The Road Trip that Led to The Journey

My daughter and future son in law needed to take a road trip to Seymour, Tennessee, my absolute FAVORITE destination. I will use any excuse to get to  Eastern Tennessee, I love the mountains and the family and friends that I have there are priceless!  The purpose of the trip was for them to get pre-marriage counseling from my cousin who is officiating their wedding in May. The same cousin had another baby boy on December 31st and we could not wait to meet little Ridge, as well.  So, with all of this in mind, how could I possibly be dreading this trip?  Why did I want to postpone  or even cancel it?  What was wrong with me?  Looking back I realize that physically I was just not well. I had struggled with atypical digestive issues for quite some time and that had led to a bloated stomach that would not go away. The distended belly had gotten to the point that even getting out of bed was a chore due to the pain and pressure it caused. I had made a decision to go against the little voice in my head and wait until after the road trip to get to the doctor.

Friday, February 17th rolled around, the day of our trip!  We decided to leave after work, so we knew that the eight hour trip would seem extremely long that night. We stopped off in Grove City for a quick visit with some very good friends and to grab some dinner. Everyone enjoyed the dinner except for me, I was afraid to eat very much because I did not want to upset my digestive issues while driving.  After we left our friends, I entertained the idea of stopping off at my brother’s home in Kentucky, it would be a much needed rest for me to break up the trip and we always adore any time we get to spend with he, his wife and my nephew. We did stop to visit them and had our typically refreshing visit, rested up and headed out early the next morning for the last leg of our trip. In the back of my mind I was hoping this weekend away would some how magically cure my physical problems and that I would come home feeling like a new person.

We had a terrific time with Uncles, Aunts, cousins, friends, and of course the new little bundle of boy, Ridge, it was definitely just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, my sickness did not let up, in fact, on Saturday I spent a great deal of time in the bathroom… I was miserable. We stayed until Monday morning and had to head out on our long journey home. I would be misleading if I did not add here that I was dreading the drive home worse than I had the drive there.  Thankfully, it was an uneventful and efficient trip. I was never so happy to get out of the car and get to my parent’s house, all I wanted was Mom’s pink rice bag heated and placed on my feet.  This particular rice bag had become my best friend throughout the winter months, I was always so cold and this little bag of heat and comfort brought me just that, comfort.

We arrived home safely and I headed straight to my rice bag, I utilized it for the rest of the night and did not move from the couch, ahhhhh, finally home and warm. As I reflected on the weekend I was grateful we made the trip, memories and moments were shared that I would not trade. Little did I know that the road trip and hours driving were just the beginning to the LONG and completely unexpected journey that would begin next.