We’re going on a trip! So I’m thinking of dreams today. Specifically dreams involving travel. By the way I’ll tell you a well-known secret… {Whisper} I’m a horrible traveler…BUT, my list of dreams includes travel in one way or another. I’m up for the dreams just not sure how I’m getting there 🙂

In my list of dreams, I have the goal of seeing the Grand Canyon (the big trip!), seeing the northern lights (not sure how to plan that timing), and finding my hometown (This will involve visits. Yikes!). Here’s the thing. I find travel itself painful. I’m not talking about the visiting a place and exploring it. I’m talking about the actual getting there. I’ve had trouble travelling ever since I could remember. Now when I was a kid it was a little easier. Being I was little, I got tired faster and could actually doze and nap.

Once I got bigger I could no longer sleep in a car unless, I’ve been up for eighteen to twenty-four hours. By then I’m exhausted which makes me tired and extremely cranky. But wait (just like an infomercial!)…There’s more! Let’s stick with car travel, after several hours I have a headache. I have to get out of the car every so often to stretch my abused knees or I won’t be able to walk (I have to do this at my desk job too). My neck and shoulders get tense which intensifies the pain. I did mention cranky right. My husband would say I can be a downright witch or sniveling child. Not in front of me of course. But, I’m not so out of touch that I don’t know what he’s thinking.

When I don’t eat I can become hypoglycemic. When this happens I get shaky, flighty, confused and downright mean. Early in our marriage while on a car trip, my husband pulled quickly into a fast food restaurant parking lot slamming on the brakes and popping the door open. He had one foot out the door before he shut down the engine. I grabbed his arm. Scared, I asked “Where are you going?”

“To. Get. You. Something. To. Eat!” He grounds out from between clenched teeth as he shook me lose and went to get food. A few minutes later after  I had eaten, not ladylike let me tell you, I was feeling better. My husband started chuckling as he drove on the interstate with his ever-present cup of coffee. We ended up at the next rest area with full belly laughs as we recounted the situation and laughed at ourselves. Thank God he was blessed with patience and an understanding heart. And I have a little blessing to be able to laugh at my crazy self. Lesson learned: never travel without snacks! Especially those new-fangled protein bars in so many yummy flavors.

I’m worse on a plane since I can’t hear, or a ship since it makes me claustrophobic and slightly (hah!) wobbly. Not sure about a train since I’ve never traveled on one. I’m gonna have to try that sometime. But we will save those modes of transportation for another time. This is a road trip. I’ve never gotten better at the travel part of travel but…I manage my limitations better now.

This particular working vacation came up rather suddenly as one of Milly’s wild ideas. Sometimes these ideas work out. First I love autumn and Yay!  As of last week, it is officially autumn! Second, the son who avoids driving needs driving experience (of course). And third, the family vacation home needs repairs.

I mashed all of this information together and…the working vacation popped out of the biological computer God gave me. I presented the idea: Let’s go up to the house to do the repairs. Then, son who avoids driving can practice driving. To my surprise they agreed without a challenge. The big surprise is an agreement from the son who avoids driving. Can you believe it? I can’t. {There must be a catch}

The family vacation home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a large log and timber home on a lazy river. The family rents the home out on the vacation rental market. We have a property management company handling the day-to-day business. This is how the house pays for itself. Thank God for good property management! I love this place with mountains and cooler weather (it was close to 90º today). I can actually hike in the area without getting a migraine. It is a magical place in Milly’s realm.

So dear sweet man of mine checks the reservations finding a couple of weeks in October are wide open. Happy Dance! Right smack in the middle of my favorite season: Can you say Leaf Season. Oh! My! Goodness! (My own personal form of OMG!). We will be there for five glorious autumn days. Yes we have a list of fixes and upgrades to do. BUT, we will get to do some fun stuff too. Like hiking, leaf peeping, and sampling the local flavors. Can you tell I’m a bit excited?

I wish I could take you all with me…Oh my…I just realized I can through words (and some pics). I’ll have to keep you posted on my travel adventures in a couple of weeks! May all our travels be happy,

Milly