Our trip

We left at 1:30AM Wednesday morning to head to Dallas for N to be at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing). We got to MEPs at 4AM, and expected (per the recruiter) to have him go in, get a height and weight check, finish up some paperwork, and be right out. Our problems started before the sun was even up, because the recruiter, who hadn't done a single thing right this entire process, didn't have the right paperwork waiting in Dallas. After waiting for offices to open, and making a few frantic phone calls, we got things somewhat back on track by 7:30. Then we were stuck waiting, with 2 cranky children, one VERY cranky mommy, and a pissed off daddy. Finally, at about 1:00pm, we finished up the paperwork, and Shane threw a tantrum in the middle of a Dallas crosswalk, in front of a few police officers on horse. It was UGLY. Really, really ugly. Wow, this trip was starting off nicely. Anyway, we finally got back on the road and headed for Indiana, hoping the worst was over. In Blytheville, Arkansas, we were looking for an exit, only to find it didn't exist. We pulled off, and N went into a gas station to find out WTF the big idea was. The lady behind the counter said "Let me guess... you're looking for 66a." N, figuring she was some kind of psychic or something, said we were. She wasn't psychic, apparently EVERYONE gets stuck at that point, the mile marker 66 in ARKANSAS didn't have an exit, but cross that state line to Missouri and follow it for another 66 miles, you'll get there. Oh. Thanks. Back to driving. We did eventually find our exit, and made it well into Illinois before tapping out. At 11:30pm we pulled into a rest stop to sleep for a few hours, because we'd been up for almost 40 hours, and on the road for almost 24 of them. We finally got to our destination in IN at 8AM Thursday, tired and relieved to be out of the car. The trip was still wonderful, N's grandfather has the most incredible place, 14 acres of beauty and serenity. The weather was gorgeous, warmer than normal for that area, but much cooler than we're used to in TX. The kids ran, played, jumped, and had a blast. N got to see family members he hadn't seen in years, show me the places he grew up near, and just generally relax. I didn't want to leave, it was just so beautiful. His grandfather has a bird feeder outside the kitchen window, we could sit and watch the birds and squirrels munch away, we sat on the front porch swing and watched the kids play in the green grass, picking dandelion "puffers" and enjoying the fresh air. The dogwoods were in bloom, the lavender trees were fragrant, and the maples rained down their "helicopter" pods when the wind blew. There were cousins to play with, stories to tell, and lots of warmth and friendly faces. I hadn't met N's relatives before, and I was amazed at how welcoming they were towards me and the kids. We left late Saturday evening, though it was really hard to do. N's mom and middle brother also drove back to TX with us, as they are in the process of moving here once the baby brother graduates HS this month. Our trip back was uneventful for the most part, though we did see a high speed chase early Sunday morning. We were about 6 miles from the TX state line, and passed an Arkansas trooper. I thanked my lucky stars I was doing the speed limit (N's mom was following me) and about 30 seconds later noticed blue lights. We both pulled to the side, scaring the crap out of N with the rumble strips, just in time for a car to speed by us with the trooper close behind. I'm guessing the "runner" figured he could make it to the TX border and then would be home free, though I doubt it works that way. Another mile or 2 up the road we saw he had taken an exit and tried to make a hard left on the overpass, wrecking his car above the highway. Ooops... guess that didn't go according to plan. I guess he never watched Cops, because everyone knows you can't win in that situation! We made it home safely, N and his brother made dinner for my mother-in-law and me, and we stayed up just barely long enough to watch Desperate Housewives. It's been quite a week!
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