"Shoop, Shoop, Shoop..."

Whew-w-w! Man, oh Man! I've been waiting to exhale since I left D.C. on Wednesday, the 22nd!!

Finally, finally I get a brief moment to do just that - before it all begins again (waiting on furniture, staying in a hotel).

I have to say though - I'm feelin' a whole lot like Voltron right now! He's the big guy in the photo.
For you younguns out there, let me just be clear. Before the slick "Transformers" of today (as well as their predecessors from the mid-to-late 80s), there was "Voltron Force," a team of five pilots who commanded five robot lions which combined to form the evil-fighting, big guy - "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" (What can I say? I have two boys - born in 1981 and 1984. And yes, Voltron absolutely lived in our home! Those babies loved that thing!!! As a matter of fact, I think we still have it in those plastic tubs of toys I've been saving for their kids (or a serious toy collector - if the kid thing doesn't work out).

First, I drove to South Carolina for my annual trip to clean my mother's grave and put in some new flowers on July 24th - the 13th anniversary of her death (oddly, I miss my Mama more now, than I ever have). I only stayed long enough to visit a dear friend, some family and get that accomplished. As I left the church yard, I couldn't shake the sense of urgency I felt. I needed to get where I was going! As I told my friend "ea" in a comment on another post, "My family - the one that my husband and I had created - needed a hug!"

Apart, we were like the five robot lions of the Voltron Force - strong, and on some level, basically effective, but not - a "Unit." I'm tellin' you, as I drove through the evening and into the night to meet my husband at the previously agreed upon rest stop in Tallahassee (the movers came for our house in Florida on Thursday, he left on Friday), all I could think about was that damn toy!!!

It was getting late. I was tired. I was cranky (less than eight hours sleep over a 48-hour period will do that to the best of us!).

I called him and said, "Let's just get a hotel in Tallahassee instead of driving on to New Orleans like we planned."

Since I'd left later than I'd planned, he'd reach Exit 194 a couple of hours before I did.

I said, "Instead of just sitting there waiting, look around the exit for a place we can crash and start fresh in the morning."

He said, "That's a great idea! I'll call you back and tell you where we're staying."

After about an hour, I'd not heard from him, so I called again. "Where the hell are you?? I'm about 30 miles from Exit 194 and I don't know where I'm going!"

Flustered, he said, "Man, I've been driving around looking for a hotel, there's nothin' around here for miles! I'm at Exit 112 right now."

I lost my damn mind - he was driving away from me!!!

"Why in the hell are you driving away from me if we're supposed to be meeting??!! Turn around!!" Sometimes, Adult ADD is a hair-puller for those of us on the other side of the fence. We agreed to meet at Exit 120.

When I pulled up beside him and saw him - with my little white dog, Blanca (so I'm not original - shoot me) just spinning her tail in recognition - all I could think was, "Okay, sleep, get up, get on the road - only two more robot lions to go!"

After again leaving later than planned, we drove all the next day - arriving in Texas around 1 a.m. As I walked to the hotel door, my oldest son just appeared - with open arms (Dad must have called ahead to say we were pulling in). That urgency thing just melted clean away. I silently thanked God for getting us there safely - and with no tickets!

When I got to the suite, I didn't see my youngest. I turned to the oldest with raised eyebrow and he said, "He went out. You know he hates to just sit around."

I did know, but I was still disappointed - no Voltron tonight.

Somewhere between sleep and wake though, I heard the door open. He'd obviously had a good time. As he slowly undressed and crawled under the covers on the the sleeper-sofa, I never moved. But deep in my heart, in my bones, in my very soul, I felt the click of our five robot lions - and Voltron: Defender of the Universe was in full effect.

To my loves I say: