I used to hate this town. I wanted to get away so bad, to anywhere but Opelika, Alabama. I got that chance last Tuesday. Needless to say, I was excited to see some new scenery and meet some new people. We were going to Missouri for a family reunion. My dad's family is from that area.. and I had never met any of them. We left around three o'clock Tuesday. It was a looong, cruel drive. We arrived at my cousin's house at 3 am where he gave us a tour of the place. His house was 105 years old, 3 stories high, and almost 6,000 square feet. I got lost in it a couple of times. But back to the point of this blog, when the family reunion came around... i missed Opelika, Alabama more than anything. I didn't know anyone. Usually I'm pretty good with meeting new people.. but these people weren't like the people far south. Also, we camped. Well.. we were lucky enough to rent a cabin (where a giant indian waved hello at you when you pulled up. talk about class).. but the rest of the family (which was easily over 200) camped at Lake Wappapello, Missouri. If you know me at all, you know that camping is not exactly my cup of tea. I am allergic to mosquitos... so you can 
imagine what I had to deal with in that situation. I had knots the size of fists on my legs. I also had to use an outhouse.. it was traumatic and I will never do it again in my life. Thank God for indoor plumbing. Then it came time for family karaoke night. The family rented a pavillion close to the campground. After some mingling, Dad's blessing of the food (you can always count on my Dad for that one), and some grub, we were in business. If you think drunk karaoke is funny.. you should definitely get together some hillbillies and observe. It was probably the most fun I had on the whole trip, despite the fact that I had Kid Rock stuck in my head for hours after that. We left the following morning at about 6 a.m. That put us arriving home at 3 p.m. About 3 hours into our ride, we pulled into a gas station to top off the tank on my Jeep. Yes, we took my poor little Jeep across America. While dad was filling up, and mom was half asleep in the front seat, Somone came over and pointed to the front of my car. It was pouring coolant. Not a good sign. Turns out that the electric fan shattered and shot into the radiator, poking a hole in it. We were in quite the situation... in the middle of Arkansas.. nothing around us but a Stuckeys. Luckily, the lady inside had a card for a wrecker service. We called the number, praying that the company could help us on a Sunday. They did. They towed my car to their shop, and we stayed there for 5 hours while they fixed it. I still thank God for those nice people.. because If they wouldn't have opened up their shop to fix my car, I would still be in Arkansas right now. After alot of waiting and a huge check that Dad was very reluctant to write, we left again. When we reached Mississippi.. there was a traffic jam. Traffic was backed up for at least 3 miles. It was so bad that people were parking their cars to get out of them and mingle. It seems as if God just didn't want me to get home. I missed my bed, my dogs, and my friends so much. At this point, I was starting to get frustrated. Luckily, we had our trusty TomTom! It planned us an alternate route home. We finally made it home at about 11:30 p.m. Only 8 hours off schedule! I never thought that I would miss my little house so much. Never going to Missouri again. Ever. But on the brightside, I can cross"use outhouse" off my bucketlist.
imagine what I had to deal with in that situation. I had knots the size of fists on my legs. I also had to use an outhouse.. it was traumatic and I will never do it again in my life. Thank God for indoor plumbing. Then it came time for family karaoke night. The family rented a pavillion close to the campground. After some mingling, Dad's blessing of the food (you can always count on my Dad for that one), and some grub, we were in business. If you think drunk karaoke is funny.. you should definitely get together some hillbillies and observe. It was probably the most fun I had on the whole trip, despite the fact that I had Kid Rock stuck in my head for hours after that. We left the following morning at about 6 a.m. That put us arriving home at 3 p.m. About 3 hours into our ride, we pulled into a gas station to top off the tank on my Jeep. Yes, we took my poor little Jeep across America. While dad was filling up, and mom was half asleep in the front seat, Somone came over and pointed to the front of my car. It was pouring coolant. Not a good sign. Turns out that the electric fan shattered and shot into the radiator, poking a hole in it. We were in quite the situation... in the middle of Arkansas.. nothing around us but a Stuckeys. Luckily, the lady inside had a card for a wrecker service. We called the number, praying that the company could help us on a Sunday. They did. They towed my car to their shop, and we stayed there for 5 hours while they fixed it. I still thank God for those nice people.. because If they wouldn't have opened up their shop to fix my car, I would still be in Arkansas right now. After alot of waiting and a huge check that Dad was very reluctant to write, we left again. When we reached Mississippi.. there was a traffic jam. Traffic was backed up for at least 3 miles. It was so bad that people were parking their cars to get out of them and mingle. It seems as if God just didn't want me to get home. I missed my bed, my dogs, and my friends so much. At this point, I was starting to get frustrated. Luckily, we had our trusty TomTom! It planned us an alternate route home. We finally made it home at about 11:30 p.m. Only 8 hours off schedule! I never thought that I would miss my little house so much. Never going to Missouri again. Ever. But on the brightside, I can cross"use outhouse" off my bucketlist.
