Road Trips to Minnesota!

One of my fondest childhood memories was my family's roadtrips to Minnesota. My mom's parents lived about 8 hours away in the northwest tip of the state. At least 2-3 times a year, we'd pack up a week's worth (or more) of stuff and start the daunting trip. Until I was ten, my parents drove a old Bonneville (it looked similar to this):

Now, imagine if you can, 5 people being in that car for over 8 hours. Keep in mind that my brothers were 8 and 5 years older than me, so I was stuck in the middle of them for the whole trip. Although this may sound like complaining, these trips were some of the most memorable times of my childhood. We didn't go on very many vacations, so these trips were the only time I got out of the state. We would stop  at random locations (like at Paul Bunyan's Statue for example):

We'd play games, stop to eat and stretch our legs, and do anything that would pass the time. But for me, it was the time I spent with my family that really means the most. I think I realized that it didn't really matter that we never went anywhere except my grandma's house. We spent time together and really got to know each other. 

Now that I am grown and have a family of my own, I make it my misson to make sure we take a vacation every year. Some years, it is just camping for a week. Other years, we do a big trip like Walt Disney World! But I hope I'm sending the same message my parents sent to me: Vacations are about being together! 

My family on our camping vacation to the Black Hills last year!