10 Observations from a Road Trip

I went to Madison, Wisconsin for two days, without the hubby and without the kids.  Wow.  It's been a long time since I've traveled anywhere alone.  Don't get me wrong.  I missed them incredibly.  In fact, I realized that my identity has been really wrapped up in them in recent years.  Here's a few more things I observed along the way.  Some are personal to me; others are just random things I noticed. 

1.  I like adventure.  I was talking to my sister while I was gone and she said, "I would never be able to drive to Madison alone and stay in a hotel alone and do all of that alone."  I laughed out loud, because that seems so foreign to me.  Granted, going to Madison is not really an adventure, but like I said before, it has been a long time since I've gone anywhere by myself.  I had forgotten how much I like the thrill of not knowing what's ahead on the road, literally and figuratively.  Maybe this explains why, at 16, I jumped in my car and thought I could make it to Chicago alone ...

2.  Why do hotel rooms seem so much bigger when it's just one person staying there?

3.  My family still needs me even when I'm 250 miles away.  At least that's how I'm explaining the texts and phone calls that kept coming from them even though they knew I was nowhere near.

4.  I really didn't need the 9 pillows that the Marriott provided.  Although, they were pretty comfy.

5.  The mini-shampoos and lotions are really good in some hotels.  I mean really good.  I take all of them home with me.

6.  Rude people and nice people are found equally no matter where you go. 

7.  Rolling suitcases make life so much easier.  Books, toiletries, shoes and clothes are heavy when you lug them around in a duffle bag.

8.  Does anyone remember when hotels (and society in general) weren't so "eco-friendly?"  You could ask housekeeping to wash your towels and give you new linens every night without feeling guilty.  Not so much anymore.

9.  Wisconsin hotels publish their room rates and the statutes that govern those rates in their hotel rooms.  Does anyone else pay attention to that?  Can't they at least put a good Cosmo or Time or People magazine in the rooms instead? 

10.  Despite the "adventure," it feels good to come home.