I Survived Arkansas

As some of you know, hubby and I just drove 1300 some odd miles from Oklahoma to Miami to go on a cruise. Then we drove back. You really have to like someone to agree to be trapped in a truck with them for 46 hours and on a boat (granted a large boat) for 5 days. This, however, was not the difficult part of the journey.

Arkansas was.

During the past 8 months on job searching, I have always told hubby I would be ok living anywhere he found a job – except Arkansas.

He would have to move to Arkansas by himself if that is the only place he could find a job.

I was right.

Fortunately, I survived the drive through Arkansas. Twice.

We left town Saturday evening around 7. We made it a whopping 3/4 of a mile down the road before our first stop for food and gas. Anyway, around 1am, we were approaching Lake Village, AR.

Where?

Exactly.

The speed limit drops abruptly 15 miles an hour as soon as you enter the town. We didn’t slow down fast enough for the cop that was waiting right at the speed limit sign. Yep. We got pulled over.

Hubby rolls down the window and the truck immediately fills with blood thirsty vampire mosquitoes who hadn’t had a fresh meal in years. As hubby deals politely with the officer, I am sitting in the passenger seat frantically trying to shoo thousands of mosquitoes out the passenger window. I finally give up on shooing and start trying to smack them. I’m smacking the dash, the window, the roof, anywhere I can possibly kill one of these evil vermin sent (I have no doubt) my by estranged mother-in-law to eat me alive and keep me from having any fun on my first vacation in six years.

The officer comes back to the car, obviously taking his time.

Officer: “Ya’ll have ‘skitos like them in Oklahoma”?

Hubby: “Not like this.”

Me: *whimpering and flailing* “No. Ewwww. Help!”

We didn’t get a ticket. Probably because of my insanity.

Total mosquito bite count: 53 – 37 of which were on my feet.

I survived Arkansas….barely.