Road Trip

The short version of this story is that Brian and I went on a whirlwind one-day road trip.

The long version is a little more complicated, but I'll do my best. 

For the past seven years, my brother and his family have lived far away (anywhere from a 12 hour to an impossibly long 44 hour drive!), but he got a new job this month within four hours of where we live. He was scheduled to move in mid-November.  The tricky part of all that was that my sister-in-law is pregnant and due with their fourth child, also in mid-November. 

The plan was that my dad would fly to their house at the beginning of the week and travel with them to the new destination, driving one of their vehicles and being an extra set of hands over the journey which they broke into several days.  The problem was that once they reached the new place, my dad was stuck in a town four hours from home. 

Brian offered to pick him up as long as I would come along to be the navigator. We haven't seen my brother's family since last Thanksgiving so we were super excited about the adventure. My mom and sisters agreed to stay with our kids for the day so we had a plan.

The day was bright and sunny, but also windy and frigid. We got up early and left flat country to head across the bridge into mountain country.

The drive there was scheduled to take four hours, but with a breakfast/gas stop, a quick bathroom break, and a not-so-quick traffic delay around the city, it took us closer to five hours to arrive.

When we pulled into their driveway it was lunchtime and the movers had finished delivering the boxes so we went out to lunch together at a Chinese buffet, then back to their house for coffee, dessert, and a few hours of visiting.

The kids were a little bored because all of their books and toys were still packed and the DVD player was MIA.  Uncle Brian came to the rescue with Curious George on the PBS Kids app on his phone. 

All too soon, it was time to get in the car to make the return trip.  In the waning light, we snapped a few group photos before we left. 

An accident on the highway caused a delay in our drive home, too, and I don't know if I've ever felt so tired in the car.  What is so exhausting about riding, sitting, and eating all day, anyway? What would have taken four hours took six (though that included a dinner stop and another stop for gas, coffee, and a milkshake for this non-coffee drinker!).

We walked into our house about sixteen hours after leaving it that morning!

The great part is knowing we can visit again.  Next time we'll take the kids and next time we'll stay more than a few hours. 

The trip was a whirlwind, but totally worth the effort.