A Road Trip, Reviewed

After spending some time at the Duke Chapel, we bid farewell to North Carolina and shipped ourselves up north -- through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and to my mother-in-law’s home in New Jersey. Tomorrow, we head into New York City, to reunite with the city where we first greeted the New Year. The cancer-killing cross-country trip hasn’t stopped, but while we drove today, I took time to stop and reflect on the incredible adventure that began only a week ago.

First of all, it’s hard to believe that it’s only been a week since we left Los Angeles for the East Coast. It seems like our road trip has lasted for weeks and weeks, but I guess filling one’s days with so much culture, adventure, and fun makes the days seem richer and longer than a mere 24 hour period. I’ve packed a lot of living in to this past week, that’s for sure.

Since we left L.A. last Friday, we’ve lived and loved life in the following places:

• The Grand Canyon, Arizona;
• Albuquerque, New Mexico;
• Santa Fe, New Mexico;
• Amarillo, Texas;
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
• Little Rock, Arkansas;
• Nashville, Tennessee; and
• Durham, North Carolina.

We passed through grassy flatland and National forests, mountain ranges and snowy hillsides, red rock mesas and frozen over rivers. We drove through snow, past tumbleweeds, over the Mississippi River, and under sunny skies. We ate delicious foods -- from green chile-infused dishes in New Mexico to a nut-based cheese platter in Oklahoma City to a sweet potato and black bean stew in Durham. I did some boxing, lifted some weights, and took long walks. I marveled at the beauty of the Grand Canyon, luxuriated at the spa in Santa Fe, and screamed my lungs out with glee at the Duke game. I spent countless, fun-filled hours in the car with my parents and hubby and puppy, visited with my friends all across the country, and kept in touch with my buddies back home via email and text. I wrote my posts and read my surgery prep book, took all my vitamins, got all my Lovenox shots, and managed to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. And I spent time with my hero, Coach K, and his wonderful family.

How much living can you pack into one week? If you think that this past week was eventful, just wait for next week, when Dr. Sugarbaker and I give cancer the final deathblow.

But before I turn my attentions entirely to my upcoming surgery, it’s time to commune with the city that never sleeps.