Family Time

It happens every weekend.
Usually on Sunday, but Saturdays aren’t off limits.
Mike will give us a few hours notice.
But when he announces “Family Time”,
we all come running.

This is a special time for the four of us.
No friends allowed, and none of us get to squirm out of it.
The kids and I don’t have any say in where we’re going,
It doesn’t even occur to us anymore to try.
Mike’s in charge of this ride, and he’s good at it.

It almost always starts out the same way.
Mike and Jordie jump in the truck instantly, eager to get going.
Nick moseys along at his own pace gathering up sketch pads and pencils to draw on for the ride.
It never fails that the horn is honking in the driveway as I scurry around letting the dogs out, turning off lights, the TV and coffee pot.
When I do finally open the car door to get in, it’s always the same thing.
“What took you so long Mom?” and I bite my lip and chuckle to myself wondering what they would do without me!

If Mike says to me “You better get a hat”, that’s code for “the windows are going to be down on this trip.”
And away we go.
Some days we head to the city and marvel at the old architecture while exciting new structures are being built around them, creating a buzz this city hasn’t had in years.
We love to watch the progress and in some small way feel a part of it.
But most rides, like yesterday, we’re country bound.

These are some of our best moments as a family.
We reconnect in a time when we are all being pulled in different directions.
Mike will tell us stories from his youth having grown up a Nebraska farm boy.
My memories tend to flow more easily when we’re in the city.

Jordie and Nick really open up on these trips.
We can and do talk about anything.
We “Moo” at the cows and “Bah” at the sheep.
We stop and take pictures of really cool old barns.
We laugh, we sing along to the radio at the top of our lungs and we never cross a set of railroad tracks without lifting up our feet.
“Pick up your feet, we need the luck” one, if not all of us always hollers.

We take turns sharing our concerns and what we’re grateful for.
We solve a lot of problems and keep little nuances from becoming bigger.
We spend a lot of time talking openly about TC, and a future without her.
Nick said yesterday that he misses Aunt Toby.
I didn’t know that and it touched my heart.
I miss her too.

But mostly, we just have a good time.
And when it’s over,
It’s an amazing transition back to reality.
The kids can’t even get out of the car without challenging each other...
Who can get into the house first,
Which one will get to the TV first,
“Mom he cheated, well she hit me”…

But for those few hours in the car,
All was right in our little world.
It was Family Time.