My Weekend In Gif’s – Road Trip Home

I am back!  Took an extended 3 day weekend and went home to my hometown of Villa Park IL, to spend some time with family and participate in my improv groups December show.  I got to see some friends and overall, it went well.  I thought I would have some fun and share how everything went and use some playful Gif's to explain the weekend.

I packed my clothes the night before, and after loading Apollo into his cat carrier, I placed him and my suitcase in my car and decided to get breakfast from Wendy's.  I got a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich meal with a strawberry lemonade and headed out on the road.

I had about a 6 1/2 hour drive ahead of me, and I was hoping for no traffic.  Since I hit the road at 8 30AM I did not run into any issues.  At least until I got closer to home.  Pretty much open roads.  And Apollo was not too noisy.  He has taken long rides with me before, and he could sense that this would be another one.

Missouri gas prices are about 30 cents cheaper than Illinois.  So I was lucky enough to find it for only $2.90 and I filled my tank.  This pump however was the SLOWEST pump I have ever used.  I must have taken over 15 minutes.  I am not kidding.

There wasn't anything unusual about my drive home, until I hit the last half hour of my drive and I was almost home.  I could not understand why at 3pm on Friday there was the jam I ran into but I finally made it home.

I unloaded the car, and got my stuff in the back half of the house where I would be sleeping and I set up Apollo's food and water.  I told my mom that I was ready for pizza!

If you ever have heard of Lou Malnati's pizza, it is some of the best on the planet.  And for the record, they will ship the pizza to you.  Packed in dry ice.  Click HERE for their website.  It is worth it.

It was then off to improv rehearsal for my group.  It ran about 2 hours and we put the final touches on the show, and we were ready for an audience.

Long drive, rehearsal, and it was past my normal bedtime, so I went to bed.  Had a long day ahead.

I had a dental cleaning that morning with my friend Wendi, and I had a blood test with my doctor later on that day.  So the cleaning was first.  Luckily, no cavities, and my teeth are in decent shape.

I was about 1000 miles past when I got my last oil change, and when it comes to my cars, I have learned to make sure to get it changed every 3000 miles religiously.  So I took care of that oversight.

Now it was on to the doctor's office for my blood test and doctor appointment.  I have to have blood drawn about every 6 months.  Hope that the results come back within normal levels.  I am optimistic.  And my blood pressure is improving.  And I lost a few pounds from my last visit.  Baby steps.

I finally got to eat after fasting for almost 15 hours, and it was time for our improv show.  We got a decent crowd considering it was the weekend before Christmas, but the audience laughed a lot.  So that made it worth the trip.

After getting home and getting some rest, I had to do a load of laundry because I didn't bring enough clothes for the trip.  I put in the load before I headed out for the show the night before, and thankfully I have a mom who doesn't mind folding clothes and they were ready for me to pack, and wear a clean outfit for my trip back home.

I was all set to head back home, but there was one issue.  Apollo was hiding.  My mother's house isn't that big, but Apollo had disappeared.  I shook his dry food bag to make noise like it was feeding time, but he did not appear for an hour.  I had hoped to leave by 10am but ended up staying an hour longer.  Once he finally appeared, I secured him in his carrier, he meowed loudly, but eventually settled down and I was on the road.

After 2 pitstops for fuel I finally made it home and unloaded my car, which included a few extra items that I got from my nephews home that belonged to me.  I collected my mail, fed Apollo, and finally had time for me.  I unpacked, got some refreshments and began to write this blog.  One final thing:

I had remembered to tape A Charlie Brown Christmas on PBS.  I never miss this special.  It is timeless.  And for me, the best Christmas special of all time.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend.  This week will also be a short one, with Christmas at the end of the week.  I will make the road trip again later on this week.  But it is good to be sleeping in my own bed again.  And I will be able to see my co-workers again, and wish them a Merry Christmas.