We left the house around 7:15 pm. Usually, I’m exhausted from a day of packing and cleaning and caring for our toddler but I was able to sneak in a two hour nap in the afternoon, so I could stay awake longer on the road. Generally I’m asleep after about an hour into the trip. I offered to drive because my husband just got off the road from his forty-five minute commute home from work.
We started out on our normal route out east on I-55 North and then took the brand new I-355 extension south to I-80. It was smooth sailing. I was driving, the toddler was quietly watching a movie in the backseat of the SUV and the husband was relaxing in the passenger seat.
I was good to go. Rocking out to some old favorites on the iPod like Screeching Weasel, old Saves the Day and Hot Water Music. I am 30 years old but nothing gets me pumped like punk rock music on a road trip. Makes me feel like I’m 19 again and that’s not such a bad feeling at all. Like I said previously, I’m usually asleep within the first hour of the trip but this night, I was bound and determined to make the 600 mile trip without stopping at some random motel for a few hours.
Four hours into the drive, my eyes were still wide open with no signs of getting tired in sight (thank you Starbucks!). I was pretty proud of myself at this point. I used to make this trip alone, back when my husband and I still lived with our parents, three states away. It was a great time to reflect on my life, sing very loudly without any embarrassment and just get lost in my thoughts. It’s been so long since I’ve done that. When my husband and I were still a “new” couple, we would talk about the universe and the bands that we liked and our future. Now, we peek around to the backseat at our sleeping toddler and talk about her future and the music that she might like (hopefully ours).
I always love coming back “home”. It will always be home to me, no matter where I live. When we get into town, it’s like I’ve never missed a beat. I know the roads like the back of my hand and always see people on the streets who I knew growing up. Some things never change. When we arrive at my mom’s house, a feeling of comfort just envelopes me. I’m home and that is the best feeling.
We have a lot of people here to catch up with and the toddler has to get reacquainted with her out-of-state family. She’s doing well so far, charming everyone like she does. I am looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my time with my family, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. This is just another one of the reasons I enjoy the holidays so much. It’s my time to get back to the basics and get a fresh start to the new year.
*One of my original Chicago Moms Blog posts
