On the road again

Dd you know, I actually got a complaint that my post yesterday was too short? REALLY?!?! Ok. No. That's fine. 

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Unfortunately this one is going to be just as short, if not shorter. I should have left several hours ago, but I'm still sitting around. Don't worry, I'll get out there eventually. 

I am no stranger to road trips, and have traveled by car for the majority of my life. I actually despise the airport now and I don't like being on airplane (unless my father is the one piloting them). When I first obtained my own car and was managing at a fast food restaurant, I was making enough to save up a lot and take a vacation. At one point, I took 3 weeks off of work to travel cross county in my transcontinental landship. 

First, I was required to go north, visiting my sister and other family in the city where I now live. Then I headed west to the desert that I am so very fond of. I stayed there a week, spending time with a very dear friend of mine, then headed back home for a little. I was in Arizona, almost to the New Mexico border when I hit a little setback. It had been raining, so the road was wet. I was in the left lane trying not to break the sound barrier when I came up on a semi which was kicking mist up like you could not imagine. Unfortunately, the diver behind the semi could not see very well and tried to improve their situation. I don't remember if they signaled or not, but they merged into the left lane and for a moment, we were trying to occupy the same spot on the road. I quickly hit the brakes and tried to move out of the way, causing me to spin around and land backwards in the median. 

I was in shock for a moment, but I know I couldn't just sit there. I immediately checked to see if the car could still move. It could not. I took a deep breath and reached for my cell phone. Happy to have signal, I called my father. This was the actual conversation;

"Hello?"

"Hi Dad. Ok, whatever you do, don't tell Mom."

"(concerned) what happened?"

"I am currently backwards in the median, somewhere in Arizona."

I would like to note, that the "don't tell Mom" part was crucial. I didn't want my parents to completely (for the lack of a better word) loose their shit. My father has a lot of experience with cars, accidents, and dealing with insurance companies (which I had no idea what to do). We got a tow truck to take me to the nearest town in New Mexico and they fixed my car. My father insisted that I sleep for the night in a hotel but I was convinced that I could keep moving  but as soon as I got in the car to drive to the hotel, I was shaking and realized that perhaps, I should sleep.

Dad-1

Daughter-0

I made it home that afternoon and my parents (mostly my mother) tried to tell me to cancel the rest of my trip. It took a bit of convincing, but I was able to proceed because, and I quote, "I am a manly man, I got this!" My next stop was to visit my grandparents, so that helped in convincing them to let me go, however, I didn't tell them that I may have driven a bit out of the way to see my oldest friend in a town we used to live. (Yeah, I am admitting to it now, so mleh :p ). 

After visiting for a short time with my grandparents, my path northeast was set out for me. I met up with an old high school friend who is kinda like a big brother to me, in the sense that I annoy him like a little sister. Then I spent a good time with a dear friend of mine (who unfortunately doesn't speak to me anymore, though I wish he would). One of my old fiends from high school also lived in the area, so I was able to see him as well.

One that week was over, it was to the Deep South for me! Visiting my other grandparents at their lovely  cabin getaway for a bit was a delight. (Hopefully I will be able to visit them again soon). And I spent the rest if the trip visiting someone who was very important to me. I don't want to get into the history of our relationship, but in the end, I was happy to visit. 

It was a long, boring, and muggy drive back home. I almost was able to see another high school friend but things didn't work out. With only two hours left until I was home, my car began overheating in the Texas summer (it still has a bad overheating problem which is manageable, if you can tolerate the heat. I pulled of on the side to let it cool when I realized one of my tires was flat! I struggled to change it by myself when a family pulled over to help me. I was very grateful for their help, even if we spoke different languages. 

Dragging along on my donut (spare tire), one of my coworkers passed me on the road. I has to explain later the whole trip, but it wasn't so bad. Since then, I have only every been able to go on one more trip, where I took my editor to Death Valley (and the surrounding area), but I'll save that for another time. Now, I really need to get on the road. Sorry grandma, I'm going to be a little late.

(Ok, I lied. This post was a lot longer than I expected. But hey, you got me talking about my adventures!)

Isn't she the most beautiful cat you've ever seen? Ok, so you can't see all of her, but still. This is Darwin (winny for short), the other cat my editor brought into my life. Her fur is SOOOOO FLUFFYY!!!!! Her tail is also about 45 feet long, though she hates it when you play with it. She is not overly cuddly like her sister, but does enjoy the attention. I've found that she is the most cuddly when you let her outside and sit under a tree, and she'll come to you. 

 See? Sisters. (They took my chair!!!!)