ROAD TRIP

I don't travel much, so even a short road trip is a big deal for me.  Yesterday, Helen and I headed east to Nashville - two travelers braving the four-lane under a low, gray sky. Helen is spending a few days with her amazing sister, so it's eerily quiet for me back here at home this morning.  But, hey, I have some extra time to write!  A couple of observations from our recent adventure:

There is SO MUCH semi-truck traffic on I-40 between Jackson, Tennessee, and Nashville.  I've heard of traffic, and congested traffic, but congested semi traffic?  Gahhh!  Remember, I am the woman who hit a semi-truck once, while driving my van full of seven kids down the interstate at 70 miles per hour.  Yeah, those big rigs still make me nervous.

That said, I really do appreciate the Pilot Service Centers that serve the trucking industry.  These are ginormous gas stations/markets/everything-you-need-on-the-road stops.  Easy access from the interstate.  Friendly, helpful staff.  Comparatively cheap gas.  Clean bathrooms - a very important feature for the middle-aged woman who chugs a gallon of water every morning.

Speaking of water, if I have to be away from the house in the morning, I usually take a couple of quart-sized bottles of water with me.  I've found that I don't drink as much water when out running errands.  Because I am slightly less hydrated and  usually get tired from the running around, I'm then more prone to those awful headaches that I want to avoid.  Yesterday, I not only took water bottles with me in the car (yes, an entire gallon), but I actually drank all of them.  Score: No headache today!  Plus, I noticed I was much less fatigued on the drive home than I had anticipated.  I highly recommend drinking lots of water when you travel...and making lots of stops at the convenient, clean, friendly Pilot Service Centers.

I am SO THANKFUL that I no longer live in a place where it is necessary for me to drive in big-city traffic on a regular basis.  Thanks to Emily and Melva's awesome directions, I made it from Franklin, to Nashville, around Nashville (just as rush hour was beginning to crank up), and all the way to Old Hickory without a glitch.  The drive felt like a 45-minute amusement park thrill ride.  That kind of adrenalin, for that long of a ride - Whew!  It's nice to live in a place where "traffic" means a combine going 10 miles per hour that has drivers snaked behind him on the two-lane highway between Troy and Hornbeak.

Purchase Parkway in western Kentucky is the most boring place on the planet after about 10:00 on a weeknight.

If it's just me in the car, I tend to gravitate toward country music when playing with the radio dial.  Weird.  Is it because I can actually understand the words?  Inevitably, though, I understand a verse of lyrics TOO well, and then it's time to hit the "Scan" button and find a new station.

Emily Pritzel is the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen.  Wow!

I love Dennis Pritzel.  One reason - because when my daughter talks about him, it looks like the sun is shining from her face.

I think I know where I get my story-telling penchant from . :)

Family is precious.