Category Archives: weekend

The End of the Whole Mess

photo of paint splatter artwork
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– [INSERT SOURCE HERE]

If it hadn’t happened to me and if it wasn’t true, it might almost be comical. Last time I was here blogging I was describing the tranquility needed at the end of a trip of any sort. If you remember, my family and I extended our little getaway an extra day to be used only to recharge and recuperate. Which I guess in theory sounded great. It really did. That was right up until the next morning before we checked out of our hotel room.

I woke up first, showered, and packed up what I could before waking up my wife and son. My son woke up without issue, but not my wife. She seemed more groggy than usual (and that is truly saying something) and when she sat up it was clear why: her right eye was bloodshot and swollen beyond belief.

It didn’t take a genius to realize this was a case of pink eye and that we wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon (I do not have a driver’s license and driving was not worth the risk as far away from home as we were). My wife, however, wanted to brave it and attempt the drive. We made it one hour before having to stop for the day once again (this time in search of a different type of recuperation) to not only be safe but survive.

The next morning was not any better. Or should I say my wife was not any better after another night of rest. Her eye was just as red as the morning before, if not more so. But we had no choice but to press on and attempt again; real life was waiting impatiently for us back home. So, we went on.

The first part of the drive was a little sketchy, but it didn’t take long for it to become full-on terrifying. We got as far as we could before I had no choice but to drive. Running on a mixture of emotions, I managed, and we finally made some headway. Once my wife was feeling “better”, we swapped back and safely made it home.

So, yes, we made it back to reality, and with a bang, too. I’m not altogether sure why I’m even writing about this; not only would I like to forget about the excursion, on the whole, it just sounds silly. It’s one of those things that is perhaps funny when it happens to somebody else, but not you. Maybe? Maybe it’s not funny at all. In any situation.

I’m spending just a brief, quick moment here, I guess in some silly way, to document this as proof that we’re really home. It’s a good feeling. In the end, the whole trip was great and ultimately worth it. All of it. More memories made, more stories to be told. All that jazz. I’m glad we’re safe. I do plan on taking some time to mentally unpack, though. Sometimes staying safe can be harder than it looks.

A Pause for the Cause

green trees near mountain

“In America, there are two classes of travel: first-class and with children.”

– Robert Benchley

Just checking in.

We’re on day three of what has turned out to be a nice little vacation. My wife, son, and I are in the hills of Tennessee in a nice little cabin with all the “essentials” needed to survive out here with a 5-year-old boy and yes, that means free Wi-Fi, too (it’s inescapable these days, though I do find it amazing how it’s possible to even have electricity and running water in such an isolated area – let alone free Wi-Fi).

We’ve done very little as far as “touristy” things go, to be honest, but that’s been just fine with me. I come down here enough to know that this is the part of the trip that matters. My son has been fascinated by just us staying in a place that’s not a hotel. I’ve also been able to work and mess around on a few things while here, and my wife has her endless supply of “things to do” with her, too.

So, it truly has been a getaway. 75% of what we’ve done on this trip could’ve very well been done at home, so I’m glad this hasn’t been a vacation with a lot of bells and whistles (my wife hasn’t demanded as near as many as pictures as I would’ve expected). It’s been nice to just have a change of scenery and to be able to live on a slower (though not by much) plane of existence, if only for such a short amount of time.

Yes, we will be leaving and going home tomorrow. The end of a trip, especially a good trip, is always heartbreaking. Rolling back into town can be utterly depressing. But that’s how it goes. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the afternoon at the arcade with my wife and son before a nice dinner and night back here at the cabin.