Our cruise control is very random (and we WILL have that fixed before the next trip, husband!) so on the occasion that it works, we certainly don't want to have to break it because someone is in la-la land. Which happened more times than I care to remember. I totally understand road rage and how people can go loco. I was on the verge. At one point, going up into the mountains, I had some lady in front of me and just refused to get back over so that I could pass her. So I decide to go around her in the RIGHT lane and just as I get next to her, she blows me a kiss and speeds up so that I can't get around her. Seriously? And we played this game back and forth awhile before I finally put her in the dust. D1 wanted to blow her a kiss back when we went past her but we decided to take the high road - even if my thoughts were anything but mature.

And then there was Shoney's in Knoxville. Let me set the tone. It's 7am on a Tuesday morning and the boys have been strapped in the car for 11 hours. They are bursting with energy in their matching Spiderman jammies. Remember - Shoney's on a Tuesday morning. There are NO children in this restaurant at the time. Instead I can only guess everyone dining are either members of the Rotary or the Red Hat Ladies. So to say we were stared at is an understatement. In fact, we noticed some individuals that came in later that flagged the waitress down and requested a move to the other side of the restaurant away from us. Ouch. I guess I just can't understand why some people wouldn't want to hear d1 complaining that I didn't put enough syrup on his pancakes. Or d2 detailing what he needed to do in the bathroom. Or even d3 in a non-stop coughing fit that sounds like he has TB. You KNOW that terrifies the old people. And then d2 flings half his yogurt all over the place. Wouldn't you want to sit near us? I'm confident that had we been there 5 more minutes, we probably would have had a free breakfast - I'm quite certain the Red Hats were pooling their bingo fees in order to pay our ticket and get us on the road. We weren't getting those old people, grandparent looks of 'awe, how cute!' I was seeing contempt and lots of it. If I weren't so darn respectful of the elders, I just might have posed the 'can't you remember what it's like?' question. My children aren't horrible, they are just young and energetic. Yeah, that sounds much better than obnoxious and annoying.

So my feelings for TN weren't the most positive but we made it home - Praise the Lord - and it's good to be back. I'm still recovering. I remember thinking how old people had to 'recover' from trips - does that mean I'm getting old?