Musings Between Friends: Road Trip

We had to make an unscheduled, last minute trip to the HOMETOWN this weekend. It was a 400 mile, drive in, drive out, whirlwind visit, for the sad occasion of a funeral for a dear friend. There is no excuse for the whining that will follow in this blog. We are honored to have known our friend, happy to have been there to support his family and grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate his life. It was a "no-brainer". But, in an effort to find humor in the every day grind, I made a few observations and collected this muse for my friends...

Before we left and short on time, I grabbed my "marrying and burying" dress and my "car clothes" (aka stretchy pants, t-shirt, flip-flops). Michael had his movies. Mike had stuff, too. But none of it is interesting. Well, he had sunflower seeds. And skittles - we all have our priorities.

Before I go any further, I have a short story to tell.

Once upon a time, Rob (AKA one of the "big kids") is 10 years old. The two of us (as in, me and him) are driving from Charlotte to Gastonia in the early evening. We are taking the back roads - a short cut along the periphery of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. When I say "periphery", I mean that we are so close to the runways, that the only thing that separates this back road from the tarmac is a high chain link fence. Suddenly, I look up because there are headlights, in the sky, coming directly at us.

Me (frantic, panicked voice): "Oh, my gosh! What the heck! Is that a plane?"

I was putting on the breaks at this point....preparing for impact.

Rob (dead pan): "No, Mom, it's a flying car." (Geez. Seriously?)

Hysterical laughter.

More laughter.

I smell a whiff of disbelief coming from my 10 year old son because his mother actually thought it could be something else and NOT a plane? It was in the sky!

We recall this story occasionally. It is hard to forget the day your mother thought cars could fly.

Back to the road trip. This weekend, 2011.

Mike is driving. I am delirious (slightly nauseous) from listening to the satellite radio E Street station for 3 hours straight. Michael is eating another bag of Skittles. We are on the home stretch. Literally. I look up AND...

I see a flying car!!!

OK. So maybe this isn't funny to you. But it was a memory moment for me. And quite honestly, I don't live near an international airport any more and there were probably 4 more of these things clustered together above my head with their headlights blazing and I was "country come to city" amazed!

Anyway, I got to see my mama. This matters to me.

Before I leave for the funeral, I am thinking about how much I love her. She is 80 years old.

Me (sly as a fox): Lets take a picture. You know...for the fun of it?

Mama (innocent as a lamb): OK

Me (knowing I will blog this): Say cheese!

Mama (in her usual photo-phobic manner): CHEESE.

She wanted to take another picture without her glasses. And she promised she wouldn't actually say the word CHEESE. But she did. So, I am using this one. I like it best. With her glasses.

And right after the picture, she went and got a Boost dietary supplement and drank it right before my eyes. To prove to me that she eats and takes care of herself. She better....

As the time line progresses, we attend funeral. My eyes hurt from crying. We come back to the house of my mama. We collect Michael. We change into car clothes. We procure caffeine. We dial into XM radio. We begin the journey home.

I am forever grateful, that while raising a child at age 49, there exists a car DVD player with headset.

Lastly, I have to say that the only thing that can make me crazier during a road trip other than flying cars and too much caffeine, is rain. Heavy rain. While exceeding the speed limit. With ESPN football droning on the radio. And only one hand on the wheel. And I am not the one driving.