Roadtripping 101...

After having just completed a successful roadtrip with my best friend..I decided to dedicate tonight's "Welcome Back" blog to the rules of the road. Get your pencils and paper ready for some serious note-taking. Feel free to apply these rules to your work space, your home space, and your personal space...
Rule 1. Do not let them screw you at the rental counter. You do not have to drive the Cube. Demand an upgrade...you NEED a sweet ride. Oh...and if you are traveling to any state that invites you to Snowpocalypse..you are going to want the butt warmers heated seats. Trust me on this one.
Rule 2. Bring enough snacks. You know you are going to need rations...stock the car with caffeine and sugar. Use the extra room from the upgrade to assuade your guilt. It's a long trip...you will get hungry.
Rule 3. Pictures are important. But while taking 2000 photos seems like a good idea...you have to edit and upload them all when you get home. You don't have time for this. And in reality...all that random and obsessive camera wielding makes for pissed off companions. They don't enjoy it as much as you do...I promise.
Rule 4. Friends can spend multiple days and excessive stretches of time with you and still like you. But that doesn't mean that you can have smelly feet or snore like a mule. (Not that this applies at all to my recent adventure.) And apologize for everything. Even if you don't really know why you are apologizing. Remember...you want this person to call you when you get home. And they know where you live.
Rule 5. Laughter makes everything better. So it's 14 degrees outside and your car is covered with 4 feet of ice and snow? One frozen little donkey can remedy that. If it makes you cry, snort, or threaten to pee your pants...that's just a bonus. If you have a terrible memory, don't be surprised if you spend 2 days trying to recall what you were laughing so hysterically about though. Added experience points if you are travelling with someone who finds the same shit funny that you do.
Rule 6. Stay with family. Yes they drive you crazy. Yes they are weird and dysfunctional. But free is free. And if you are really lucky, the "laundry fairy" will keep your clothes clean. Plus, your momma never wants to see you starve, broke, or bored. She will cover all those bases. *Rule 6.5: Adopt the family you stay with if you are the passenger. Leave with extra bottles of wine. Wine is good.
Rule 7. Relax. This is a vacation...let it go. There are no rules on vacation. Sleep in if you want, get drunk every night if you want (although know that road trips and hangovers really are not compatible.), lose the map and plot a new course. Lay some ground rules before you leave home...but don't sweat the small stuff. Remember...the ultimate goal is to get away, recharge, and renew. Do that.
Go. Now. "Not all who wander are lost." J. R. R. Tolkien

I don't have a good verse to share with you tonight....feel free to add your own. But I will let you in on my prayer list. I am thankful for safe travels, a warm bed, and rest. I pray for those I love, those I have recently come to know and like, and those I have not yet met. I pray for those who lack creativity..imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. I pray for those who dwell on drama and strive to create it in all aspects of their lives. I pray that they find peace. I pray for a quick week (I have much to celebrate!). And even though I resist and dislike...I pray for her. May she be willing to receive it.
Goodnight and God bless.