Are we there yet?

It’s that time of the year for us to go down south to spend Christmas with the family. Since the family has grown a lot (and please don’t get any ideas), trip logistics are not as simple as the days when it was just Alejandra and I flying to Florida. Therefore, we decided this year to drive from Boston to Tampa. Many said we were crazy, but we had to give it a try. We left Friday at 4pm with a temperature of 26° and had a very smooth ride. We stopped once in NJ for a little bit to get a bite and then straight to Richmond, VA for over 500 miles where we had a hotel room waiting for us around 3AM. It was great watching the outside temperature rise as we headed south, by the time we were in Richmond, we were mid 40s. My agreement with Alejandra was to take it easy, if we can’t make it in two days, we’d make in three. We had roughly 800 miles left to make it down in two days and despite the slow traffic in Virginia and the Carolinas (two-lane highway, people stopping and going) we made a little over 300 miles by 4pm. That left us 500 or so with the same time frame as the day before, therefore we carried on. Alejandra drove most of the day while the kids and I watched movies and all of the sudden she said we were entering Florida and that I needed to drive. The time simply flew by and Briana asked “Are we there yet?” only 3 times. I took the wheel and drove from Jacksonville to Tampa from midnight until 3AM through some heavy fog until we finally made it home. A little over 36 hours later, 1400 miles further, 34° higher, a few kids movies watched, 1 frapucchino each and almost half a case of Poland Springs gone, we made it home for Christmas. In so many ways, it was a tough year and it feels good to be back home with those we love and we are thankful for the many blessings we’ve had despite the trials. Sometimes I act like I’m not thankful, but I am. We wish you all a Merry Christmas.