There's nothing like...

There's absolutely nothing like putting the top down on your mustang convertible in the early morning, getting a babysitter and riding through three beautiful states to see your best friend from back home. There's nothing like watching the rolling hay fields as you pass by or smelling the very faint smell of fall in the air, even though it's 90 some degrees outside. Yet even more, there's nothing like having a few hours to yourself to just think and reflect...and turn up your music as loud as you can stand it just to sing your heart out...even though you realize that any poor person standing outside is probably wagging his head because he's embarrassed FOR you.

So that's what I did on Friday. I jumped in my car, drove to Tennessee, enjoyed the scenery of driving through absolutely nowhere and at the end of my journey, my best friend was waiting. And I got to meet the new addition to her family, who is 4 weeks old and adorable. We spent the day talking, just because we're so good at it, and went to eat at Olive Garden for lunch (YUM!). It was so nice to see her and to remember that bit of myself I used to be, long before babies and becoming a wife. I'm still not sure who that person was, and even though I'm glad she's mostly gone, there's still that bittersweetness at thinking where I've came from as a skinny, slightly wild girl and where I am today. My best friend and I had to part ways when she moved to her mother's house in high school, but through the years we've kept in touch and now we both have two children, almost the same ages. She's the kind of friend that even though you don't agree on everything, you just get that about each other and you don't have to put on an act or worry constantly about what you say or do that you might offend each other. She's also the kind of friend that you picture still getting together for lunch with when you're 80, even if it's over nursing home cafeteria food, just to gab the day away about anything and everything. It's refreshing because while I have good friends here, there's no one like her nor do I suspect there ever will be again. It makes me want to move back home, or at least a bit closer so we can see each other more and our kids can play.

On my drive back, it was shadowed by the fact Chicken hadn't slept well without me all day and Punky was and is still having separation issues. My husband called me just before I was going to leave to make sure I was going to have my butt home in time to help him and yes, I said, I would be home in time to hold his hand. Geez. How do single men survive without a woman? Occasionally he'll get on these kicks where he feels the need to do things himself, get all frustrated that the kids aren't doing what they're supposed to do (you know, like go to sleep), keep at it until they pass out then come to me and make the very astute point that regardless of how he did it, the end result is still sleep. I'm a stickler for wanting things done my way, nothing wrong with that as long as it's not sinful or hurting anyone, but he's a stickler for proving to me that while he must call me every chance that i'm away to make sure I'll be home, sometimes I think he just wants me home so he can show me they can go to sleep when they're routine is all messed up. Men. Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em. Why do we still love them so much? I reckon we're all glutton for punishment! ;o)

On a happier note about my sweet, handsome, loving husband, we did get to spend the day together Saturday and got to enjoy each other. Chicken and Punky stayed with his parents all day and we went out to eat and spent the day on the military base. I'm obsessed with military bases, probably because I dated four military guys in my younger years and was exposed just enough to pique my curiosity, not to mention that's where Hubby works. So he took me to show me where he works.

Let me just tell you about his cushy little NASA working conditions. Dead ant carcasses lined his desk. The floors might have been cleaned ONCE in the last 40 years. It smelled like the library in a nursing home. Everything was yellowed with age. His desk was at least 20 years old. The only thing new in his cubicle was his computer and this years calendar. I asked him if no one came by to clean the ants or empty the trash. Yes, but just the trash. He said they might swipe down the shelves with something occasionally, but let me tell you. Even with a full ant colony, it takes a lot of time for that many ants to go legs up. So I've made it my mission to get him some cleaning supplies to dispose of the ants and work in conditions suitable for coming home and playing with children. The best part? Last week, Hubby says, they had YELLOW WARNING TAPE up while they were in the rafters repairing something because of the asbestos in the air. Lovely. Now, not only do I have to worry about him coming home with some sort of unknown disease from all the dead insect, now he'll probably have lung cancer from the asbestos! You'd think our government would want a little something better for their employees, especially since they're sending them to outerspace. Let me tell you, that building I was in was definitely from another world!

That was my weekend, what about yours?