The Great Southern Road Trip

An Odyssey in Five Fragments

Nov 11, 2023

Part 1: The Abstract

“I need a change of scenery, even if I’m just sitting in a park somewhere else drinking coffee,” I told friends as I planned our 3-4 week road trip down south with a 4-month old and 2 year old. I’d been itching to travel, especially because we hadn’t really done much since our Hawaii trip last fall.

Our trip down south had two big events bookending it - the wedding of one of my closest friends from college in Charlotte and my brother’s first Ironman triathlon in Panama City Beach, Florida. Add in visits with friends and family and big chunks of time to explore new places and it was a recipe for a phenomenal trip.

There is something about road trips that speak my language and it felt like far too long since I had been on one. The Chicks sing, “She needed wide open spaces, Room to make her big mistakes, She needs new faces, She knows the high stakes.” That’s how zooming down the highway at 80 mph and meeting new people feels like to me - a sense of untapped freedom from monotony.

I didn’t plan too much for us other than to arrange our sleeping arrangements (an Airbnb in Charlotte, our friends’ and my brother’s homes, and my parents RV for the race). I would figure out our schedule as we went. Luis worked during the days while the girls and I were out and about or chilling at the house. Then in the evenings and on weekends we went on family adventures.

In Charlotte, we attended my friend Charles’s wedding! It was such a wonderful time to celebrate marriage and dreams being fulfilled. On Sunday we visited Charles’s church where we were welcomed with open arms and enjoyed a congregation that reminded us a lot of our church at home. We ventured out to Latta Nature Preserve and the Quest Nature Center where Jael loved Quest’s kid-friendly activities and we talked to a ranger who knew a lot about the area, then we went for a walk. Another evening we had dinner with friends of Charles’s and I just love the way the Lord has created people with open, welcoming hearts.

My favorite local coffee spot was Brakeman’s Coffee & Supply which prides itself on “slow culture coffee” and creating a space where people can breathe in the midst of hustle culture. The girls and I went to several local parks to play and spent several hours at Discovery Kids’, which provided a very hands-on play area for Jael. One evening we ventured to the Mint Museum which happened to have free admission and who was hosting a free art event that night. We drew and collaged and painted to our heart’s content. We finished up our stop in Charlotte with a breakfast Amelie’s French Bakery and Café and a visit to the Billy Graham Library. It was fascinating to walk through the life of one of the most influential men of the 20th century, and I picked up a lovely book of Ruth Bell Graham’s poetry.

After a fun week in Charlotte, we packed up the bags and headed to Riverview, Florida. On the way down we stopped in beautiful Congaree National Park, where we traipsed the boardwalk trail for 2.6 miles before driving the rest of the day to get to Florida.

We made it to Riverview, where we stayed with our close friends! They were so gracious about opening up their home and hearts to us! We cheered on the Phillies (who ultimately lost the series) and cooked and chatted together. At Homosassa Springs State Park, we saw some manatees and other native Florida animals. I met my sister-in-law Lawson in St. Petersburg to visit the Dali Museum - something that has long been on my Florida to-do list, then we took the kids to an airplane themed playground to get some sunshine. The girls and I visited several local parks and trekked through sand.

A week flew by with our friends and we trekked to Sarasota to stay with my brother and his family. We thrift shopped and walked around the neighborhood and spent an evening laying in hammocks at Bayfront Beach Park. We also spent a lovely day lounging at Turtle Beach. My niece is between my girls in age and the three are such a delightful mix - lots of giggles and sweetness and snuggles.

We wrapped up our trip up in the Panhandle for a few days to see my brother’s Ironman race before booking it back to PA. My parents drove their RV down so we spent time relaxing, thrifting, and spending time together. On race day, we cheered loudly as my brother swam, biked, and ran and celebrated at the finish line. The day after the race, we left early for our two day trip home, breaking it up with a hotel stay in North Carolina before arriving home Monday evening.

It was a much needed change of pace for our family and I’m thankful that Luis can work remotely. Although my days at home certainly aren’t dull raising spirited children, I do start to get in a funk if I don't shake up my routine occasionally. It was a wonderful 3 ½ weeks of a create-my-own-adventure.

Part II: Superlatives

Approximate Number of Miles Driven: 2,776

Best Audiobook Listened To: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt

Creepiest Thrift Store Find (that I did not buy): Brown Eye earrings

Most Likely to Get a Business Deal While in the Car: Luis

Best Doughnut: Parlor Doughnuts (the Coconut Cream Filled one)

Most Likely to Have an Epic Shoe Collection: Jael (even getting featured on a thrift store reel)

Best Way to Burn Energy in a Gas Station Parking Lot: ride your scooter (bonus points if it was free from a friend and has a unicorn)

Most Miles Driven: Elizabeth

Best Dressed: Niqua, the beautiful bride at the wedding we attended

Most Likely To Set a Running PR: Luis

Best Psalm to Ruminate on for a Trip: Psalm 121

Amount of Books Bought: 15

Most Unexpected Thing to See in the Backseat of the Car: Jael with a black, green, yellow, and orange colored face and a proud “I painted my eyes, Mommy!”

Toughest Athlete I Personally Know: my brother Caleb

Family I’m Most Likely to Live in a Commune With: The Giovincos

Funniest Vanity Plate Seen: Hoe4Life

Most Southern Quote Heard: “Sugar melts, Honey” (in reference to getting out of the rain.)

Amount of Burrs Stepped On: 5

Most Likely to Give a Ginormous Serving of Ice Cream: Kimi’s Ice Cream in Riverview

Best Trip Workout: Pulling a stroller backwards through the sand at Stephen J. Wortham Park

Most Likely to Need Butt Washed Off in a Gas Station Bathroom Sink: Lucia

Strangest Roadkill Spotted: a tie between an armadillo and a wild hog

Most Likely to Win Car Packing Tetris: Elizabeth

Biggest Shark Seen: A 5-foot Bull Shark caught by fishermen at Apollo Beach

Best Road Trip Companions: My family!

Part III: A Poem

Inspired by our day at Turtle Beach

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Minor Irritants
If you ask me,
I hate sand.
I'll choose the mountains and dirt
Over the heat and sand any day.

When I go to the beach,
I resign myself to the fact
That,
No matter what rumpus I cause in protest
Sand will still leave its innumerable trail
In crevices of bags and blankets and bodies.

Sand is a minor irritation 
For a sunny day
With family,
For the cool Gulf water
Refreshing my feet,
For respite under the shade 
Of a breeze-blown beach tarp

I’m finding this to be true
In motherhood too

Like diaper blowouts in carseats
As a road trip starts,
Or a thunderstorm-soaked child
After playing outside,
Like wrestling overly-tired kids
To bed after a full day

The idea that minimal vexations
Reinforce 
whimsy, strength,
Imagination, and creativity in play

Isn’t this price worth it? 

Despite minor irritations
and little extra scrubbing,
I'm learning to enjoy
The richness and hard-won experiences

Resistant, tantalizing, irritating, pleasurable 
All at once.

Like sand after a lovely day at the beach.

Part IV: Photojournalism

Part V: Tips On Coming Home Well

Cleaning the porch/yard before the trip is a solid choice. It was refreshing to walk up to the house and see tidiness, knowing all the post-trip organization waiting for me inside.

Expect unexpected things to be added to your to-do list. Lucia peed all over me during her first diaper change of the morning, which added “need clean sheets” to mine.

Always have freezer & pantry ingredients for quick food when your fridge is devoid of groceries. Our Breakfast of Champions was Shell Mac-n-cheese as I cooked up Sausage, Spinach, Bean Soup from freezer ingredients prior to our grocery store run.

Prioritizing outside time will keep everyone sane. With Pennsylvanian weather being a beautiful 70 degrees upon our arrival, I made outside time a huge priority. We reunited with dear friends and went for a walk to gather colorful leaves and jump in leaf piles.

Know the laws of the universe. When you temporarily move the spare outdoor key inside, it will be the day you accidentally leave your car keys locked in the house.

Utilize your library services to have a stack of books waiting for you. I walked to the library and got to pick up several books including Harrison Scott Key’s “How to Stay Married” which I was so excited to read. P.S. The book lives up to the hype - easily one of my favorites from this year.

Probably a lot of other tips I could think of but the laundry is still in process here, and WHY DID I PACK SO MANY BAGS I HAVE TO UNPACK?

Ultimately, I’m thankful for a switch-up of routine and location, precious time spent with family and friends, kids who don’t mind being in the car, and having a daily life worth coming back to.

“Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We'll wander back and home to bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade! Away shall fade!” - J.R.R. Tolkien