The Map

     In preparation for our big trip in 2010 we purchased a large map of the United States. It covered part of the wall in our centrally located dining room. If you came to my house there was no way you could miss seeing it. During the planning it was great fun to look and see where we would be going, could be going, and think of what we might do there. Once we were home I slowly added pictures to the map of all the places we had been and things we had done. Eventually I had covered over the whole thing. The map stayed like that for awhile until I'd had almost all pictures from the trip printed. Or all the good ones anyway, we did take quite a lot. My husband estimated about 4000!
     The collage of photos on the map was great fun to look at too, but eventually I had to take them down. I made albums for each of the kids. I made a scrapbook for all of us. I also put lots into picture frames that are now scattered throughout the house. Even without all the photos it's not a trip we'll soon forget. The map looked quite empty without all the photos, and without any new plans for another trip the map soon came down too. Our light up Disneyworld flag returned to its place. It had to. With me not working and still paying for the trip we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. We'd gotten to take an amazing trip with our kids, now we had to deal with and live in reality for awhile.
     Eventually the map came back out. We couldn't resisit it's pull. It's been up on the wall again for about a month now. I've put in tacks to show where we've been. The places we remember, the places we did something, places that were significant. Not just places we may have stopped to sleep. I ran out of tacks and had to get some more. The kids have helped with things I may have forgotten, and they love looking at it too. Remembering and then of course thinking about the possibilities for next time. When I was younger my brother was in the Navy. He had a map of the world up above his desk in his room in the basement. Every time he came back on leave he added more tacks to his map of all the places he'd been in the world. I may not be giving my kids the world but I'm giving them the feel and realization of something bigger. At least I hope I am.
     Looking at it now, there are a lot of empty spots on our map of the USA. Many states we didn't get to. Many places we just slept but didn't get to do much more in before having to move on. Looking at the tacks also shows how we were barely in certain states. Cities like Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO are on the border of those states. We know there's a lot more those and every state has to offer. We plan to get there and check it out some time. It's fun to think about possible routes we could take and places we'd stop. Watching shows on the travel channel takes on more meaning when they show a place we may like to visit also. I'll text my husband or tell everyone at dinner about wherever it was they had shown on tv that we'd have to go to. Most recently it was a food wars in Kansas I believe. Fried chicken at these two places located only 300 ft. from each other. Being we had done the same thing with Philly cheesesteaks at Pat's and Geno's in Pennsylvania it certainly feels like something we'll get to do one day.  It may take awhile for us to get there but it's certainly inspiration to do it. We may not be able to plan a massive trip like the last one for awhile but we can do smaller ones.
     For now my focus will remain on the smaller ones. Making little dents, or tacks in our map of places we have not been. Places that are closer, easier and more cost effective for us to visit right now. My two youngest kids have played in the Pacific ocean in California yet somehow we've not gotten them to the Atlantic, right here on our south shore. I guess because it's always there, it doesn't seem like it should take much planning to get there. I guess it just might. And it's certainly fun for me making even potential plans.