Onward, Eastward

Natalie and I will be driving out east to North Carolina tomorrow. My family is planning to move out of my childhood home (to which they moved in just before I was born) and we're going to help and ensure the safety of my junk that's been kept at home. This is especially important for us to do since Dad had a stroke a couple of weeks ago and has not yet recovered to the point that he can operate independently.

We made a similar trip just after the wedding last year. I think we learned a few things:

1. Don't camp out next to a Missouri swamp unless you want to feed the local insect population with your blood.
2. Keep the car as free of clutter as you can. This doesn't just mean trash, but everything in general. No need to have mounds of snacks and food in the back seat.
3. A well-organized trunk makes life better.
4. The driver, in general, gets to pick the media, no matter how much Bradley doesn't like it.
5. Dress comfortably; you'll be sitting for a long time. But make it something you'll feel good about yourself in. Sometimes when dressing too casually, in pajama pants, it's easy to start feeling bad about myself.
6. Twizzlers are not food, but you must have them while traveling. Keep a small supply and remember that you're not normally eating almost every second of the day when you're not spending all your time in the car.
7. Expect to have some fights along the way. Deal with them properly! The mental demands of long road travel are rigorous and affect emotions easily. This is alright and unavoidable, but there's a right way and a wrong way to deal with it.
8. Stop somewhere interesting. Yeah, you're trying to make good time, but no one said you couldn't have a good time while you're at it.

We will probably deviate from all these tidbits of travel wisdom before the end, but I thought it'd be nice to write a few of them down. Maybe it will help me remember them. Wish us luck!