Just got in from my epic road trip yesterday. It was in fact quite eventful. Back when I was first planning it out, it was meant to be a relaxing vacation type thing. Instead it turned into a busy and almost "rushed" affair.
You see; it almost didn't even happen at all because I was blindsided by a financially crippling event that sucked up all of my travel resources. $4K in travel pay that I had been strategically saving for this trip was just "jacked" by a surprise obligation that I'm not going to get into here... Needless to say however, it was like Nancy Kerrigan getting clubbed in the knee by Tony Harding. Metaphoricaly speaking from a financial perspective of course...
Still, I had a shitload of excess leave on the books and I simply had to burn it or I was going to lose it all. So there I was, staring at the ceiling when my sister in Texas called asking when I would be making my trip. I told her that I wouldn't because I was jacked of all my funds. She then asked me if I wanted to make the trip anyways. I said of course, but that it was expensive. She said don't worry about it, she would help me out. At the ned of the day, she had forwarded me $600.00 to get started with. My other sister in Florida said she would give me $400.00 to make it home with if I went by Florida too. So, in the end, I went ahead and pressed on out to OK, TX and FL with a meager fraction of the budget I'd originally intended to have on hand.
No longer was there any plan to travel at leasure, to stay in nice hotels, to see the Florida Keys, and to just "see and do till the money runs out". It was now all about making good time over long distances with a spartan budget on a trip saddled with familial obligation. Either way, I was going to visit with my son in Oklahoma for a while, but since I was now making the family tour, I figured I may as well take him with me. That part of the trip was great and would have been great no matter what. Seeing him again made all the rushing and the stressing well worth it.
So; it took three days just to get to Oklahoma from the Oregon Coast. Day 1 ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. On that trip I put an ad on Craigslist's "rideshare" link and was contacted by a 24 yr old guy (kid really) who was just completely HOSED by an ex-girlfriend who threw him to the wolves while she headed off to California to hook up with a new love that she'd met via Facebook's "Instagram" (how the hell does that happen to people?!?). His name was Charles and he was a really decent kat. Lucky for Charles, he had a whole network of friends ready to give him a job and a place to stay till he got his life back in order. Last I checked on him, he was about to start a second job in SLC, and he and a friend had found an apartment to move into. so all things considered, I think Charles in on his way to an excellent first recovery. I told Charles that if his situation in SLC didn't pan out to look me up and I'd help him get an entry level job aboard ship with NOAA. I don't think he's going to need it though. Good for him.
Second day ended up in Limon, Colorado. I was soooo completely exhausted when I arrived there I just sent a few text messages out to a lot of people who knew I was cross country traveling and knocked the hell out by about 8:00 PM. What I can tell you about the trip that far is this: Wyoming has some REALLY, really nice rest stops. Clean bathrooms with plumbing that actually works and everything!! Lots of those renewable energy wind farms along the route too. Really massive white windmills that gently turn in the wind to provide supplimental power to the grid. There's A LOT of them on both sides of the Columbia River just ouside the scenic route of I-84. Bunches of them in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma too.
Third day I made it OKC and spent 2 days with my son there. Also picked up a kitten there that I named "Eloy". He's a cute little guy who is remarkably well behaved when riding in a car. Sixth Day came and off we (my son, the cat and myself) went to visit family in South Texas. Ninth day came and off we went to Houston to visit my lady-friend from two blogs back. There was no liason between the two of us, but the tension was like the biggest mouse trap in the world at full spring. Maybe one day I'll post a blog about what happened there and then, but for now suffice it to say that that series of events NEEDED to happen and the both of us are probably much better at peace for it. Her husband was on-guard the whole time and stuck close to her like Bubbles the Monkey did with Michael Jackson back in the day. As well he should have... He's a really nice guy; and as previously stated, I would have had a difficult time making peace with myself if I'd have done anything "consequential" with her. His determination to stay CLOSE made it easy to keep all the tension under wraps. Morning came and he very politely shooed us on our way. I won't harsh the guy one bit for that either. Honestly I'm kind of shocked he even allowed us to stay the night as we were on our way to Florida the next day. There's more to it than this; but I'll post a blog about it all some other day...
Tenth day saw my son, Eloy and I arrive in my hometown of Pensacola. One night spent with my step-mother, one night spent with sister #3, and two nights spent with sister #4. Metup with a former co-worker from Oklahoma who'd gotten a job at Hurlburt Field in Florida, metup with a coupel of HS buds from back in the day, but most importantly gave my sister (#3) a lot of help with a bad situation she's in dealing with a prescription med addicted husband. I have a high school bud with a MS degree in CJ. He's now a county investigator with Adult Protective Services and he was able to give my sister A LOT of very helpful advice to deal with the horrible dynamics of her particular siuation.
Fourteenth day arrived an it was time to head back to Oklahoma. Made the entire trip in one jump. While we were driving there my son told me that he wanted to move with me to Oregon and attend his senior year of high school there with me. My son is 18 now so there's no legal battle to worry about here. If he wants to go with me, he can. Simple as that. The only real obstacle is his own vulnerability to guilt and the depth of how well entrenched his Stockholm Syndrome is. But this time, he really opened up and declared in an absolutely commited manner how he was resolved to leave Oklahoma once and for all and begin a new life with me. I was so happy to hear him say that. It was short lived though. His mother's sister got in his head while his mother and I were argueing outside and she managed to convince him to stay in Oklahoma livimg with her instead of his mother. That whole thing really pissed me off. I suppose I could have told my son that that arraingement was all bullshit, but I had promised him earlier that I would not play games with his head like his mother does so whatever decision he made was going to be respected by me. It really, really gets my goat though because I know his aunt wanted him there so that his child support would help her make her car payment and his presence as a dependant would entitle her to more food stamps. Thats all it was really about. They don't play fair, and they know I do. By the end of his mother and I's conversation, I had actually convinced her that this was best for our son because it was what HE wanted and more importantly it was what HE NEEDED. She had actually given it her blessing when our son came outside where we were and announced his decision to stay in Oklahoma, but move to his aunts apartment. I was SO pissed, but I couldn't let my son see it because of my sense of honor.
By 6:30 AM the next day I was on my way back to Oregon with only Eloy. I pushed all the way to Laramie, WY where I couldn't find a room for the night because of some big rodeo the city was hosting. Finally I found a place around 9:00 PM. I was pissed and exhaused. Needed to talk to someone. No one was there...
Next day pushed all the way to Boise, ID. As I was driving my sisters called one by one to ask how everything went with my son. I told them about the bullshit that went down in Oklahoma. They were all saddened by how it happened, and why he had been convinced to stay. A car payment and some extra food stamps. His life to continue on as more of an "existence" than an actual life. All that I have to offer him, and all that he has to offer himself in the way of a positive future; BLOCKED for a car payment and some extra food stamps. I pulled over and called my son on the way to Boise to tell him it wasn't too late, but they had used the time well to solidify his resolve to stay. Once again I needed to talk to someone about it all. God must have heard the pain in my soul because my lady-friend from Houston called to check in on me. We talked for about an hour. She doesn't have any children of her own so she couldn't really identify with the extent of the hurt. No matter. She was there...
Now we arrive at yesterday. The last leg of the big jump. Made it home with $14.00 to spare. Going back out to sea on the 13th of August. Returning home on 6 November to an empty house again...
You see; it almost didn't even happen at all because I was blindsided by a financially crippling event that sucked up all of my travel resources. $4K in travel pay that I had been strategically saving for this trip was just "jacked" by a surprise obligation that I'm not going to get into here... Needless to say however, it was like Nancy Kerrigan getting clubbed in the knee by Tony Harding. Metaphoricaly speaking from a financial perspective of course...
Still, I had a shitload of excess leave on the books and I simply had to burn it or I was going to lose it all. So there I was, staring at the ceiling when my sister in Texas called asking when I would be making my trip. I told her that I wouldn't because I was jacked of all my funds. She then asked me if I wanted to make the trip anyways. I said of course, but that it was expensive. She said don't worry about it, she would help me out. At the ned of the day, she had forwarded me $600.00 to get started with. My other sister in Florida said she would give me $400.00 to make it home with if I went by Florida too. So, in the end, I went ahead and pressed on out to OK, TX and FL with a meager fraction of the budget I'd originally intended to have on hand.
No longer was there any plan to travel at leasure, to stay in nice hotels, to see the Florida Keys, and to just "see and do till the money runs out". It was now all about making good time over long distances with a spartan budget on a trip saddled with familial obligation. Either way, I was going to visit with my son in Oklahoma for a while, but since I was now making the family tour, I figured I may as well take him with me. That part of the trip was great and would have been great no matter what. Seeing him again made all the rushing and the stressing well worth it.
So; it took three days just to get to Oklahoma from the Oregon Coast. Day 1 ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. On that trip I put an ad on Craigslist's "rideshare" link and was contacted by a 24 yr old guy (kid really) who was just completely HOSED by an ex-girlfriend who threw him to the wolves while she headed off to California to hook up with a new love that she'd met via Facebook's "Instagram" (how the hell does that happen to people?!?). His name was Charles and he was a really decent kat. Lucky for Charles, he had a whole network of friends ready to give him a job and a place to stay till he got his life back in order. Last I checked on him, he was about to start a second job in SLC, and he and a friend had found an apartment to move into. so all things considered, I think Charles in on his way to an excellent first recovery. I told Charles that if his situation in SLC didn't pan out to look me up and I'd help him get an entry level job aboard ship with NOAA. I don't think he's going to need it though. Good for him.
Second day ended up in Limon, Colorado. I was soooo completely exhausted when I arrived there I just sent a few text messages out to a lot of people who knew I was cross country traveling and knocked the hell out by about 8:00 PM. What I can tell you about the trip that far is this: Wyoming has some REALLY, really nice rest stops. Clean bathrooms with plumbing that actually works and everything!! Lots of those renewable energy wind farms along the route too. Really massive white windmills that gently turn in the wind to provide supplimental power to the grid. There's A LOT of them on both sides of the Columbia River just ouside the scenic route of I-84. Bunches of them in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma too.
Third day I made it OKC and spent 2 days with my son there. Also picked up a kitten there that I named "Eloy". He's a cute little guy who is remarkably well behaved when riding in a car. Sixth Day came and off we (my son, the cat and myself) went to visit family in South Texas. Ninth day came and off we went to Houston to visit my lady-friend from two blogs back. There was no liason between the two of us, but the tension was like the biggest mouse trap in the world at full spring. Maybe one day I'll post a blog about what happened there and then, but for now suffice it to say that that series of events NEEDED to happen and the both of us are probably much better at peace for it. Her husband was on-guard the whole time and stuck close to her like Bubbles the Monkey did with Michael Jackson back in the day. As well he should have... He's a really nice guy; and as previously stated, I would have had a difficult time making peace with myself if I'd have done anything "consequential" with her. His determination to stay CLOSE made it easy to keep all the tension under wraps. Morning came and he very politely shooed us on our way. I won't harsh the guy one bit for that either. Honestly I'm kind of shocked he even allowed us to stay the night as we were on our way to Florida the next day. There's more to it than this; but I'll post a blog about it all some other day...
Tenth day saw my son, Eloy and I arrive in my hometown of Pensacola. One night spent with my step-mother, one night spent with sister #3, and two nights spent with sister #4. Metup with a former co-worker from Oklahoma who'd gotten a job at Hurlburt Field in Florida, metup with a coupel of HS buds from back in the day, but most importantly gave my sister (#3) a lot of help with a bad situation she's in dealing with a prescription med addicted husband. I have a high school bud with a MS degree in CJ. He's now a county investigator with Adult Protective Services and he was able to give my sister A LOT of very helpful advice to deal with the horrible dynamics of her particular siuation.
Fourteenth day arrived an it was time to head back to Oklahoma. Made the entire trip in one jump. While we were driving there my son told me that he wanted to move with me to Oregon and attend his senior year of high school there with me. My son is 18 now so there's no legal battle to worry about here. If he wants to go with me, he can. Simple as that. The only real obstacle is his own vulnerability to guilt and the depth of how well entrenched his Stockholm Syndrome is. But this time, he really opened up and declared in an absolutely commited manner how he was resolved to leave Oklahoma once and for all and begin a new life with me. I was so happy to hear him say that. It was short lived though. His mother's sister got in his head while his mother and I were argueing outside and she managed to convince him to stay in Oklahoma livimg with her instead of his mother. That whole thing really pissed me off. I suppose I could have told my son that that arraingement was all bullshit, but I had promised him earlier that I would not play games with his head like his mother does so whatever decision he made was going to be respected by me. It really, really gets my goat though because I know his aunt wanted him there so that his child support would help her make her car payment and his presence as a dependant would entitle her to more food stamps. Thats all it was really about. They don't play fair, and they know I do. By the end of his mother and I's conversation, I had actually convinced her that this was best for our son because it was what HE wanted and more importantly it was what HE NEEDED. She had actually given it her blessing when our son came outside where we were and announced his decision to stay in Oklahoma, but move to his aunts apartment. I was SO pissed, but I couldn't let my son see it because of my sense of honor.
By 6:30 AM the next day I was on my way back to Oregon with only Eloy. I pushed all the way to Laramie, WY where I couldn't find a room for the night because of some big rodeo the city was hosting. Finally I found a place around 9:00 PM. I was pissed and exhaused. Needed to talk to someone. No one was there...
Next day pushed all the way to Boise, ID. As I was driving my sisters called one by one to ask how everything went with my son. I told them about the bullshit that went down in Oklahoma. They were all saddened by how it happened, and why he had been convinced to stay. A car payment and some extra food stamps. His life to continue on as more of an "existence" than an actual life. All that I have to offer him, and all that he has to offer himself in the way of a positive future; BLOCKED for a car payment and some extra food stamps. I pulled over and called my son on the way to Boise to tell him it wasn't too late, but they had used the time well to solidify his resolve to stay. Once again I needed to talk to someone about it all. God must have heard the pain in my soul because my lady-friend from Houston called to check in on me. We talked for about an hour. She doesn't have any children of her own so she couldn't really identify with the extent of the hurt. No matter. She was there...
Now we arrive at yesterday. The last leg of the big jump. Made it home with $14.00 to spare. Going back out to sea on the 13th of August. Returning home on 6 November to an empty house again...
pipa:
wow, ur comments on my set are all so nice thank u so much!!
figmentation:
haha. A lady can dream right?