Planning

Once again I am deep into the planning stages of the kids and my annual road trip.  For those of you who don't know me very well, my idea of planning is having a rough idea of where we're going.  Like which states.

A few years ago we drove from Seattle, Washington to Austin, Texas and back for fun.  In July.  Last year we hit Berkeley, San Francisco and Las Vegas on our annual trek on the nations highways and byways.  We've driven to Denver, Missoula, Salt Lake City, Portland, Boise and Pullman - all cities where we have friends and family living.

Believe it or not, we have a total blast on these trips.  We go in the summer because *d'oh* we are all in school and because that is husband's very very busy time of year for work.  He usually works 7 days a week, 14 hours a day in July and August.  This is because those are the only two months we aren't drowning in rainwater and turning green from the algae growing on our skin.  Husband is a general contractor so July and August is when the outside work happens.  So rather than sit around at home, the kids and I hit the road.

My kids are great in the car, probably because I've driven them all over the place since the time they were babies.  I don't like to stay home, so sue me.  They bring their pillows, iPods, Nintendo game player thingys, books and drawing materials and they're happy.  The secret is to ALWAYS stay at hotels with swimming pools when you have to drive all day, they can get all their excess energy out and will sleep well at night plus you can get them tired in the morning before you hit the road.  I love to drive so doing all the driving isn't a problem either.

This year the planning has to include the rest of the family who are going to pick up the slack in caring for Grandmother while I am gallivanting around the countryside with my offspring.  At 93 years old with two very bad falls in the last few years we have to make sure she is looked after a little more closely than in the past.  Of course SHE doesn't think it's necessary but SHE also thinks her hearing is perfectly fine and that I'm being paranoid by not letting her have a step-stool because she might actually use it.  Let's just say her judgement is biased.

But our family is the best and she will be fine while I'm gone and I will get a much-needed break.  This year we're going to Berkeley to visit Scientist Genius Brother from August 1st to August 4th.  Marvelous Mom will be joining us for this leg of the journey which will be lots of fun.  She came with us on our first long road trip to Denver several years ago and we had so much fun!  Then on the 4th we will drive from Berkeley to San Diego to meet up with the other Vegas Show Girl Bloggers - Stepmonster, Yo, Mel, and Christy - where we will do all the fun San Diego sightseeing touristy things as well as drink a margarita or three by the pool while my progeny try to drown each other.  On the 9th we will leave San Diego with Stepmonster in tow and drive to Las Vegas where we will stay with Stepmonster and Darling Dad until they kick us out of their house or August 17th.  Whichever comes first.

The kids are loading up their iPods with new music and audio books, I'm hitting all the used bookstores in the area for trashy cheap books to read and husband is trying to ignore my pestering him for a new and bigger car before we leave.  The poor man, it will be as much a vacation for him to just have us the hell out of his hair for a few weeks as it will be for us to get away!

Next year I want to go to Alaska.  And someday I'm gonna get on I-90 in Seattle and drive it all the way to Boston.  But this year we're visiting all the people we love who live far away.  And it'll be so much fun!