Friday, June 21, 2013

Tennessee trip

Unfortunately, my “lucky day” experiment of buying a lottery ticket on the day that I just received a warning after being pulled over for speeding didn’t work out.  My plan to join the much hated “1%” via the Powerball game was a bust; I didn’t even have one matching number.  Oh well, it was worth a try.  Myth Busted.

The CFO and I spent the week working during the day and hanging out with my mother in the evenings.  It was really nice to have mom around for the week and I think she enjoyed the downtime that she had while we were at work each day.  There are no grand kids to chase around at our house!  Since mom knows her way around a sewing machine, I requested that she bring hers on the trip so she could help us with a little project: 

The outdoor chairs that I rescued from a neighbor’s trash pile last year were attacked by squirrels over the winter and the back supports got a little chewed up.  We picked out some outdoor fabric and mom sewed them into covers for the backs of the chairs.  They turned out well, although the fabric seems more appropriate for a view of the ocean and not corn stalks swaying in the wind.

On Friday evening after work, the three of us got into the car and we headed south to Tennessee.  It took a little longer than expected, but after almost 9 hours on the road, we finally arrived at our destination at around 1 am in the morning.  The following day, we went to a wedding celebration for one of my cousins who got married while she was volunteering overseas.  It was a great opportunity to catch up with aunts, uncles and cousins that we hadn’t seen in years, some since our wedding 6.5 years ago.
The CFO and I made the return trip home on Sunday, making a 10 mile detour off the interstate so that we could to eat lunch at Zaxby’s, a restaurant chain that originated in my home town of Athens, GA.  I haven't had any Zaxby’s chicken since we moved almost 3 years ago, so it was nice to enjoy some chicken strips and their delicious dipping sauce.  I don’t know why I am so sentimental about so many food joints, but I am.  I briefly thought, "maybe I should open a Zaxby's in Bloomington."  A quick trip to their website leads me to believe that I won't qualify...  They require a minimum $400k  in liquid assets and $700k net worth.  How much is a 1995 miata worth?!
There was a lot of construction along our driving route and, on the ride home, I was totally frustrated with people’s inability to merge when a lane was closed for construction.  We didn’t have this problem on the way out, but evidently all the idiots were out driving on Sunday, causing a total cluster at each construction zone.  Merging is a simple concept; it sure isn’t rocket science, people!  What infuriated me even more were the people who thought that they were so special that they could zoom past the line of people who already merged and then try to squeeze in right before the construction cones block the lane. 
As you might imagine, I went out of my way to make sure that they did not pull in in front of me.  When I see them coming in my mirror, I make sure that my front bumper is glued to the back bumper of the car in front of me in order to eliminate the possibility of them merging in front of me.  I enjoy the frustrated looks that I get from them when I don’t let them in, like I’m the a-hole or something… Sorry, but it isn’t my fault that you either (a) can’t read the big, freaking signs that warned of this merge 2-3 miles ago or (b) you think that you too good to merge in ½ mile ago like everyone else. Either way, you will not be allowed in front of me.  I enjoy watching how many vehicles behind me deny them entry into our lane and always feel a bit disappointed when someone finally lets them in.
We finally made it home at around 6pm, tired and wondering where the weekend went.   Note to self:  1100 miles round trip is a lot of driving to spend a single day at the destination.  We went to bed early on Sunday evening and that 4:40 am alarm came way too quickly Monday morning.  Despite being tired from the trip, we both still managed to roll out and head to the gym.  That’s dedication, or craziness, depending on who you ask.

1 comment:

  1. Love the chair covers how clever, and colorful! The fire pit is awesome as well and looks inviting.

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