Made Up Mind

Last-minute road trips are the best. The first one I remember was when my mom said she wanted to go to her friend's house in Louisiana when I was really young. Last minute.

We went, and I made friends with the friend's child, Sarah. 

Fast forward 15 years, and we become roommates at Ole Miss. And throughout college, we took road trips all of the time. Interstate, back-road, beaches, cities, other colleges, her home, my home, short ones, long ones, red ones, blue ones. She's the first road warrior I met. She loves to drive.

I had so-so feelings about driving. I liked it all right, but I wasn't like "hell yeah, put me behind the wheel! I'll drive all night!" But she was. She is. She is such a driver that she developed a very close relationship to her white Volvo station wagon, whom she named Pearl. 

We all loved Pearl.

Pearl has since passed on, may she rest in peace. But that doesn't mean we stop the road trips. 

I told my mom we were coming to Nashville tomorrow, last minute for my other friend Virginia's engagement party, and she said, "Of course, Sarah. She loves to drive. Becky [her mother] drove a ton too." I've already written about the Vizards and their home. 

They're country folk, but cultured country folk. 

Now I am officially also a road warrior. It's a country folk thing. Shoot, we take road trips every day. Little ones, mind you. But we are not strangers to driving. For the most part, I enjoy it. 

There's just one important ingredient, well two: a fun friend and good music. That's all it takes.

Sarah in Mother of Pearl, her new Volvo SUV, which will take us to our destination tomorrow. Sorry it's weird. I took a picture of a picture. So whatever.

This is last minute. But it ain't the first last-minute trip for us. For all I know, the days of spontaneity are numbered for me, as present conditions seem to be insinuating. (I've been doing this thing where I'm acting like a part of me is dying. I totally look forward to this new chapter, but that doesn't mean I can't be sentimental and dramatic about the old chapter closing--it makes it more fun. And I know the fun isn't over. It's just helpful to act like "this might be the last time." Plus it gives you a good excuse to go ahead and do things, you know? Man, long explanation in parenthesis). 

Anyway, she's driving right now from New Orleans in the night and rain, like a true road warrior. We leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn. We're coming right back on Sunday, and we know it will be worth the trip. We've made up our minds, 

and we'll be singing some Tedeschi Trucks Band:

I've got a made up mind,

It's made up all the time.

Sure as the moon and the stars gonna shine,

I've got a made up mind.

Love this album. Like I said, good music is a very important, inspiring ingredient. Here we go!

Energetically,

Liza Jane