Home Again, Home Again

We made ridiculously good time last night driving back from Iowa. After Sister and I sang at my parents' church (they need to hire Joey in about 3 years...hint, hint) we all headed back to Mom and Dad's to have a delicious lunch of Christmas Dinner leftovers. Pops got out all the Boundary Waters maps and showed us the potential routes and lakes for our big adventure in August. We're getting excited.

"We need to leave in 15 minutes," Joey said as the time for departure grew near.

I continued looking at Boundary Waters maps until Joey said, "Um, it's past 12:00 and you're the one making us late this time." (I usually harass him about being the one to make us late...the tables have turned.) I made a whiny sort of noise in protest, but got up and put my shoes on. Hugs all around and then, with very little incident (aside from running back in the house to steal a box of Mom's Kleenexes because we're both sick), we were on our way.

I did not even cry.

"You're making progress!" Joey praised me as we drove down Center Point Road while Henry tried to climb over the back seat into my lap.

And thus we were drove, very speedily, I might add, down I-35 to Texas. We had calculated at 14 hour drive and figured that if we left at noon on Sunday we'd get there at 2:00 a.m. on Monday. Joey set the cruise at a very high number (which I won't divulge here) and we drove and drove...and drove and drove.

Because driving through Kansas is my responsibility, I took over at Lawrence when we filled up our tank and didn't stop until Oklahoma City when the gas light came on. Between the cold air and bright lights, I got a tremendous headache and, since it was Joey's turn to drive next, I climbed into the back seat to sleep. I am terrible at sleeping in the car.

I woke with a start what seemed to be about 20 minutes later, and I sat up quickly. We were in some kind of city because there were street lights and road signs.

Ardmore? I thought to myself, figuring I'd only been asleep for a little while.

"Where are we?" I asked sleepily.

"Dallas," Joey replied.

"WHAT?" I gasped, shocked. I glanced at the clock, it read 12:01. "How is that even possible? We're not supposed to be here until 2:00 a.m."

"Well..." said Joey, "That's what happens when you only stop for gas." I could tell he was relishing his victory in proving to me that, yes, trips go faster when you stop only the bare minimum amount of times.

"Yeah, well, I probably have some kind of infection now because you barely let me go to the bathroom." I said. I might be sleepy but that really doesn't make me less feisty.

"Do you actually have to go to the bathroom?" Joey asked me.

"Um, no." I confessed. "But I hardly drank any water so if I get sick it's your fault."

Ten short minutes later, we were home. I have to tell you that it's dreadful business to unload a car laden with heavy things when all you want to do is go to sleep because you're tired and sick. As it was we only unloaded the visible things, everything else is still in the trunk. But, we made it the 850 miles from Cedar Rapids to Dallas in a record time of 12 hours and 15 minutes, with only 3 stops for gas and otherwise.

I believe that's why I'm sitting here with a sinus migraine, fever, and shaky hands. It's unlikely that I will live to ring in the New Year tonight and, if I actually do, I'll probably be asleep by 8:30 so it doesn't really count.