Alive...
...but not kicking much anymore. I am worn out!
I suppose I should admit first that I didn't sleep at all last night. We came home from dinner out with the in-laws, took the kids to wherever they were staying (some stayed with Granny, some with Lisa), then I went home to finish laundry/packing/cleaning/stressing. I got in bed around 11:15 and blogged and read blogs and checked e-mails. I was about to settle down at midnight and go to sleep when suddenly, the cable went out.
I cannot sleep without something to watch, especially when I'm wound up. I waited a few minutes, but it didn't come back on, so I got the laptop, but the cable was out there too...no Internet....I played cards until around 1:45, then I tossed and turned and sighed loudly enough to wake up my husband, who suggested I just go on and go. Problem is I was already tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to go to sleep, so...I finally just threw on some clothes, threw everything in the car, and drove off, at 2 AM.
The drive wasn't bad. I stopped about half an hour down the road for a cup of coffee, then didn't have to stop again except for one potty break until the sun came up at 4:45. I drove into Arkansas at 6:30 AM. Arkansas' state motto, is, you know, "We're Trying To Help Keep You Awake With Our Massive Potholes". Needless to say, I didn't have much trouble staying awake after that. I bumped and jostled my way across Arkansas, stopping to pick up a sausage burrito at McDonald's and some fruit and water at a Wal-Mart along the way. Around 11:30, when I was about ten miles from the Oklahoma border, the rain started. It had been drizzling a little here and there but now it got really serious. After a couple of miles of driving with my face pressed to the windshield to see the road, and one particularly alarming incident when a mean and nasty truck drove by and splashed so much water on my little car that I couldn't see out, I decided to take a break and join the line of cars that had given up and parked on the side of the road to wait it out. We all waited there at Mile Marker 7, near Van Buren, for the rain to stop. I bet I was there 25 minutes. I decided to clean the car while I was in there. I had some car-cleaning wipes and gave the dash and the windows a good scrubbing, so at least I got a clean car out of the deal.
I finally got to OKC at 3. Mapquest said it would take 11 hours....I had planned for 12....and, you know. 13 hours. 13 hours of "Boondocks" (actually, the entire album sounded awesome cranked waaaaaay up) and Vince Gill and church singing CDs. Ah well. I found the hotel with a minimum of fuss, and got dressed and headed out. I found a parking garage a couple of streets over and ran to the big hotel that we'll be staying at this weekend to meet Joyce...and that was a real pleasure...she is a doll! Then I had to run again to a dinner that HLAA was hosting for the volunteers. I quickly made a few new friends and had a great, fun dinner. They offered us a Mexican buffet and it was mouth-watering! They also had cheesecake and a gorgeous pecan pie. I opted for the pecan pie and after a bite or two, I decided that there was something in it that I don't normally put in my pie...something that tasted odd. After a couple more bites, I commented on it, and was informed that it was swimming in bourbon. Not ever having had bourbon, I was a little concerned about what effects the pie might have on my already tired nervous system, but decided that everything would be fine. I left there to go to a church in the area where Bro. Harry preaches, only to discover that the garage where I parked my car was LOCKED, as in, huge gate closed, huge lock on gate, no going in our out. And my car was inside...and I had no way to go anywhere. I trudged back to the convention center and apprised my new friends of my situation, and one of the kind couples there offered to drop me off at my hotel, since it didn't look like I'd be getting my car back before morning. I sheepishly accepted their offer and climbed in their car. They offered to show me another parking area where I could park my car over the weekend, one that didn't hold cars hostage, but I asked them to first run by and look at where my car was parked. When we turned on the street where the garage was, we were coming the opposite way from how I had been approaching it, and I saw an exit that, if need be, I might be able to infiltrate and snitch my car back out. However, a split second later, I saw the entrance...and it was wide open. Apparently, the gated entrance was just a few doors down, and I had seen it first, and assumed it was the garage where my car was parked (in all fairness, it had the same signs outside). Boy, was I embarrassed. Still am. Can I blame the lack of sleep and the pie? We had a good laugh (they weren't laughing at me, but with me, of course) then they dropped me off. By then, I was way too late for church :( I am going to look it up in the next day or so, though, and I can visit on Sunday :)
Then I went back to where Joyce was and we sat in Starbucks and visited for a couple of hours :) While we were there the barista offered us about half a pitcher of leftover strawberry smoothie....delicious!!! I really enjoyed getting to meet Joyce....I have known her online for probably over a year, and she and I have chatted online and know each other pretty well, but this was our first meeting. She is a sweetheart!!
I pick up Laurie at the airport in the morning....and I didn't get a walk today, so I need to get up in the morning and hit the treadmill, so I MUST SLEEP!!! I didn't take a single picture today...I will take some tomorrow...there is a lot of neat stuff here to take pictures of, so watch for 'em :)
Love to all y'all, from Oklahoma City! :)
<3
I suppose I should admit first that I didn't sleep at all last night. We came home from dinner out with the in-laws, took the kids to wherever they were staying (some stayed with Granny, some with Lisa), then I went home to finish laundry/packing/cleaning/stressing. I got in bed around 11:15 and blogged and read blogs and checked e-mails. I was about to settle down at midnight and go to sleep when suddenly, the cable went out.
I cannot sleep without something to watch, especially when I'm wound up. I waited a few minutes, but it didn't come back on, so I got the laptop, but the cable was out there too...no Internet....I played cards until around 1:45, then I tossed and turned and sighed loudly enough to wake up my husband, who suggested I just go on and go. Problem is I was already tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to go to sleep, so...I finally just threw on some clothes, threw everything in the car, and drove off, at 2 AM.
The drive wasn't bad. I stopped about half an hour down the road for a cup of coffee, then didn't have to stop again except for one potty break until the sun came up at 4:45. I drove into Arkansas at 6:30 AM. Arkansas' state motto, is, you know, "We're Trying To Help Keep You Awake With Our Massive Potholes". Needless to say, I didn't have much trouble staying awake after that. I bumped and jostled my way across Arkansas, stopping to pick up a sausage burrito at McDonald's and some fruit and water at a Wal-Mart along the way. Around 11:30, when I was about ten miles from the Oklahoma border, the rain started. It had been drizzling a little here and there but now it got really serious. After a couple of miles of driving with my face pressed to the windshield to see the road, and one particularly alarming incident when a mean and nasty truck drove by and splashed so much water on my little car that I couldn't see out, I decided to take a break and join the line of cars that had given up and parked on the side of the road to wait it out. We all waited there at Mile Marker 7, near Van Buren, for the rain to stop. I bet I was there 25 minutes. I decided to clean the car while I was in there. I had some car-cleaning wipes and gave the dash and the windows a good scrubbing, so at least I got a clean car out of the deal.
I finally got to OKC at 3. Mapquest said it would take 11 hours....I had planned for 12....and, you know. 13 hours. 13 hours of "Boondocks" (actually, the entire album sounded awesome cranked waaaaaay up) and Vince Gill and church singing CDs. Ah well. I found the hotel with a minimum of fuss, and got dressed and headed out. I found a parking garage a couple of streets over and ran to the big hotel that we'll be staying at this weekend to meet Joyce...and that was a real pleasure...she is a doll! Then I had to run again to a dinner that HLAA was hosting for the volunteers. I quickly made a few new friends and had a great, fun dinner. They offered us a Mexican buffet and it was mouth-watering! They also had cheesecake and a gorgeous pecan pie. I opted for the pecan pie and after a bite or two, I decided that there was something in it that I don't normally put in my pie...something that tasted odd. After a couple more bites, I commented on it, and was informed that it was swimming in bourbon. Not ever having had bourbon, I was a little concerned about what effects the pie might have on my already tired nervous system, but decided that everything would be fine. I left there to go to a church in the area where Bro. Harry preaches, only to discover that the garage where I parked my car was LOCKED, as in, huge gate closed, huge lock on gate, no going in our out. And my car was inside...and I had no way to go anywhere. I trudged back to the convention center and apprised my new friends of my situation, and one of the kind couples there offered to drop me off at my hotel, since it didn't look like I'd be getting my car back before morning. I sheepishly accepted their offer and climbed in their car. They offered to show me another parking area where I could park my car over the weekend, one that didn't hold cars hostage, but I asked them to first run by and look at where my car was parked. When we turned on the street where the garage was, we were coming the opposite way from how I had been approaching it, and I saw an exit that, if need be, I might be able to infiltrate and snitch my car back out. However, a split second later, I saw the entrance...and it was wide open. Apparently, the gated entrance was just a few doors down, and I had seen it first, and assumed it was the garage where my car was parked (in all fairness, it had the same signs outside). Boy, was I embarrassed. Still am. Can I blame the lack of sleep and the pie? We had a good laugh (they weren't laughing at me, but with me, of course) then they dropped me off. By then, I was way too late for church :( I am going to look it up in the next day or so, though, and I can visit on Sunday :)
Then I went back to where Joyce was and we sat in Starbucks and visited for a couple of hours :) While we were there the barista offered us about half a pitcher of leftover strawberry smoothie....delicious!!! I really enjoyed getting to meet Joyce....I have known her online for probably over a year, and she and I have chatted online and know each other pretty well, but this was our first meeting. She is a sweetheart!!
I pick up Laurie at the airport in the morning....and I didn't get a walk today, so I need to get up in the morning and hit the treadmill, so I MUST SLEEP!!! I didn't take a single picture today...I will take some tomorrow...there is a lot of neat stuff here to take pictures of, so watch for 'em :)
Love to all y'all, from Oklahoma City! :)
<3
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