In a little over a week from now my family and I are traveling to Wisconsin for my sister's wedding. Some months back we decided we would drive there, due to high airfare, I know, gas prices are not so rosy, but we should still come out ahead. So all eight of us will head out on the open road in our Suburban.

 

Now, when we originally planned the trip, we were going to take 4 days to get there. Not so bad. Twenty-four hours of driving divided by four days equals six hours of driving a day. We can handle that no problem. Well, that was 5 months ago. The plan has changed just a bit. Now, I have likened my husband to Clark W. Griswald many times because of his optimistic attitude. Those of you who know him know he is known for his upbeat personality. Well, this trip is a perfect example. The four days of driving has now been condensed down to essentially two. My husband, the optimist, tells me it is going to be great.

 

 We will set out early the first day and drive 12 hours to Pittsburgh. Mapquest tells us it takes just under 12 hours, but friends of ours from Pittsburgh recall the drive being more like 15 hours. Maybe their memory is fuzzy, they have only taken the trip from Pittsburgh to Maine at least a dozen times, or maybe their breaks are long and leisurely, but I conclude that our drive will be somewhere between 12 and 15 hours the first day. The second day of driving will be a mere 10 hours of driving.

 

We have planned for an extra day in each of the pitstop cities for some R&R. We will do a little sightseeing and use the hotel pools and hopefully that will let the kids expend some energy.
Don't get me wrong, I am excited to spend time with my family. As my older children get, well, older, our opportunities to do this sort of trip will become more scarce. I can't help but fear though, the things that could present problems. One very likely, although minor problem, will be the almost 3 year old sitting between his 2 teenage brothers and becoming immensely bored as they listen to their mp3 players and ignore him. I have read up on some travel activites for kids and not very many are geared toward the preschool age, so any ideas thrown my way would be greatly appreciated. Car trouble along the way, although not very likely, would also put a damper on things.

 

As the trip approaches and the details are being worked out, I am beginning to mellow a bit and realize there is only so much in our control. We have planned and prepared and the rest has to play out as it will. I am sure there will be a few squabbles along the way and maybe a few roadblocks. I know there will be material for this blog along the way and possibly a movie screenplay, ok hopefully not that much drama. I also know there will be great conversations, laughter, and many memories in the making. So I am ready for my "National Lampoon Vacation" and am going to try to enjoy every bit of it.