There was a week between settlement of my house and the departure date for the trip where we had nowhere to sleep. Originally, we were going to stay in a hotel for the week, but, we were lucky enough to have our next door neighbors, Allison and Baron, let us stay at their house for the week. It was great because all of our kids got the week to play together. There were definitely teary moments where the kids would remember that we were moving, but overall they used every opportunity to continue to play as they always had.
Day 1: This was a sad day. It hit all of us, as we were standing on Allison and Baron’s porch, that we needed to say our final goodbyes. The kids all cried and the adults got teary. My au pair Violeta and I rushed my kids into our car (Fine! Mini-van) and were off. The plan was to get to my best friend, Andrea’s house in North Carolina, by that night (10 hour drive). There was so much traffic, that we only got as far as Virginia. The weather was dreary and rainy. I guess the weather was fitting for a day to say goodbye to home.
Day 2/3: We got up early on day 2 and made it to Andrea’s house by the early afternoon. It wasn’t too eventful of a visit, but it was perfect just the same. We spent time visiting with Andrea, her husband Randy, and their two kids. Leaving Andrea’s house was easier for me. Maybe it’s because Andrea and I have now spent half of our friendship living far apart from one another, and it hasn’t affected our friendship. Drea’s my person (Grey’s Anatomy people will understand this reference). She’s someone that, despite the distance between us, we stay involved in each other’s lives. Andrea is the true meaning of a friend, completely selfless (sometimes too selfless), caring, thoughtful and kind. She would do anything for me, and I would do anything for her. Andrea is one person that I know will always be in my life.
Day 4/5: We got up early and left Andrea’s house for Nashville. I had always wanted to visit Nashville. Why? I don’t know. I heard that it was a really fun town. (I’m sure it would have been more fun, if I didn’t have a 3 year old and an 8 year old in tow). We visited the Parthenon (my selling point to my kids was that it was in the Percy Jackson movie), Honky Tonk row (the drunk people were starting at 6pm – they seemed to be having fun), RCA studios (Studio B- where Elvis recorded most of his songs), and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now, I’m not a country music fan. I mean, I don’t mind it, but if you were to put on a country music station and ask me to name the singer, I would probably say Carrie Underwood because she’s the only one that I know. So, why go to Nashville? Again, I heard it was fun. Maybe it’s better in the Summer? Overall, I thought that it was just ok. Sorry Nashville! But, on the other hand, my son now knows who Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley are, so that’s a plus?
Day 6: We got up early and drove on to Memphis. First stop was to find some BBQ (it’s Memphis!). We looked online and thought that Central BBQ (147 E. Butler Ave, Memphis, TN) sounded good. We were not disappointed. All of the food was amazing. (Well, not the greens – they always sound so good, but I thought they were just eh). I don’t even like ribs and I had half a rack. It was amazing! If you’re in Memphis, I highly recommend it. Then, what else do you do in Memphis? Of course, you go to Graceland. The problem was that it is a total racket. It costs $34 per person! It doesn’t even look like a mansion, it looks like a regular house now. Anyway, I was too cheap to spend the money on Elvis. I get that he was the King, but the King is doing better monetarily than I am (in death, I might add), so he doesn’t need any of my money. So, we parked outside of the gate, I stood on my car and took pictures of the estate. There, Graceland has been visited.
Day 7: We drove on to Little Rock, Arkansas. It wasn’t a place I wanted to visit, it’s just that from Memphis to New Mexico, it’s an extremely far drive and we needed to sleep somewhere. When we entered the state of Arkansas, the only thing that came into my mind was Wayne’s World, the movie. Remember the part when Wayne and Garth are pretending to go to places because they’re in front of a green screen. They get excited for each state that they are “in”, and then they get to Delaware. They say, “I’m in Delaware”, because there’s nothing else interesting about Delaware (sorry Delawarians). That’s the first thought I had when we crossed the stateline into Arkansas, “I’m in Arkansas”. But, I’m happy to say, that Arkansas surprised me. It was prettier than I thought it would be with lots of lakes and pretty trees. It kind of reminded me of parts of New Jersey (take it easy Non NJ people!). I don’t know if I would want to go back and visit, but I can see why people like living there.
Overall, week one was a good one. I can’t say that it was the most exciting in terms of seeing new things, but it was a week with mixed emotions. Sadness for leaving our friends and family behind, but exciting thinking about all the possibilities of our new life.