Ain't that America

I traveled to Louisville, KY this weekend all by myself and I actually enjoyed it. There was a lot of time to think, reflect, daydream, sing out loud with no one critiquing, talk to God and marvel at the lands I was speeding by. I left Lansing at 6:30ish on Saturday morning and passed through my old hometowns of Charlotte and Olivet. I knew my way. I’ve traveled this path many times. The weather was a little cloudy with occasional sprinkles but I was blessed with awesome music. I only put a CD in once and then only listened to three songs. When I crossed the Michigan border, the land was less familiar but the history lover in me remembered that Ronald Reagan, John Mellencamp, and James Dean had all been born in Indiana. In fact, when I got to Fairmount, I decided to take a potty break at a gas station claming to have one of the best selections of James Dean memorabilia. Um….yeah….I don’t think so. I truly should have known better but I passed by the cigarette smokers and tobacco chewers, took care of business and got the heck out of there. I was also bummed by the speed limit of 65mph. I pushed the limit at times and had a mini-heart attack when a state trooper pulled a u-turn after he passed me going the other way. “Oh crap” I paraphrased. Lucky me…he pulled over the van behind me. I did slow down to 68 mph after.

I made it to Louisville by 1 pm and went to the wedding. Want to know about the wedding? Excellent! Ben and Nicole got married at a bed and breakfast in New Albany, IN. It was pretty and small, intimate. A candle was lit in memory of Simeon and then the young woman who had been his bride only two years ago, placed a flower next to the candle. Ben’s mom followed and then Ben came out, knelt by the candle and placed his flower there. As soon as Nicole came outside, Ben started crying. This made her cry. Then everyone was crying. They were so drunk with love for each other, barely making it through their vows. They were by each other all night, making each requested kiss more meaningful then the last. We ate dinner, ate some cake and began to part ways around 9:00. The new couple shared a dance on the patio in front of the pool and forgot others were watching as they became lost in each other. This may be the most loving wedding I’ve ever witnessed. There are only a few that rank up there. God bless them.

I left town at 7:00 the next morning, hoping to make it to church in time. I was enjoying the music, the sunny sky, the early morning hues when BAM! Another police officer passed by me and flipped his lights on as he made a u-turn. “Oh, no, sir. Please, no, sir. I promise to slow down.” I thought I was screwed. Once again, the dude behind me got pulled over instead. Crazy. I made it to Indianapolis by 9ish. Relying on my usually reliable sense of direction, I made a wrong turn and went 15 miles the wrong way on 465 West. Right away, I started questioning myself. “I don’t remember these landmarks. Oh no. Lick Creek? I would remember Lick Creek.” After I turned around and got back on track, I felt relief when I saw the landmarks I DID recognize. The giant bowling pin, the United Skates roller rink, Hemorrhoid Center of Indianapolis…I’m going the right way. As I traveled through the very long state of IN, my music situation was a little more desperate. LOTS of Christian radio and church services. I managed to find some Johnny Cash and thankfully I like country music. I made it back to Lansing by 12:45. Boooooo. I missed church but I was okay with it because I felt relaxed from this time spent alone.