road trip!

Good morning!
I really am trying to be better about writing but apparently they like to have me do a little work at the office rather than sit around writing blog posts...who knew?
So, I finally went on my long anticipated road trip to Georgia this past weekend. Remember way back here I talked about my research project and mentioned that I needed to take a road trip to a WWII Flight Training museum in Georgia? That was a whole year ago and things kept coming up to keep me from going - first it was a hurricane, then I broke my arm and dealt with that pain for months, then I got new roommates and then COVID closed down the museum.
Well, I finally got off my ass and drove up there last Saturday and it was awesome!

The museum was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and gave me a very good feel for what pilot training would have been like in WWII. The volunteer on duty was knowledgeable and friendly and I had the whole place to myself so I could linger as long as I wanted and take lots of pictures.

My research deals with women who trained as military pilots during WWII but the museum that covers that is in Texas which is too far for a day trip. Since the women followed the same training regimen as the guys I figured this would be a good way to start my research and at least it made me feel like I was making some progress.

I started my trip at 7am and made sure I had all the necessities with me - mask, sunglasses, adorable hat, notebook for notes and, of course, road snacks. Doritos make a great breakfast, don't let anyone tell you any different!

By far, though, the best part of the day was meeting up with my little sister for lunch. I'd driven 4 hours up to the museum then I drove an hour back to the restaurant. She drove 4 hours from her home in Alabama just so that we could see each other for the first time since November. I have missed her so much even though we've kept in touch; there's no substitute for sitting across from each other and talking in person.

We spent a couple of hours talking and eating and although it wasn't nearly long enough, it was perfect. We had so much fun that we've decided to make it a regular event so that we can keep updated on each other's lives.

The sweetest part of the day was that the waiter left a buttload of these little minty chocolate candies and Lisa didn't want any so I took them all. Nearly a week later and I'm still enjoying a couple each day.

I got back home by 7pm so it was 12 hours away from home and 8 hours of actual driving. I guess that's a pretty long day but I wasn't tired at all. I really felt energized by doing something fun, something outside of my normal routine. It makes me want to hit the road again soon!

There was a surprise waiting for me when I got home to Chris's place but that's a story for another post.