What a few weeks! We decided to drive to Minnesota from NH with 3 of our kids. It sounded like a nightmare to me, but my husband loves drives and frankly, it was fly and have no money, or drive and be able to at least do a few things, so he chose to drive. We left 2 hours late, thanks to me and my schoolwork, at 2am. The kids did not fall immediately to sleep as we had hoped, but eventually did. i merely dozed off and on as my husband drove all night. The only sound, other than the radio, was the occasional SCREAMS from Jayson as he was partially awakened from an uncomfortable position. At one point, he also woke Anna who began to yell and cry as well.
Thankfully, my husband decided that we were stopping in Ohio at a hotel. We got out, the kids swam, we ate, watched TV and slept in actual BEDS. Everyone awoke in better spirits the next day. Jayson loved that there was an automatic pancake maker (picture to follow). We spent the day at Cedar Point amusement park where my daughter (age 13 1/2) and husband went on insane rides and roller coasters. I had charge of the little people and hung out in Camp Snoopy most of the day. We had a good time and drove from there to MN.
Our first night in MN brought bad news, one of my brothers in law died that night, we got the call at 4 am. It was tough, but we maintained a fun atmosphere for the kids, going to zoos, amusement parks, playgrounds, out to eat and other fun activities. We visited a lot, shared meals with loved ones and friends and kept it all pleasant.
The ride back was eventful! We left late and got pulled over because of my husband’s lead foot, but were let off with a warning. We decided to stop at that point, we were in Indiana, and stay at a hotel. Upon arriving in our room, Anna vomited all over the comforter of her bed. I had to give her a middle of the night bath and we needed to get a new blanket for her. The next morning, we had a nice breakfast and the kids went swimming while I packed up the suitcases and brought them to the car. My husband was reading and watching the kids; believe me, his reading is so rare, I didn’t interrupt him for help with the luggage!
Next we drove back to Ohio where my husband had left our keys and his hat. *(See note below.) He took out his luggage to get Jayson’s toy plane and then went inside to get the keys and hat. We drove to Target to pick up some cold meds as I woke with sniffles and sneezes and were on our merry way. We stopped a few times to switch off driving, use the bathroom or get snacks. In NY when we were switching gain, I went to the back of the SUV to get something and asked my husband where his suitcase was. “What?” “Where is your suitcase?” “Is it missing?” “See this perfect rectangular hole here? That’s where your luggage was.” He kept insisting he never took his luggage out. Exasperated I said “You took it out to get Jayson’s plane, remember? What did you do, leave it there in the bathroom or something?” Realization dawned on him then “When we got to the Target in Ohio, the lift gate was opened. I thought nothing of it, I just shut it. I must not have shut it tight after getting the plane and it fell out somewhere between the hotel and Target.” Ugh! I was upset, he wasn’t overly concerned stating “It’s just clothes. I can buy more. Oh, and a picture.” “A picture? A picture of what?” “Um, nothing. (smirk)” “Oh my Gosh!”It was a bad pic of my daughter and I on a log ride, me screaming in terror while my daughter laughs at me, which someone better not find and put online or on Ellen!
Finally, weary from our travels, we arrove home at 3:30 am. We picked up the kids and went in, collapsing in our beds, glad the journey was over. Luggage could wait, we needed sleep. In a bed.
We lost much on that journey, keys, luggage and a loved one, but gained many good memories as well. Would I do it again? Perhaps. The kids weren’t as bad as I anticipated. We would definitely need to do the stop overs to make it bearable. We saw a lot of the country we hadn’t seen before and I think we all had fun. The new adventure is school! It began yesterday for us. Keep tuned for those wild stories. After day 1, I’m sure there will be many to tell!
* OH! The KEYS! I found my “lost” keys in my purse. It makes no sense because I emptied my purse 4 times looking for them and never saw them, then, miraculously they were there.
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