Surviving the Storm - part 1
Two weeks ago this morning, after battoning down the hatches and snuggling my kitties, I began my journey north to meet up with my Mom for my nephews wedding and to take refuge from Irma... Of course when we had planned our trip in January, Irma was never a part of the picture... This was a huge trip for me... I had taken smaller trips alone before, from the STL to Kansas City or Orlando to St. Augustine, but never a 17 hour trip through 6 States (Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri)...
This was supposed to be a fun trip where I left after work on Monday and stopped in the Atlanta area to sleep and then continued my journey on Tuesday to meet up with my Family on Wednesday... Well, Irma had other plans... Before I knew it, Mom was on her flight as planned, and then my Super hero Bestie and I were getting the house ready to face the largest hurricane Florida had ever faced... As I drove all I could think of were my friends and "family" that would soon be facing Irma's rath... I found comfort in hearing from friends that would chat with me during the first leg of my journey... My only regret was not stopping enough because upon arriving at my hotel I was in so much physical pain it hurt to walk... So it was an ibuprophen induced sleep after a visit to Whole Foods to find distilled water, the one item I left behind at home...
The next morning I got my stuff together after an amazing night sleep in the Alpharetta Holiday Inn... And headed down for my delicious free breakfast... Yep gonna totally name drop here because this was probably my most favorite place to stay... I will definitely find a reason to stay here at this location again... The ladies at the front desk were so nice and so sweet when I checked in exhausted the afternoon before... I wish I would have written down their names because in the 3 hotels, of the same chain, I stayed in during my entire trip, they are the only ones that actually gave their names and said that if there is anything you need during your stay, let us know... The most comfortable besds, nicest most spacious room and beautifully clean hotel... Fantastic...
So now I was back on the road again... And I was in Tennessee and out and back in... And heading towards Nashville when traffic diverted me around the center and all of the sudden I see the signs for Opryland and I think, A - maybe I could get a picture of the Grand Ole Opry and B - I really need a pit stop... So I pop in the directions for the Grand Ole Opry and head for my first Stop of the Day...
When I pulled in to the lot I was surprised to see it was surrounded by of all things a mall... I don't know why I was that surprised actually but I found the Opry and headed up to see just what it was all about... Out of couriosity I checked out the prices and found the behind the scenes tour was only $26 so I decided to take a break from my travels and take the tour which was departing in just a few minutes... The tour was fantastic, it took you through the history of the Grand Ole Opry and you realize just how small that family and what an honor it truly is to be asked to join... The most moving part of the entire tour was when we stepped out on the Opry stage and we were allowed to step into the famous wooden circle and have our photo taken singing... Some chose not actually sing but if you wanted to you could sing a line so you could say you sang on the Opry stage...
The trip had been pretty emotional for me and still not knowing what was going to happen with our home and friends and my babies (kitties), inside I was an emotional wreck... Then to step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage, one of the most famous stages in the world where some of the greatest musical artists have stood and be told you can sing whatever you want, I was flooded with emotion... To say I totally lost it was an understatement... I quickly shared with the others that I was from Kissimmee and I was torn apart over leaving everyone behind and then another couple shared that they were from Boca and they also understood what I was going through... The sweet photgrapher came and hugged me and let me cry for a few minutes until I pulled myself together... And even though I thought I was going to sing God Bless America, my heart had other plans...
"The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance...The Stars shall applaud Him, with thunders of Praise... The sweet light in His eyes, shall, They shall enhance those awaiting, and we Shall Behold Him, then Face to Face.... Oh We Shall, Behold Him, Oh We Shall Behold Him, face to face, in all of His glory.... oh We Shall Behold Him.... Yes We Shall Behold Him, face to face... our Savior and Lord....."
The group went from chattering to silence and then I just stepped away from the mic and everything else was a blur until the tour ended... I think that was God's way of telling me everything was going to be OK, I just didn't knowit yet...
I continued on my trip chatting with my middle brother quite a bit and one of my besties... Then I saw it... Metropolis... The home of Superman and I knew I must stop... Where else are you going to see a 2 story statue of the man of steel... He was larger than life and a beacon for others as well... There were two other families that had stopped as well... They were leaving the south, one returning home from a honeymoon and the other seeking safety from the storm... There was almost an unspoken kinship between us all as we took our photos, wished each other safe travels and then headed our seperate ways...
On the final stretch of my trip I knew I was almost there when I saw a familiar glint in the sky... Past trips "home" have never been so emotional, but I have never really traveled under such circumstances... My brothers had told me to take 255 around the city to avoid all of the downtown craziness but I follwed my gps and I am so glad I did, because that beautiful gateway to the Midwest greeted me towering over the city... My breathe caught and a tear came to my eye as soon as I caught a full glimpse of her... The beautiful Gateway Arch welcomed me Home...
This was supposed to be a fun trip where I left after work on Monday and stopped in the Atlanta area to sleep and then continued my journey on Tuesday to meet up with my Family on Wednesday... Well, Irma had other plans... Before I knew it, Mom was on her flight as planned, and then my Super hero Bestie and I were getting the house ready to face the largest hurricane Florida had ever faced... As I drove all I could think of were my friends and "family" that would soon be facing Irma's rath... I found comfort in hearing from friends that would chat with me during the first leg of my journey... My only regret was not stopping enough because upon arriving at my hotel I was in so much physical pain it hurt to walk... So it was an ibuprophen induced sleep after a visit to Whole Foods to find distilled water, the one item I left behind at home...
The next morning I got my stuff together after an amazing night sleep in the Alpharetta Holiday Inn... And headed down for my delicious free breakfast... Yep gonna totally name drop here because this was probably my most favorite place to stay... I will definitely find a reason to stay here at this location again... The ladies at the front desk were so nice and so sweet when I checked in exhausted the afternoon before... I wish I would have written down their names because in the 3 hotels, of the same chain, I stayed in during my entire trip, they are the only ones that actually gave their names and said that if there is anything you need during your stay, let us know... The most comfortable besds, nicest most spacious room and beautifully clean hotel... Fantastic...
So now I was back on the road again... And I was in Tennessee and out and back in... And heading towards Nashville when traffic diverted me around the center and all of the sudden I see the signs for Opryland and I think, A - maybe I could get a picture of the Grand Ole Opry and B - I really need a pit stop... So I pop in the directions for the Grand Ole Opry and head for my first Stop of the Day...
When I pulled in to the lot I was surprised to see it was surrounded by of all things a mall... I don't know why I was that surprised actually but I found the Opry and headed up to see just what it was all about... Out of couriosity I checked out the prices and found the behind the scenes tour was only $26 so I decided to take a break from my travels and take the tour which was departing in just a few minutes... The tour was fantastic, it took you through the history of the Grand Ole Opry and you realize just how small that family and what an honor it truly is to be asked to join... The most moving part of the entire tour was when we stepped out on the Opry stage and we were allowed to step into the famous wooden circle and have our photo taken singing... Some chose not actually sing but if you wanted to you could sing a line so you could say you sang on the Opry stage...
The trip had been pretty emotional for me and still not knowing what was going to happen with our home and friends and my babies (kitties), inside I was an emotional wreck... Then to step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage, one of the most famous stages in the world where some of the greatest musical artists have stood and be told you can sing whatever you want, I was flooded with emotion... To say I totally lost it was an understatement... I quickly shared with the others that I was from Kissimmee and I was torn apart over leaving everyone behind and then another couple shared that they were from Boca and they also understood what I was going through... The sweet photgrapher came and hugged me and let me cry for a few minutes until I pulled myself together... And even though I thought I was going to sing God Bless America, my heart had other plans...
"The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance...The Stars shall applaud Him, with thunders of Praise... The sweet light in His eyes, shall, They shall enhance those awaiting, and we Shall Behold Him, then Face to Face.... Oh We Shall, Behold Him, Oh We Shall Behold Him, face to face, in all of His glory.... oh We Shall Behold Him.... Yes We Shall Behold Him, face to face... our Savior and Lord....."
The group went from chattering to silence and then I just stepped away from the mic and everything else was a blur until the tour ended... I think that was God's way of telling me everything was going to be OK, I just didn't knowit yet...
I continued on my trip chatting with my middle brother quite a bit and one of my besties... Then I saw it... Metropolis... The home of Superman and I knew I must stop... Where else are you going to see a 2 story statue of the man of steel... He was larger than life and a beacon for others as well... There were two other families that had stopped as well... They were leaving the south, one returning home from a honeymoon and the other seeking safety from the storm... There was almost an unspoken kinship between us all as we took our photos, wished each other safe travels and then headed our seperate ways...
On the final stretch of my trip I knew I was almost there when I saw a familiar glint in the sky... Past trips "home" have never been so emotional, but I have never really traveled under such circumstances... My brothers had told me to take 255 around the city to avoid all of the downtown craziness but I follwed my gps and I am so glad I did, because that beautiful gateway to the Midwest greeted me towering over the city... My breathe caught and a tear came to my eye as soon as I caught a full glimpse of her... The beautiful Gateway Arch welcomed me Home...
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