a trip to remember

I love writing because writing helps me remember.  I keep a small daily diary through my bullet journal and I spend a considerable amount of time reminiscing on this little space of mine. But last week something happened that I'm not really sure I want to remember...I really have mixed feelings about it because it was such a special time in my life that got messed up by something unfortunate.

Last weekend, our truck was broken into and everything was taken.

Let me start from the beginning. I was given the task at work to pick up a truck from a former sales manager (located in Memphis, TN) and drive it down to a current sales manager (located in Austin, TX).  Peyton wasn't comfortable with me driving alone, so he decided to get on a plane and make the trip with me.  This was our first time flying and traveling out of North Carolina together, so we were extremely excited.  We had planned a few stops along the way to look at some famous sights...one of them being Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock n' Roll. After picking up the truck, we decided to stop by, take a quick tour, get a milkshake, and begin our drive to Texas.  

The tour was amazing and I am so glad that we got the opportunity to stand where famous rock n' roll artists started their careers.  Elvis and Johnny Cash are just a couple of our favorites and Peyton loved getting to share this piece of history with me.

After our tour, we walked out to the truck just to find that our window had been broken and our belongings taken. Everything was in the truck...clothing, computers, work phones...they took it all, even down to the dental floss.  BUT, they did leave a book Peyton was reading for his Friday Fellowship Program.

Ironic? Yeah...we think so too.

After calling the police, filing a report, and having the Crime Scene unit come out and fingerprint our truck, we found a safe hotel and settled in for the evening.  Thankfully we had our wallets, personal phones, and cameras, but the fear of something occurring with our personal information was still on our minds.  So, we spent some time on the phone and started looking for someone that could replace our window on Sunday morning.

Well, if you are looking for the million dollar business...that's it.  Repairing windows on Sundays.  We ended up driving around town with a broken window, went shopping for new clothes, went on a date to the Germantown Commisary (the best part of our trip!) and waited until Monday morning to get a new window.

We hit the road on Monday and took some time to visit Graceland. Peyton and I are HUGE Elvis fans, so it was a must see destination.  We don't plan on going back to Memphis any time soon...so we decided to take the time to see it all.  I fell in love with the house, the property, and all of Elvis' story.  It felt even more special to us since our favorite song is "Can't Help Falling in Love". 

We hit the road again, made a pit stop for the evening, then drove our way into Lousiana and Fort Worth, Texas. Peyton has never been to Louisiana and it has always been on my bucket list to see the Fort Worth Stockyards, so we stopped and ate lunch there.  I really wasn't impressed, but I'm glad I took the time to see it. (side note: our big joke is that Peyton's head always gets in the way of the sign...but don't worry...he was sure to get the full sign this time...but just half of my head!)

Peyton and I made a goal to start crossing off states together, so this trip helped us cross off our first 4 states!  We didn't get pictures with all of the signs, but we did get some!

I lied earlier in saying that the Germantown Commisary was the best part of our trip. We had almost reached Austin, Texas when we stumbled upon this little nugget. It definitely made our day! Have you ever found a town named after you? If so...isn't it the best thing EVER?!?

We finally arrived at our destination, dropped off the truck, ate some good Texas BBQ, and got ready for our flight the next morning. 

Even though we are still feeling lost, shocked, and some anger towards whoever took our belongings, we are so happy that we have each other and that we are safe. After we arrived in North Carolina, we had the wonderful opportunity to close on our home.  After signing our life away and promising the bank lots of money...we celebrated! It definitely was a happy ending to our rough week!