Road Trip Across America

From Florida to Idaho.. no matter how you drive it, IT'S LONG!!!  The only thing that makes it doable is the company of my amazing daughter in love, Suzy and the visits with friends and family along the way!  But first, we had to make sure we were protected.  Nick always said that as long as he had Rubber Duckies in his car, he was never in a major car accident, but when he didn't, he did.  So, we made sure we were protected.  3 rubber duckies, one on each side and one in the front windshield and Nick was watching the back side of the car.  And Nick's statue of Sarasvati right in the heart of the car. Yup.  We are covered.. now time to hit the road!

Our first day was a 13 hour drive to Cottonport, Louisiana, where we stayed with Cousin Lisa and her partner Ashely.  Driving in the back bayous of this state is a bit scary at night, but it was so worth it to be able to visit with these 2 amazing women.  To be surrounded by love and rainbow stickers really meant the world to us.  While in Louisiana, Lisa offered us Ice Cream.  And Tracy's favorite Ice Cream in the whole wide world is Blue Bell Banana Pudding.... it must be a family thing cause that is what Lisa had in her fridge!

The next day was a drive to Texas.  We stopped in Tyler to have dinner with Grandma and Papa (Tracy's parents).  It was great to visit with them before heading on to Sachse, Texas, where we stayed at my brother Matt's.  I got to visit with Matt, Mary, Becky and David.  Mark and his wife Maryanne and his daughter Meghan and her 2 kiddos Tristan (2 years old) and Xander (just a week old).  Bubba also got to meet Chickens for the first time; he is not a fan.  That was a difficult visit.  I loved seeing them, but holding precious baby Xander reminded me of what we lost with Nick.

Then it was another drive to New Mexico.  We got up way early and hit the road before 6am.  We made it from Sachse, all the way through the other side of Fort Worth in 45 minutes.  That is unheard of! Finally, a little over 2 hours into our trip, we stopped for breakfast.. Whataburger!  Nothing like a good cheeseburger for breakfast!

 Thanks to a friend we had a free hotel and it was nice to sit in peace and quiet just the two of us (and the animals).  We have been surrounded by family and friends for a month,and when w were alone, our time had been spent packing and cleaning. So this bit of down time was nice.  We took our chances with a diner across the street. IT was nothing fantastic, but it sustained us. That night's sleep was odd in so many way.  First of all, I could have sworn Suzy left the TV on and it went to "snow".  She swears she turned it off.  But I remember waking up cause it was bright in the room and seeing the "poltergeist" screen.   Creepy.  Then the cat broke into the treats and I woke up and had to pick them up; Suzy was passed out and didnt' hear a thing. Then the cat spent what seemed like HOUSE digging for oil in his kitty litter box.  Crazy.  Not much sleep happened that night.

The 4th day was a short drive to Chandler, Arizona.  This is where I am writing from tonight.  We are staying with our family/friend Michael.  He has been part of our lives for 20 years. He is our chosen family and we love him dearly.  Of course, having lived here for  7 years, we needed to hit at least one of our favorite places to eat... Guedo's Mexican Taco Shop!  YUM!!!!!

His nephew David and David's girlfriend Jessica moved in with Michael in the last couple of weeks.  It has been nice getting to know them. I have heard about David for 20 years. So it was really cool to met him.  They are great kids.  Last night (our first night here) we went to sea food and enjoyed some of the best restaurant sea food I have ever had; and it was Suzy's first experience with sea food. She loved it! Of course the drinks were flowing and last night ended up being a late night with lots of laughter and some tears and some more healing as Suzy vocalized more of her thoughts.  I am grateful for these times.    Today was spent just relaxing a bit and moving our bodies via a walk through the mall.  And tonight, we met my girls Annelle and Beth for dinner.  It is crazy to think that I was just 2 years older than Suzy is now when I started hanging out with Beth and Annelle.  We were part of the PTO board for the elementary school hat our boys went to.   We went through so much together.  We were family.  And it kills me to see how much time has flown by!

These pictures below were from July 4th 2000 and today, December 18, 2014.  Crazy!






















Tonight while visiting with Beth and Annelle, I found out that Beth does Burlesque with the women of the active retirement community here in Phoenix (called Sun Lakes). I looked at her facebook profile, and sure enough, there was Beth with a group of Sexy Senior Citizens all dolled up for a burlesque performance!  Wow! Yes... these are my friends.....these are the women who stood by me when I came out of the closet and loved me and accepted me when times were the hardest for me.    These are the women I love dearly......Our boys were all very close and best friends.  And the memories I have with them, I will cherish forever.  As our children have grown...we have each faced life or death with our boys in ways that many parents will never understand.   And here we are together again.   The last time we were all together was when Nick and Suzy had just gotten married and were moving across the country to Florida.. and now here we are tonight after Nick's death as I move Suzy back home to Idaho.  The storyteller in me says.. "bookends". The mom in me wants to scream....ITS NOT RIGHT!!!!

   

Tomorrow, Suzy and I hit the road one last time for our big push to get home.  It looks like it will take about 16-17 hours to get home tomorrow.  The plan is to be on the road by 6am.  We will drive to Las Vegas. Then head to Salt Lake City and then the big 5 hour push to Boise.  It's going to be a very long drive tomorrow, but then we will be home!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support... Keep 'em coming.. the trip isn't over with!