I am seriously behind in my blogging, my play, and my sleep. I'll tackle the first one today!
I have had a series of unplanned job changes over the last 3 years. I work in what used to be a very stable industry, which has become the most unstable place to be (healthcare). I only mention it because that's the reason I have not been to see my family out of state in almost three years, not even at Christmas (It's that healthcare thing - hospitals don't close on holidays.)
I finally accrued a few vacation days with my new company and started planning a long weekend trip. In the past, when I drive from Kentucky to Tennessee, I always passed the Paducah exit on the interstate and think, I should stop there sometime. So, as I was making my plans, I decided to make an overnight stop there.
Paducah is a small town on the Ohio River. I did some exploring on google earth and felt like I didn't even need a map or GPS after just a few minutes of getting the lay of the land. I made my hotel reservation and in a couple of weeks, I was on my way.
Along the way, I made a stop for gas and visited the Cracker Barrel restaurant and store nearby. They are famous for their rocking chairs on the "front porch" and I discovered chairs in several different colors. It was a pleasantly warm March day, and I sat in one of the chairs enjoying a soft breeze, and caught up on text messages and missed calls. I'd forgotten what it was like to be away from all the demands of work, to just sit and relax for a few minutes. That's what the whole weekend was about for me.
It's not that far to Paducah for me. When I got there it was too early to check into my hotel, so I drove around, checking out the area near my hotel. The weather took a turn for the worse about that time, with torrential downpours, and I had no choice but to go inside a Tuesday Morning and check out the deals. (Did that sound convincing?) I found several things under a dollar, and probably could have spent more but I tried to restrain myself.
My biggest decision when packing for the trip was what supplies to take for journaling. In the end, I packed next to nothing. I had a small journal in my fake Midori planner. I took a few water color pencils, a water brush, some washi tape, and some sticker paper with dates stamped on them. I did play a little in the hotel that night. I discovered the stamps I bought at Tuesday morning (self-inking, set of three that stack, in the picture) were on sale for a reason. The word Observation was missing the T. It also leaks, which I didn't realize until later when I wondered why everything I touched left black marks!
I caught up on sleep that night.. and the next morning. My plans for getting an early start both days didn't pan out. But I really needed the rest and did not feel guilty one little bit. The maid eventually came around and I asked her to come back later. That was when I noticed the magnet on the door. I guess they no longer have the hanger that goes on the doorknob that says Do Not Disturb!
After plenty of coffee and packing everything up, I went out to explore some of Paducah. That will be in Part 2.
