March 19, 2016
We ate up most of our allotted time for Mississippi last week when our stay in Red Bay was extended, so we just spent three nights in Meridian and then last night in Hattiesburg. Like Alabama, it really felt just like being in Georgia, so I'm excited that we are currently moving on out of the southeast and on the road to Longview, TX. It finally feels like we're on a big road trip, as opposed to just having moved onto an motorhome with a few scenery changes thrown in here and there.
In Meridian, we only had a couple of meetings, so we were able to get back into the routine of work, after having our schedule determined by shop hours last week. We stayed at a nice, small RV Park there, and enjoyed a couple of good local restaurants. . . a treat after having been parked in a mud/dust bowl with really only one decent restaurant available for the better part of two weeks.
Yesterday was the highlight of our quick run through Mississippi though. We loaded up the coach in the morning and headed south towards Hattiesburg to see one of our first big supporters, Greg Sullivan. When we quit our jobs and started this business, Jeff made a handful of calls to some associates to tell them what we were planning to do and Greg was one of the first. Immediately supportive, he asked to be our first invoice. As such, I invoiced him for a 'rusty, old hubcap' for a dollar, but before long we were doing real business together and he has been one of our greatest supporters.
He told us where to meet him for lunch, where we were treated to a perfect southern buffet. Fried chicken, butter beans, fried okra, dressing and sweet potatoes . . . heaven. His wife, Nancy and son, Crawford, as well as some friends joined us and it was such a treat to get to know them better. We checked out his operations and talked shop for a while before he threw out all the stops and took us out for a fried catfish dinner.
It should be noted here that I love me some fried catfish. LOVE. Sadly, I don't think I've ever had any that even come close to those we get in South Georgia though so I've given up trying to find them any where else but the perfect light cornmeal batter had me at hello! We LOVED our dinner of fried green tomatoes, catfish fillets, hushpuppies and hand cut fries. It was the perfect last 'Southern' meal for us but the company was even better! So good, so southern, so Mississippi and such a treat to spend some time with friends who, it didn't take long to, feel like family.
Meeting the Sullivan's, face to face, made me keenly aware of how amazing the people we are getting to meet are. Jeff is so much more extroverted than I am and he's often the one out there getting to know people. But yesterday has left me thinking about what I'm missing out on when I'm tucked into my shell. Maybe this old dog will learn some new tricks on this trip. . .
So today is our first 'long' drive. Hattiesburg to Longview, TX is about six hours and we'll have approximately another 5 hours to drive on to Austin tomorrow. It should be known that while Jeff is wrangling this bus on very windy day that, I, on the other hand, am cozy as can be, wrapped up in a blanket and relaxing in my reclining chair. I clearly have the better end of this deal, but I don't think Jeff's too upset about driving a big ole diesel engine bus!
We are officially now west of the Mississippi, and this whole thing is actually feeling like an adventure now. Despite having been 'on the road' now for almost two months, I still can't believe that God has given us this opportunity and pray that we make the best use of it!