September 15, 2018: Road Trip Time
Day 8 | 30 Days of Writing
A week from today, we will be taking off for a two-week road trip. With our dog, Zeke, and my father-in-law, Larry, in tow, we will start a two-week adventure. I couldn't be more excited.
My last true road trips, taking in the beauty of the US for an extended period, was in the summers of 2009 and 2010. And they were glorious. The circumstances were completely different, but I am hopeful that the outcome will be the same; enjoying the company of the ones I love while taking in the precious moments in life that collectively make the best memories.
2009 was a rough year for me. Technically divorced in all ways except the paperwork wasn't completed. There was a parenting plan dictated by the same courts in charge of the pending paperwork that including a month in the summer that the boys stayed with their dad rather than me.
At the time I was devastated at the prospect of being alone. Now I barely remember what the parenting plan read and until looking back at the 2009 road trip pictures, had completely forgotten about this summer clause.
My parents were amazing during this rough stretch of my life. They were my rock. Always there with both good advice and physically by my side, I look back now and am blown away by the sacrifices they made for me. They literally dropped everything in their comfortable life in Arizona to live with me for weeks and sometimes months at a time.
2009 was the first year of the parenting plan and the first year of my month off. My friends and family told to enjoy the time off, but I had a difficult time seeing the glass as being half-full. My parents had arranged their schedule to stay in Omaha with me for the month of July that year and through the start of the school year. I am pretty sure it was my dad who came up with the road trip idea. For the record, he has always come up with the best plans that have saved each one of his kids at one point in our lives. This is one of many examples for me.
"Sandy, why don't we spend the first week on a road trip to places we have never seen? Mom and I could use another driver on our way back too. If you fly into Las Vegas, you can pick us up and then you map the trip. Wherever you want to go and whenever you want to get back to Omaha. You are in charge of the details and Mom and I are just along for the ride."
The idea was launched and I promptly went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a Rand McNally atlas and Frommer's USA, highlighted at B&N as being 'the essential destination for planning the perfect travel excursion'. I immersed myself in my new purchases, earmarking must-sees and highlighting Rand McNally gold winning highways. Per my trusted atlas, these marked roads were the most beautiful in America.
Both of my papered treasures did not disappoint. I followed their guidance and referred to them often during our trip; always within my reach or on my lap as we took in all the beauty promised to us outside our car window.
We had a blast. My mom did a great job collecting the pictures and notes on key stops to memorialize our trip. Detail to come on these in a future blog post. It really was amazing. So good, that we did the same thing the next year during my 2010 month off.
And now it is 2018.
No parenting plan. No kids at home. A new husband. A new dog. And another dad.
Who would have known this would be my future life, back in these rocky years of 2009 and 2010?
I sure didn't.
Once again I am reminded how it isn't my plan, but with an open mind and open heart, the world will blossom into something I didn't plan or expect.
For now, I will keep referring to my trusted Rand McNally and Frommer's USA. They are on our living room end table, dusted off after a long sabbatical in my closet. The newly highlighted roads and earmarked pages have changed, but the goal the same:
Take in the moments together while sharing life and the beauty around us. Blessings will continue to come forth in ways I can never imagine. I am convinved of that.
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| Day One of the Summer Road Trip of 2009 (our launch lunch in LV before Mom, Dad and I headed north - note atlas in the background) |
A week from today, we will be taking off for a two-week road trip. With our dog, Zeke, and my father-in-law, Larry, in tow, we will start a two-week adventure. I couldn't be more excited.
My last true road trips, taking in the beauty of the US for an extended period, was in the summers of 2009 and 2010. And they were glorious. The circumstances were completely different, but I am hopeful that the outcome will be the same; enjoying the company of the ones I love while taking in the precious moments in life that collectively make the best memories.
2009 was a rough year for me. Technically divorced in all ways except the paperwork wasn't completed. There was a parenting plan dictated by the same courts in charge of the pending paperwork that including a month in the summer that the boys stayed with their dad rather than me.
At the time I was devastated at the prospect of being alone. Now I barely remember what the parenting plan read and until looking back at the 2009 road trip pictures, had completely forgotten about this summer clause.
My parents were amazing during this rough stretch of my life. They were my rock. Always there with both good advice and physically by my side, I look back now and am blown away by the sacrifices they made for me. They literally dropped everything in their comfortable life in Arizona to live with me for weeks and sometimes months at a time.
2009 was the first year of the parenting plan and the first year of my month off. My friends and family told to enjoy the time off, but I had a difficult time seeing the glass as being half-full. My parents had arranged their schedule to stay in Omaha with me for the month of July that year and through the start of the school year. I am pretty sure it was my dad who came up with the road trip idea. For the record, he has always come up with the best plans that have saved each one of his kids at one point in our lives. This is one of many examples for me.
"Sandy, why don't we spend the first week on a road trip to places we have never seen? Mom and I could use another driver on our way back too. If you fly into Las Vegas, you can pick us up and then you map the trip. Wherever you want to go and whenever you want to get back to Omaha. You are in charge of the details and Mom and I are just along for the ride."
The idea was launched and I promptly went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a Rand McNally atlas and Frommer's USA, highlighted at B&N as being 'the essential destination for planning the perfect travel excursion'. I immersed myself in my new purchases, earmarking must-sees and highlighting Rand McNally gold winning highways. Per my trusted atlas, these marked roads were the most beautiful in America.
We had a blast. My mom did a great job collecting the pictures and notes on key stops to memorialize our trip. Detail to come on these in a future blog post. It really was amazing. So good, that we did the same thing the next year during my 2010 month off.
And now it is 2018.
No parenting plan. No kids at home. A new husband. A new dog. And another dad.
Who would have known this would be my future life, back in these rocky years of 2009 and 2010?
I sure didn't.
Once again I am reminded how it isn't my plan, but with an open mind and open heart, the world will blossom into something I didn't plan or expect.
For now, I will keep referring to my trusted Rand McNally and Frommer's USA. They are on our living room end table, dusted off after a long sabbatical in my closet. The newly highlighted roads and earmarked pages have changed, but the goal the same:
Take in the moments together while sharing life and the beauty around us. Blessings will continue to come forth in ways I can never imagine. I am convinved of that.
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