Thursday, April 10, 2008

On the Road Again...

I just can't wait to get on the road again...
Who sang that song?
I think they wrote it just for me!
I have gypsie in my blood.
I like to be on the move.
I like to travel.
I like to take weekend excursions.

I was just telling my friend Jeri, how nice my husband is to let me travel on my own.
We discovered long ago with his crazy jobs that if I was to ever get away or if my parents were ever going to see their grandchildren, then I would have to travel...alone.

I've had some memorable little escapades.
Like the time that I drove to Atlanta around the 4th of July.
Lana was born on June 5th via c-section, and Logan had turned 2 June 26th.
I drove to Atlanta to pick up my sister, Laura, and 6 month old Sarah.
We then drove in my non-air conditioned car up to NC to visist Mom & Dad.
YES...you read correctly...July in the south...cramped car with 3 car seats, 2 being infants, one being barely a month old, and NO air.
We got one of those little fans that you plug into the cigarette lighter to try to cool the babies in the back. It made no difference...The Sarahdactyle as we called her because of her amazing loud scream, screamed half the time anyways. Logan whined and complained and Lana cried her pitiful newborn cry.
It was crazy and we wanted to die by the time we got there, but looking back today I would do it again in a heart beat.

That following January was my Mom's 50th Birthday and we had planned a suprise party.
So I loaded up 2 1/2 year old Logan and 7 month old Lana and we drove. It snowed on the way there. Then it snowed a lot more while we where there. Then I couldn't drive the car back to my parents because it had snowed so much.
Then...the stomach bug invaded the house and picked us all off one by one.
Poor little baby Lana got it the morning we where leaving.
So I put her car seat in the front ( a big no-no!) so I could check on her and drove home, recovering from the vomits, with a 2 year old having diarhea and an infant throwing up!
That one, I wouldn't do again!

2 Christmas's ago the kids and I drove up to NC the day after Christmas to have round 2 with my family.
On the way home I got a flat tire. So I pulled over...but I pulled over to far and then was also stuck in the mud.
I called a wrecker service (thank goodness I have road side assistance with my Cingular account!) They came out...I had to open the back of the van so they could get to the spare tire...A 500 pack of Legos fell out of the back of the van all over the side of the road!
Yes, that was a joy to pick up in the middle of winter on the side of the interstate with a strange wrecker man and my two young children!

So you may ask...why do I continue to travel and subject myself to the obvious torture that sometimes ensues...
Because I HAVE to!
When I was a kid my Mom would pack up the 3 of us kids and we would drive to Pennsylvania.
And that was back in the day of no cell phones!
We always had adventures then too...there was always poop or vomit or toilet paper hanging out of Moms pants as she would come out of the bathroom!
Those are some of my fondest memories...not just the trip, but the travel to our destination.
I'm glad I can do the same for my kids.
I'm thankful that my husband lets us leave the safety of our home and travel out into the wild blue yonder in the name of creating memories.

One time when we turned onto the gravel rode that my parents live on Logan said...
"Mom, can you role down the windows, I've been waiting to listen to my favorite sound."
"What sound is that?", I asked.
"The sound of our car driving over Marmi & Pappy's rocks!"

And that is why I will continue to subject myself to the drama of traveling by myself with kids!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband works long hours too and there have been a few trips I've taken, alone. The first time I went to Dothan with Brandon he was 3 months old. I was terrifed the entire trip! But now it's no big deal to go somewhere on my own. I don't like long trips though. I get too tired and cranky. Then no one is happy.

And I believe it was Willie Nelson that sang "On the Road Again".

-C said...

my first thought was "Bob and Larry" as in the veggies. :) So where are you going?

Abbey said...

It is Willie. My husband's a fan.

Happy travels!! Sounds fun.....

Abbey said...

It is Willie. My husband's a fan.

Happy travels!! Sounds fun.....

Marsha said...

Okay, let me clarify the "awkward" and embarrassing sentence my daughter just HAD to put in there. She said, "We always had adventures then too...there was always poop or vomit or toilet paper hanging out of Moms pants as she would come out of the bathroom!" It was only toilet paper that would be trailing from my pants. It was the kids who would poop or vomit! I did not come out of bathrooms with poop or vomit on the toilet paper that flowed from by pants.

Thank you. I feel better now. My dignity has been restored.

PS I like your new header! Great effect - a chopped up body.

Kim said...

Cool collage! I laughed at your craziness. It is so different from mine. I despise traveling by myself with the kids. Too hard.

Missy said...

I love that C thought of veggie tales...when mine where her age thats what I would have thought too!
We used to listen to that CD ALL THE TIME!
To answer the question, I am going to TN to meet my Mom who is taking my kids back to her house and I am meeting a friend there for the weekend! Woohoo for girl weekend!

Anonymous said...

I could see you doing all of that...what fun memories your kiddos will have!

Jeri Tanner said...

Hope you had a great trip!!!! You missed some pretty cool thunderstorms down here.

Marsha, that was the best laugh I've had all day!! Oh the toilet paper trails I've known...