Laugh Lines

I Need a Spring Break Break (Part 1)

One of the first things that I do upon receiving our girls’ school schedule is to immediately transfer all the important dates to my personal calendar. I do this in hopes that I can actually begin an academic year proactively (give or take a month).

Spring Break is written in pen and highlighted in pink and yellow for extra excitement. This year we were planning a family trip to the great state of Texas, but had a last-minute change that prevented us from doing so. My husband was unable to join us, so we began planning a Girls Getaway.

A world of possibilities opened up to us (with a few parameters set up by our good friend, Mr. Checkbook). Two days before Spring Break officially began, I searched feverishly through Internet sites hoping for that perfect location. How about New York? Too far from Missouri and I’m sure Donald Trump wouldn’t have any time to give us a personal tour of the Big Apple. Maybe Mount Rushmore! Nope. The Web site indicates that they don’t even begin to see grass until May, and shoveling my own snow path of history doesn’t interest me. Hershey, Pennsylvania? Alas, no. Not enough frequent flier miles (I console myself with a Hershey bar).

Finally, with great exclamation I proposed Gulf Shores, Alabama! Why? I’m not sure, except that it’s sunny with sand, and I can turn on a southern accent should I get lost or distressed. We vote. It’s unanimous.

Always looking for exciting places along the way, I carefully examined our travel route in hopes of digging up a couple of golden nuggets of historical significance to share with our two teenage daughters. Duly satisfied, I begin to program the GPS system, pack our bags and determine the all-important start time.

“We shall leave at dawn!” I announce. Our girls groan and ask why they have to get up so early on their vacation. I smile and say, “So you can get there faster and rest.” (It doesn’t make sense to me either, but that’s what my parents used to say.)

One last look at my checklist:

Suitcases? Check.
Atlas? Check.
GPS System? Check.
Google Maps? Check.
City Maps? Check. (I tend to get lost often.)
Charged cell phone? Check.
Snacks? Check.
CDs? Check.
Enough snacks? Check.

All systems go. The girls crawl into the car and promptly fall asleep on this, their big adventure. I do love road trips and that helps me stay alert, which is good since I’m driving. Committing our trip to the Lord, I began to soak in all the sights around me and gave a thankful prayer for this opportunity.

About 30 minutes into the trip, I began to search for the snack bag. (There are no rules about proper eating times when in the car.) I find something to munch along the way and realize that my GPS had spoken to me while I was rooting through the food items. “What did you say?” Unfortunately, the system is NOT interactive. Both girls were still asleep, so I listened intently for the next directive. “Tom,” as we affectionately call our GPS system, graciously repeated the instructions and squelched my rising panic for the moment.

We arrived at our first destination without any trouble whatsoever. We unfolded ourselves from our compact car and began to explore the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. A battle of great significance had taken place during the Civil War in this town. It practically oozed history as we took tours, snapped pictures and thoroughly enjoyed Southern hospitality. Our time to visit was short and required us to leave the next morning “to make good time.” (Again, I don’t know why we had to make good time, but it’s what my parents used to say.)

The sweetest words a directionally-challenged driver can hear is, “You have reached your destination.” Which we did—Gulf Shores, Alabama. For the next four days we had great fun eating shrimp, walking the beach and trying desperately to rid ourselves of the winter sheen we seemed to have acquired over the last few months. We bought tacky souvenirs for everyone we could think of, wrote postcards and rested. Whew! Could I have skipped straight to the restful part if I had hopped in my recliner and watched the Travel Channel?

Pam & Kathy’s 7 Tips to a Successful Road Trip

Plan your route carefully. Purchase the newest maps available or check the Internet for road construction or detours.
Take a book on CD or a teaching CD to listen to while you travel. It creates great teaching moments with those in the car.
Have your car checked prior to the trip. This will give you peace of mind and also help maximize gas mileage.
Plan a couple surprise stops along the way, or spontaneously check out an interesting landmark.
Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination.
Ask for input regarding different aspects of the trip. This way everyone has an opportunity to have a voice.
Be flexible. Even the best plans can change. Keep a sense of humor.