We awoke before daybreak--the most ungodly hour to begin any day--and set out for work as we usually would on any given Thursday. Although it would seem a typical workday for us, Jason and I knew better. Shortly after work, we would begin to make our small journey to one of our favorite cities--Staunton, VA. We had visited Staunton a few years ago for our anniversary; having loved it so much, we decided to give ourselves a nice, long weekend in the beautiful small town we held so dear.
Jason and I hurried home. Both of us were somehow able to leave work early in order to pack--yes, I know... we should have packed before this point! In no time, however, we were ready to go. After pulling off our unbelievably adorable cats from the top of our suitcase--clearly they did not want us to leave--we said goodbye to Peanuts and Fred and made our way to the streets of Atlanta. Jason was kind enough to drive, even though he was functioning on only a few hours of sleep from the night before.
We stopped at a nearby Quick Trip for gas and to fill the tires with air. We soon headed toward downtown Atlanta. It wasn't long before we realized we left our home a little too late--rush hour had begun. Jason braved his way through traffic and got Fitzgerald (my car) and us out of Atlanta without a scratch. As we traveled north-bound, we decided to listen to an audio book Jason had gotten for the trip. It was called Spook by Mary Roach. It was a very good read (or in this case listen). Jason and I love how she writes. She's extremely intelligent, logical, and sarcastic as she can be. This particular book was about what happens to people when they die. She discussed how she wished our souls went on somehow, but how she struggles with this thought--she needs some kind of evidence that we can continue on without our bodies. She discussed reincarnation, outer-body experiences, near-death experiences, and even experiments that test if we have a soul. In one chapter she discusses how some people have tried to weigh a person when they die. They did this to see if a person would lose weight once dead, which could indicate their soul has left them. Pretty interesting stuff.
The drive was very long and soon Jason and I became hungry for dinner. We pulled over by a Quick Trip and decided to grab food there. Normally we would sit down and eat somewhere, but we were running out of time. According to our GPS, it would be 12:00 a.m. by the time we arrived at our hotel. We said it would be a late check-in, but at that point it's more of an early check-in for the following day. We hopped they wouldn't hold that against us.
Jason made his way to the Quick Trip hot dogs and I to the pepperoni pizza. Since we were in ... well, one of the the Carolina's, we were able to find Diet Cheerwine. This is my favorite beverage of all time. We quickly made our purchases and headed back out on the road. I checked my fitbit once in the car and soon realized there would be no time to finish all 10,000 steps by the end of today. Lucky for me I had walked extra at work. I made myself be as active as possible earlier in the day and ended up only 1,000 steps shy of my goal.
Many, many miles later we were required to get off at a nearby exit for gas. Jason got out of the car. The moment the door opened we realized we should have waited for a better gas station. As the outside air wafted toward us, the strong smell of dog shit made it's way to our nostrils. This was quickly followed by a Katie Perry song being blasted from the gas station radio. A large, dirty, and extremely muddy-looking truck was seen nearby as well. It was as though the world were attacking us with every one of our senses. Never have we gotten gas so quickly.
Thankful to be back on the road, we soon found ourselves in Virginia. We began to recognize familiar signs and billboards from our last trip. Finally, a glowing red light appeared in the nearby distance that read "Stonewall Jackson Hotel." There it is! We found the parking garage and walked up the long, brick path to the front of the hotel. Jason pulled the door and panicked. It wouldn't open. It was midnight and we appeared to be arriving too late. Jason, however, was more awake then I and was smart enough to try the door next to it, which thankfully was still open. It is one of the most beautiful hotel lobbies I have ever seen. Beautiful white columns, marble countertops, and sunshine yellow walls. Here are two pictures of the hotel, which I cannot say I took. We were too tired to even think of taking pictures. These came from the hotel website located at: http://www.stonewalljacksonhotel.com/photos.htm#0
I told you--beautiful. As we made our way to the counter, a woman (looking just slightly less tired than I) walked out from behind a door to greet us. She asked if we were the Brown's. I guess we were the last people to check in. She handed us our hotel keys and our tickets to the Woodrow Wilson Library (we purchased a package deal to obtain these tickets). We thanked her and hobbled to our room on the third floor. It was a quiet hallway and we were the last door at the very end. We quickly dropped everything on the floor and collapsed into bed.
It had been such a long day, but so very fun and exciting. I know I listed quite a bit that sounded bad--Atlanta traffic, the long drive, arriving late, the monstrous gas station, and listening to a book about death--but it was really a wonderful day. That's the beautiful thing about being married to Jason. Both he and I have a tendency to see the negative, but we both work to turn all the negatives into something different. A horrible smelling gas station suddenly becomes extremely humorous when Jason turns to me and says with an uncertain chuckle "Why the hell does this gas station smell like dog shit?!" Or being stuck in a car for hours turns out to be fun and entertaining because you're with the person who makes you laugh the most. Even a book about death becomes hopeful and encouraging, not to mention hysterically sarcastic... all because the author has a similar sense of humor to Jason (who was the one who found the book for us to listen to).
I'm lucky in life in a lot of ways. Jason and I both have jobs. We have chances to take road trips. We are in good health mentally and physically. We've been given a lot of gifts. Truth is though, I'd still be lucky even if things changed. I've had the chance to know and deeply love a man like Jason P. Brown. He's changed my life and who I am more than anyone else in the world. He has turned so many days of gray and gloom into a glimmer of color and hope. Not only has he made my days brighter, but I've learned from him how to change my own dreary days into a memorable moment.
As we fell asleep in the small town of Staunton, Va, I thought back to the lovely trip we had in Staunton a few years ago. As tired as I was, a part of me still couldn't sleep because of the excitement of being back in the colorful town we had grown to love a few years ago. To the town of Staunton and to Jason P. Brown... life is more beautiful and unforgettable with you in it!
Beautifully, gratefully, and hilariously written.
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