Nashville Trip

Friday, August 12th Chip, Hill and I traveled to a funeral visitation in Nashville, TN.  Lyndsay & Craig are our really good friends and have had a really tough past month.  Sometimes when there are no words you just need to give someone a hug, feel their presence, know they care.  It doesn't matter how near or how far they are, you love them and want to be there, even if only for a second.

It was a family adventure.  It's always an adventure when we are involved, right?  So we made the 7 hour trek to Nashville...on the Natchez Trace.  Go ahead and string me up by my toenails if I ever agree to do that route again.  It's nice like the first 30 minutes, but then even though you are 31 years old you become the annoying 3 year old.  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Although I do have to say Chip gave me special kudos for not drinking anything all morning so I didn't have to pee every 10.5 seconds.  It's a good thing because there aren't any gas stations on the Trace only little rest areas.  Rest areas that you read about in murder mysteries where killers wait in the woods or in the stalls of the bathrooms, rest areas that urban legends tell of witchcraft and sacrificial lesbians. It's desolate, prime murder-esque scene.  I always tell Chip that if I'm not out in 5 minutes to call 911...don't come in...drive off and save our son.  Ok, so I have a creative imagination.  The rest areas are nice and clean, although I won't deny their creepiness, they are safe.

This is what Hill did for 75% of the trip

We stopped to stretch our tiny legs a bit, at an afore mentioned rest stop.

Hill said, "Peace out, parents! I'm not getting back in the car"

I'm serious folks.  I'm done.

Then I reminded him about the scary people hiding in the woods, the witches and sacrifical lesbians and he came and got back into the car.

Dada's snack time

We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-a and as soon as we pulled up Hill started talking about Harvey.  He knows his buddy Harvey loves some "chick chick" from Chick-fil-a.  Funny how their little brains pick up on the most random things.

Then there is the fork...

While Chip was driving I looked out of the corner of my eye to him busting out random motions.  We were so delirious that he was testing his 'cat like' reflexes by sticking the fork in the airbag / steering wheel crease then snatching it out really fast and stabbing it around in the air and return it to its crease (or sheath.)  Yes, it was to that point.  The Natchez Trace gets in your head like that hotel in The Shining.  My description of the fork cannot do it's hilarity justice.  I was ready to use the fork to stab myself in the eye.  It's a good thing that AT&T service is crappy on the Trace or I'd have used my cell phone to google the fastest way to die by using a plastic fork.  So as much as I hate to admit it, I guess in a way AT&T saved my life.

Hill on the other hand had the Pettit's portable DVD player.
Two words.  Life Saver.

About 30 miles before civilization to Nashville the roads get curvy.  I'm not really one that gets car sick, but as I'm feeling queazy and sticking my face in the A/C vents Chip announces how the Porche that he's been wanting would handle fantastic around these curves.  I guess he was in the zone pretending the ol' Toyota Camry was his dreamy Porche Cayman because once we were 20 miles away from civilization I looked in the back seat where Hill is as white as a sheet and immediately starts vomiting.  Seriously.  Let's just say I was able to contain it in a blanket - the blanket now lives in a dumpster.

We made it to Nashville.  We went to the visitation and got to see our friends and give them hugs and love. They weren't expecting us, so the pure shock once they saw us was heart warming.  Sometimes you just need to stop and put life on hold to let someone know you truly care.

We didn't linger around, we simply waited in line to give our respects and then Chip, Hill and I went to eat dinner and headed back home.  We took the interstate this time.  Chip drank coffee while Hill slept and I was just sort of there for moral support for Chip.  I think I was a zombie.  We got home at 3am and prayed that Hill would sleep late.  He slept until 8am.
Even a week later I'm not too sure exactly how we are still alive and contributing to society.  I'm so happy that we went to Nashville.  It was a long drive, but well worth it to see our sweet friends.

Our weekend adventure doesn't end there - - we went to the circus Saturday afternoon.  More on that soon.