The Circus Winter Sojourn

My family takes two annual driving trips to the Midwest where we visit family.  One trip happens in the summer, when my co-Ringleader wraps up his summer teaching.  The other trip happens in the winter, when my kids are on break from school.  The summer trip often feels like an adventure.  We plan fun outdoor excursions to parks for hiking.  We sometimes stop at an interesting museum.  The scenery is lovely.  The winter trip feels like a journey.  Don't get me wrong.  We are excited to see family.  They are excited to see us.  The sense of adventure is a bit lacking.  It is cold and can be dreary (think of the cold and blustery day from Winnie the Pooh), so outdoor fun is limited.  Nevertheless, we make the journey.  We live far from our immediate family, and we want to have relationships with them.

I mentioned these are driving trips.  Let me paint a picture.  We are a family of 5, traveling in our Honda Odyssey minivan, packed to the gills with everything we might need and that which we don't need but not with what we've forgotten.  The Monkey sits in the back row, next to what we've packed.  The Tiger sits in the middle row to provide a safe distance between her and the Monkey.  The Goat also sits in the middle row, but faces the Monkey (rear facing until at least 2!). The once clearly visible aisle gets cluttered almost immediately with items from the bags of tricks.  The bags of tricks are essential. They contain books, coloring supplies, small toys, and specially chosen stuffed animals. Under the Goat's seat, we stow the small cooler and bag of snacks.  Everyone has water at their seat, even the Goat, though of course his ends up on the floor of the van before we reach the end of our street.  This configuration is how we will spend the next two days together, for at least 8 hours each day.

Some of our friends think we are rather insane for making this journey at all, let alone twice a year.  There are times we agree with them.  Cramped quarters lead to bonding experiences, and of course memories we might like to forget.  Over the summer, we had a wretched moment while trying to find a particular spot to hike, and the animals ... I mean, children... couldn't seem to control what came out of their mouths. Potty talk would be a generous compliment.  On that same trip, thanks to kind neighbors, we discovered a fantastic audiobook series which we all still quote regularly.

The trip is not exactly easy.  Life with young children often isn't easy.  The trip is worth the difficulties.  Our kids can get to know their grandparents and at least some cousins.  The grandparents and cousins can get to know us.  Even with phone calls and the ability to video chat, nothing really beats an in-person experience.  So here we go with a bit of documenting from this winter's sojourn.