First, I want to thank all of my friends and family who expressed concern and offered their support. Although I didn't need to turn to many people, the outpouring of concern was wonderful, and provided another reminder of how lucky I am to have so many good people in my life.
I especially want to thank AJ and Kathleen, my good friends who moved to Texas about two years ago. While they had already offered to put me up for the night on my way through Texas, they immediately extended their offer indefinitely until I was able to get things going again. Thankfully I didn't have to impose on them too long, but they were wonderful hosts the whole time.
Part of the reason that I wasn't forced to stay with them too long was the efficient and beyond the call of duty response by American Express. While my bank and visa card were both replaced, and replacements sent out, only American Express offered to overnight my card, at no charge, and provide me with a cash advance, again at no charge, to cover my expenses for a couple of days. Without their help, I probably would have had to have someone wire me cash to cover the gas to AJ's place, or have AJ meet me on the road to help me fill up. Either situation would have been less than ideal. While I don't find reason to use my AmEx card often, I am beyond thrilled by their response and plan to maintain my business with them in the future.
Due to the delays that I caused myself, I was unable to catch the Rangers at their ballpark before they left town. Doubly unfortunate in that it was a great game, where the Angels came from about 5 runs down to tie the game in the 9th, only to have the Rangers win on a walk-off hit in the 10th. I guess it was not to be. I'm just going to have to plan another trip to Texas, this time catching both the Rangers and the Astros at home.
As you can see from the above picture I returned to the road today, and arrived at my Aunt Pats house mere minutes ago. The ride from Texas to Louisiana was long, about 7 hours, but absolutely gorgeous. The greenery along the highway in East Texas and Louisiana is spectacular and makes for a wonderful drive. Combined with the absolutely fantastic book on CD that I was given by my good friend Devon, and my ride flew by. The only thing that I am sad to say is that I finished the book about an hour before I got into Baton Rouge and wish that it had gone on even longer. If you're looking for something to read, or listen to, I HIGHLY recommend Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I warn you though, you won't want to stop reading/listening, it's one of the most addictive stories I've encountered in years.
At this point I'm going to enjoy myself in Louisiana for at least a few days, hopefully figure out a way to get a picture ID, and then hit the road again. Nothing is perfect, and I figured I'd hit some bumps along the way, but I'm still encouraged and looking forward to what lies ahead.
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