run away with some one for a week, then return like nothing happened

So, last night, after the most stressful, painful week of my life, I got a bit angry and decided I needed to leave the city. I do this a lot – take off and drive for an hour or so, sleep in my car at a truck stop for a little while, come back in the morning. Last night, however, I decided I would get a hotel. So I did. 2 AM, I checked into the last open king-size suite. I went to Walmart, took a shower, watched “Kingdom of Heaven” on cable. It was the most freeing thing I have ever done. I got up this morning, trotted into the office to check out and ended up chatting with an old Arabic man who chuckled like Gandalf. A housekeeper found my pillow left in my room and called me “sweet dear.” (I’ve also resolved to always be nice to housekeepers and hotel desk clerks now!)
When I finally left, I had regained something I lost months ago: my smile. Not just the ordinary, things are good smile. The “my cheeks are sore from grinning about nothing” kind of smile. All day long I’ve just been walking down the street or sitting in a drive-thru waiting for food and I’d just start giggling. My joy is back! My joy is back! I just want to shout it from the rooftops. Maybe now life can go back to normal. No more segmenting, no more overwhelming stress, no more depression. Now that’s something to be excited about.

So, tonight a friend and I were feeling the need for a roadtrip, so we decided on driving to Winnipeg, Manitoba next weekend. We live in Lincoln, Nebraska. We booked a youth hostel and everything… I’m not planning on telling anyone until we get back.