Flying (or Driving) By the Seat of My Pants

June 19, 2012

Yesterday afternoon, just about 24 hours ago, I got a phone call from my man in which he said, "I've got to run to Mt. Pleasant and take ______ (whatever it was; I don't understand shop talk).  You wanna come with me?  I'm going to leave in about two hours."

My first reaction was to think about the reasons I couldn't or shouldn't go.  I had spent all morning and the early afternoon cleaning, planning to spend late afternoon on a paper I needed to write and turn in by midnight.  I also thought about the girls and who would take care of them, you know, those kinds of plans in which you care for your offspring.  I couldn't ignore the quiet voice in my head that was telling me to go.  There are just times when I think we, as moms, have to put that on the back burner and be wives first.  This was one of those times. 

So, what did I do?  I did what I always do and I called my mom!  We talked real quick; she called my dad; she went home and got things together for him; she came to our house to spend the night with the girls.  I threw an overnight bag together; I packed up the laptop and my school stuff because I still had a paper to write; I kissed my kiddos good-bye and drove to the shop to meet my man!

The drive to Mt. Pleasant, Texas takes about four hours.  We pulled out around 5:00 and headed south.  It had been years, like decades, since I'd been through the Kiamichi mountains.  I so enjoyed the drive.  We listened to good music, most of the time!  There are several stretches through the mountains where cell service and radio cannot be picked up.  During those points Jamie plugged in his iPhone and I had to endure a few thrash metal songs, but I also got to enjoy some of our old favorites -- Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, the Grateful Dead.  We found a good 80s station and an old country classics station.  So, Huey Lewis, Billy Joel, and Hank Jr. also got some airtime! 

We got hungry just about the time we hit Broken Bow and found a great Mexican restaurant called Papa Poblamos.  Yum, yum, and yum.  Then, we hit the road for the last leg of the trip and pulled into the surprisingly nice Holiday Inn Express just before 10:00.  Jamie took a quick nap, then woke up at 11:45 to be in the plant by midnight.  I slept and he made it back in about 3:30 a.m.  We slept a few more hours and then got back on the road this morning just after 9:00.  It sounds like a fast and furious trip and, I guess it was if you were the one who had to work.  For me, it was the perfect time to just be quiet, relax, eat a good dinner sans kids, and spend some one on one time with my husband which we really needed.  I'm so glad he thought to ask me to come!  It's rare that he ever has to make that trip by himself, but maybe we'll be able to do it again one day. 

Here are a few pictures from the drive.  I'm afraid they won't copy and paste very well and maintain their quality since they're from my phone and I didn't bother to filter them in InstaGram.

Photo
I climbed up on the toolbox in the back of the truck to take this shot. 
I was only a little worried that Jamie might start driving!


Photo
This is called "windshield time."


I'm so thankful my mom was willing and able to live "on the fly" with me!  She understands the importance of doing things like this and she understand my husband's spontaneity.  We are such planners in my family (not me so much anymore) that this sort of spur of the moment thing can potentially upset our routine.  It's good to break out of the box sometimes!  

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1 comments

  1. My sis used to live in Mt. Pleasant - and I made that trip several times. It is pretty. Glad you got to get away - even if it was for just a few hours.

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