Help Save Me From Possible Road Trip Purgatory

If you are wondering, yes, this is a stock photo, but I have this car. :)

Road trips are not my thing, plain and simple. I love to travel. I do not love to travel in a car. Road trips to me are all about waiting. First you are waiting to get somewhere. Then you are waiting to get home. Thus my title about road trip purgatory...since many religions view purgatory as a soul's "waiting place", I found it appropriate. Can I be more blunt?  I HATE road trips with the combined passion of thousands! But I volunteered for this upcoming 14+ hour trip this weekend. Volunteered. Why, you might ask? Well, as you know (if you have been reading my blog, which I of course highly recommend!) you would know that Barrett sold his truck a few months ago to help pay for some expenses and replenish our savings account. He has been riding his motorcycle to work basically all summer, but we knew we would use some of the truck money to buy a different used vehicle (we talked about sharing a car..but our schedules are too different, even now). Anyhow, Barrett and I decided that he would buy a used Ford Explorer from his grandmother. Well, they live in Camarillo (down by Santa Barbara). Thus, we are flying down tomorrow afternoon and driving the car back. Let it be said, that Barrett loves me so much that the original plan was for him to do this trip alone and for me to stay home with the kiddos and pets. The more I thought about that idea though, the more I just got sad. My parents were willing to watch their grandsons and the new grandpuppy, and get the boys back and forth to soccer (they go to every game each weekend anyway). Barrett and I have not been apart a single night since we got married (and I won't answer any questions about before then...lol!), and the thought of him being away for the weekend was enough to make me cry. Seriously. I know that is probably gag-worthy for many of my readers, and yes...before I was alone so much as a married woman that I felt single half the time, but I love Barrett, and what's more, I genuinely like him. Almost always. He is my best friend. He is the person I talk to about anything and everything. He is my partner in this journey of life, and he curls up to me every single night, arms wrapped around me and snuggles me close until the morning. I won't give up 2 nights of that...not when I can help it. 

So, that means I offered to go with him, made arrangements with my folks, and explained my case to him. I promised to not make it the road trip from Hell, and told Barrett it could even be fun (mind you, I am using a very loose definition here...that means I will not kill him...so that's fun, right?).  The fact of the matter is that I want to be there to help him stay awake, to keep him company and to drive part of the trip (even if it's a small amount). I also want to see his family again, and for the most selfish of reasons, I want him with me, not away from me. In preparation for this trip, I even finally spoke to my doctor about my bladder over-activity  because let's face it, when you have to pee every 1-2 hours every single day of your life, and at least once a night, it has really been getting in the way, and is the main reason I dread road trips...because there is no bathroom in the car. For years I have been too embarrassed to ever say anything, even to a doctor. I have dreaded going places that may not have a restroom (Matt's soccer practices and t-ball games come to mind!). I have turned down certain activities, and I have fretted over it interfering with a job. No more. I didn't ask to have this condition any more than a person asks for diabetes. My doctor listened to me, and told me that we were going to try a medication to help, and that a road trip is the perfect time to find out. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will extend the hours in between stops this time. 

Now, I am also wracking my brain for things to do and talk about on the road trip. I can watch a few DVDs before the laptop will die, we have a book we are reading that I can read aloud to Barrett,  maybe I'll pick up a book on tape, and I have a silly game (Would You Rather?) that we can play in the car. I am so open to more and other ideas, people!  I tend to have the attention span of a 7 year-old ADD boy, and I need your help to make this trip a good one! :)