On the Road Again

I just returned from my trip to Des Moines with Adam, Buckley, and Hank. I feel as though I never need to eat again. All we do in Iowa is sit around and eat. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty great at first. But it's not too long until eventually you can't take any more rich food. Perhaps if I had some willpower, I would know when to stop drizzling Gorgonzola sauce on everything. Then, I might not have more "casual vomit" experiences. Yum. But it was a good time, nonetheless. We were able to cross our visit with our cousin Morgan, who is just a hoot. She couldn't get enough of the impressions Adam and I would do of our mom. It's uncanny really. But what do you expect after 23 years of watching her, 23 years of honing our craft. Some people think it's odd that Adam and I will drive for about 7-8 hours on day 1, stay all of day 2, then leave on the morning of day 3. However, over the years, we have realized that this is the maximum amount of time we can spend in Iowa without going completely crazy. A second full day would simply end in a combination of hostility and painful boredom the likes of which have not been seen before. But don't get me wrong, it's definitely worth the trip, and not simply because we're pampered for those few hours. It's a good time to get to see our aunts and cousins, not to mention Grandmom. However, I don't like to hear the talk of how good it is we were able to visit this summer because she probably won't make it to Christmas. And I had to hold back the tears when Grandmom was asking me if I could remember the times when she was more active and stronger, because she didn't want my last memories of her to her sitting in her chair all day. I promised her that they wouldn't be, and I told her that my fondest memories were the afternoons that I would spend at her house after Kindergarten. But, enough of the seriousness.

So, Adam and I returned last night, watched The Devil Wears Prada (teaching me once again that I should become in-house counsel for a fashion corporation--that is the right message, isn't it?), and went to bed without dinner, since we were still full from the eating extravaganza. Tonight I'm hauling my stuff over to my apartment with Julie and Jackie, then packing up for my trip to Memphis and Mississippi, when I get to see Jordan!