Week 9 Prompt (catching up)

39. 
July 8th
Picked up the rental car from the airport. Immaculate and brand-spankin new. Way too expensive to own. Rental price was at least reasonable. Filling the gas tank was not as reasonable. Began the long drive mid-afternoon. Crossed the state line after a quick stop at one of those mini-mall rest stops. I hate those places. By the time it was dark I crossed two more state lines, and discovered the benefits of brand new rental cars. The entire console lit up in any color I chose, so I went with pink. Through playing with the various buttons on the dash I found that the car told me exactly how many mpg it was getting and an exact time estimate on the next required fill-up. Snazzy. A quick call to check on the kids and then a call to him to get my mind off the several hundred more miles I had to drive. Before midnight, I'm in upstate New York. I stop at a rest stop, hoping to find a bathroom and something to eat, but all I find is a bathroom and some Amish janitors. 
July 9th
Shortly after midnight, I try calling him. This is a long drive to make alone, and I need some company and reassurance. No answer. This drive is stressful, the whole point of it is even more stressful, and him not answering just makes it even worse. So, I keep driving. As the sun rises, the smell of Lake Erie is behind me, and Cleveland is ahead. Almost there. My ass went from asleep to dead hours ago and my entire body is stiff. This isn't how I wanted my birthday to be. But, it will be worth it in the end. By 8am I find myself cautiously navigating up and down streets in Columbus, glaring at the GPS wondering if it is misguiding me. But then I see his house. Finally! After 17 solid hours of driving I have made it. After curling up and sleeping with him for a few hours, we headed out into the city to show me the sights and have some fun. It was different and nice, but bigger and busier than I would like. I tried some calamari for the first time, along with some weird Greek lamb sandwich. While out taking pictures and exploring in a park, his dog got loose and we had to chase him for a while. Called the kids to check on them and then mom called to wish me a happy birthday. Apart from my ass still feeling like it had died and fallen off, it was a pretty good one.
July 10th
Got up early and started packing the car. I began questioning my choice of mid-size SUV versus large as the boxes began filing it, but with two experienced tetris players packing it all in, it worked out perfectly. Called to check on the kids and wish my daughter a happy birthday. That had been the hardest part of making this trip; missing her birthday. We'd be back soon and make up for it, so I felt okay about it. Mid-morning we set out for our long drive back. Made a stop in 'amish country' and got some interesting goodies, and then made a detour to a vineyard. Some drunk bridesmaid at the vineyard let the dog out of the car, and we lost him in the fields of grapes. Definitely not the best start to our life together. I was more upset than he was, and after several hours of driving through the vineyard we had to give up. Back on the road, we decide to make a stop at Niagara Falls- okay more of a detour but we had the time.  We got there late in the evening, and spent only an hour or so, but it was exciting and I was glad we did it. I was disappointed that it was so late, there was a wax museum we were both looking forward to but it was closed. Last stop before leaving; one of those penny machines. We got a few penny memento's that say Niagara falls and got back en route. 
July 11
After crossing several state lines, driving through the night and most of the day, we arrived home. Unpacking the car took less time than packing it had, and by early afternoon we were done. I drove to the airport and dropped off the rental car, came back home and curled up with him after catching up with the kids on how their weekend had been. They were glad I was home. And glad he had come back with me. So was I.