In honor of a day spent with Carol, the Texan expat returned for one short weekend in the middle of a vast sea of Carollessness, here are ten of my favorite Carol-induced travel memories, in no particular order:

1. Freezing to death in Central Park, despite the furry deerstalker hats.

2. Becoming addicted to Webkinz in Huntsville, and then spending large chunks of the day glued to separate computers.

3. Entering our hotel room at the Paramount in NYC and learning that our room’s magnificently large art canvas headboard was blank.

4. Discovering the horror of rednecks who still talk about “them colored folks” at the Chili’s in Huntsville.

5. My graceful face-plant on Halsted Street in Chicago, followed by the nastiest black knee-bruises known to mankind.

6. Having 11-year-old versions of ourselves drawn by a man on the verge of a brawl in Times Square.

7. Inventing, naming, and drinking tasty alcoholic beverages in NYC, and repeating the process on every other trip.

8. Drinking glasses and rave teeth in Huntsville.

9. Wearing gorgeous false eyelashes in the Big Apple, but having tons more fun subsequently attaching them to our recently-drawn portrait in various arrangements.

10. Laughing until we cried over Pam’s bat story in Chicago.