America, January 10, 2010
Driving 35 Hours with 1 Year Old Hanalei
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Just think about this for a minute - driving 35 hours with a 1 year old daughter. Any parent starts to cringe, preparing for a tale of crying, seat-kicking, marriage-ending woe. You'll read about that in some other place, for here, I have only happiness to report.
Amy, Hanalei, Dog Taxi and I - that's 2 parents, 1 child and 1 dog, drove from Washington DC to Atlanta, to Vero Beach and back to Washington DC over Christmas without a single scream, tantrum, or pork rind. Yeah, I'm in shock too. I don't know why we were so blessed - maybe to convince us to have another child? - but I'll take the peaceful memory regardless. That's not to say it was an accident. There was much preparation for this adventure in serenity. First, we rented a minivan to give us enough space for everyone and their stuff. Then, the dog got drugged - a requirement for hyper-active Taxi Dog. Next we always left early in the morning - 7am on the dot. Last, but not least, Hanalei was just an angel - and we're not asking why. But I have my suspicions. For the whole drive either Amy or I sat in the back seat next to her, so she'd not be alone. We also let her run wild at lunchtime, thanks to the patience of Wendy's staff and customers. And she had plenty of toys and treats to keep her occupied. Still, she was a real trooper - we all were, in what was 10 hours from DC to Atlanta, 10 hours from Atlanta to Vero, and 15 hours from Vero to DC. But it was worth it for a Christmas of love and Grammy beach time. |
