Road Trip!

I've traveled quite a bit in my lifetime. I love road trips.

"Bye Honey, Miss you already"

This is the first time I've ever driven across country by myself though. Notice the enormous antenna on top of Big Red? The hubby installed a CB Radio for my trip....just in case I needed help where there is no cell phone service. It's an attractive look, don't you think?

Breaker 1-9, Breaker 1-9, any smokey's up head? 10-4 Good Buddy!

Sorry, couldn't help myself...

As I drove, and drove, and drove...I thought about all my travels, especially my childhood vacations in the family roadster. 

"holiday road... oOOoooooo"

The southwest is filled with these nostalgic billboards. Everyone I saw made we want to take that exit and check out what was inside. If not for such long days of driving, and scorching heat, I might've stopped at quite a few.

Please note, I do not recommend taking pictures while driving on the interstate at a high rate of speed as I did.

After 3 LONG days of driving, I reached my 1st destination. Tennessee! I could not drive across country without stopping and seeing my favorite daughter who is 6 months pregnant with my very first grandbaby, now could I?

My daughter and future-son-in-law

 

 my two adorable grand doggies.

It was a very short but wonderful visit. We had lots of girl time. We went shopping, dined out, stayed up late every night talking, and I even got to feel my grand baby moving around in her Mama's belly! She is quite the active baby already. The visit was much too short, but I'll be returning in October when my beautiful granddaughter Katie Faye arrives into this world.

My daughter and I saying goodbye.

My Journey "Home"

For the past few years, I've made many trips from my home in the desert to my "other" home on the farm in IL. My mother had been ill with Alzheimers for several years and I tried to spend as much time with her as possible while providing respite for my step-dad. Mom passed away last November with her loved ones by her side.  

My step-dad sold the farm house and is moving into a retirement duplex. Although, I am extremely happy he will now have plenty of free time to enjoy himself, it is also very sad that my "other home" will be gone. This is the home my step-dad was raised in. His family moved into this house in 1936. well before he was even born. He and my mother remodeled the home  and moved there in the mid 80's.  Even though I was not raised in this house, it was the home where I spent all my holiday's as an adult, hung out with my family, returned to live for a short time in my early 20's, and it was the home I always knew would be there for me should I ever need it. In other words, it was and always will be a very special place to me.

At 47 years old, I never expected to experience this type of loss. I knew my parents would age and that I would have to deal with illness, caretaking and their passing. I have been preparing myself for that reality for years. But this loss of a home filled with family treasures is not something I ever even remotely considered. It's a bit of a shocker that I would be so attached to a house and the material things inside of it.

My Journey "Home" begins tomorrow. Big Red (my pickup truck) and I will be making our 3rd trip across country together. My first time ever driving it alone.  I invite you all to join me in this journey as I travel home to help sell off the contents of this house and say goodbye. There will be laughter and maybe a few tears along the way. Life is an adventure though, and I choose to embrace it!

Praying for God's Traveling Mercies,
Gina

The Heat is On!

I live in Las Vegas.

So does Elvis. We're buds.

Las Vegas is a desert.

Summers can be brutal here.

Notice the lack of shade.

Today the high is supposed to be 110.

But the plus side is the humidity is only around 3 %. (sarcasim)

I love it when people say "but it's a DRY heat." Well, so is my oven and it cooks a turkey perfectly!

Happy Summer Y'all!