Family Travels or How I Learned To Be More Specific

Family vacations in a Suburban packed with kids, suitcases, camping gear, and dogs were challenging to say the least.   My husband was in charge of the dogs, making the sure the house was secure and fitting everything in the Suburban.  I was in charge of food, and helping everyone pack.

We were trying for an early start on one memorable trip but the kids were sleepy and unenthusiastic. Trying to speed them up I went into each child’s room to make sure they packed everything they needed. I handed them their suitcases and told them to take them out to be loaded into the truck.  They couldn’t wait to get into the Suburban and go back to sleep so they didn't argue.

We were on the road and making record time with kids and dogs asleep for the first few peaceful hours. The normal travel complaints about pit stops, dead batteries in the Gameboy and the classic, "she touched me", began when they woke up and increased the hungrier they got.  I dreaded lunch stops because the strategically placed people and gear somehow always managed to get rearranged in a less efficient manner.  This lunch break proved to be worse than normal as a cry went up from our youngest that his suitcase was not in the truck.  I was about to go and help him find it when the next oldest child announced that hers was not there either.  We all stood staring into the back of the Suburban as every inch was searched, only to find that the suitcases were indeed missing.  There was a strange moment of silence as we all realized we were past the point of no return, then the tears and panic began.

                I pulled lunch from the coolers to help calm everyone and stepped aside with my husband to discuss our options.  The trip budget could not replace everything but we decided to pack up and go to the nearest town to purchase underwear, socks and one outfit per child.  We were praying for a discount store with a clearance sale but were blessed to find a thrift store first and managed to get what we needed for much less than we feared.

                The trip was amazing and the suitcases soon forgotten until we arrived home and found them sitting neatly in the kitchen.  The kids explained that they thought  if they put them there someone else would take them out to the truck.  We chalked it up to sleepy logic and I vowed to give more specific instructions for the next trip.