Why Road Trips are Better with your Husband

Steve and I braved the long and winding road to Duke University Medical Center last Thursday. We were excited to see his pulmonary specialist for a follow-up visit. Our trips are fun especially this one and here's how our comic journey turned out...

I ALWAYS drive! Steve got behind the wheel leaving our home. I was surprised and honestly relieved since I was battling a 5 mm kidney stone. He was so proud of himself for giving me a break
mentioning it every chance he got waiting for my praise and approval. Comfortably settling in about two hours up the road, Steve stopped at a rest area in Andrews, NC where he discovered he had forgotten his billfold .... AT HOME! Really? I couldn't believe Steve, the OCD, "I-know-where-everything-I-own-is" forgot his billfold. Guess who drove the rest of the way up and back? He'll do anything to get me to drive. I figured out why he wanted to drive so badly though, not for my comfort but for his. He made me stop at every rest area going and coming. I think he's gone through the change and his man bladder is getting old and shrinking.

After his appointment on Friday, I wanted to peek inside the Duke Chapel. When we walked inside the doors there was no one inside. We marveled at the magnificence until those two people walked up the aisle and ruined my picture! lol Anyway, the funny part was getting there. The clinic nurse suggested we visit the Sarah P. Duke gardens and the Chapel. "It's so easy to get there" she said. "Take the red elevator to the basement, go all the way to the back and you should exit into the gardens. No problem, I eat lunch there all the time!" she said. After taking the red elevators to the basement and grabbing some lunch we started on our 2-mile hike to reach the chapel. Remember now, we are here because Steve has breathing problems and I'm the Happy Handicap with very limited walking abilities. At one point, I looked down at my black tennis shoes and said "Believe it or not, these are my "looking good" shoes. I wish I had my comfortable tennis shoes in the trunk!" Between Steve panting and huffing to say "If you take another incline or one more step I'm gonna need oxygen" and me stopping at every bench I saw to rest while doing the strangest "I'm-handicapped-but-I- don't-want-to-appear-that-way" limp...it was hilarious! Steve finally decided it was in our best interests for him to go get the car and pick me up. I was so glad I remembered to throw him the car keys when he was halfway up the next incline. We've had so much fun imitating each other for our kids! I kept reminding Steve we couldn't be in a better place to need oxygen or a wheelchair. The best part -- we did behold a beautiful chapel and picked up everyone a $6 Duke t-shirt!!!

Ladies, do you know how to "flow"? You might think this is a dance move or an elegant way to walk but no, it's Steve's masterful way of weaving in and out of traffic. I'm no good at it and admittedly so! He says "Tammy, you have no timing. Can you not see where you need to be and when?" Well I say "Steve, yes I can but not the way you do! If you're so smart, where's your billfold?"

Loving road trips with the hubby,

Tammy

The Happy Handicap