(To those who actually read this: you are so cool; you rock; you are the best thing since sliced bread!!)
Traveling on I-75 to Atlanta from Ypsilanti, MI (approx. 11 hours each way) actually is a lot more fun and somewhat liberating than it sounds! Ok...Ohio isn't exactly the lost Wonder of the world, but for the most part, but the rest of the drive was mostly wonderful. Nice weather and little roadwork helps too! I noticed how most tailgaters I encountered (even when going 90 mph!) were women...bitches on wheels indeed!
TennesseeMy first stop on the way down was in Chattanooga, TN to visit my friend Shawn, who I hadn't seen in a while. His little dog (Odie...love that name! heh heh) and Sierra, my 60 lb. lab/pitbull/etc. mix, got along so well...made for great nighttime entertainment! lol Shawn is a master decorator by the way and has offered to decorate for me anytime, free of charge...maybe not, but he should!!
Walking in downtown Chattanooga after my arrival and again the next morning was so cool...I love the Tenn. River area and the pedestrian bridge. The glass bridge going to the art museum is pretty amazing as well. I'm going to put pics up later.
GeorgiaAfter a pretty hefty wrong turn that sent me smack dab into the Atlanta rush-hour commute that I was so trying to avoid (dammit!!), I made it into Roswell, GA, where my family is. Sierra friggin remembered their street and house...after 9 months of being away...see? Dogs ARE smart!! She perked up like Anna Nicole Smith does when she sees a rich old man walking by.
Also, it was soo HOT outside...mid 80s at least...I was smart not to pack any long-sleeve shirts.
I went out to eat with the family (my mom's parents who live across the street, my mom, dad, and sis). We had an early birthday dinner for me (1 of about 4, I think) at Longhorn Steakhouse...hey, I hadn't had good porkchops in a looong time, so I was craving them! Olive Garden is everywhere, but not Longhorn. And they were YUMMY...even the animal heads on the walls wanted some, but I wasn't about to share...
It was also very nice to spend time with the fam again...I do miss them. My sister driving my grandparents and me around was hillarious...they were being backseat drivers as usual, but then my sister IS a scary driver...she's the queen bitch on wheels!
Cold Stone for dessert...I grossed everyone out with my cinnamon ice cream mixed with graham cracker and coconut...what gives???? That shit is the BOMB!! MMMMM...my grandmother gagged...geez.
Myrtle Beach, SCSat. morning (my birthday!!!!!!!!!^infiniti), I once again was behind the wheel for another shorter roadtrip (only 6 hours each way, this time...piece of cake!). My friend Tim and his well-matched boyfriend, Patrick, accompanied me to Myrtle Beach for two purposes: 1) to see the beach 2) see Switchfoot in concert (well, to give me company at least). Did I make it to Myrtle Beach without wrong turns? Is Bush the most excellent at foreign policy ever?? HELL no! Damn roadsigns messed me up. And who in the hell doesn't put a gas station up for miles and miles and miles??? You're not supposed to have to ask directions TO a gas station...that's where you GO for directions! lol
Anyway...I enjoyed another birthday dinner (#2) at Fuddrucker's...mmmm...ostrich burger!
Let me tell you...the House of Blues at Myrtle Beach is kick-ass...I loved it! Switchfoot picked a good venue, for sure...and after I had a very nice drink from the bar, they took the stage. Fucking fantastic is not enough to describe this concert...best one I've been to (my 5th concert...I'm building up my experience..don't worry! lol). Jon, the vocalist, was on fire (and so hot...well, not as hot as brother Tim)...and the feeling throughout the House was electric during most of the songs. "We Are One" and "This is Your Life" sent chills through me the most, though. Wow. This was more than a performance for us to witness and rock out too...it was an experience. Some girl even got them to sing "Happy Birthday" (Tim, Patrick, and I just pretended it was all for me...cuz it really was lol). It's one of those times you wish could go on forever (the concert, not the Happy Birthday singalong heh heh).
We ended the night with a walk on the beach (a little chilly, but it's the ocean...who cares?!?!) And Tim will kill me for sharing this...but he streaked!! Peer pressure...YEAH!!!! The sand crabs are blind for life, though...
Of course, we had to go back in the morning before departing to get another beach fix. I've missed frisbee on the beach so much...and the ocean...nature's greatest untamed beast...hopefully, I'll get back to one of them very soon).
Georgia...again...SundayWith an hour to spare, I turned around from my arrival from SC and headed out to my friend Julie's house. $#$$!!*^& (I made a wrong turn to her place as well...there's a reason I have a reputation for getting lost, I think). She and her husband, Matt, have done an excellent job with their new home...and they made me a wonderful dinner (# 3)!! Man, it was so awesome to catch up and trade gossip and whatnot. Of course, they have a kickass entertainment center...and what better to watch on a big screen than Food Network, eh?? lol
Fun times...I love Julie. She also thought it fun to remind me of the time in our freshman year of college when everyone in our circle of friends thought it would be fun to kick me whenever someone said "clock"...what a fun game.
I took advantage of the late drive back to my parents' and drove around town, windows-down, music blaring...woohoo!!!
Still, I had three days remaining of my vacation...
MondayMonday was spent visiting old coworkers at the bank I worked at until last June. I always feel so special when I go there...so many people know me there or know OF me...it's crazy! I still don't understand why I had such an impact on these people lol...but I love them and miss them. Sabrina and Peggy, two of my faves, treated me to a wonderful Mexican lunch at Moe's (similar to Chipotle and Qdoba)...love me a huge burrito!! YEAH! (birthday meal # 4, by the way...) So much work gossip to catch up on...it's great to have good connections..heh heh. Almost makes up for the comments about my driving...
I went back to the bank to bug/visit a bit more...talked politics/current events with Judy, my old manager and met the hot, hot, HOT new lender, Jason (of course he started working there AFTER I left! dammit), who has a sense of humor so much like mine...and eyes I couldn't stop looking at lol.
I can't leave out that after leaving there, I went to Cumming (for you non-Georgians...yes, it's a city...they are constantly orgasmic there) to visit good ol' Barb, who I worked with for 3 years and mothered me constantly. She friggin cried when she saw me come in the bank there...followed by a big hug!! She was like, "You look so beautiful!!" lol...see how crazy she is? She's originally from Michigan and was one of the few who told me all the good things about living here. She provided lots of amusement during my years at the bank with her (accidentally flashing a customer comes to mind first)...one cool middle-aged woman, for sure!
Rounding out the night was another dinner with the fam, grandparents, aunt, and family friends (birthday meal # 5)...my mom's spaghetti and the traditional Great American Cookie Co. cookie cake...YUM!! AND my mom made her awesome peanut butter cookies as well...I was so friggin spoiled. It was kinda fun to avoid questions about girlfriends (only my parents and sis in this group know of me being gay)...I'd be a great addition to the Bush Administration as far as evading questions goes.
More good times, good laughs...
TuesdayI will sooo sleep with your mom if you're still reading this...yeah....right
Breakfast with the grandparents across the street (not another birthday meal...oh well...)...then I took a 1.5 hour trip to Berry College, where I got edumacated. My dog came along (not exactly by choice), and we took a 2 hour hike in the mountain area of the campus. I ventured off on a trail I hadn't tried before. Some creeks and rocks to traverse through/over...Sierra actually loved getting wet a little too much lol.
It was so beautiful...I mean, absolutely perfect weather...cloudless, deep blue sky, temps in the mid-60s...slight breeze...low humidity...I was in heaven!! I needed some time alone with Mother Nature...we talked about the upcoming hurricanes and the lack of big snowfalls...I asked about her kids and stuff...it was fun.
Nah...I did my best to stay on the trail...it's kinda easy to get lost, considering the college owns 28,000 acres of land. Did I say how beautiful it was up there...especially with everything in bloom.
I rounded out the night hanging out with an old college friend, Melissa, and her boyfriend (took a wrong turn getting there too...someday, I'll have a chauffeur (aka boyfriend).
WednesdayBreakfast with my grandparents again...goodbyes to everyone...on another beautiful day. My grandmother tried to give me everything in her kitchen, I think. lol I drove back to Michigan at a safe, cruising speed of 80-90 mph...and with a couple delays, made it home in 11 hours or so. Sierra is so depressed...she lost her playmates again...it's sad. She needs therapy.
Overall, I had one of the best times of my life, the concert being the high point, definitely. It was also very good to see everyone I care about back in GA happy. This trip recharged me...I'm ready to get my life rockin and rollin again! This ends my looooooooooooong post. If someone read all of this, you obviously have time on your hands, so come on over and clean my bathroom, ok?
