There's no 'R' in Lejeune
Hello, Dear Reader,
I am so happy that you chose to be here with me today. When I say ‘here’, I really mean it! Because, according to my imagination, you are sitting right behind me in the passenger side backseat of our rental car, taking a (road) trip down memory lane. This is the very same seat that either my brother or I would begrudgingly occupy if the other had been first to yell…
“SHOTGUN!”
In that seat, your eyes would see the trees whizzing by through the window and your ears would be blessed with the voice of Taylor Swift. Sorry if it’s too loud. Mom and I like to have the radio cranked to concert volume 24/7. TAYLOR SWIFT ALL THE WAY BABYYY!
Let’s just pretend you, reader, are actually the sibling in the back seat, determined to resist bumping along to some T-Swift. Once you have become accustomed to the sights and sounds, you might begin to share in my sweet nostalgia.
We’ve been here many times before. The Flemings are roadtrip pros. You might say we were made for this stuff. If you’ve met my grandfather, you could even conclude that being a ‘road hog’ is in our DNA. However, our road trips were more like road migrations. Sometimes even transcontinental expeditions. What I’m trying to say is… when we left we didn’t come back.
Don’t be sad! Remember? We loved moving! At least I did. Every few years we would make new friends, see new places, paint new rooms, and find new hills to ride bikes/scooters down at supersonic speed. Life taught us early on that nothing lasts forever. In my eyes, that’s what makes memories special. When we would pile out of our maroon Chevy Tahoe in front of a new home, we knew we would be right back in those seats about 3 years later. Ready to make another multi day trek into the great unknown!
Remember that box TV that was bungee corded into the back seat? Do you remember when we upgraded to the mini TV sets that strapped to Mom & Dad’s headrests? We were high tech in those days. The best thing was when mom would get us ‘educational’ games to play on the road… I think I have one Multiplication Flashcard game packed in a box upstairs. It’s still in the plastic wrapping…
Bless her heart. As Mr. Merle Haggard said, “Mama tried!”
I remember most of our trips but the move to Camp Lejeune is pretty fuzzy. We’re about one and a half hours away from our old house and I can’t wait to see what memories start flooding back! We had so many pictures of birthday parties, trips to the beach, riding bikes (or a tricycle in my case). My metallic tassels and flowery helmet totally made up for the fact that I was slower than all the neighborhood boys. I was always trying to keep up with the guys. Even when I was wearing multiple tiaras, princess dresses, and sporting a blue popsicle stained mouth.
C’mon, c’mon! You know you want to smile! In a few years, I will trade the tiaras for a BRIGHT pink wig but that story is for a different time.
And the beach! We can’t forget the beach! Dad and Mr. Day would take us fishing before heading back to the moms for the mandatory hole-digging endeavor. The pictures of the four of us kids peeking over the mini sand canyons are still some of my favorites. Sandy little feet, Bug Juice in hand, and minnows in a bucket… Ugh, wow. Those memories make me smile and wonder how in the world 18 years have already passed by.
I can’t wait to get there and see if it’s like I remember! I’ll let you know.
Xoxo,
g
