I pulled onto the freeway at 4:15 am. The sky was dark, traffic was light and I was excited for the adventure ahead with my two sisters. We had it all planned out. I was the farthest away in Sugar land, Texas. I had to bridge the large gap of miles between Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri. My first destination was Fayetteville, Arkansas. The drive would take me 12 hours even though the maps said, closer to 9 hours. I was in no hurry and traveling alone for now, so I stopped at every Buccees along our Texas interstates and I gassed up, used their bathrooms and even shopped a little for a treat for my sisters.
At 4:15 I arrived in Fayetteville and went to my daughter and new son-in-law’s house to visit and stay with them before our trip would begin the next morning. Melissa would be picking me up and we were going to drive her Trivado from Arkansas into Missouri to stay with our sister who lived there in Fulton, Missouri.
The next morning I was so excited to begin our journey together. After the kids fixed me breakfast of eggs, toast and hot coffee, I gathered my bags and placed them beside the front door. Melissa arrived and we loaded them into her travel camper. We kissed the kids and were on our way.
I 49 to Joplin was our route to arrive on I44 East toward Fulton, Missouri. We laughed and talked from the very start. It seems we picked up right from where we had left off from our last conversation. We laughed and talked and discussed everything going on in our lives.
Getting older was one of our funniest topics we discussed. We talked about the good things and the challenging parts of these latter days we have both been navigating. We had a good laugh about the comedian who says, “that’s quite an injury there, what did you do to yourself?”
And replies, “well I was taking drink of water and looked out the window and injured my neck!”
I quickly shared my most recent back injury was just sitting in a warm bath, soaking my aching foot! Suddenly the middle of my back just seemed to collapse! Hahaha! We both had a great laugh about that very true story!
We reached Fulton, met up with Tamara and then stopped to see Tom our Dad who is now living there in an assisted living. We surprised him and he was so excited to see all of us together again after all these years.
We left there and arrived at Tamara and Gary’s house located in a beautiful natural and partially wooded five acres. The leaves were falling and we were enjoying the cooler fall evening around the firepit before we knew it. Gary roasted some chicken on the smoker and Tamara made some Farrow with garlic and pine nuts, as well as a spring green salad with lemon and olive oil. Later our niece Brittney brought over stuff for smores and we continued our fun and laughter around the fire with a sweet treat as well.
Gary had put in an electric outlet for Melissa to use with her camper. She camped in the Travato and we snuggled into the cool of the night into our late night beds ready for the next leg of our journey to begin the next morning.
God is so good to give us these days and these times together when life and work carries us as sisters so far away from one another. Friday morning came and we began packing up for the road trip to Indiana. Gary fried us some one eyed Jacks and bacon for breakfast that blessed us with warmth on this cold October morning. We were headed back to where Melissa and I had grown up to pre-teens, in Evansville, Indiana.
Gary and Tamara in their car and Melissa and I in the camper and we were on the road again as the song says. The fall colors were so rich and beautiful in this part of the country. It reminded us both of our falls in Evansville, dressing for Halloween and trick or treating with all of the neighborhood children. Emotion flooded our hearts as we crossed over into Indiana. We honestly both had not returned there together since our Dad had passed away in 1991. The gold, peach and red canopies of trees were amazing as we pulled in closer to Evansville. So many memories flooded our minds of our then single mother, working two jobs to support herself and us while creating a life for us all with God’s help that we loved.
One thing we loved there the most was our extended family, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Stacy our cousin was celebrating her 60th Birthday and the 10 year anniversary of her ownership of the Curtis building downtown. We, along with other family from Missouri and DC had come to celebrate her, her accomplishments and to wish her a happy Birthday!
Arriving at her house the place was already abuzz with excitement. The evening was just gearing up. We went to the Curtis building. Family was already there, the food was spread, twinkle lights criss crossing the tables and the DJ was already pumping out the tunes. Stacy greeted guests and we all enjoyed the food, drinks, and company of family.
The evening went late and we wrapped up, and helped clean up the party. Back at the house we had some late night pizza and sweet recap conversations of all that we all had enjoyed from the night.
The next morning Melissa and I enjoyed some yoga on the river banks with our cousin, Jessica, and her friend, Randolin. It felt good to stretch in the morning sun and move our bodies in strange but needed ways after two days of travel. We had a brunch gathering of family coming at 10:00. The circle of friends and family around the large Island, holding hands, and offering a prayer of thanksgiving and joy was priceless. We will never forget our sister trip to Indiana, and celebration of our cousin Stacy.
Our sister Tamara and cousin Jessica were welcomed in as official “Funny Bunnies” the club we began as children and had entertained ourselves with for years of laughter, fun, singing and exercise. Stacy, John, Melissa and I were the founding members and welcomed our younger siblings as honorary members after all of these years.
Our joyful trip continued backwards as we left Evansville and returned to Tamara and Gary’s house, and then on back to Arkansas. Melissa treated me to her famous pepper jack cheese, grilled cheese, with tomatoes sandwich, cooked in an iron skillet, on the stove in her camper. It was a welcomed meal from eating on the road at fast food restaurants.
I returned home alone all the way to Houston on Monday. Alone in the car, but filled up in my heart from the joy of family and time together with my sisters. We have drifted in miles, but not in hearts of love for one another.