Thanksgiving Trip 2013 Part 1 - The Journey

As +Joanne Turek and I headed out to San Antonio for Thanksgiving, could not help but think about other trips down these same roads. So I am going to attempt to share some of those thoughts that went through my head while driving to Texas. Roads can take you to more than just another place.


Tuesday, November 26 
about 2pm: I-77 southbound
raining
Glad we were able to get on the road a little early. Hope we have everything we need...

• Rewind << May 6, 2006, morning: I-77 southbound

Glad we were able to get on the road. Hope Matt remembered everything he needs. Man, he has done well getting +Vanessa Turek  to marry him. She is a very special girl - smart, pretty, and can give it back to him as well as he can give it out. She will make a great wife and mom for their kids. Glad mom and dad are able to come out for this wedding. Welcome to the family, Vanessa.

• F Forward >> Dec 29, 2012, morning: I-77 southbound
  

Glad we are on the road. Hope Jessi and Peter remembered everything they need. Peter is a nice guy. I like him, and Jessi seems to love him, so that is a good thing. It was great that his family was willing to come out to South Carolina so they could get married this winter. Glad dad could make it out, and somehow I suspect mom will be there, too. We may not see her, but we will feel her there. Welcome to the family, Peter.

• F Forward >> Oct 1, 2013, afternoon: I-77 southbound
  

On the road again. Hope Matt and Vanessa have everything they need for the temple. I am pretty sure the temple can pull their records up. Adoption court took longer than I expected this morning, but it was kind of a neat experience. Especially Matthew with his statement under oath "we split the work 50-50. Well maybe 90-10!" That is now on an official record of the court, Matt! Welcome to the family, Nathan.

About 3pm, exit 19, I-77
Time to stop for fuel and a drink. We used to get off at this exit a lot. I remember...

• Rewind << May 7, 2010, morning: just off I-77 at exit 19 - Providence Hospital Northeast
  

That was a little scary. We were in the waiting area just off the room Vanessa was in labor in. We looked back in her room to see what was going on - there was no one there. We went down the hall and found out they were doing an emergency C section. Matt was with her. About the time we figured out where she was, they came out and told us Joshua was here, and that mom and baby were doing fine! Welcome to the family, Joshua.



About 3:15pm, SC277 southbound between I-77 and I-20
Still raining
This connector brings back another memory..

• Morning, May 6, 2011, SC277 southbound
  

Matt says this is the best way to get downtown. Hope finding a place to park isn't a problem. Just think, Dr Turek (aka Captain Turek). San Antonio is kind of a drive, though!














About 3:45pm, I-20 westbound between Columbia and Augusta
still raining
Seems strange and familiar to be on this road. Seems like we used to drive on it a lot in the past...

• Rewind << 1994-1996, I-20 eastbound out of Columbia
  

This road sees a lot of us now days. Since I got transferred to Shaw AFB, we tend to make this trip fairly often. Seems fair since we could not go to Athens to visit much when we were in Sacramento but we could go to Vegas to visit my family. I just hate that stretch of US78 from I-20 to Athens once we get into Georgia. There has to be a better way to go to Bambudder and PawPaw's house.







About 5:30pm, I-20 westbound, Conyers Georgia
Rain is letting up, not like the last time we tried to do this trip at Thanksgiving. It was pouring rain and the road was under construction. Glad +K Turek  was with us to help with the driving. I would need it the next morning driving through Alabama.

• Rewind << November 22-27, 2011, another Thanksgiving trip to Texas
  
  
  

We wondered if the trip was going to be worth the drive out and back. All doubts disappeared when we arrived in San Antonio and watched Joshua go into the most joyful dance you ever saw a 1.5 year old do when he saw us. We saw the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Who knew Joshua would love guacamole!

About 6:30, I-20 westbound, downtown Atlanta Georgia
Still a little drizzle, but rain is no longer a problem, and traffic in Atlanta has been pretty good. There was another trip through Atlanta in the dark...

• Rewind << 0 dark early, December 26, 2011, I-20 westbound, Atlanta Georgia
  
  
  
  
  The state capital is lit up for Christmas in Atlanta. It is pretty. Jack is not feeling well. We did not know it would be his last trip with us, and that we would not see Rosey again either. But we had a good time in San Antonio with the whole family, including Jessi this time. Really enjoyed our mini-Christmas with Matt and Vanessa and Joshua, and we got to see the Alamo and Riverwalk decorated for the holiday, this time with Jessi. 
  
  
  
  
  

About 8:30pm, I-20 westbound, downtown Birmingham, Alabama
Glad Google maps updates itself. We got an advisory on the navigation program on my phone that a better route was available than using the I-459 bypass around Birmingham. There had been an accident on the bypass that was holding up traffic for more than an hour. We stayed on I-20 through town with no problems. Birmingham at night looks about the same as it did...

• Rewind << I-20, downtown Birmingham, 1976-1978

  

  Christmas 1978, Maxwell AFB, AL

The first couple of years I was stationed in Little Rock, mom and dad were stationed at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. I would come into Birmingham on US78 from Memphis when I went to visit them. Part of this time was while Mike was on his mission to Finland.






About 9pm, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Rain has stopped
We finally pulled into the Hampton Inn in Tuscaloosa for the night. We will get up and head towards San Antonio before 5am.




November 27, 6am, Mississippi Welcome Center.

Nov 27, 2013, 6am

This looks familiar for some reason! Lighting was a little different last time.

July 28, 2012, 12:21pm

7:36am, I-20, Jackson, Mississippi

Been on the road about 2.5 hours and time to stop for breakfast...

• Rewind << 1984-87 sometime

While stationed in Panama, we would occasionally take a trip via space available to visit family in the States. One trip, the National Guard unit from Nashville was coming home from rotation in Panama and we caught a ride with them to visit Bambudder and PawPaw in West Helena. We caught a ride back to Panama on a C-130 from Jackson, Mississippi. Apparently we didn't own a camera for that trip so you will have to be satisfied with this picture of Chick-fil-A in Brandon MS, near the Jackson airport that we flew out from.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, other than JoAnne tried to convince me to go around Austin by some "back roads." I didn't think it would be that bad, but it was. It was after dark around 7pm before we rolled into Matt and Vanessa's driveway. I should have listened to JoAnne.

Next blog - The Visit