On the Road Again

Over the years, we have spent a lot of quality time together in the truck.  We have logged miles and miles and miles travelling to and from cattle shows.  

This weekend, Daniel and I left the boys at home (the advantages of having a teenage driver) and made an impromptu trip to Virginia.  

No, it wasn't a romantic getaway...

We had cows to deliver.  

As much as I like the destinations...I absolutely love the trip.  

Some of our best memories are made in the cab of the truck.  

When we are together in the truck, so many of the distractions of life are shut out and we are able to have conversations, laugh and just make memories together.  

There have been lots and lots of naps...

Always a little fighting over who is taking up more than their half of the seat...

But every once in a while, they accidentally end up cuddling.  

And attempts at homework are pretty futile.

We have seen the sights of the country...as we drive by because it is too hot to stop the truck.  

And we have seen some unbelievable sights...that make us laugh...

Or, hurry up and get away.  (You may not be able to see it, but the boat was loosely tied on with ropes and was about to bounce off the trailer)

I used to see families driving down the road and scoff at all the headphones and lack of communication going on in the car.  Now, as a parent of teenagers...or just a fellow human being on a very long trip...I am beginning to understand.  We had our fair share of headphones on the 15 hour trip to Oklahoma this summer.  

I like to read...and sometimes there is just too much conversation.  Or, I have to distract myself while someone else is driving (the nerve racking part of having a teenage driver). 

Of course, there are some kids that like to play games on their phones or listen to their own music.  

But sometimes...you will do just about anything to drown out the stupid songs...like Tumbling Tumbleweed...that someone likes to play on repeat just to annoy us.  

While we do have a lot of fond memories of travelling together as a family, things don't always go as planned. 

Can you say deer in the headlights?  But we have to keep reliving that memory because Isaac was asleep.  

Or the time that someone kept ignoring the pleas of the kid in the back seat that needed to make a pit stop...which ended up being a "PULL OVER TO THE BERM NOW" stop along the highway.  I won't tell you which kid...because we still laugh about it. 

Our back sides may go numb and our legs may not work, the car snacks may be all eaten and everything falls out when you open the door,  but we don't hesitate to jump back in the truck to log more miles together.  

Some of my most prominent memories as a child are those that happened in the car.  Most of them may not have been enjoyable at the time (especially for the adults), but today when we are gathered around the holiday table, it is what we all talk about.  

By the time we got home yesterday, Daniel was worn out.  It didn't help that Miss GPS took us up and down mountains and around hairpin turns for most of the day.  But we sure saw some beautiful back road scenery.  

We have a lot more miles ahead of us this month.  Weekend trips to Indiana and Iowa are logged on the calendar.  The boys can't wait for the destinations...but I can't wait for the quality time in the truck.  

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