Seat-belts, hitchhikers and lectures: SK/Mini Roadie to PHX

My best friend Mini (yes, it's a nickname) and I love road trips. Just hanging out with each other and listening/singing along with our favorite music for a few hours on end is priceless in our book. So when I had the brilliant idea to head out to Phoenix and back, in record time I might add, we decided to go forth and prosper! We were way more successful than the Ducks were of course, but we expected that!

So, while you’re waiting for the turkey to be stuffed...down your throats, enjoy a fun filled timeline of our roadie to the desert and back!

Tuesday 6:15am, text to Mini: "What are the chances you can get tomorrow off on such short notice? I’m thinking...roadie to Phoenix!"

Fast forward through a bunch scheming text messages of potential lies to bosses and finger crossed wishes...

Tuesday 3:45pm, text to Mini: "We’re going to Phoenix baby! Man, they’re totally going to lose this game, aren’t they?"

Tuesday 3:45:15, text from Mini: "YUP!"

Tuesday 4:16pm, 4:19pm: Struggling to figure out how to print the tickets from my iPhone while at work. Figure out genius plan of taking screen shot and sending to email. Bada-bing bada-boom!

Tuesday 4:45pm: Run from office as quickly as possible to get the eff home!

Tuesday 7:00pm: Purchase much needed snacks for trip from the 99c Store.

Wednesday 11:30am: Pick Mini up from her house. Press play on 300 song playlist for trip. Let the tone deaf singing and embarrassing car dancing commence!

Wednesday 12:15pm: Lecture from Mini on the men in my life. No, not the Ducks.

Wednesday 12:45pm: Interesting conversation on seat belts. How long do they have to be, who manufactures them and are they all the same?

Wednesday 1:15pm: Exit freeway for some In-n-Out, which is never "in" and "out".

Wednesday 2:45pm: SK lectures Mini on her job and stressing about work.

Wednesday 3:00pm: SK apologizes for excessively yelling at Mini about stressing about her job. (I should note, I never got an apology for the lecture and yelling I received about the men in my life. But, whatever.)

Wendesday 3:15pm: An SK rant about how drivers don’t know how to properly drive on a two-lane highway. Apparently people from Kentucky are the worst.

Wednesday 3:45pm: After discussing the prisons near by and laughing at those signs that read, "Do not pick up hitchhikers", we had an in-depth conversation about actually picking up hitchhikers and the stupidity of it all. While I vowed to never pick up a hitchhiker, Mini feels if they are holding "Shocktop", she’ll gladly stop. I succumb to the pressure and admit if they’re "gorgeous" enough, I may consider. Sadly, a beautiful man holding "Shocktop" was never thrown on the table for consideration. (If you remember those commercials of guys willing to pick up hitchhikers on the side of the road holding Bud Light and an ax, this might be easier to understand.)

Wednesday 4:45pm: Arrive. If you’ve never been to Jobing.com Arena, it’s all kinds of awesome, if I do say so myself. They’ve got a great area surrounding the venue with bars and restaurants to entertain you before and after the game. However, the best part may be that parking is free. Awesomeness.

Wednesday 6:00-8:30pm: Watch the Phoenix Coyotes play hockey while a few guys in white jerseys take up space on the ice. Here are some awesome things from the game...

- The arena is beautiful. And freezing. I never remember how cold it is there until I’m shivering in my seats!

- The woman in the section where we had our seats (of course we sat in three different sections over the course of the night) was one of those "play-by-play" chicks of the most annoying nature ever. Not only was her high pitched screaming ridiculous, but her incessant desire to see Phoenix shoot the puck, whether they had it or not, was downright embarrassing.

- The real problem was how pin drop quiet it was! When the Ducks scored the early goal, we both shouted like we were in Anaheim. Then remembered...oh yea, this place is eerily QUIET! It’s probably because it was EMPTY!

- The kid next to me who dropped the line, "Whitney, you’re sick. Like, so sick, I should take you to the hospital." I don’t know how I held in my laughter.

- What’s up with the chant of: "He shoots, he scores, hey goalie...you suck! It’s all your fault, it’s all your fault." Please tell me you don’t do this.

- $1.00 domestic draft beer, Mini had 4. $1.00 hot dogs. $1.00 small fountain soda. Yup, all unlimited awesomeness. [Ed. Note: How the heck can this franchise not bring in people with free parking AND $1.00 beer!! The people of Phoenix have no idea how good they've got it.]

- I’m a huge fan of The Black Keys. Therefore, Phoenix has the best goal song in the league. I just wish I didn’t have to hear it 4 times.

Wednesday 9:00pm: Pick up pizza and hit the road.

Wednesday 9:15pm: Discuss how long it will be before Mini accepts the fact that the Ducks do, in fact, SUCK. Answer: she’s giving them until December 1.

Wednesday 10:45pm: Lecture part 2 on the men in my life. I never received an apology on this one either.

Wednesday 11:00pm: Highway Patrol car on freeway attempts to thwart my determination to get home in record time.

Wednesday 11:15pm: Are you tired? Need me to drive? You want to drive? Are you Tired? Just turn up the music.

Wednesday 11:16pm - Thursday 12:59am: Excessive bad car dancing and singing.

Wednesday 11:45pm: See car with Kings stickers. EFF YOU BUDDY!

Thursday 1:00am: SK declared the official holder of the land speed record in driving from Phoenix to Pomona. Total time, 4 hours.

Overall, the main reason for driving to and from Phoenix in one day really sucked...but the adventures are never lacking. I would love to tell you more, but then I’d be breaking the sanctity of an SK/Mini roadie. I can’t do that.

Happy Thanksgiving Hockey fans...here's some stuff to be grateful for!

GO DUCKS!!!