We made the 3 hour drive from Cincinnati up to Toledo this past weekend to attend a graduation party for Faith’s cousin Ariel. Let me start by saying that a 3 hour car drive is not a big deal to us. We make day trips to Toledo without batting an eye. We are more accustomed to the 6 hour trip from Cincinnati to Nashville and even did 15 hours last summer to Florida. Road tripping is a regular part of our lives.
Some people dislike traveling, particularly driving. For me, the road trip part is all part of the vacation for me. As a kid, I always liked seeing different places. I listened to my walk man a lot on road trips, but spent all of that time looking out the window because I would get carsick if I didn’t. I love seeing the mountains and driving through big cities. I was always the one who found the funny signs by the highway too. I still pay a lot of attention to the scenery, but now that I am the driver, headphones are not an option and I can’t blast me some Skillet for a multiple hour car drive with everyone else in the car.
What I most look forward to now when we travel is the opportunity to have quality conversations with Faith. It is a great help to be able to pop a DVD in for the kids to watch in the back and cut down on interruptions. There is always something though, but with the kids strapped into their seats, there are way fewer interruptions then when we are sitting at home. It seems that a lot of major decisions are made while we are traveling down the highway. We also get to share our dreams with each other. If I can give you any advice about marriage, it would be how important CLEAR COMMUNICATION is to your relationship. Faith and I make great efforts to communicate throughout the week, but road trips give us a special opportunity to communicate. Sometimes our weeks get lost in the essential details of who has to be where and getting ready for the next event. But it is special when we get to share our dreams with each other and dream of things together. It reminds me a lot of when we were first dating.
This is why I love road trips. Plus we always pack good snacks for the road and I can make truckers honk their horns.
I hadn't really thought about it much but my wife and I have amazing conversations on road trips as well. I personally hate to drive though…mainly because I have to do it everyday being in sales.