That's a wrap!

• Time spent on the road: 6 weeks

• Miles logged: several thousand

• Great students I met: Too many to count

• Another travel season on the books: priceless!

So, I've finished another travel season. It started when it was warm and sunny and the grass was green, and I wrapped this week wearing a winter coat and scraping my windshield. In the time that I spent on the road this fall, I became addicted to fountain pop, Simpson lost a great football coach, I vowed to fight my addiction to fountain pop, the color of the leaves changed... and...er... so did the color of my hair. Well, first of all- if it weren't for the cancer-causing fake ingredients, aspartame poisoning and other miscellaneous damage to my internal organs and tooth enamel, diet fountain pop wouldn't really be all that bad. As it is, it's probably pretty bad, so I am trying to give it up. Secondly, our head football coach Jay Niemann resigned. In my heart it was a sad day- he was a real class act, always respectful and kind, and I wish him the very best. Next, the view from the road is pretty amazing throughout the fall, I love watching the landscape transform itself into a golden, glowing portrait of fall color. Lastly, I have had the same hair color for all of my 28 years. So, in a drastic step, (well, drastic for a toe head like me) I dyed my hair! I don't know why other than it's the season of change- if mother nature can stand to change the color of a few million leaves, surely I can handle one head of hair. (I feel like I need to provide a visual here)



















OK, time for one road story I think. As you'll recall from one of my recent blogs, the wind was a'howling that last week of travel. On my very last travel day of the year, as I was heading east into the now leafless landscape, I came right up on an accident. I literally almost drove into it- I was on scene even before any law enforcement made it. Apparently a semi truck hauling.. I don't know what, hay bales I guess (I'm a city girl, someone help me out here) lost control because of the wind, then jack-knifed, losing his load!

This next pic is proof I was first on the scene! Here is the ambulance en route!OK, here is one final picture of the scene, after the help arrived. I hope everyone was OK, it didn't look like an injury accident.

Lastly, I pose you with with one important question to ponder over this long holiday weekend. This is a time for being thankful. Which frienships in your life are you most thankful for, or might I ask "Who's Your Buddy?"

Oh yeah, you are, my dear "93% Diet Pepsi, 5 % Cherry Coke, 2% Dr. Pepper" fountain pop. Thanks for seeing me through the long hours in the minivan, facing the sun on the way out AND on the way home, listening to the daily cattle prices on the radio, and causing the frequent pit stops in small town Iowa gas stations. Yes, thank YOU for being my buddy.