morning travel.
I don’t know what is up with me this morning but it hasn’t been the most simple of mornings. I’ve been in Illinois (Missouri right now actually but I started in Illinois today) this weekend for the wedding of my two good friends Taryn & Curits. I arrived on Thursday and spent the next couple of days with Taryn and the other girls who are in the wedding. (I wasn’t actually in the wedding but I helped out with a number of things.) The wedding itself was wonderful and I had a blast hanging out with people that I hadn’t seen or for the most part even talked to since October.
After the wedding I decided to get a hotel room in Vandalia and chill by myself before heading to the airport this morning. I’m really glad that I did because I was able to relax last night and take it slowly this morning. This morning I got up and got ready and headed out towards Greenville. One of the girls who I had driven the previous day to the wedding had left not only her purse in my car but also the dress she had borrowed from another friend, so since they were in Greenville I dropped it by. I got a hold of both her and the girl she had borrowed the dress from and made a smooth drop off of the purse. But when I tried to call my friend about the dress I couldn’t get a hold of her and wasn’t sure she was where I thought she was so I just left town. She didn’t really care about the dress so it’s not a big deal, but I was bummed that I didn’t get to see her one last time. While in Greenville I also drove around and checked things out. It’s still mostly the same, but the little changes happening I find good and bad. It’s a little nicer than it was when I was there (or so it seems) but they’re tearing down so much stuff now that it’s sad to see it go. In fact they’re tearing down Hogue Hall, which is needed because it’s in such bad shape and to do so they have like 2/3 of campus cordoned off. It’s a little odd. It was really nice to drive by Hoiles house again. I loved that place, and I’m glad it’s not gone yet.
So after my drive through Greenville I made my way to St. Louis by way of the Starbucks in Collinsville. My plan once I got to the city was to hit up the Shell station by the Galleria then possibly go to St. Louis Bread Co. for some bagels for the trip, and drop off my car. (I rented a car so I could get around everywhere and not have to ask people for rides all over the mid section of the state.) So I drove into the city taking everything in. I really do like driving through St. Louis. It’s so easy and familiar. I got off 64 near the Galleria and made my way to the Shell station that I always went to when in the city only to find that it was closed. I was really surprised and then frustrated because I didn’t know where another one was to get gas. (I wanted to go there because I had a card for there.) So I freaked out a bit because I was hoping to be more ahead of schedule than I was and I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do. Thankfully I have an iPhone and I was able to search for more Shell stations in the area and found one that I knew how to get to. I made it there easily and quickly (it wasn’t even out of the way too much).
Being that I was driving a rental car I pulled up to the wrong side of the pump because I wasn’t used to it on that side and had to pull around to a different pump. I hopped out of the car, grabbed my card and started filling up. Thankfully I had figured out previously how to open the gas tank so I didn’t have to worry about that. (It had taken me a bit of time and an extra person the first time I had to fill up.) While I was there I did a little cleaning and threw away the trash that had begun to collect in the car after a few days and lots of passengers. (It was mostly water bottles.) Then I bought some gum inside to break my $5 to tip the luggage guys later, and got back into the car. As I got in I pulled my card out of my pocket to put it back in my wallet and realized that I had used my debit card to pay for my gas instead of the Shell card which had been the whole point of going to a Shell station in the first place! I was so irritated with myself. In my haste I had just grabbed the card that I was most used to grabbing and didn’t even look at it when the pump asked me if I wanted to pay with debit. I still can’t believe that I did it. I mean it’s fine but I have never done anything like that before.
I then easily made my way to return my car and got right on a shuttle for the airport. In fact I was driven back by the same guy who had driven me over in the first place. I found that amusing and nice that it had come full circle. Getting to the airport and through security was nice and easy too. I had a lot of down time but that’s okay, I was able to get some stuff done and eat lunch and stuff. Now I’m in Phoenix waiting for my next flight to take off and go home. Yesterday I was really looking forward to going home and getting back to things but as we took off from St. Louis I was already missing the Midwest and all my friends. I won’t be gone for so long this time. I’ll be back in November for sure for Christine’s wedding. Maybe if I have the money and the chance to take off work (assuming I have a job, which I need to have) I would like to rent a car again and go and visit more people this time, like Becky and Taryn & Curtis, and whoever else I won’t be seeing at the wedding. It will be good I’m sure.
After the wedding I decided to get a hotel room in Vandalia and chill by myself before heading to the airport this morning. I’m really glad that I did because I was able to relax last night and take it slowly this morning. This morning I got up and got ready and headed out towards Greenville. One of the girls who I had driven the previous day to the wedding had left not only her purse in my car but also the dress she had borrowed from another friend, so since they were in Greenville I dropped it by. I got a hold of both her and the girl she had borrowed the dress from and made a smooth drop off of the purse. But when I tried to call my friend about the dress I couldn’t get a hold of her and wasn’t sure she was where I thought she was so I just left town. She didn’t really care about the dress so it’s not a big deal, but I was bummed that I didn’t get to see her one last time. While in Greenville I also drove around and checked things out. It’s still mostly the same, but the little changes happening I find good and bad. It’s a little nicer than it was when I was there (or so it seems) but they’re tearing down so much stuff now that it’s sad to see it go. In fact they’re tearing down Hogue Hall, which is needed because it’s in such bad shape and to do so they have like 2/3 of campus cordoned off. It’s a little odd. It was really nice to drive by Hoiles house again. I loved that place, and I’m glad it’s not gone yet.
So after my drive through Greenville I made my way to St. Louis by way of the Starbucks in Collinsville. My plan once I got to the city was to hit up the Shell station by the Galleria then possibly go to St. Louis Bread Co. for some bagels for the trip, and drop off my car. (I rented a car so I could get around everywhere and not have to ask people for rides all over the mid section of the state.) So I drove into the city taking everything in. I really do like driving through St. Louis. It’s so easy and familiar. I got off 64 near the Galleria and made my way to the Shell station that I always went to when in the city only to find that it was closed. I was really surprised and then frustrated because I didn’t know where another one was to get gas. (I wanted to go there because I had a card for there.) So I freaked out a bit because I was hoping to be more ahead of schedule than I was and I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do. Thankfully I have an iPhone and I was able to search for more Shell stations in the area and found one that I knew how to get to. I made it there easily and quickly (it wasn’t even out of the way too much).
Being that I was driving a rental car I pulled up to the wrong side of the pump because I wasn’t used to it on that side and had to pull around to a different pump. I hopped out of the car, grabbed my card and started filling up. Thankfully I had figured out previously how to open the gas tank so I didn’t have to worry about that. (It had taken me a bit of time and an extra person the first time I had to fill up.) While I was there I did a little cleaning and threw away the trash that had begun to collect in the car after a few days and lots of passengers. (It was mostly water bottles.) Then I bought some gum inside to break my $5 to tip the luggage guys later, and got back into the car. As I got in I pulled my card out of my pocket to put it back in my wallet and realized that I had used my debit card to pay for my gas instead of the Shell card which had been the whole point of going to a Shell station in the first place! I was so irritated with myself. In my haste I had just grabbed the card that I was most used to grabbing and didn’t even look at it when the pump asked me if I wanted to pay with debit. I still can’t believe that I did it. I mean it’s fine but I have never done anything like that before.
I then easily made my way to return my car and got right on a shuttle for the airport. In fact I was driven back by the same guy who had driven me over in the first place. I found that amusing and nice that it had come full circle. Getting to the airport and through security was nice and easy too. I had a lot of down time but that’s okay, I was able to get some stuff done and eat lunch and stuff. Now I’m in Phoenix waiting for my next flight to take off and go home. Yesterday I was really looking forward to going home and getting back to things but as we took off from St. Louis I was already missing the Midwest and all my friends. I won’t be gone for so long this time. I’ll be back in November for sure for Christine’s wedding. Maybe if I have the money and the chance to take off work (assuming I have a job, which I need to have) I would like to rent a car again and go and visit more people this time, like Becky and Taryn & Curtis, and whoever else I won’t be seeing at the wedding. It will be good I’m sure.
posted by corrie at
2:47 PM
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