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Wednesday, February 22, 2006Queen of the RoadI've done it. I've driven 456 miles and back again without my husband. (What, you didn't miss me?) My sister and her husband recently moved to Roanoke from Orlando. My sister was thrilled because she missed the snow. I was thrilled because my sister would be, for the first time in eighteen years, an easy distance away from me. My original plan of driving to Roanoke to help Jamie move into her new house was thwarted by my rib-smashing tumble down the garage steps. Casual mentions of trips to see Jamie went largely unheeded by my life-is-a-bit-too-full-right-now husband. So, after the holidays, I made the daring declaration that I would take the four children and drive to Roanoke, sans Eric. Frightening reality number one: I have absolutely no sense of direction. Frightening reality number two: I have never made a road trip longer than one hour without Eric. Not ever. Needless to say, making the trip to Roanoke was a supreme challenge. And I made it to my sister's front door with bells on. Not a hitch. Not a glitch. Not a single wrong turn or moment of complete confusion. God is good. We had a wonderful visit. My niece is the funniest, brightest, sweetest, loveliest, most challenging toddler I have ever met. I couldn't get enough of her. (Well, unless she was screaming about something. Admittedly, I'd had plenty of her then.) I would have kissed those soft, two-year-old cheeks a million times if she had just stood still long enough. Eric was a little bit concerned about the weather for my return trip. "We've got a wintry mix advisory until six a.m.," he told me the night before my scheduled departure from Roanoke. "Call me later and we'll discuss it." In other words, "Call me later and I'll talk you out of leaving in the morning." So I did what any responsible wife would do. I turned off my cell phone. I was up at six and on the road at seven, as planned. A light snow had fallen, but the roads were just slightly wet with no accumulation or ice. By the time I got onto the highway, the roads weren't even a mild issue. I hit some pockets of snow flurries, but that's a bit wimpy to daunt a seasoned Yankee girl. After an hour or so on the road, I decided to turn on my cell phone. The voicemail message from Eric sounded borderline psychotic. "I've been up for two hours and I'm just sitting here tracking the weather and I couldn't reach you and I called your sister and your mom and well just call me when you get this..." Heavens. So I called him. "The roads are perfectly clear, sweetie. I'm so sorry I didn't have my phone on!" "You turned it off on purpose." Okay, so the guy knows me. But you know what? I made the right decision in leaving when I did. The roads were fine, and by the time we stopped in Knoxville for lunch, the sun was shining. From there, the remaining miles flew by until we arrived home shortly before 3:00. A grand success! Eric says I'm a bad girl, but I can tell he's proud of me. This experience was good for both of us -- I needed to get out from underneath Eric's wings and take flight, and Eric needed to stop overprotecting me. It's nice to be loved the way Eric loves me. I'm glad he cares so deeply about my safety and well-being. But this time, I had to make my own decision. I had to show him that I was capable of taking care of myself and the children without his direct influence. We all love him to pieces and missed him like crazy. But this time, Mommy needed to take care of things by herself, if only to show everybody that she could. (My daughters didn't believe that I could actually drive somewhere without their Daddy. Hmph.) Am I crowing? Yep. Am I going to have to hide my cell phone so that Eric doesn't confiscate it? Probably. Am I going to bring Eric with me the next time I drive to Roanoke? Maybe. |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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10of my readers are feeling chatty:
I loved that you turned the cell off. That's what I would have done too. Roanoke is nice and your sister will probably see plenty of snow.
I wasn't suprised a bit that you had absolutey NO difficulty with the trip up.
However, your description of your niece is a bit delusional. I think you better come for another visit soon so you can meet the real Ida:o)
And you can bring Eric...we'll just stick him with Tom and we'll have plenty of sister time:o)
My wife, spreading her wings as a new born feminist!
I do overprotect you, but after 3 visits to the Emergency room over the years (twice required an ambulance ride) and falling down a flight of two stairs and breaking three ribs, is it really being over protective or is it actually medically necessary?
I love you even when you turn me off witha press of a cell phone button!
:)
Erica is a seasoned roadster, so I don't have to worry when she hits the road.
I just have the highway patrol tail her all the way with emergency helicopters doing fly-bys.
Welcome back to blogland.
DOH! this is CheezWeezil!
I'm very proud of you for your acomplishment!
Good job !! I hate driving and I try not to take long trips if I can help it lol.
Great job! I absolutely love to drive long trips by myself. Turn the music way up, sing away and just drive. Aaahhh, complete relaxation :-)
Nice going! So, when are you visiting NY? Wanna drive through Manhattan during rush-hour? :-)
Ken
You've been gone for a week now. What happened? Another road trip? Lost? :-)
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