I am getting so excited for our upcoming trip to Oregon. Only six days left, and my daughter and I are making the final plans for the 3,000-plus mile adventure. Car tires are rotated and aired up, oil change and mechanical check is on the schedule tomorrow, and emergency cards and IDs gathered. This is all for Dani’s move to Oregon to complete her internship at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Currently, I’m busy tying up those last-minute items for my time on the road–getting work squared away, paying bills ahead of time, making sure there is enough food for the pets, packing, and making reminder lists for my husband to accomplish while I’m away.
Dani came home for a short time this weekend to work on final details for her portion of the trek. One of the things up for discussion was our driving journey and choosing sightseeing stops along the way out west. She’s a nature buff and so am I, so we can agree that we want to see national and/or state parks, but she has plans to see them ALL. We will be in the car at the very least for five days, driving at least 10 hours at a time just simply to get to Oregon. My idea is to pick a route and see what we can within short distances of the way we choose. Hers is to adjust our course to see all the places she would like to explore. That’s admirable, but I’m not sure it’s realistic. I pointed out that the route she has chosen adds quite a few more driving hours and miles and she may need to rethink her strategy. Par for the course, I managed to irritate her. That might be a recurring theme for this expedition, even though it isn’t my intention. I did agree to do this jaunt on her terms, and I have to stick to that promise. I’m just afraid that her sense of adventure, while exciting and exhilarating, might just make me miss my flight back to Jacksonville.
I have decided to just take it one day at a time, hoping she will discover that long distance driving isn’t always pleasant scenery and that it can be tiring. My goal is to let her figure this out for herself. She’s a smart girl and she has common sense. Please, God, help me to hold my tongue and let things take its course. I don’t want to aggravate her; in fact, I’m making a conscious effort not to because I want to enjoy every single second of this journey. Control mommy is still struggling, but I WILL let her take the helm, even if I have to bite off my tongue. No matter what direction we take or what stops we make, it’s going to be a good time. Simply because we are easily pleased. We both enjoy the simple things like the view of the mountains, the hues of a sunset or sunrise, and the corny habit of stopping at rest areas to take cheesy “we were here” pictures. If I miss my flight, I’ll have something to laugh about in a few years. I will also have lots of precious, irreplaceable memories of this unique time in our lives–that is, IF we don’t kill each other along the way.