These Three

just before falling asleep

on the way to the beach

My sister and I loaded the kids in the car and headed over to the beach to visit my parents for the weekend.

I have lots of car trip memories as a kid. Any where we went we went by car - mainly all around the Pacific Northwest. There were no family vacations via airplane for us back then. I think the first time we went together (my parents + siblings) on a plane was on a trip to Arizona when I was in college.

My parents would pack the back of the Suburban, their car of choice since the mid-80's (good for carting kids to sports and carpooling to Catholic schools), and they always created a "bed" in the "way back" for one of us to lay down. I remember laying in the back on a sleeping bag, riding along, reading VC Andrews books (did you guys read those too?) and watching the telephone wires go by. These days I get way too car sick to look at any printed materials in the car and besides, I'm often the one at the wheel. Seat belt laws were a little different back then too.

There were no ipod's/ipads/laptops either. I did have a walkman when I was in high school. And I think we had a Game Boy at one point too.

While visiting my parents this weekend I asked them what they remembered about our road trips:

MOM | We always had snacks and something to drink. A lot of the road trips were for soccer tournaments. Arguments didn't last very long because your Dad was in the car.

DAD | Someone always yelling "shotgun" and then arguing about who said it first. I think we used to play games like "I See, I See Colors" and the "ABC" game.

It was fun to chat with them a bit about our car trips - both in generalities and specifics. It was a good reminder about how truly personal our memories and interpretations of events are even when we were participating in the same series of experiences.

Just another reason why telling our own stories, in our own unique voice, is important.

I didn't take a lot of photos this weekend but here are two others that I love:

Simon & Gabrielle

Time


THANK YOU | I've been receiving really nice feedback on my new Storyology self-paced class. I've added some of that feedback to the bottom of the class page in my shop if you're interested in checking it out.

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42 thoughts

  1. heather says…
    11/07/2011

    Not that I am happy about it, but I am glad someone else can't read in the car!!!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Monica L. says…
      11/07/2011

      Hahaha, me too. I still have the same "problem" even in a plane...I prefer to sleep even though I'm not sleepy at all, so I don't get sick.

  2. dawn says…
    11/07/2011

    OMG love love that second picture, the sweet kids and both you and your sister blond hair! You are so awesome at getting the best angles for photos.
    So excited that your sister and niece are still in town with you, so good to have her there for you and give extra support and hugs I'm sure. So lucky we are to have sisters that do that for us, they are the best!!
    I did a layout early this year about "THE BACKSEAT" only mine was about my kids being older and not babies. I wrote about the newest electronics they all have in their hands when we travel and the big gym bags and sports equipment and what music we listen too. Then about how it use to be diaper bags, stuffed toys, pacifers and carseats, so much has changed in my rearview mirror now.

    I like that you wrote about your childhood though, such good memories. We had a station wagon and would lay in the back too and then in the back of my mom's truck also when camping, so much fun to be in the back whispering with my sisters and coloring and eating candy and chips. Miss those good old days.
    Thanks Ali for this sweet post and for reminding me of my car rides as a child.
    Happy Monday to you.
    p.s. the third photo down isn't showing up??

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. KJ@letsgoflyakite says…
    11/07/2011

    I totally remember VC Andrews novels on long car trips! so glad you had a safe journey and time with your family, it makes the journey so worth it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Kim says…
    11/07/2011

    I read all of the VC Andrews books!

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Brooke says…
    11/07/2011

    Car trips for us were always filled with the cassette tape Whispering Jack by John Farnham. Today we all still love it because of the memories! Great post today.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Amanda McGregor says…
    11/07/2011

    Love the photo ... Wish my kids would sleep in a car! Also hoping that things are on the up with you and Chris after the "challenging time" you mentioned a few posts ago.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Tanya W says…
    11/07/2011

    I use to read on the bus home from college every day but I couldnt' do it for long now I feel sick if I do.....childhood memoreis are filled of trips to cousins in the holidays or they would come and visit us....I always remember and will never forget we use to always play eye spy...and this one trip I remember asking mum why birds don't get electrica shoots from standing on the power lines and my older brother replied with they wear special shoes.....at the time I beleived it, its always something that has stuck with me.....Love the photos of the kids awake then all sleeping too Ali

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. christen says…
    11/07/2011

    we use to sing in the car! i hope my kids have good memories of trips as a family...

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Liz says…
    11/07/2011

    love those books...and what a happy trip for you all!!! yeah we always drove across the country...montana for us...so fun...my brother and i would sleep and read most of the way!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. rhonda says…
    11/07/2011

    I always loved and still love road trips the beauty of America is a wonderful blessing to view and I just finished reading Flowers in the Attic series for the millionth time. V.C. Andrews is a favorite author esp. her older books. Have a great week Edwards family!

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Kelly says…
    11/07/2011

    V.C. Andrews fan here! I forgot all about those crazy books until now! You are a gifted story teller!

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Crystal says…
    11/07/2011

    great photos---and yes, I read and loved VC Andrews---hmmm sounds like a page for my BAM

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Cami says…
    11/07/2011

    You know you are from the PNW when you say "way back"!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Rosa says…
    11/07/2011

    Thanks for sharing that. I was a VC Andrews reader too. For some reason something about those books freaked me out though - I think it was the children in the attic one. We also never took an airplane. Perhaps as a family of seven it was difficult and too expensive to fly. We were a station wagon family...and I also remember riding in the back lying down...even the rearview window opened (via parental control)! Yes, carseat belt laws were very different back then. What a great topic for a scrapbook page of my childhood memories! The wheels are spinning for lots of other childhood memories to scrap.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Rosa says…
    11/07/2011

    I meant "Flowers in the Attic"... see how our memories fail us?

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Cecilia Madden says…
    11/07/2011

    We sang in the car a lot too! Especially around Christmas time, because we had so many car trips to make- 6hours in one direction to grandma's, 5 hours in another direction to the other grandma's, 4 hours back home. Ay...When our chevy van finally went caput when I was in middle school, I remember my dad going shopping with all of us (me and my two sisters), telling us to pile into each vehicle he was considering, then asking us, "Ok, can you sit like that for 10 hours?" If we shook our heads, it was a no-go. If we shrugged and said ok, it stayed on the list for consideration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. marisa says…
    11/07/2011

    VC Andrews!! Haha! Totally forgot about those. Thanks for that trip down memory lane.

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Suz says…
    11/07/2011

    Great pics! Love the comments from your rents on car trips and your personal perspective as well. I read the VC Andrew novels too--used to read ANYthing in the back of the car and not get sick. Now I can hardly check my phone in the front seat without feeling puny! LOL
    Thanks for sharing. Happy Monday Ali! :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Jill says…
    11/07/2011

    I loved VC Andrews! Can't imagine what my mother was thinking letting me read them!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Karin Podolski says…
    11/07/2011

    Wow, your post took me back to a simpler time, a time of good memories. Our vehicle of choice was the Merc station wagon with "wood" on the sides and the cute little flip up back seat in the way back. Yep, no iPods, iPads or laptops-just pure paper and pencil/books fun!
    Hope you are doing well-thanks for the trip down memory lane.
    KP

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Lisa says…
    11/07/2011

    Love this, Ali. I have fond memories of car trips as a kid, although we did fly often because my Dad was an airline pilot. Here's a lo I did w/ an old car trip photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tauzell/5935044798/in/photostream I think it's such a treasure that my mom captured a little moment like this on film.

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. creole wisdom says…
    11/07/2011

    Yep, LOVED VCA. Once my mother kind of got what those books were about she was pretty wary about letting me read them but never said I wasn't allowed.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Alexandra says…
    11/07/2011

    We took so many great road trips in our Fleetwood that I cried when my Dad sold it. My brother and I did word searches etc in little books that required yellow highlighters to reveal their contents. We played hand-held, battery operated games of football and baseball. I coloured (a lot!) and sang along to my parents' favourites... Elvis, John Denver, Crystal Galyle etc... still know all the words... cracks my friends up now. And for sleeping... my brother got the back seat and I laid on pillows in the foot wells!! Seat-belts were not a priority back then (so crazy) but we had fun - so much fun!
    Thanks for taking me back - so great to remember :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Sharon Dryjanski says…
    11/07/2011

    Hi Ali, thanks so much for sharing ...It brought back trips Paw Paw ,Michigan as a child taking the car trip and visiting the Deer farm in Michigan.....I just cme across some old photos in B& W of the trip....have great day love the pix of Simon and your Dad.
    Blessings and hugs,

    Sharon Phoenix Az

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Nancy Fielding says…
      11/09/2011

      OMG my friend is from PAW PAW, never thought I would hear that on ALi's blog

  25. Jean says…
    11/07/2011

    Photo of Simon and your Dad is just fantastic! (Of course, all of the photos are but that particular photo really speaks volumes.) What a treasure!

    Reply 0 Replies

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