Breaking Out Of The Depression Nest.

We all have different names for depression. Being in a funk, feeling blue, stuck, broken, inability to can, however the end result is usually the same. A depression nest and trip through some unhealthy ways of coping. Not having my little girl around combined with some other things definitely had me down. On the 4th, Joy hit me up and was excited to tell me about an award she was going to receive on Saturday morning in Sugar City, Idaho. She wanted me to come out for it. I told her I had to look at bills and see if I could make it, and I would follow up with her the following day.

In all reality, I could have used the money I spent on this trip in other ways. But tills will always be a thing, and time is precious. This is something I am learning in my older years. I truly have spent most of my life working and not so much living. But I am trying to figure out my middle ground. I truly think it is part of my anxiety.

So Monday I called her and told her the trip was a no-go. She was bummed, but understood. In reality, I was plotting with Laura to pull off a surprise. Turns out she had Friday off. One last minute vacation request later, so did I. Love having PTO again! Friday morning I got up, showered and put on my kilt because it is so damn comfortable to travel in. If it was good enough for great grandpa to fight WWI in, it is good enough for a three and a half hour road trip. Responded to a few work emails, made a work call and sent some texts. Secured a new customer, then packed up the car. The three of us were off in the adventure vehicle of choice for us. A 2013 VW Beetle TDI might not exude manly energy, but at 40+ plus MPG on the highway, I truly do not give a shit what anyone thinks of it. We rolled into Archer, ID and headed for Big Juds. I promised Jackie a burger bigger than her head, and I delivered. The three of us split the Big Jud burger, and not a soul was left hungry. We then headed over to Saint Anthony, ID and stopped in at the Art Lab to surprise Dan and Kara. After checking out the Buffalo, we hit the road to check out the new rock shop located in the old Roxy theater. After showing Jackie two places in town that I lived, it was time to surprise Joy.

Got her! Oh! I also took a detour after lunch and stopped by an old friend's house. Saw his parents and passed on my number. More on this in a bit. After a nice visit with Joy, we went to Jack In the Box because tacos. Then we headed to see Charles. My memory is a bit fuzzy, so I cannot say for sure the last time I saw him in person, but it very well might have been 2010. We crashed out at his house after staying up and catching up. Laura enjoyed hearing some of our misadventures together.

Saturday morning came, and after we woke the Monkey and got put together, we headed to Sugar City to see Joy get her award. Jackie enjoyed her experience at Sugar Days. It was a great turn out to see her recognized for all her hard work for the town. She spearheaded the project to raise $50,000 to replace the irrigation pump at the cemetery. She pulled it off!

So, that friend I mentioned? We met up with him for lunch. The old Rexburg Wingers is now a Sushi place. I had not seen Tyler for 12 years. Back in the day, we raised hell together and went on many of life's adventures. Even our misguided trip to Minnesota to work for Apex. Come to find out, just a few weeks prior, he and his wife were pondering what had come of me. That blew my mind. I am always surprised that people think of me. We have each other's number now, and I see more catching up in the future. I showed Laura and Jackie some local landmarks like the boat house in Rexburg and then the remains of the Teton Dam to explain why a boat house was a thing. We even had some chats about TV being invented in Rigby and the link to Futurama the TV show. We stopped in at the Brads' gas station in Sugar to meet up with Adam for a few minutes. It was good seeing him. After that, we set the Jack In The Box located in Pocatello, ID as our next destination. Yes we have a problem, no we don't have any in Utah. After our last supper in Idaho, we gassed up with Diesel and set our sights on home in SLC. Jackie was done with the road by the time we got home and had a canker sore that resulted in getting up a few times last night. I took her home this evening and wrapped up some chores.

Smiles, so many genuine smiles and touching moments this weekend. As bad of a funk I have been in, I truly needed this adventure. It got me out of my shell again and opened my eyes to the world. I have so many more trips and adventures to go on, and I need to not let myself get stuck in the trap of being miserable and at home. Sometimes doing what seems hard or impossible at first can be the catalyst to getting back on track. I have some catching up with myself to do as well, but this, this was an amazing weekend that I will cherish, and I hope my daughter will as well.