Water Works

“Traveling allows you to become so many different versions of yourself.” - Author Unknown. Sometimes when you are working, parenting, working out, eating healthy, working on your relationship, and trying to balance lord KNOWS how many other things...it's easy to forget about all the things you used to do for the pure joy of it!

Just getting into the car and knowing I can blast whatever music I want and go on an adventure is exciting. I'm grateful for this supportive crew.

Last hugs with the Bears. The best husband got up and made my usual breakfast so I could hit the road with a belly full of healthy food! The littlest Bear was most mature when she said she was excited for me to get a fun road trip and some alone time but sad we haven't had our usual road trips together since COVID. She has more empathy than most adults I know and I appreciate that from her.

The crew is all ready to go. If you followed me before, you get it. If you haven't followed me before, it doesn't matter because none of it makes sense!

Beast Mode, NSYNC and Jesus is in there but hard to notice.

At some point in Northern Louisiana, the most bumping place was on a Wednesday at 9:30AM a place called Bayou Butts and Booze. My 20 something road tripper would have pulled right over but just the smell as I passed by was enough this time so we kept pressing onward.

Thank goodness Beast Mode just so happened to have a quinoa and black bean stuffed bell pepper so we didn't have to get out of the car at lunch time!

We were not on a major interstate so the sign was on the side of the road, it was just starting to rain and there was just nothing happening and lots happening all at the same time. I am so far out of practice, I forgot to check if Beast Mode made it in the picture. haha She did not:(

I've never entered Arkansas without a massive thunderstorm! I started getting tornado warnings and crazy weather that lasted most of the trip. As soon as I entered Smackover, Arkansas the tornado warning went off and I was concerned it was a sign but we made it safely to somewhere else in Arkansas now that is sunny!

Today's stop was going to be Hot Springs, Arkansas. I had never been but learned about some bath houses through the Roadtrippers app! Why not pull over and see what's up.

FREE parking and a little outdoor nod to the bath houses. It was a really pretty area!

The website said it was at capacity for reservations but you can go in the pools...so we popped in to see what was up and then finished the drive to the first hotel stop of the day.

Which brings me to the 20-something road trip vs. the 40-something road trip.

2010, 2014 and 2022...clearly some things don't change!

When looking for a water adventure in your 40s, you ask things like "I hear there are healing properties in this water...is that true? Did FDR really come here (thanks Jason!)? Does this cause hydration issues?"

Beast Mode insisted on being locked in the locker room because she doesn't do well around water.

No need to fear, once I was in the pool, I became fast friends with MaryEllen. She's from Dallas and works at the Four Seasons but she's ALSO a massage therapist so she travels using her hotel perks and goes to different bath houses around the world. haha Only I would make a friend in a 30 minute bath house dip. She told me things to check out in Vegas and is probably signed up for the blog now.

But in your 20-somethings, getting on a tee-tiny boat with someone you don't know and swinging from random ropes you find handing from trees in Chattanooga, TN seems like a perfectly fine way to spend the day.

If you want more info on this story...it's more of an in person thing. By the end of the day there were helicopters, sports cars, big rigs and more! Memories.

Or that time in Key West when Captain Marshall taught me how to "drive" a yacht and let us roll up and down the strip in that cool little roadster thing. haha

Thanks to Ken and Myka's wedding for this one! Along with Pruitt and Gazzo's tenacity...what a funny memory.

And to close out the contrast, Kim (my sister for those of you that don't know) texted me an app to download while I'm driving so she can track me and make sure nothing happens to me. I went to a bath house and I'm about to crawl in bed at 7:45 after eating a plant-based meal. If EVER I needed to be tracked by an app to make sure I'm alive, it was about 10-20 years ago! Logging off now to go be responsible and do what Kimmer says.

Good night friends!