That One Time I Took our Kids on a Road Trip by Myself

Yesterday, half past breakfast and a quarter til Brite’s first nap, I started to plan the day ahead of us.  I didn’t have any pressing errands to run, no play dates on the books and Andy’s plane wasn’t due to land until late in the evening.  The schedule was looking pretty barren, SO I looked at my two comrades, “Ladies, road trip?” 

The same friends who came to visit last weekend live only an hour and a half up the road in Chattanooga, so I thought we’d give it a shot.  Sometimes you just gotta go for it, ya know? I texted Erin to make sure they were available for this long distance play date, and to our luck they were excited to let us crash their Wednesday. 

Within 10 minutes of sending the text, the car was packed and the girls were settled in their car seats.  We were pulling out of the driveway just before noon.  Brite was asleep by the time we got on the highway and Marin was pretty content to play I-spy and pretend we were characters from Frozen for most of the drive.  The farther down the road I got, the more confidence I gained that this was in fact a brilliant idea, me and my girls on a gorgeous day out on the open road.  We pulled into one of our favorite parks in Chattanooga just around 1:45. 

We spent a few hours with Erin and her kiddos, playing in the park and then at their house.  It was such a fun day and I was pleasantly surprised by how easygoing Marin and Brite were for such an out-of-routine kind of outing.  By 6:00 we were giving hugs and hopping in the car, so grateful for friends who love adventures too.

Marin and Brite were asleep within the first 20 minutes of our trek back, and just as I started to puff with pride for conquering such a big outing on my own, we pulled into stand still traffic on the highway. Can it just go with out saying that the ride home wasn’t quite the travelling perfection that existed just five hours prior.  Nope.  It involved crying and Marin throwing up all over herself and her car seat.  I pulled into our driveway with a half naked toddler, a screaming baby, and a minivan that smelled like vomit.  But, we made it! Me and my girls, doing the things that make our hearts alive (and exhausted and a bit feverish).  It might be a while before I attempt a feat like this with out Andy, but it feels good to know the three of us can spread our wings if we so dare.  And as I clean crevices I didn’t know existed carseats, I’m just positive that we’ll look back at this and say “Remember that one time…” which is a tell tale sign that whatever follows those words was probably well worth the, well, vomit in this case.  Until next time, friends.