I have many fond memories of yearly road trips with my family. Every summer, all six of us kids would pile into our 8-passenger minivan and head off on a 24 hour road trip from Seattle, Washington down to Los Angeles, California. We would usually start in the late afternoon and my parents would drive through most of the night taking turns driving to help us get there with less fights and drama that can come about with 6 kids packed into one car. I remember I would often stay up with my dad while my mom slept and sing my heart out to the radio and have great talks with my dad as we drove. I have SO many memories from those times that they are some of my favorite memories growing up even though every trip included some amount of bickering between me and my siblings. I remember that ever gas station stop my dad would let us all go in and pick a candy bar or other treat and it was always so much fun! We also would play audiobooks and it was fun as I got older to listen to a book on the drive as well.

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Now that I am grown and have a family on my own, I really find myself enjoying the road trips we’ve been able to take as a family. Our usually trips are more like 6 hour trips to the west coast but we’ve also taken the journey from Phoenix all the way up to Seattle and several trips to Salt Lake City as well. It can be hard when the kids are really little, but it still builds so many memories that really last a lifetime. Back when we had just two little ones, we would travel up to Washington state every Christmas thru New Year’s Eve to spend time with my in-laws. It was so fun to have a white Christmas and some exposure to snow that we don’t see here in the desert.

“In My Mind” Video Challenge!

Kia Motors recently hosted an “In My Mind” Music Video Challenge and the video submissions were pretty neat! I was really impressed with the Grand Prize winner that took a unique approach using their kids to create a really fun video! Here’s a sample entry you can check out as well. I can’t believe how creative people can be!!