a Literal drive down memory lane

So, today I got this absolutely harebrained idea and after class, I went for a drive.  When I started out I was just intending to make a large circuit through the Lillington side of Fayetteville.  I wanted to face a demon or two from my past and show them, and myself, that I was no longer afraid of what memories they could throw at me.  Well…then I took a wrong turn…more accurately, I didn’t take a turn at all and went straight on this one particular street.  *smile*  And I ended up in Spring Lake. 

I laughed.  Here I was, drivin’ around to the “Mmhm” cd by Relient K on a day with absolutely perfect weather for driving with your windows down…not really driving to get to a specific distance…and I ended up in Spring Lake.  *shakes her head*  Now, if I had been any other girl in my family, I would have been so lost and probably freakin’ out.  But I wasn’t either.  I knew exactly where I was, and I thought it was hilarious.  So then I decided to make an even bigger circuit, one that included two of my old houses (Crest Circle and Temple Rd).  *shrugs her shoulders*  I mean, as long as I was enjoying the day, I was REALLY going to enjoy the day.  *smile*  So I turned onto 210…a road that I traveled on almost everyday for 15 years or so…but now I was driving…everything is different when you are driving it.  Instantly I began to remember what I used to think as I would pass certain houses.  Plans I has made in my childish mind about how my house would look based what I saw from the road.  Sometimes I would see yards that had a mystique to them and wish that I could just one day get off my school bus (or whatever vehicle I was in) and just lay in them. 

I pulled down THE dirt road (Esther and Hannah- you know what I’m talkin’ about) and I was mesmerized.  The little thrift shop at the end is still there and operational, it’s called JC Thrift Shop now.  And that little church (Hannah, Esther, and Kris-the one where we went to VBS and made the “love sets”) is still there and looking just the same.  Other than that though, nothing about my childhood neighborhood looks the same.  It looks like a ghost town.  There are only a handful of houses that are occupied.  Thankfully it isn’t not creepy like most abandoned trailer parks are.  Our deck is still there though…it’s not connected to the trailer sitting on the lot, but it’s there.  I almost cried when I saw it just sitting there like a piece of trash.  My daddy built that deck…and man do I have TONS of memories of childhood games that included it.  I drove around the circle and remembered riding my bike around it as fast as I could, imagining that I was riding (*big smile* don’t laugh at me) a unicorn pegasus…and for those of you who are not up to par on your mythological creatures that’s a horse with a horn (duh) and wings for flying…mine was named Snowflake because my bike was white.  And yes, I was a VERY imaginative child…you have no idea, unless you knew me then.  I saw the road to go to Savannah’s (my best friend from 4 grade to probably when I was in 10 grade)…and almost went down there to see what it looks like now but chickened out because it had some signs about it being private property and such. 

Then I turned out of there and went down…down….down…down to where we lived when we lived in Bunnlevel.  OH my goodness!  When I finally got there I just wanted to sit there and stare…because I realized that whenever I think of that house I imagine it so much bigger.  It is definitely the smallest house that we lived in (besides the trailer)…sitting there I was shocked to think that we all had fit in there.  I just has to rejoice and thank the Lord so much because despite all the trouble my family has been through, we have definitely upgraded.  If I took you guys there you would be shocked too.  There really isn’t a question of why my family and me are so close when you see what kind of spaces we have lived in…haha.  Man could I tell some stories…and yes I know that some of you have heard some of them (and some of you lived it with me…I love you).

Then driving back through and home, I continued rejoicing, just thanking God for all that He has done in my family…all He has done in me.  I was so overwhelmed with all kinds of emotion: gratefulness, happiness, remembering, sorrow, maybe even a little pain.  I thought about how I wished that I could take all the really cool and great people of my life and get them all together…have them all a part of my life at once.  Lou, Savannah B., Kris, Sarah B., the Bon Bons, Jake, Sarah C (now WA), Brooks…the list goes on (and this is taking for granted that my family is already with me…duh, cause when aren’t they…haha).  I think you guys would all really like each other.  Or at least how I knew/know you…you would…you would like each other.  *sigh* 

So yeah…that was my eventful morning.  It was cool and I was just so grateful that my car has great gas mileage because I only had about a 1/4 of a tank and let me tell you…I drove out to the STICKS.  If I had had more gas I probably driven out to Cameron to see my other house on Brooks Mangum. Then I would have been out past the Boonies, past the sticks, that’s just no man’s land out there.  Seriously.  The really funny thing is that for the most part I still know my way around all of those places, and I didn’t even drive in any of those places…it’s all from just paying attention when I was younger.  Crazy.  But I will let you all get back to your days now.  Thank you for coming and reading.

Love you guys,
Ashley