On Friday evening, we barely escaped the 80 mph winds in the D.C. area and headed south for the July 4th week. While our milk and chicken breasts spoil in the refrigerator that has no power, we are reclining carefree on the beach. Life couldn't get much better....other than dreading the return home.
Our SUV was packed full of scuba gear, suitcases, and two traveling pups. Doubles Shark-Whisperer and Phoebe joined our family for the trip. We spent the night in Virginia Beach where we proceeded to pick up PDub's old roommate and good friend, Evens Tyrone, from the Norfolk airport. I drove the entire, frustrating way to Virginia Beach with an estimated time of arrival of three hours at the start and an ending time of arrival of five hours. East coast traffic is miserable!
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| On the road....No worries, I wasn't driving; I was taking the picture. |
My biggest mistake....not getting into the packed HOV lanes. At first, we made fun of those traveling in the HOV lanes because they were at a stop-and-go for even longer than our lanes were. However, the further we got from D.C., the faster those lanes went. My lovely company gave me crap about not cutting over to the HOV lanes by taking one of those "Authorized Vehicles Only" connections. A little about myself, I follow the rules no matter what they might be, from washing only whites together to obeying major traffic laws. I told them that maybe if they were driving we would take such a chance. Another 30 minutes passed and only about three miles. Up ahead, I could see yet another "Authorized Vehicles Only" connection with 7 cars crossing over in just the time that I watched. With the support of my carload including the pups, I took the SUV off-road and fell into the fast HOV traffic. Sadly, after driving five miles, we hit the stop-and-go yet again.
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| Everyone loves unexpected traffic....It's like the perfect surprise! |
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| Are we there yet? |
After arriving to Virginia Beach, checking into our hotel, and eating some grub, I so politely asked that PDub take the driver's seat this time and head to the Norfolk airport to retrieve his friend. Somehow, PDub took us the back route into the airport through the FedEx cargo and into an area that seemed like we were on the runway. Finally, we made it to the arrivals section where PDub avoided a parallel park job and instead pulled in nose first onto the airport sidewalk. After noting that the park job was probably not good and contemplating for a few minutes, he luckily came across a spot where he was able to pull in normally. Evens Tyrone joined our group, and we returned to the hotel for a few laughs (somehow Evens Tyrone short-sheeted himself while making down his cot) and some greatly needed sleep (Stage III for the pups).
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| Houston, we have landed....in Virginia Beach |
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| One with Doubles Shark-Whisperer, PDub, and Evens Tyrone |
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| Now one with me! |
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| Awe....Do you like my unitard? |
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| Neptune (spoken in a deep, commanding voice) and yes, he is palming a sea turtle....not to be confused with a basketball. |
