...the need for speed. Well, speeding responsibly down the highways toward a kinda faraway destination otherwise known as a road trip. I love them so very much and consider myself a semipro at this point. As a kid, we took many, even successfully making it the 2,000 miles from Rialto, CA (as seen on Cops) to Clarksville, TN. TWO THOUSAND MILES. One van, 4 kids, 2 parents, and a dog. I think the van played a huge part in everyone surviving the experience and I'm tempted to go into the dark, scary basement and rifle through my storage bin full' o' pictures of it For now I'll just tell you a little about it. It was maroon and silver (mmmhmmm) and had the mysterious lettering of 'FC' on the spare tire cover, which we were always told stood for 'Fucking Circus'. Probably the coolest part, aside from the back bench that turned into a full-sized bed with a flip of the switch, was the TV. It was small by today's standards, but at that time it was sufficient for hours and hours of Tetris playing. Enough to turn you to a Tetris Pro within 2,000 miles.
After I was all growed up, the road trips continued. Ben and I (prekids) drove the 13 hours to KY a couple of times which they say is a true test of a relationship. I honestly don't remember a whole lot from those trips, as it was during the time of becoming a unexpectant mother at 20, but I do remember making mixed CD's specifically for these trips. These CD's may or may not have strengthened our relationship. (They totally did).
I was also fortunate enough to weasel my way into a family that had a beach house in Hatteras, NC. We made maaaany 8-12 hour trips throughout the 10 years that Ben's parents owned the house, and can honestly say those were some of the best times of my life. I want to tell you about them, really, but it wouldn't benefit either of us. The stopping and letting little 2 year-old Owen run free in the fields to stretch his leggies? That doesn't sound like much typed out. The time I hallucinated and mistook a giant boat propeller as a dog wearing a cowboy hat? Sounds like an uninteresting dream. Needless to say, the transcript of hours and hours of conversation between pilot and co-pilot would have to be burned. Many good times were had and memories, both good and traumatic, were made. And I'm eager to make more.