My Daddy Always Said...

Thomas has always said that I'm the luckiest little girl he knows. At 33, some could debate my "little girl" status, but after yesterday, it's clear that I'm still rock solid with the lucky part!

Thomas, Luis, Ashley and I are driving from Atlanta to Dallas. Yesterday, we drove the first 400 miles to Jackson, MS. We stopped in Fairfield, Alabama for lunch and ate at the Fairfield City Magic Grill II (not sure where the first one is). It was a very southern buffet restaurant in the middle of a very southern small town downtown. Southern style food isn't at the top of my list, but the experience of lunch was fun. Also, they had mac-n-cheese, so Luis was very happy!

Our next stop was at the Welcome Rest Stop just inside the Mississippi border. I was impressed that these two very nice ladies were offering travel info, hotel assistance, and free sodas to travelers. Luis and Ashley both had a good run in the (very muddy) dog area. Thomas and I each enjoyed a free soda. After about 10 minutes, we got back on the road with about 110 miles to Jackson.

We pulled into Jackson about 4:20. Thomas and I had contemplated driving all the way to Dallas. Having another day in the car was a bit depressing, but in the end we were concerned that if we got tired and needed to stop, it could be difficult to find a hotel that would accommodate Ashely. I reached for my wallet to go check in to the hotel when I realized that the thing I'd seen fly off the hood of the car when we pulled out of the rest stop was not a branch, but was my wallet. One hundred and ten miles in the wrong direction.

I called my friend Heather who is usually at her desk AND is very Internet savvy. She got me a phone number direct to the rest area. I called and spoke to the nicest woman EVER. Sandra didn't have my wallet, but she went outside and walked around to look for it. She asked Security if they had it and convinced to widen the search. Unfortunately nothing turned up. I started to panic. How would I get a new license in Texas without my Virginia license? How would I get a new VA license while I was in Texas? Canceling credit & debit cards. No cash. No Starbucks card. Identity theft. I was getting panicky. I asked Thomas if he'd rather stay in Jackson with the baby and the dog or be the one to go back and look. He wasn't thrilled about either option. And while I wouldn't admit it, neither option sounded good to me either.

That's when Sandra called back to say that the maintenance guys had found it and turned it in. I couldn't believe my luck. I told Sandra that there was about $40 in it. If she'd mail it to me, she could keep the left over cash. She said, "Oh no, I couldn't do that. I'll mail back any left over money after I pay the postage." Then she pointed out that USPS offers a flat rate of $4.95 for their small box size. I couldn't believe it. I guess I'm still the luckiest little girl in the world!