Road Trips have changed a bit

We are leaving today. Jessica and David are going with us to Florida. Hubby has a convention and lots of responsibilities so we are taking two kids to make Disney more fun for me.

A few things have changed since we took our own kids on a vacation. A biggie of course is seat belt requirement. There will be no beds made up in the back but we will take pillows.

Another thing is movies—we have it set up so both children can watch the same movie or they can watch their own movie separately. Many years ago, we read books aloud—chapter books—some for fun and some to educate us about the places we were going to see. I packed surprises to open after driving six hours. Sorry kids, I didn’t even think about that until this minute.

Then there are bathroom stops. We never made bathroom stops because of me. Bathroom stops were only made when it was necessary to get gas or food. I had a mother’s bladder that could wait for ten hours. Sadly, that has changed.

And food, that has changed, too. I prepared for days in advance with a well packed cooler and a larder of all that we needed to consume for days at a time. We ate meals in rest parks along the highway. This trip, we will unapologetically enjoy fast foods.

We never used hotels because we had a marvelous blue tent that was very adequate for four of us. Like today though we were always thrilled if the place where we were going to spend the night had a pool.

And suitcases—we used to take just two--a smaller one for the boys and a larger one for us--both without wheels. We had two boxes of books. We needed as much room as possible for the boys to spread out so we strapped the tent and a few supplies on the roof. The suitcases today are about two per person and then we each need at least one duffle as well as entertainment supplies.

We are excited to get going and anticipating lots of fun and adventure. We are praying with more intensity. Praying for safety on the highway and especially that no harm will come to the children. It is a much larger responsibility to take grandchildren than it was to take our own two sons.

There may be a long break from blogging or perhaps I will take a break and blog. I just can’t say at this time. If you check and nothing is here, pray for us. Thanks.