The Solo Road Trip

 Back in October, I took my first solo road trip since becoming single. It was an 8 hour drive from my home to where my brother lives. He was getting married, so I did what any loving sister would do: took off Friday & Monday from work and drove down.

Sunrise on the drive out

Day 1: The drive started off well. After three false starts, I managed to get on the freeway. It felt weird driving that early on a Friday morning. I enjoyed the morning djs while sipping my hot tea and eating a bagel.  About 30min in, the sun started to rise.

Wow, lots of blinged out cowboy hats 

Spotted some interesting things along the way, including things in the gas stations when I stopped for a potty break. The road trip went a bit sideways in the afternoon.  Sadly, I was not thinking clearly in the drive down and did not have my GPS on the whole time (lesson for next time) and ended up driving 35 miles past where I was supposed to turn to head towards my brother's.  So, instead of getting there a little after 2pm, I got there a little after 5pm. By that time, I was tired and a bit crabby as I arrived at my brother's house. 

I got to see my brother in person after almost 20 years. The sad thing is that he looks older than me, even though I am the oldest. He still looked good and I got my usual greeting of, "Hey bitch". He got his holiday gift early: an RC truck. He missed being able to play with his (they needed parts) so my sister and I conspired to get him one he could have some fun with. It brought a big smile to his face, which made us both happy. After a bit, I left with my sister in my truck and followed my mom to the motel for dinner and some much needed rest.

Day 2: Saturday was the day of the wedding. My mom went over to my brother's house while my sister and I ate breakfast together (mom doesn't do breakfast often). Headed over to my brother's house only to find out that he was suffering from a massive headache. It was nice to finally meet his future wife in person for the first time. We left to go back to the motel for a bit. Had some fun exploring a local gift shop before relaxing & chatting in the motel room.

Beautiful classic car near the motel

After resting a bit, it was time for the wedding. We drove to the venue and took a few family pictures before it was due to start. My brother looked good, all dressed up. He has always cleaned up good. The ceremony was simple yet lovely. It was an event that I never thought I would see but I am so happy that it happened.

After the ceremony, we had a nice dinner, where I got to visit a bit with my stepmom & her husband. Haven't gotten to see them for a while so it was nice to catch up. Got to take a few pictures during the reception but my favorite was one I took at a distance of my brother and his lovely bride during their first dance. In that moment, I could see his face relax from the pain he fights constantly and the look they were sharing with each other was one of pure happiness in the moment. Made me tear up a bit. 

Sadly the night had to end as my mom, my sister and I had to be on the road early the next morning. We made sure we had all our stuff together before heading to bed.

Day 3: Im not sure how early birds do it but waking up before the sun rises has never been easy for me. This time, I made sure I had my GPS running. It was a bit hilly and the cool morning had caused fog in several places. I actually drove through a forest at one point. It was beautiful seeing the sunlight filter through the misty fog and the trees. Sadly, there were no safe points to stop briefly to get a picture.

I had decided to stop at a little town in Missouri that I had seen signs for on my way down to my brother's before going home and I am glad I did: Uranus, MO. They have a HUGE general store were the employees greet you with "Welcome to Uranus!", which made me giggle like a middle schooler. If you ever have the chance to stop here, I wholeheartedly recommend it. I spent a good 15 minutes just giggling at the t-shirts that they had for sale. 

Just one of many that made me laugh

I took a few pictures, found a t-shirt that I just had to have, a few stickers, and some fudge. OMG, the fudge was amazing. So many flavors it was hard to choose. 

I didn't find any missing balls, lol

I broke the law!

So after a little side adventure and a bit more driving, I made it home. Gladys was very happy to see me and required lots of cuddles from her mom. I was grateful for the forsite in taking the Monday after I got back off from work. It is rough on your body to do that much driving in such a short time. I'm glad I took the time to go on this little adventure and I was even more that happy to be a part of my brother's special day. ♥️