4 hours down, 26 to go

It's day 1 of my excursion back to MN. Well, technically it's day 2 now. Whatever.

I've never given away so much STUFF in my life. I got to bless some neighbors who are struggling, and I'm glad for that. I'd like to feel lighter, but I just feel more broke.

We hit the road at about 1:30pm and headed for Phoenix. Charlie seemed to want to crawl in my lap every once and awhile. On top of all the confusion of moving he's not usually allowed in the front seat, so he doesn't know what to do with himself. Good thing he can be subdued with one hand. Other than that he slept most of the way. I'm so thankful that he's relatively good in the car as far as dogs go. He still doesn't know what to think about all of this. For the last week or so he has sensed the impending change and panicked every time I have left the house. Right now he's curled up right next to me, which is a rare thing anymore. He usually likes his space at night, but I can tell that he's scared.

After we settled into the hotel I grabbed some takeout sushi. I ordered way more than I needed. I read some reviews that recommended the "Monkey Brains" specialty roll so I got that. It's deep fried mushroom with crab and spicy tuna. Yum!

As I was waiting for my takeout, a girl about my age at a nearby table looked at me and said "Hello. You look really beautiful tonight." I laughed and waited for her or someone at her table to laugh. I had been in the car all day, my hair was up in a bun that took all of 10 seconds, and I had no makeup on. I had a cute sundress on, I'll concede that. But beautiful?

But I waited, and no one laughed. So I smiled and said thank you. I walked to my car and mulled it over as I drove back to the hotel. I guess in the end, I gave up on picking it apart and let it be.

On my way out of California, there was a sign that read "CALIFORNIA STATE PRISON NEXT EXIT". Right below it there was an equally important sign-- "Do Not Pick up Hitchhikers"