I-35 and my BFF

On saturday morning I left Justin and the boys and drove 180.4 miles due north to see my bff Ashley. I went alone. solo. independently. by myself. it was glorious. hunter and judah were not happy that i was going to see aunt ashley and her dogs without them, in fact they were heartbroken that i was leaving them behind but i needed some time without them and so i kissed there sad little cheeks, told justin "have fun!" and ran out the door :)
as i drove up I-35 i let myself drift into mind wandering mode and here were my thoughts on the things i passed:
1. RR outlet mall. holy crap, i cant believe when i moved here this entire complex was non-existent.
2. hwy 29 exit in georgetown-ha! no more driving up here to pay rent. 1 mortgage payment down 359 to go.
3. san gabriel river in georgetown made me think of the people along the flooding mississippi river
4. jarrell-yikes, i hope there are no more massive tornadoes here again
5. salado-
     a. ugh, that stupid traffic jam i was stuck in with the boys on our way to waco a couple months ago that caused the car to overheat and we had to sit at that rest stop for 3 hours. stupid chicken truck that tipped over causing that jam.
     b. ooh, remember to slow down because once i got a speeding ticket on my way to waco in salado
6.exit 279 tahouya road...half way to waco
7. the taco bell billboard in temple that has been there since i have been in texas
8. bruceville/eddy: oh there is the grocery store i had to pull over in and wait out a storm.
9. hwy 6 in waco: how many times did i exit here to get home when i lived in waco? and WOW! they have built so much since i left!
10. driving by baylor...i resisted the urge to raise a middle finger.
11. hampton inn in waco: so thankful for having that job when i lived here, i wonder if justin edwards is still the GM.
12. texas state technical college: remembering how many times i saw air force one taking off or landing from that airport.
13. west: yum-czech kolaches. so i stopped to grab one and go to the bathroom but the line was like 30 people long so i didnt stay.
14. hillsboro: will they ever finish the construction up here?!?
15. a gas station just north of hillsboro-i stopped there on my way home from dallas last march after the 1/2 marathon and had to pee so bad i almost exploded.
16. 35w/35e split-first time we drove to mn we inadvertently took 35e and did you know there is a willie nelson store like 2 miles past the split? we didnt stop to shop, who knows if there would be any legal things to buy anyways ;)
17. skydive 35: lets do it ash.
18: alvarado: there are always police cars here-obey the 65 mph signs
19. bethesda rest stop (south side of the hwy): we stopped there with breck on our way home from our wedding reception in MN and let her run around for a while.
20.mrs. bairds bread factory: im hungry.
21. exit 53: not going to dfw airport today
22. coors factory: almost there!
23. sign for the texas motor speed way: oh justin, i remember you lovely facial hair you had to go to that event.
24. basswood blvd: finally there!
25. sign near ash's house advertising the sale of bunnies: i think of "should have bought a squirrel" from rat race!

Once i got to ash's house we hurried off to our mani/pedi appointments. why do i not do those more often?! wow. it was delightful, relaxing, soothing and perfect. we got to sit and enjoy massage chairs, wine and just being together. we then grabbed lunch next door at a wine bar called cork it, ran back to her house for a little bit, jumped back in the car to go to church, target, tom thumb and then to her faculty end of year party. we had a blast at this MANSION of a home. it was so nice to be in the company of adults without the screeching of my children. the next morning we slept until almost 10am! i havent done that in ages. years. practically forever. we then sat out in the sun, drinking coffee/tea, made breakfast, sat in the sun until almost noon, got dressed and headed to grapevine market days where we shopped, people watched, ate and talked. it was so good to spend some quality time with ash, i have known her for almost 9 years, we have grown from 18 year olds to adults, she has been a constant in my life for almost a decade and i am so thankful for her friendship. ash and i hit it off from the start and while i dont get to see her much in the craziness of our individual lives i still consider her to be one of  my bffs. someone i know i will have in my life for the rest of my life. she and i have an easy realtionship-we just work together and i am so thankful for her. we had a great 30 hours together. it was just what i needed.