3 Drivers on a Roadtrip

by Hope

We have always done road trips. Princess and Gymnast took their first road trips a week after they were born. And as the kids became drivers, they drove some…but not much. We had a 15 passenger van and that’s a little scary to trust to a new driver. Not that they didn’t get their turn.

But I can’t remember a time since they were all driving, that we took a road trip. But the girls and I are have done just that. Headed to Texas for Thanksgiving. Three drivers and a dog. In my beloved Honda HRV. 15+ hours of drive time, with a planned break in New Orleans. (My car camping mattress was in place so whomever is in the back could actually sleep. We were packed tight). No hotel stops planned.

We packed food. I budgeted $100 for gas. And everyone had their own spending money for whatever we do in New Orleans…Cafe Du Monde beignets and Muffuletta for me. Our goal was to get to my parents in less than 24 hours.

I’m grateful for this time with my girls. For the means to make this trip and spend a week with my family including all 5 of my kiddos. All 13 of my immediate family will be there – parents, siblings, and my kids. These times and times get more and more rare. And harder to arrange.

Food for the Week

I’ve arranged the menu for the week. I’ll be cooking for everyone for every meal except one. (My kids will all pitch in to help.) My dad will provide the groceries for the week. I’ve already written about the cost of dog boarding. I realize there are some in the BAD community who question my dad’s help. It’s just how our family works. It’s how my dad’s family worked. And I (we all) recognize how blessed we are and do not take it for granted.

And then, after my kids all leave, I’ve got a new laundry list of things my dad has requested some support with.

How about you? Do you have exciting plans this week with friends and / or family? 

Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.