Favorite Memories

Today is one of my favorite days. Not because of Halloween, but because it was the day Liz and I took the best road trip ever. Her sister decided to get married in Gatlinburg, TN...so Liz and I went down. Bloomington, Indiana to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and back (plus dinner and a wedding) all in just about 22 hours. Up before the sun had even thought about appearing, a quick 630 a.m. phone call to call in 'sick' to work (stupid job with no vacation time...grrr) and then on the road. I don't know if I've ever had more fun being in a car for like 14-16 hours before. I honestly think Liz and I's friendship changed (for the better, of course) on that long stretch of highway between our destinations.

I'm pretty sure we talked about everything from our insecurity issues to boys to being in draining jobs to what the future would hold. We talked about the wedding and how important it was for her to be there; and how important it was for me to be there with her. We talked about God, we talked about faith. We talked about being real and being human. We belted the lyrics to RENT and listened to some Caedmon's Call. We ate food we probably had no right to be eating and managed to make it to Gatlinburg in plenty of time for the wedding. Lunch and then the ceremony. A little time to socialize and then we were back on the road. Nothing like some nasty mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew and a dozen fresh Krispie Creme donuts to keep you going as the exhaustion set in.

The drive home was fine--until about Louisville. Then it became real hard to stay awake. Plastered to the wheel freezing air blowing to keep us awake. It was a journey unlike any other. We made it to my apartment, crashed in beds, and then managed to get up and go back to the jobs we hated.

That trip will always be one of my favorite memories of the million Liz and I already share. For me, it was special. It was a time where friendship was more important than anything else in the world. Happy Road Trip Day, Liz!