Summer, road trips, and the end of an era

Brittany Johnson
Jun 5, 2017
2 min read

My kiddos are out of school for the summer, and we have already spent a glorious week sleeping in, and being absolutely lazy. Summer has always been a special time of cookouts, camping, and visiting family, but this summer is going to be the summer of all summers....or so I hope. This summer, I have the chance to visit London with a dear friend, and work on a joint project together while doing the tourist thing. My kiddos will be in Wyoming with my mom ,enjoying her farm animals and being spoiled rotten by their aunts and uncles. I will be gone for ten days, the longest I have ever been apart from them. I know I will have a wonderful time, and my kiddos will be safe and probably not even miss me...but my mama heart hurts a little bit at the thought of so much distance between us.

After London, I will return and visit my mom for a few more weeks, soaking up the laughter and teasing from my mom & siblings. I am the oldest of 8 kids, and there is always something going on with one of us, we always have a lot of fun together. And then the really crazy part of summer starts. I'm traveling to The Grand Canyon in Arizona, The White Sands National Park in New Mexico, Southern Missouri to visit extended family, and finally, Virginia to visit my Dad. In theory, this all sounds like fun, but that is a lot of driving for anyone...and I'm taking a 17 year old, a 15 year old, a 8 year old, and a 5 year old...oh, and did I mention I plan to camp along the way? So yes... I am a little bit insane, and I imagine there are going to be lots of not so glamourous moments (hello truck stop bathrooms), but I'm hoping this summer starts a tradition...the kind of tradition that will endure over the years...something my kids will look back on and smile as they remember 'Mom's crazy road trips.'

My youngest is going to kindergarten this fall, my oldest will be a third grader, and I will turn 30 in December...this summer is celebrating the end of an era. My kids are growing up, I'm finally starting to feel like an adult (and I have the gray hairs to prove it), and this road trip is both a farewell to the toddler years, and a hello to the new beginnings of school, careers, and another era of memories. I'm not quite sure what the future may hold, but I'm looking forward to seeing where life might take me. And hey, if I can survive this road trip across the country with two of my sisters, and my two kiddos, I can survive anything, right? Happy Summer, my friends, I hope you enjoy yourself, and make a few memories to last a lifetime.