Saturday morning, I drove Sam to the airport to see her
off. She would be flying by herself, but
I was in charge of escorting her to the gate in LA, and Mom and Dad would be at
the gate in Milwaukee to pick her up. The
only time she’d ever really be alone is on the actual plane where she had
planned to read her school assignment, as she had at least four hours to do so.
At the very end of a trip, through all the picture sharing
and stories, there is always one moment when you realize the trip is finally
over. It occurred to both of us in the
airport, but at different times.
I know LAX better than I know O’Hare and Mitchell and
Midway. It’s the airport I’ve flown out
of more than a dozen times and though it is ALWAYS changing, it never makes me
too nervous. But flying itself… that’s a
whole other story, and to make me less nervous, I have certain rituals I do in
an almost OCD type of way.
This time, I was not flying, so obviously, no nerves were
present. But Sam was uneasy, and the
only thing I could think of to do, was to take her through the steps I know help
me when I’m in the same situation. I’m
not sure if hot chocolate at Starbucks helped, or the phone call as soon as she
was seated did. Honestly, no matter what
you do, boarding that plane always feels so ominous… not like something bad is
going to happen… but like, well… planes just mark either the beginning or the
end of a journey. This one marked an end
to an adventure Sam and I had been dreaming about for quite awhile. When it was time to board, she couldn’t stop
hugging me. I had to push her over to
the attendant. Thankfully, I held it
together…I don’t really know what came over me. I was standing in the Southwest terminal, sipping my Chai, watching the plane… and then it pulled away from the gate, moving away from my window. I felt like any normal person would leave, in fact, the parents of two other children who were also on the plane by themselves left at that moment, but I was compelled to race across the terminal to watch the plane roll out of view, and then down the runway.
The tears didn’t fall until I sat down in my car, but they
weren’t tears of sadness or the emptiness that comes with sending loved ones
off. There just wasn’t anything to do
anymore. The trip happened. A month flew by before my very eyes, and the
only thing to do now sift through the notes and pictures for answers to
questions I thought I might find somewhere between hard stone mesas, state dividing rivers, and giant fiberglass rabbits.
The only sure thing I’ve realized is that this trip has been
amazing from start to finish. And it
would never have happened without the support of… well, really, it wouldn’t have happened
without varying life events launching me into an existential quandary… but it also wouldn’t have been the same without
the support of friends and family.
At this time, I would like to say thank you to all of those
people who contributed to the trip.
HUGE HUGE HUGE
THANKS to Mom and Dad. – Mom,
thank you for resisting the urge to call me during part one of my trip. Dad, thank you for keeping up with the blog
and leaving us comments. They meant a lot.
Mom and Dad, thank you for letting me kidnap your youngest daughter to
take her on this pretty awesome journey.
Any horrible influences she’s come home with… well, I blame my friends.
MUSIC:
Sammie and I would
like to thank the following people for providing us with a soundtrack to the
journey. (And yes, we made it through all of the music.) It wouldn’t
have been the same trip without any of it, and I will try really hard to
remember some of the highlights… this could get long. You may want to scroll.
Erin B. - Of all
the people who contributed music, you knew me best in high school, and I have
to say that your CD made me laugh. I was
able to share many memories with Sam:
TCDFM, “Crash, Crush, Stay… they all have five letters…er…., “ Star
Wars, our strange obsession with ID4, Marching Band, and… heh, heh… that ride
to ISU for band competition in Junior High, where I kept making you listen to Lovefool by the Cardigans against your
will… yeah… decapitated Barbie. Gooood
times. J
Beth – A
compendium it was, indeed. Truly a gift
from a #1 friend. I love you, lady! Due to its extensive list of music, I won’t
go into too much detail, but I wish you were here, so that I could hug you in
person. Unfortunately, you will just
have to settle for this ::hug:: instead.
Gabe D. – Of all the CD’s I burned for myself, yours is the
only one that came out without problems.
In hindsight, that was for the best. ;)
So, before I launch into highlights… where the hell was the DMB? We have several intense conversations on the
wonders of Dave Matthews and he isn’t even represented?! For shame!
You did include Company of Thieves, though, so I suppose you might be
forgiven. Anyway, you told me to listen to this after eating, so Sam and I
popped it in after our Texas Roadhouse lunch, and pie at the Midpoint Cafe. This
mix was pretty awesome. Loved the cover
of 1901 as well as the Cults and the Postal Service. Taper
Jean Girl is one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs. And Far Behind, Touch, Peel, and Stand, and
Don’t Panic brought me back to driving around my hometown in the “Kluger-mobile.” Nice job.
Enjoyed it all. J
J Dizzle McFizzle – Of all the people that contributed CD’s,
you were the most surprising, because, as we’ve discussed, you are the least
likely to want to make a mix CD.
Haha! But you did, and it was
filled with fantastic driving songs that all reminded me of you. Sam’s favorite was the two Doctor Who
tracks. And let me tell you, blaring the
theme song while exiting Oklahoma and
entering Texas is pretty spectacular.
Mr. Jlsh – Six CD’s worth of music. SIX!
And you were not the person with the most donated discs, either. Sammie isn’t here to tell me one way or
another, but I have a feeling your mix was one of her favorites, as she kept
asking if she should put another Mr. Jlsh CD in, and I kept reminding her that
we had other people’s mixes to listen to.
Lol. The memories I now have the
most associated with your mix are: driving
through west past Pasadena, because I previewed the first three discs on the
drive westward (the CD’s I made for myself got messed up and I had to listen to
some of the donations early), and driving through New Mexico, through beautiful
hills suddenly laughing at a rap song involving Han Solo.
My Mandy – Soooo, my dear… Sam and I loved the mix. Haha,
there was a lot of country on it, but it fit the landscape, so we were
ok with it. I did want to ask you, where
was the Good Charlotte? I mean, if any music represented you and me
singing in a car, I’d say it’d be them. ;)
But, for realz, yours was the first official CD we listened to. And by the time we were crossing the
Wisconsin boarder, we were annoying locals by singing along with Rascal Flatts, “LIFE IS A HIIIIGHHWAY, I
WANNA RIDE IT ALLL NIGHHHT LOONG.” And
the Lucky Boys Confusion inspired me to tell Sam about the first time I saw
those guys in concert… it was at the Landing with you and Donna. Why you are one of my best friends? Even before we knew each other, you knew how
to cure my home sickness. Fate and Webster
University Res Life put us together, and we’ve been friends ever since. I MISS YOU!!!!! (Also, The wheel in the sky keeps on turning.
;)
Daniel – I will only say this once. You will only hear this once. This was a pretty “fresh” mix. That is all.
Joe K. – We both
loved your thematic way of breaking the mixes down. It actually helped when we were trying to
pick out CD’s. Sam would say … “Well,
its about to rain, how about Joe’s ‘When it Rains’ CD?” Lol.
The best thing about having friends and family who are so into music is
that when you ask for mixes, not only do they understand what a mix should be,
but they include an eclectic mix of music that really makes sense to the
theme. This was very true of your
mixes. Sam, especially, got a kick out
of you musical choices. I know “Sunrise”
was a particularly awesome mix that she really liked. Thank you!!!
Timbo Slice – First of all, thank you for helping with Ms.
B. She seems to be in good spirits and
has been actively rearranging her cage like a happy rat since I got home. Also, you left your Coors here. Lemme know when you wanna pick that shit
up. ;)
I feel like we listened to your
CD in Missouri or Oklahoma, which was a very happy thematic surprise, because
it really fit our landscape… Driving music can be anything, from something more
of a soundtrack to your surroundings, to something you can sing along to. For me…
if you’re driving the back roads of our country and don’t have music featuring acoustic
guitar playing, then you’re un-American.
Awhile ago, you tried to introduce me to Guster, and got upset with me
for not following through with my listen.
(To be fair, we were busy, and I wasn’t able to give it any proper
attention.) This was a good outlet to
intro them again. Really dig them,
Tim. Good call. J
Regan – Of all the people I wanted to have time to see on my
trip back home, you were top on my list.
Unfortunately, you had to contend with the Kenosha County Fair and my
grandparents. I also hope you received
my postcard. I wanted to write something
way more profound on it, but I’m not that profound of a person. ;) Anyway, … thank you. For the pep talk, and the pep talk via music…
and the people of Oklahoma City also thank you for allowing me to grace them
with my belting rendition of the theme song to Perfect Strangers. I now regret driving past Wrigley Field
without your CD in. You’re the best… and…
my response to your letter is this: Good…
you best be writin’ more funny... who’s
gonna make me laugh, otherwise?
Brian L. – I was only home for a day, when my mother told me
I had mail. There it was… Time Life’s
music series, The Summer of Brianne.
Since it was only available for a limited time, I counted myself lucky
to have received this copy. A three disc
set, it carried us through Arizona and California. Brian’s has the honor of being the last CD we
listened to, as we saved vol. 3 for Sam’s ride to LAX. Very good mix. Thank you so much for sending it. J If you could’ve seen my sister’s face when
Chris Rock started his bit, you would’ve probably pissed yourself. It was pretty funny. I can’t go into detail, only because all
three discs are still in my car and I am too lazy to go out to get them, so
when we talk next, we’ll talk more about how awesome you are. Until then… J
Greg – OH MY GOD…
Thank you!!!! You were the first
person to send me stuff, and it was awesome.
I did not listen to the Sedaris, yet.
I can’t do a lot of spoken word while driving… Dad used to listen to a
lot of NPR on family road trips, and it would put my brother and I to sleep…
now I’m conditioned to fall asleep whenever I hear books on tape or radio
programs about flute carving in South America while I’m in a vehicle. I do love David Sedaris, though, so I
actually can’t wait to listen to them while I’m safely far from behind the
wheel of Gilbert. Anyway, just so you
know…. We listened to your middle of
nowhere CD in New Mexico, I believe. Gorgeous
landscape, and a fantastic soundtrack. J
Auntie Judy – Thank you so much for putting those discs
together. With everything that’s going
on in your life, we both really appreciated that you managed to take time out
to send us some music! J I listened to the first four on my way west,
and loved it all. J And Sam and I really enjoyed (as you read
via the blog) our CD. Thank you for the
messages on all of them as well, and for being one of our number one fans. When you go on a journey like this one, even
with another person, it can get lonely.
Being reminded that friends and family are with us in spirit, always
brightens our day. Thank you!
Shellcroft – Listened to your CD as we traversed the
cornfields in Illinois. While I relisten
just to make sure I don’t miss anything I’m supposed to tell you, all I can see
is driving past cornfields and driving under concrete bridges on our way to St.
Louis. Mmmm… road trippy. Fantastic.
Thank you so much for doing this for me.
Loved it. Speaking of traversing…
I used our Helen Keller analogy in Flagstaff as we were driving through some
heavy rainfall. Thought you’d appreciate
that. J My sister thought I was crazy, and semi
inappropriate, but she laughed anyway.
Ryan – I listened to Disc 1 on day two and Disc 2 when we
hit Barstow on our way back, so Disc 1 will forever be imprinted with the
sights of the Arizona desert from Needles to Seligman when I listen to Disc 1
and the Bottle Ranch, impending storm
clouds, and sunshine outside of San Bernadino with Disc 2. Loved the mixes! Makes me wonder what they
could’ve been with the country inclusions.
Also, for the record, I can’t imagine a road trip without any 70’s pop/rock. Seems…. Lol… as I told Tim about acoustic
guitar and country roads… Un-American. Lol. Anyway, for more specifics, I will need to
listen to the two discs again. I know I
jotted down notes, but they could be any one of five different places, and note
sifting is my biggest project now that I’m home. What I do remember was thinking that your
driving home theme meant that much more when we arrived in LA a day early. It was a surprise to both of us, and though
Sam was catatonic thanks to the amount of driving… pulling off the 5 onto Los Feliz towards home
was pretty emotional for me. We always
forget that the drive home is the most important part of the trip.
Jeremy – Getting this CD was an adventure, so it was only
fitting that it was for an adventure. Haha!
Anyway, Samantha hates the Muppets, which makes her an awful person, I
admit. ;) But, um, track 1…
fantastic. In fact, I would love to take
this moment to say thank you to everyone who included the Muppets in their CD’s. I know Ryan did… I can’t remember
specifically who else, but I feel like there were one or two more inclusions
plus Brian V texting it to me midway through the trip, and I LOVE the Muppets,
so I just told Sam to cover her ears.
Singing Mahna Mahna was a
highlight, though… we listened to it in STL on our way to the City Museum,
which was perfect. The whole CD ended up being perfect for our
time exploring St. Louis both thematically and as a soundtrack to the city,
just one of the many musical surprises on our journey. My friends are awesome.
Justin – You, my friend, are last, but most assuredly not
least. I actually listened to it
westbound first, before listening to it eastbound, and I have to admit that
while I was driving through Texas: down dirt roads laced with Brown Eyed Susans,
across dust blown frontage roads, and
through ghost towns, I almost wished
I was back on your Porch of Awesomness, sipping a cold one, listening to these
tunes via vinyl, and talking about the journeys our literary heroes penned
decades ago. Then, I realized where I was and what I was
doing, and it made a lot more sense for me to HAVE a journey to write down like
those very same heroes, and soon I was out of Texas… the Panhandle, it seems,
is not actually very wide. There are a
great many thoughts that came with your CD, sir, which just means there is a
very lengthy musical discussion in our future.
Shall I expect cocktails on the
porch soon?
THANK YOU all who
contributed, all of those who sent messages while I was gone, for prayers and
wishes and thoughts, for those who housed me during my travels, fed me during
my travels, and those who respected my desire to be alone for a month of soul
searching. Alright, I am now officially signing off. Lol!
-B-
P.S. I will be adding
a few more pictures to the blog, just in case you want to come back and check
out the once photo void entries.
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