Road Trippin' - 7/28-7/30/2007
Suffice to say - we made it and there were no problems along the way. If that's all you care about, then you should scroll along to the next posting. There weren't any spectacular stories... just me and Jayme driving for 3 days...
For more details, read on - - -
The car was so overloaded, (backseat, trunk and roof bag) that I was sure the tires would all explode under the weight. WHY IT DIDN'T IS ANY ONES GUESS.
I chose to drive us out via a route that wouldn't take us up steep mountain roads, like the one we used when we arrived 2 years ago. I feared that we'd blow the engine. Now, I never expressed any of these fears to Jayme. He was so full of excitement to be packed up and heading off to a new career - (more on that, later) - I didn't want to dampen the enthusiasm and joy. besides, it helped me feel good too.
The only normal space in the car was reserved for the driver. As the passenger, we had to straddle the oxygen machine, (which took up nearly the whole floor), and keep the maps handy. The primary tasks of the whole trip were about tracking the progress - how far we expected to travel, by what time... how many miles we needed to drive, by days end, so we could be home by Monday evening... when to stop for meals, gas and 'nature'. We did it all really well. Only once did I make Jay pull over on to the side of the road because my Lasix (diuretic) worked faster than we could drive to the next Rest Area.
A lot of the conversations dealt with the thoughts and feelings he was having as he left his friends and life behind, in NM. It wasn't as traumatic as I expected. He had been preparing for this for nearly a year and was ready. So we began to talk about the life he was coming back to, and the one he wants to build. There were discussions about living at home, after being on his own for so long. We talked about the challenges he was to face - finding a position in a new career path. I think Robbi and I are more anxious about that than he is. Perhaps it's because we are tainted by our own negative experiences and Jayme still has the idealism that flourishes in our youth... or maybe we know how difficult it is to build something from nothing (we have both started our own businesses), he he doesn't know JACK SHIT... I hope it's the former.
So on we drove... 750 miles on Day 1... 900 miles on Day 2... and 750 and walking in the house at 8:30 PM on Day 3. On Days 1 and 2 we drove till about 1 AM. We slept in comfortable hotels, and ate well all along the way.
I was able to sustain myself fairly well. We stopped for gas, etc. about every 2-3 hrs. Getting in and out of the car was a pain in the ass... more specifically, the knees and ass. Jayme drove each morning and I took on the middle hours. This worked well because I not only get tired, but irritated as well, as the day goes on. Jayme was so good to me. He doesn't even flinch when I snap at him. In fact, he hold his own. Just like Emily, he calls me on my shit, and does it in such a way that I know I'm being irrational and so I back down. Jeez, these kids are good people.
I used the oxygen fairly often. A lot more than I expected to. Every time we go out of the car, I used it when we settled back in. The weather was very hot and humid the whole way.
So, now we are back... more to come soon...
For more details, read on - - -
The car was so overloaded, (backseat, trunk and roof bag) that I was sure the tires would all explode under the weight. WHY IT DIDN'T IS ANY ONES GUESS.
I chose to drive us out via a route that wouldn't take us up steep mountain roads, like the one we used when we arrived 2 years ago. I feared that we'd blow the engine. Now, I never expressed any of these fears to Jayme. He was so full of excitement to be packed up and heading off to a new career - (more on that, later) - I didn't want to dampen the enthusiasm and joy. besides, it helped me feel good too.
The only normal space in the car was reserved for the driver. As the passenger, we had to straddle the oxygen machine, (which took up nearly the whole floor), and keep the maps handy. The primary tasks of the whole trip were about tracking the progress - how far we expected to travel, by what time... how many miles we needed to drive, by days end, so we could be home by Monday evening... when to stop for meals, gas and 'nature'. We did it all really well. Only once did I make Jay pull over on to the side of the road because my Lasix (diuretic) worked faster than we could drive to the next Rest Area.
A lot of the conversations dealt with the thoughts and feelings he was having as he left his friends and life behind, in NM. It wasn't as traumatic as I expected. He had been preparing for this for nearly a year and was ready. So we began to talk about the life he was coming back to, and the one he wants to build. There were discussions about living at home, after being on his own for so long. We talked about the challenges he was to face - finding a position in a new career path. I think Robbi and I are more anxious about that than he is. Perhaps it's because we are tainted by our own negative experiences and Jayme still has the idealism that flourishes in our youth... or maybe we know how difficult it is to build something from nothing (we have both started our own businesses), he he doesn't know JACK SHIT... I hope it's the former.
So on we drove... 750 miles on Day 1... 900 miles on Day 2... and 750 and walking in the house at 8:30 PM on Day 3. On Days 1 and 2 we drove till about 1 AM. We slept in comfortable hotels, and ate well all along the way.
I was able to sustain myself fairly well. We stopped for gas, etc. about every 2-3 hrs. Getting in and out of the car was a pain in the ass... more specifically, the knees and ass. Jayme drove each morning and I took on the middle hours. This worked well because I not only get tired, but irritated as well, as the day goes on. Jayme was so good to me. He doesn't even flinch when I snap at him. In fact, he hold his own. Just like Emily, he calls me on my shit, and does it in such a way that I know I'm being irrational and so I back down. Jeez, these kids are good people.
I used the oxygen fairly often. A lot more than I expected to. Every time we go out of the car, I used it when we settled back in. The weather was very hot and humid the whole way.
So, now we are back... more to come soon...
posted by DesktopDavid at 1:52 PM
1 Comments:
Congratulations on doing so well. I have a friend who has been going through a different but equally arduous recovery, from a double mastectomy and removal of ovaries etc. She has the gene and this is her second go-round. I hope you are getting tons of support, in exactly the way you want it. I am an old friend of your sister Ilene's and remember you from when we were all young. Good going.
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