One Way Ticket: Part Eight

April 26th 8:30am

            Waiting for the Metro, always waiting for something. Might as well be the Metro, right? I’m, excited about today! Going to wait for Elisabeth for an hour before noon, if she’s still in DC we were going to try and meet again. But she doesn’t have a working phone, and I don’t have Internet access, so it makes for a fun time trying to make plans. Then, fingers crossed, I ‘m going to see Audra later!! Yay!

            I’m so very excited about seeing a familiar face. Not that this trip hasn’t been good, but I’m homesickish

            My travel plans for today end with a 15 hr bus ride tonight that end in Atlanta GA, then the Marta to as close to Elizabeth I as I can get, I have a few hours to kill once I get there so I’ll try to find a movie . Then I’,m hopefully getting to the Lavenders on Sat Night/Sun Morning if all goes accordingly.  My plane leaves out of ATL May 3rd out to Branson, then a cab to catch a grey hound to Springfield where Aunt Tara said she’d pick me up!.  

            I don’t think that I’ll make it out to Colorado. That will have to be another trip. Another time.  That makes me kind of sad, but I really enjoyed NYC. :D

            Gerald has been a really good host. His house is neat and his great danes are adorable. He fixed grilled pork chops last night. I’ve had so many sit down dinners since I left on my travels, it’s unexpected and kind of weird. But pleasant. I like to eat well.

            Being on one’s own is complex, the stress of things, everyday living, over shadows even sleep. Where am I going to be? How do I Get there? How much will it cost? What will I eat? When? Again, cost and I would while I don’t feel mentally stressed, I can fell the physical manifestations on stress. I’ve been drinking about a cup of fresh ginger tea about ever day. Or at least the days I’m close to a stove and can boil water. Which is, thankfully, most days. And I know that my lack of a steady communication with God only makes the stress seem worse.  My comfort zone has been so far stretched, I don’t even know if I’ll find it’s edge for a while.

Noon -Sitting in the lobby of the National Museum of American History.

           

            Working on finances and talking to Tricia. Had a few odd cented Metro fare passes going to try and give them away today. You can’t combine them, but you can add to them and maybe it’ll help someone get to their destination today. This is my last day here in DC and I have a couple long rides on the trains, but I have a day pass.

~

April 27th 8:26am - Charlotte, NC

            A layover, the bus needs servicing and I would concentrate on writing, but Charmed is on... tempting... mediocre acting or writing?

My day yesterday after Elisabeth didn’t show (I discovered that she had left either that morning or the day before):

            National Museum of American History

            National Air & Spce Museum

            National Museum of American Indians (actually, I just ate at the cafe there. :D)

            Butterfly Garden (was asked for money)

            National Archives (they didn’t even have the LEGIT Magna Carta on display. I’m going to protest.)

            US Botanic Gardens (I think I spent two hours in there. BE U TI FUL)

            US Capitol Visitor Center

            Library of Congress (the none book side... :/ )

            CVS for a water bottle, the Capitol Visitor center made me throw mine away, and snacks for the bus ride

            Arlington Cemetery. This was a spur of the moment decision, I managed to make the 6pm change of the guard, too. Breath taking, it really makes one feel patriotic.

~

April 27th 2:39pm @cafenineteen

            Drinking a $4 drink. Waiting for an $8.50 movie.

            Going to watch Source Code, mostly because it was a movie that’d be getting over with about the time Elizabeth will be getting off of work. This Mint Mocha Shake thing is actually really really good. And the barista gave me the extra stuff in the metal mixing cup to have too.

            I’m wondering if the movie theatre will have an issue with my luggage, when I asked the gal at the cafe she said that they shouldn’t mind, but, “You can bring it back here and we’ll put it behind the counter for you if they do.”

            Getting to the Regal Cinema Plaza in Mariette GA wasn’t a small feat. Anwar, my 15 hr seat mate was very helpful in which Marta to take. The Marta (rail) is the dumbest subway system I’ve encountered.

5:01pm,

            Back again. And another drink, this time a double chai for $3. It’s very refreshing, but I think I’ve maxed out my sugar intake for the day.

            Speaking of sugar, I was doing really well diet wise, pretty much zero sugar until circa Easter. :D YAY for candy! I’ve walked off a lot of body fat, my arms look toned and I’ve not done any upper body exercise at all. Yesterday I walked DC until my feet ached, they really wanted me to drop dead. I’m so glad I’ve got Burt’s Bees’ peppermint lotion.

Later
Today:
Arrival in Atlanta: 1ish.
Marta to Atlantic Station (purely went on gut instints once I got on the marta to pick directions)
Regal Cinema - ticket
Cafe’d
Movie: Source Code
Elizabeth picked me up: circa 5:30pm
Five Guy’s Burgers
Tornado Warnings till 2am!

~

April 28th {Hallie gave me her room to have while I’m here!!}

Lots of coffee
Hung out with Hallie
Home alone a little bit
            blogged
            drunk moar coffee
            caught up with everything online
Operation Grover with Andrew and Hallie; removed stitches
Imeson Parents home
Sweet potato
Target run for stuff!! Eliza & I make a good team.
Kings Speech - v. good
            icecream
Bed by midnight.

~

April 29th 11:17am

            I was just thinking about the 15 hour bus ride from DC, greyhounds are not for tall people....

later
Talked on the phone with mom
ate eggs (as prescribed by mom, I need protein, been eating tons of carbs)
Went biking with Hallie and Andrew
Grilled cheese sandwich of amazing. + chicken noodle soup
Went to see Your Highness w/Elizabeth. DUMBdumbDUMB. Would have been more fun to literally burn the cash.

~

April 30th 3:25pm

            A whole month of traveling and it feels like a few days.

            Went to Murphy in NC and to the store Moose Hollow. E took me to a river, where we saw a couple get married and another couple tango in hiking boots. She also treated me to lunch at a restaurant that hangs over the river. Now, if I could just recall the name of the place. We did a lot of people watching, and even talked to a few.

~

            As you can tell my writing has gotten VERY lax. I write outlines and list and there isn’t another dated entry in my travel journal until the 3rd of May.

~

May 3rd 12:19pm

            In Branson outside the greyhound pick up area. I’ve got two hours to kill before the bus is supposed to arrive. It’s the bus to Springfield, the only bus to Springfield. So, I really shouldn’t stray too far, it’d be really bad to miss that.

            I didn’t writing on the plane, again, due to chatting with the older lady sitting next to me.

12:42pm
            The flight was good. It’s wonderful weather here in Branson! But... it doesn’t sate my heart’s longing for the Colorado scenery. Ah, the deal to not go to CO was sealed when I sent my winter coat home with Gerald.
    Feeling light headed, going to head inside The Spirit Shop (the liqour store where the bus stops at) for some food.

            Lunch: Beef jerky, 16oz Milk, sunflower seeds. Yum? Yes.

2:56pm
            Bus #... four? It’s thirty mines late coming. I’m going to be really practiced at waiting before this is all over.

~

            The bus came a little while later and I got safely to Springfield and to Aunt Tara. I hung out with the Harris’s for a few days. Then the Bowen house over the weekend and then back to the Harris house. While with mom’s sister and her family I had some really good talks with Tara and Eric. Uncle Eric told me something very poignant to my situation, “Don’t expect or force an “ah ha!” moment with everything you’ve experienced on this trip, it’ll happen, but maybe not today or tomorrow but maybe a few more years down the road.” More or less. He can say this because when he was my age, he did a lot of traveling. Abet it wasn’t alone, he was with his band in a bus. But it was still traveling outside of his hometown and his past comfort zones.

            This “ah ha” moment isn’t something I had put a whole lot of thought to during the beginning of my trip, I really wasn’t thinking, “Oh, so just what am I going to get out of this trip?” but there were tendrils of it floating around. It’s edifying to know that I don’t have to force anything to formulate.

            Also, he called me a pup. And that made me smile.