My daughter is a senior in high school. Starting in spring break of her sophomore year, we began touring colleges. It has continued for the last two years.
In that time, we have looked at 10 schools in eight different states and one in Canada. We have put a ton of miles on my car. A lot of people I know think we are nuts. They may be right, but I would trade a second of it.
We have laughed. We have cried. We have yelled and fought. We are a typical family. Through it all, I have memories I will take to my grave.
I’m not a huge road trip person. I would just as soon fly if it is more than six hours,
but we have driven all over hell’s half-acre—sometimes in 10 hours stretches. It’s a lot. However, our car conversations and experiences have brought us closer together.
With Josie finishing high school two hours from home, I don’t get to hear about her day-to-day activities as much as I would like. She really catches us up on all things Josie on our trips. I love it.
So much college planning, discussion and debates have also occurred. We drove forever to one school in Pennsylvania only to have her tell us 10 minutes into the tour she would go to school there over her dead body. For the record, I had come to that same conclusion about two minutes before she whispered those words in my ear.
On one tour in the Deep South in July, I got COVID. I had to wait in a hot car while Brett and Josie did the tour as I was still under quarantine. They had to wear masks in the oppressive heat and were no happier than I was. That college did not make the cut for applying. It’s a shame it did not get a fair shake due to circumstances. It is a great school.
We have also loved eating our way around the country with the exception of the time my husband may have gotten food poisoning from a Thai joint which resulted in the purchasing of two bottles of Imodium. He survived.
In California, we arrived at our hotel and I discovered my laptop was not in the trunk of our rental car. I had handed it to my husband at our last hotel more than three hours away, but it was nowhere to be found. To my credit, I did not freak out. My meds were working that day. I just walked into the hotel and started checking in. Moments later Brett and Josie walked in and informed me it was on Josie shoulder all along. I may have scared the poor man at the front desk to death when I yelled, “For fuck’s sake!” It was all good. I survived.
We have also used these trips to work on Josie’s driving and navigating skills. This has been particularly hard on me. My trauma is twofold. One—I have terrible anxiety and Josie driving in strange places makes me incredibly nervous. Two—I have to ride in the back. I’m very prone to car sickness. We all survived.
We have one more school left to tour. It is about a six-hour drive. I have such mixed emotions about it being the last. Yes, I’m tired of the driving. However, I will never get to do this again, and truth be told, I have pretty much loved it all—every Waffle House breakfast, game show and Top Chef marathon in our hotel room and every bit of laughter. Really the only thing I could live without are dirty gas station bathrooms.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
