Changing Harts: Day 3: Focused x 4!

Yesterday we were definitely in the zone. We hauled a** because we were both feelin' it. We got up before the crack of dawn. As in, it was still dark. It was my 30th birthday so sissy woke me up with a sweet "Good morning birthday girl, time to get up." So sweet. I'm sure if I would've lagged her tone would've changed. =) Kel is a morning showerer, so she gets up a few before me to do her thing.

We have been staying at these 'Choice Hotels' because they satisfy our basic 7 non-negotiables: inexpensive, free hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a.c., close proximity to the freeway, pet-friendly, AAA discount (on top of the cheap rate, that's right!).

We head to the 'breakfast bar' in the lobby and load our tummies up with Texas-shaped Belgium waffles - awww yeah, the little things make the difference - biscuits 'n gravy, coffee & juice, and then our pockets full of danishes, apples, and a bagel I never ate for brunch snacks. We pretend like we don't see the "don't take any food outside of this area" sign, until we turn around and look straight into the security camera......"Uh, act nonchalant", Kel said. So we did. Coast clear. Nobody to grill us. Phew! Such rebels!

After loading up and preparing for the first leg of the day's journey, we head out on the TX highway at the early-enough hour of 7a.m. we keep coming across individuals with related life details: a gal at the hotel was traveling back from NYC to San Diego, the lady gas station clerk is from upstate NY, the waiter in NM had auditioned for a Broadway earlier this year & attested to the warning we'd heard about NYC's Mexican cuisine options.

We got on that road and we just conquered those miles like they were soda cans been squashed by a giant. Before we knew it we were in OK and had left TX, the 'State of the Arts' and were in OK-country, 'The Peaceful State'. We only stopped in OK, just past OKC for some gas and a pit stop, but we swear the place smelled like BBQ........mmmm......

As we passed through the OK state, we saw minimal tornado damage from the beast that had passed through just a month 1/2 earlier. What's nice is that they had the freeway # signs painted in the lanes when interchanges approached. What a novel idea.......c'mon CA, get with it! From the rolling agriculture, the morning farmer's who had probably been up for hours doing their thing, we passed what we think brewery and noted the smell of sour hops in the air. Kel and I like to document the welcome and exit signs if existent, of the states we drove through because its fun! Now we can say we've been to this many more states! It counts, doesn't it? More than a layover anyway.

On we went to AK, or as I pronounced it when I was younger & learning geography (I'm STILL learning geography....), Ar-Kansas. More ag in AK, and then miles and miles of highway lined by tall trees.......seemed unending, and uninteresting because we couldn't see the countryside! I want to SEE what these states have to offer!

Soon came lunch (the first half of the day always passed quicker), we stopped at choice Subway for some grub, took a bit to enjoy our sammies on the tail dock of the truck, and zoned out as we took in the unfamiliar sights and accents of AK. Happy birthday to me! This was by far the most memorable birthday to date. How fracking cool is this? Sis by my side. She is one of the few people that needs no explanation of my antics and I can just let it all hang out without judgment. The world is by far too judgmental and critical........she even said to me later that night when I showered her a vlog prototype I was working on for Culture Club at work, "You should let HER come out more often. I wish you'd show this side of you more often." To which I responded, "Only a few people are allowed to see HER." So who's her? Unfiltered, raw, silly, worry-free Meggasnortiousness, that's who. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to meet her someday if you aren't one of the lucky ones who has already. 8)

We pushed on through AK, past Little Rock, which didn't imprint us with anything notable. I once knew a very handsome young man from Little Rock............I digress..........before long we were approaching the gorgeous Mississippi River. And while Kelly's saying of "Rivers on our drive are like churches in Italy," as a suggestion of no need to take pictures of all of them, the Memphis, TN on the Mississippi is a sight to see. My gosh. The skyline, the parting river the North, the expansive steel bridge, welcoming us into the heart of Memphis. "Hi Memphis, bye Memphis!" we said in unison. "Hey, isn't that where Graceland is?" asked Kel. "Yup," I said, after quickly confirming with a local billboard. ;-) "We're not stopping for Graceland," Kel assured. "Nope," I said. We were definitely in the zone.

Some of friends & colleagues had suggested we take some time to check out the local fare, to which we surprisingly didn't seem interested in. We were on a mission and our momentum couldn't be stopped! More so, we didn't want it to. We wanted to get to NYC in time for the fireworks show that we had heard rave reviews about. Heck, we could see the beautiful Manhattan skyline light up from our apartment, so we just couldn't miss our first 4th of July fireworks show. I wouldn't have it. I'm the family's 'fireworks baby' after all. Its my duty to see that we get to experience a NYC 4th of July in true fashion, not as passersby.

Much of TN scenery has been similar to AK in that the highway's straight, even, flat and framed by talllllll shrubs. Reminds me a bit of Cozumel or Hawai'i, for Kel it reminds her of the Florida panhandle. "Key West is definitely on my list of desired destinations," she said. "Me too!" The most random conversation has been had on this trip and its really just the best. Our dreams, our worries, our past, our future, men, friends, babies, baby names, landmark names, having Grandma Ruth's clover sit safely in the dash, Grandma Eleanore's chair packed safely in the back, having our LIVES packed on our backs. We're kind like gypsies, vagabonds, banshees. And its kind of awesome. No, its realllllly awesome. Been wanting to take an adventure, a trip like this, for the better part of a decade now.

The last gas stop before we trucked onwards to Nashville was in some po-dunk town (sorry Arkansians). I had taken over the wheel at lunch per the usj (how do you spell that sound anyway?) and upon leaving the gas station I must have pulled away too heavy on the throttle because Rufus slid from where he was perched on the dash (yes, he would sit or lay on the dash from time to time along the journey and look out...) and slid off - claws out - into Kelly's lap and arms. He looked safe & I didn't stop to think about Kel. Whoopsies. She yelped in pain because Rufus' claws had tore her a nice gash in her hand. From my quick look over, I saw a deep and open flesh wound. Mind you, I've seen a ton of horror movies in my time. In fact, I started watching them when I was just a little girl at a childhood-neighbor friend's house whose Dad had his garage walls lined with a collection of VHS and Beta movies. They had to have thousands.........so that we would shut the curtains and scare the S out of ourselves watching those movies as kids. Her brother & Dad would laugh at how scared we got and her Mom would shake her head at what we were watching, warning of nightmares to come. Meh. I really attribute my overactive imagination to all those flicks. Again, I digress. Too many memories and stories to tell. Plenty of time later for that. Much to my relief, Kel assured me my imagination was at play again and that she just suffered a bad cat scratch. Thank God for our First Aid Kit we packed! Three cheers for preparedness! Scratch cleaned and bandaged, we made our tired eyes way into Nashville, not quite realizing just how many miles we gained that day. After 14 hours on the road, 12-13 of which we spent co-driving, we decided between staying in the heart of Nashville or on the outskirts right off I-40. The heart of Nashville meant more nightlife, more options for where to to eat late + accommodations, heck, the Grand Ole Opry for goodness sakes! We really wanted to, and the night-lifers in us felt called to go out, the music-history lovers in us called, beckoned for us to seek out the landmarks of Nashville. Alas, when we broke it down, we had conquered four states and 850 miles! 850! Gee whiz. And hear we were already ahead of schedule and making great time. Good on us.

We had been staying at these Choice Hotels because they really had capitalized on the cross-country route and making available an acceptable hotel rate + amenities a commuter needs. Sleep Inn was where we were to rest our heads that night and it appeared nicer than the other three we'd stayed at. Woohoo! 'Splurgin' just for my birthday. 8) The desk-clerk didn't ask if we had any pets with us so I didn't disclose it because we thought they were pet-friendly.... But when we walked in through the lobby, Kel with Rufus in her arms, the clerk said, "Whoahhhh now. You didn't say you had a cat." "Well your website states you're pet-friendly....." "Yeah, well, no we're not actually. But tell you what's gonna happen, I'm just gonna turn the other cheek and you're gonna go in through the side door and up them stairs." SCORE! Works for us! Sweeeeeet. Phew! What a nice young man. I tell you. The South really does have a certain charm about it. So far in the South, everyone seems to have a little special twinkle in their eyes. Must be all that sweet tea.......8)

So with locality being our deciding factor for where to eat, because it was my birthday I got to choose and we had driven past a Cracker Barrel - a popular southern family food restaurant chain - so I wanted to try it out. Heck, we had been driving past Cracker Barrels since AZ. It was the closest place & I wanted for us to share in a few celebratory beers. Right on, that works then! We head across the street, sit down at a table with 30 minutes to go until closing time (phew!), opened up the menus & discovered they were so family friendly that they didn't serve beers. Dagnabit! Ah, well, no better way to begin this beautiful decade than the wholesome way. So be it. Dinner hit the spot. We had some bombtastic BBQ pork, turnip greens w/ pork bits, mac 'n cheese, sweet potater, finished off with strawberry shortcake. The shortcake was authentic and soooo good. Finger-lickin' good southern chain BBQ food was just fine for my 30th birthday dinner on the road. Heck, the whole week had been my birthday celebration as far as I was concerned. We played a tabletop game while we waited, we looked around at all the reproduction-tin signs & 'country' memorabilia, and we ended a good, long haul day on a good note a full tummies.

Thank you, Lord. Day 3's a wrap.

*****PHOTO UPDATE*****