Hand in Hand

15 years. Somehow or another we have been together for a total of 15 years. How did that happen? Where did that time go? How do you celebrate a milestone that so few reach in this day and age? A road trip! Just the thing for a couple that ALWAYS gets along in the car. We have the whole summer to ourselves and no plan whatsoever. I can’t wait.

Thomas loaded the van with everything we thought we MIGHT need for the summer. Now there is only two seats available to sit in for our trip; his and mine. Time to get on the road. What is our destination you ask? Anywhere and nowhere. We have decided to drive west, out of North Dakota and straight through to the Pacific Ocean. From there? Who knows, maybe we will end up at Disneyland, or maybe we will circle back through Las Vegas. The sky is the limit!

As we drive through North Dakota neither of use are in awe over the drive, but we hold hands the entire day. It is the same pastures and fields as we see right outside our window at home daily. We have decided to go down through Bismarck, to see family along the way, and there the landscapes changes slightly. There is more of a desert feel to the views and much closer to mountains that foothills. The badlands have never struck us as beautiful, but we look some anyways; mostly we talk, laugh, or listen to the radio. It is bliss!

As we enter Montana we are starting to pay more attention to the views. More trees, much closer to a forest than a tree row, and the hills get so much bigger! As we get closer to Bozeman the mountains have begun. Now we are both star struck tourists and the silence in the vehicle turns to, “Wow,” and, “Beautiful,” we have always loved the mountains and amazingly enough we have chosen to live in the flattest, most boring landscape possible.

While camping for the night on the mattress that we have laid in the back of the van, which is amazingly comfortable and warm when you are cuddled up with your personal heater (my husband) for the night, we recap the trip so far. Both of us are more relaxed than we have been in a long time, and making jokes about the stupid little things that can lead to fights when you are stressed to the maximum from work, kids, and household duties that arise sometimes every day. There was no fight over doing the dishes and we actually had a small water fight while washing them together.

The next day we head south through Yellowstone, our new favorite place in the world. Trees and mountains; the two most beautiful types of landscape in the world. As the road winds this way and that we stay mostly silent and enjoy the ride hand in hand. Some buffalo are seen, although we have seen many more before back home; and Old Faithful may not be as faithful as it used to be, but still renders us speechless in its beauty, hand in hand.

After day 2 we stop counting the days, feeling as if it puts us on a deadline, or maybe we are just sick of something else to keep track of like we do back home. The fact that nothing pressing is calling to us is foreign and we are finding it hard to stop thinking of stuff to keep track of. As Thomas prefers to drive, he does, and since I’ve always gotten carsick from reading in a moving vehicle I avoid it. We remain hand in hand during most of the driving, talk when we need to and listen to the radio when there is nothing to say.

Idaho is nothing special to us, but the Pacific Ocean puts us in a trance. Sitting on the beach hand in hand at sunset there is nothing more important in that moment than the view. We sit close together, watching, for hours. Eventually I am wearing Thomas’ sweatshirt and his hand is no longer in mine. Instead, his arm is draped around my waist, tugging me closer for a kiss. All I could thing was that I wished someone was standing right behind us right now, to get a picture, of the two of us, completely relaxed and content. As if reading my mind; as men can sometimes do after 15 years, Thomas pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it out at arms length for a selfie.

As the summer continues we drive, no real destination, no goal, and most importantly no deadlines. We have lived the last 15 years together working, raising children, and meeting deadlines and goals constantly to do so. It has worn on our minds and at times our marriage. Driving? With no plan whatsoever has brought back the spontaneity that fizzled out long ago. We are laughing more, smiling more, and enjoying being in each other’s company more than ever. Over the summer we manage to visit most of the western states, and a few of the eastern ones near the ocean. We have seen both the Pacific and the Atlantic, and put many miles on the old minivan that we will most likely retire after this trip.

I won’t always remember the miles we put on in numbers, and I am sure that over time the places will blur together. Hopefully, I will always remember the helicopter ride over the black hills, seeing both oceans with the love of my life by my side, and lastly I hope to always remember the moments that weren’t funny at the time, but have become hilarious tales for us to tell our children and friends over the dinner table. Like the time Thomas turned on the GPS, because we both know I am a horrible navigator, and the GPS got us lost!

We know in our hearts that the landscape won’t always be fresh in our minds, but we have made sure to take plenty of pictures to help us remember! The redwoods of northern California, deserts of Arizona, and the mountains of Tennessee will always be there in printed form; helping us to remember the beauty that we got to witness. As time goes on I hope deep in my heart that I will always remember the smiles, the laughter, and the fun times we had. May we always remember the feel of being hand in hand, as we were ninety five percent of the summer.