Joy in the Journey

Early last summer, Shawn was traveling for work when he called to talk to me about what he had been observing in the airport. School had just let out and families everywhere were flocking to the airport in order to start their summer fun with a vacation.  Shawn noticed that the majority of parents he encountered en route seemed stressed or frazzled.  He said to me, "Erica, I know traveling with kids is stressful, but when it's our turn to travel as a family, let's make it a point to have fun.  There is joy in the journey".  And so, when July rolled around and it finally was our turn to board an airplane with our kids in tow, we made sure to have fun.  It took a lot of planning to set ourselves up to effectively haul two kids, their carseats and our luggage through the airport, but our planning paid off and we traveled well together.

3:30am on the day of our summer departure.  Jonah is asleep in the stroller and Nicole is riding in our front carrier.  

Shawn has Nicole's carseat strapped to his back and is towing everyones luggage.   

Just a few weeks ago we found ourselves traveling back to the Midwest once more but this time around we were driving the miles instead of flying them.  We pulled out of our driveway in the wee hours of the morning and set off with the same goal in mind; to find joy in the journey.  It's not easy to travel long distances with two small kids who are fully restrained in their carseats, but it is deeply memorable.  Tears and carsickness are inevitable, but bonds are strengthened, learning takes place, conversations abound and memories are made.

There is always a point in preparing for our trips home when my to-do list seems impossible to complete and I start to feel overwhelmed by our looming departure.  In the midst of that stress I can usually be found grumbling to myself about how much I wish we lived closer to our relatives.  Then, somehow, all of the important stuff on my list is slowly completed and I finally breath a sigh of relief as I buckle my seatbelt and settle in for the miles ahead.  Only then do I start to appreciate our drives home for all of the things they offer us, instead of all of the things they require of us.

Our drives home offer Shawn and I a chance to work closely as a team, and we have constant opportunities along the way to enjoy each others company.   Our kids get to learn how to travel well and we all get to practice delayed gratification.  We celebrate small things, make up games, eat special snacks and chat about the passing landscape.  We never really know what moments will stand out along the way but we consistently have good memories to carry with us no matter how many obstacles we encounter.

We had a great time visiting our families over Christmas and we can honestly say that after spending more than 28 hours traveling in our van together over the holidays, there was joy in our journey. 

Wherever you went this holiday season, I hope there was joy in your journey too. 
Love,
Erica