3 Months Down

I know we have been radio silent the past 10 days or so. We have been BUSY! A visit to Oshkosh, WI to see my dad’s plane at the Experimental Aircraft Association HQ, a visit to the Chicago Westin (I mean to Chicago), Indiana Dunes National Park, a few days with Dan’s sister and her family in West Lafayette, IN, a visit with Dan’s cousin and his family in Ann Arbor to take in a game at the Big House and yesterday – a pilgrimage to Cedar Point to satisfy Ava’s roller coaster addiction. If you follow me on Instagram you know some of this – if you don’t, this is 10+ days in one long run-on sentence (did I mention I was in charge of grammar education this year – funniest oxymoron ever!).

The past couple of days also marks 3 months on the road. What might have been a quick summer for you has been long for me! Not long in a negative sense but long in that the variety of our days seems to make them longer. We have to really participate in each and every day. New problems to solve, places to explore and people to meet. Unless I was on an international business trip, my work weeks often flew by. It was like sprinting through the days in an effort to reach the 6pm Friday milestone when the inevitable couch collapse would occur. There are days I miss that. I miss the hustle and bustle of work, the sense of purpose, my team. I miss the Friday collapse because it always meant takeout and a movie with Dan and the girls. We can watch movies whenever we want on the road – and that has its own sense of fun. Watching a movie on a Monday night feels like an illicit activity! But the routine of life has its merit. And of course the routine of life for us included a dish and clothes washer – and excellent water pressure available whenever we pleased. I would be a liar if I didn’t say I missed those things.

The pleasure of routine aside, life on the road is worth it for this year. The anticipation alone is worth the journey. We are, at this moment, heading east on Ohio State Highway 2. We spend tonight in Cuyahoga Valley National Park then on to the northeast. I am so excited about fall in New England. Apple picking, hiking in cold weather, the leaves, taking the kids to historic sites, visiting with friends. As much fun as those experiences will be – the anticipation of those events might be the sweetest part.

And of course, hanging out with our girls every day is what inspired this in the first place. Last night was a perfect example of why this trip matters. We were in Cedar Point. Really an epic waste of money on a lousy weather day. Such an epic waste that Hazel, our entertainment budget director, looked at all of us very seriously and said “no more entertainment in September, AT ALL.” (of course she followed that statement 2 hours later with “please mom can I have $5 for that game…we are already busting our budget, might as well spend $5 more” – I laughed so hard). We decided to soldier on through the afternoon and maximize our entertainment dollars. What joy to wrap my arm around Hazel on one of the rides she was a little unsure about and watch her face as she giggled, screamed and laughed her way through the ride. And to watch Dan and Ava hold hands on the way out of the park – how many more days will our 13 year old daughter permit her dad to hold her hand? I am deeply grateful to watch the girls, really watch them, each day of this year.

3 months down, 8 or 9 to go!