Augusta was the trip that ranks second of the most horrible project trips I've ever taken. The first was the trip when my brother, Derrek, died the day before I left. That should put some perspective on the fact that this trip was a close number two.
I won't spend a lot of time on all of the why's of why this trip was so bad -- I'm sure I'll remember it for a LONG time, but one of the reasons was the fact that one of my hoses to my air conditioner apparently has a pin-prick sized hose in it and I ended up smelling gas the WHOLE week, making an apparently unneccessary trip to the dealership in North Augusta (remind me NEVER to buy a car there -- Bob Richmond Nissan, I think was the name) and worrying that I was going to blow up if anyone smoked around my car.
I will say that the SEARS store at the mall in Augusta has very nice people working in their service department. They had already closed for the night, but the mechanic there told me what the problem was, where I could go to get it fixed and that I would NOT blow up should I wait until I got home to fix it. The Nissan dealership would not even come out and pop the hood to see where the smell was coming from. I suppose he MIGHT have felt badly if my car blew up in the lot -- maybe not. I sat in their parking lot and cried for a long time before heading back to work.
It was really hot in Augusta -- well, it was JULY!!!
I'm trying, hard, to think of things I learned while in Augusta -- like the post from SC, but I was in a different frame of mind on this trip, so I didn't learn a lot from the people like I did there. I think I can come up with a few.
1. Have your car serviced BEFORE you leave home.
2. Two is company; three is a crowd. Only travel in even numbers -- or better, travel alone.
3. Waffle House is still my favorite restaurant -- ok, so I have admitted it. I LOVE raisin toast and cheesy eggs.
4. As a side note -- tip the waitresses well at Waffle House. They don't make much and work really hard.
5. God provides sunflower fields to remind us of His glory and beauty -- just when we need it most.
This is my email back home about this experience:
It was the end of a long, hard day. I was driving down the road into an approaching thunderstorm. I had been working since 7:30 this morning and it was now 6:30 p.m. I had cried three times today and thought I was going to either be asphysiated from the gas coming in through my air conditioner or blown up from starting the car.
THEN I SAW IT....
I drove by it and stopped to turn around to go back to see it. This is the first, closeup. I will follow with the "big picture" and lots of others afterwards. I asked the owners, who were outside, before I took the pictures. They were a really young couple and he said this was the first year he has done this.
It is absolutely marvelous. Imagine a God who can create something so beautiful and delicate and yet has the power to make lightening streak through the sky and thunder boom -- all at the same time.
It was my "happy" picture for the day -- and God KNEW I needed it.
6. I like puppies (this should not come as a shock to those who know me). In fact, I like most all animals. This puppy was in an adjoining yard. He was just so darn CUTE!!!
7. You do not have to "like" everyone in the world and everyone is most definitely NOT going to like you. All you can do is try to remember the Golden Rule. Of course, this means you have to "love" these people, but I firmly believe you do not have to like their behavior.
8. My mama was right -- you can't change a person, you can either get along or leave them alone.
7. I am particularly fond of Verizon Wireless' wireless internet access.
8. If you drop your camera enough times, it will break permanently. At this point, be sure to have a camera phone to finish with -- *sigh*. This is a particularly bad thing if the camera you are using was bought by your nine-year-old son from his allowance money to take to China with him when he goes to pick up his sister. *double sigh* I guess this means I'll have to buy him another one.
So... another trip down. Some more of life's lessons learned.
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