Explorer

This kid loves adventures on I-95. Elle loves the scenery that flies by her window in a blur and gets excited when the highway dips up and down. Her right arm starts flailing when we pass a trucker who probably has a doozy of a horn. Oh, you should see her face when that 18-wheeler belches out a special one just for her! You'd think it was Christmas. She practices her addition and subtraction on the road by reading out the mile markers and reporting to me how far we are from our destination. She reads the signs that give the names of upcoming cities and decides, on the spot, if it's a pretty enough name to make her want to live there. Pooler, Georgia? Nope. How about Dumfries, Virginia? Mommy, that name sounds dumb. Well, how does Rocky Mount, North Carolina, sound? Oooh, that's pretty. This is how Elle thinks. It's actually kind of fun to be in her head for awhile, I might add.

My poor child hasn't been outside the state of Florida in over two months. The saddest part about that is we only live 18 miles south of the Georgia state line! So, after I took my car in for a $34 oil change and walked out after having paid for a $286 coolant leak repair, I'm almost afraid to take her anywhere. For now, at least. But we have some traveling to do. And we're not gonna let some mishap on the road stop us from getting the hell out of here whenever we feel the desperate need. (This desperate need arises often since we currently live with my parents.)

We didn't get to do much traveling in 2008 so we made sure that the trips we took were worth taking! A few jaunts northward to Charlotte, North Carolina and York, South Carolina, another northbound trip to Byron, Georgia. We also had the unfortunate task of heading to Fort Myers, Florida to say our final goodbyes to one of the most awesomest grandmothers ever. But Elle and I are ready for some new adventures, in new cities...

On the list for 2009:

Key West, Florida (for the six-toed cats - I have one, pictured above! - and, of course, Hemingway.)
Helen, Georgia (because I like mountains and cheesy tourist traps, especially when they're a package deal!)
Washington, D.C. (I used to live there and never took advantage of that. Dammit. Plus, Elle wants to see the "Big Lincoln" and O'Rock's new house.)
Charlotte, North Carolina (my brother's wedding reception following the Carribbean wedding itself.)
Lexington, Kentucky (Horsies. And grass.)

So - there it is. I figure only two of those will actually happen and only after I know for sure that my car is in tip-top shape. I am in no hurry to have a state trooper escort me off the highway after a massive tire blowout. AGAIN. And I'm pretty sure Elle is in no hurry to be blown over face-first into the median after an 18-wheeler flies by her for the umpteenth time. AGAIN. Without blowing his horn especially for her.