This was the first time we drove south, so I was getting a kick out of the signs we saw along the way. For instance, there's a town named Paw Paw. Can you imagine saying "Hi, I'm Joe and I'm from Paw Paw". I got a kick out of that.
Then we saw a HUGE sign that was an advertisement for a motel. It read as follows:
Jim's Roadside Motel
CABLE-PHONE!
CABLE-PHONE!
I couldn't help but say to D.R. "look honey, that motel has a phone, we should stay there!". I wonder how old that sign is. Probably as old as the motel. Still in business all these years. Must be the cable and phone that keeps people coming back!
Each morning, I took the hotel shuttle to a nearby hotel that was hosting my conference. I was talking to the driver and he told me that he was shuttling people back and forth to the "rastling competition". People really talk like that?! I'm not picking on southern people. I love all people, and really enjoy southern charm and hospitality. But really, rastling?! It took a lot not to laugh, being the New Yorker that I am.
Another funny thing that happened while we were on our little trip involved Giuliana. She is painfully shy around strangers. Doesn't matter how friendly or kind the person is, she just screams and buries her head if someone tries to talk to her. I just explain that she's really shy, and move on. No problem except that in St. Louis, there are a lot of people of color. I kept thinking "These people probably think we're racist or our kids have never seen a black person before". I started to feel horrible because all the wonderfully nice employees of the hotel would come up and try to say hello, then Gia would scream and run away. I felt like saying "We have a multi-cultural family, and we're really not racist, I swear!". It was a bit uncomfortable.
One day we told the girls we were going to Wendy's for lunch. We don't often go to fast food restaurants so I wasn't surprised when Tia asked where Wendy was. We had to tell her that Wendy must be at school that day and we would try to see her another time! The funny thing is I have a very vivid memory from my childhood where the same thing happened. Someone suggested to my parents that we go to Wendy's, and I can remember thinking "Who is Wendy?". Funny how concrete kids are at that age.
Each morning, I took the hotel shuttle to a nearby hotel that was hosting my conference. I was talking to the driver and he told me that he was shuttling people back and forth to the "rastling competition". People really talk like that?! I'm not picking on southern people. I love all people, and really enjoy southern charm and hospitality. But really, rastling?! It took a lot not to laugh, being the New Yorker that I am.
Another funny thing that happened while we were on our little trip involved Giuliana. She is painfully shy around strangers. Doesn't matter how friendly or kind the person is, she just screams and buries her head if someone tries to talk to her. I just explain that she's really shy, and move on. No problem except that in St. Louis, there are a lot of people of color. I kept thinking "These people probably think we're racist or our kids have never seen a black person before". I started to feel horrible because all the wonderfully nice employees of the hotel would come up and try to say hello, then Gia would scream and run away. I felt like saying "We have a multi-cultural family, and we're really not racist, I swear!". It was a bit uncomfortable.
One day we told the girls we were going to Wendy's for lunch. We don't often go to fast food restaurants so I wasn't surprised when Tia asked where Wendy was. We had to tell her that Wendy must be at school that day and we would try to see her another time! The funny thing is I have a very vivid memory from my childhood where the same thing happened. Someone suggested to my parents that we go to Wendy's, and I can remember thinking "Who is Wendy?". Funny how concrete kids are at that age.
I think that's all the funny stories for now. Until next time.
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