Where is a Tomtom When You Need One! July 3rd

Okay, I've honestly not had time to sit down and write about my exciting very soaking 5 day stay in good ole Donna, Texas during the 4th of July weekend.

My sister, Liz and 2 nieces, Ruth and Rebecca, along with my Sydney poo went along for what would turn out to be quite an adventurous, non-exciting, pretty darn boring - yet funny and involving TONS of CHILLING mini-vacation.

I should have known that some good times were in store for us when before heading out of town on I635 to then take 20W then 35E southbound - I had to stop at my leasing office to drop off my rent payment - unless I wanted to come back to an eviction notice - I still have my priorities straight mind you.

So, I head down Broadway and make a right on Town East Blvd then a left on Town Centre, drop off my payment at like 5:30ish in the wee morning hours of Thursday, July 3rd. I've been down this road before a lot of times mind you, and knew for a fact that at the next light, you can turn right and get on I635 going North, so not really remembering, I assumed the same could be said for going South. I'd find out that I was not quite right and what I really need to look at investing in is a Tomtom (this would be a navigation device!).

I quickly realize that I first have to drive on the frontage road but it's not quite taking me where I want to go and before I have a chance to react, I pass up Gross road, which would turn out to be my last hope to avoiding death by the low cost of 6 for 1 in ghettofied Balch Springs (no offense to those that HAVE or CHOSE to live there) but it's the honest truth.

Next thing I know, I'm on 175 and where I'm exactly going, I of course don't know. I think I turned around once and went over some bridge that said Town East Blvd thinking maybe we were headed in the right direction - but ended up in some industrial part of Mesquite that even we did not know existed. The frustrating part or funny, whichever you look at it, is that we could see the top of Town East Mall, you know the huge peak type thing that holds it all together, and unfortunately, even that didn't help navigate us in the right direction.

I finally stopped at some gas station on Lake June Rd (also a bad place) and asked a nice young service attendant for directions. As I stood there listening to her tell me go here, turn right there, past the Walmart, yada yada yada - I thought to myself, I cannot even begin to believe that I am lost in Mesquite and still "in town" of all places. I felt like such a fool but regardless walked out with her directions and headed back into my truck hoping to be headed in the right direction.

So, I drove, and drove, and drove, and eventually ended up in Balch Springs somewhere. I know unconsciously somewhere along the way after passing up some hoodlum looking places, I might have checked to make sure the doors where locked even though they lock automatically - that's just to show how mortified I was that one I was lost, and two, it wasn't in the best of places - of this I was certain.

I decide to stop at another gas station and this time tell Liz to get off and ask for directions, maybe she'll have better luck than I did in getting good ones and understanding where to go. After about 5 minutes of watching her bob her head left and right, laugh a little and nod her head up and down - all the while Sydney, Ruth and Rebecca sat in the truck watching some little frail looking lady that seemed to be picking up trash from the parking lot, Liz comes out and says, "Ok, I think I've got directions to get us out of here."

Those words were like music to my ears. Low and behold, the road right in front of us was St. Augustine - a road I've seen and driven past on I635 and 20W a million times from traveling back and forth forever.

We took that road and then walah....next thing we knew, we were on I20.

The funniest part of all of this was that we NEVER, EVER, drove on 635 like the start of the trip usually entails.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Well I say that except for the constant chatter of Sydney, going, "Ma, ma, ma (and she'd do this until I'd say...) que quieres (what do you want)Sydney, then she would just say "baby!" This would be her referring to CJ, Erica's baby. I'd then respond, "yes, Sdney, " and the cycle would begin again 2 seconds after that!!!!

Even after the whole lost ordeal that last about an hour, we still made it in to the valley at 3:30 p.m with a grand total of 508 miles (that included about roughly 20 miles of lost time).