Interstate Adventures

We had a problem. The drive from Austin to Boston is nearly 2000 miles. We hoped to get home by Mother’s Day but that would require three days of overtime driving. Anything more than an eight-hour day, even split between the two of us, turns into a dashboard warning to take a break with a picture of a coffee cup. We get tired and the van knows. Passing by places that grab our attention is not how we want to spend miles on the road or in the van. 

We got ourselves into a time crunch. We had to adjust our expectations and figure out how to get home in an efficient and meaningful way. We did the math a few different ways to get home safely and as quickly as possible. We finally gave up hope for Mother’s Day. For me, this is especially difficult because I am at the age where my children are adults and I see that they may not always be with me in person. For now, two out of three of my children were home and wondering if I was going to make it. Ouch. 

Driving three ten-hour days would mean a lot of coffee cup warnings. I thought, as I got older life would slow down. I was worried I would find myself without a purpose. Bruce and I met on an adventure in Moscow, Russia. As our nest slowly empties, we are finding ways to balance work, passion, and adventure. We have thirty years of marriage to celebrate this year and many of these years were spent putting our family first. 

Now is the time for us to slow down and take a couple extra days to pause on our way home. I’m not sure where we will end up, but I know it will be somewhere neither of us have ever been.