Fall means getting settled into your back-to-school routines, which often brings its own version of hecticness. For my family this year, our household went through a seismic shift going back to school. The oldest of my four children, John, headed off to his freshman year in college; another son, Everett, started high school; my third son, Peter, began his last year of middle school; and my youngest, Bliss, the princess of the home, kicked off kindergarten. How we made that transition (and it’s still ongoing) was made even more fun by a trip my husband John and I decided to make to help stave off the blues in the family as our oldest and youngest “flew the nest” at the same time.
The epic trip to get John up to Yale University in Connecticut began for us on a Sunday afternoon in late August, near the banks of the Mississippi River. If you’ve ever seen the hilarious movie National Lampoon’s Vacation, you can picture what our SUV looked like packed to the gills. We happily got on the road, stopping short of singing “99 Bottles of [Root] Beer.”
First Stop:
The Smokies
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Despite being born and raised in Memphis and taking my kids on far-flung trips, from Mexico to the Grand Canyon, I had never taken them on a relatively short seven-hour drive to the other side of the state to see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My mother tells me that I travelled there as a toddler, but my dad apparently had a “been there, done that” mentality, so my older siblings got the full benefit of that trip. We never went back. My son Peter pointed this out to me as a major injustice, saying that was the one place he had to see. After arriving in Gatlinburg in the dark of night, the morning sunrise did not disappoint. With a babbling brook outside our hotel room and the misty clouds dusting the top of the mountains in the distance, we were all spellbound. Thankfully, my husband is the uber-organized one in the family and had already mapped out a two-mile hike for us to go on inside the national park to a waterfall. To say it was fun is an understatement. Peter and Everett acted as if they were Lewis & Clark on a great expedition, pointing out the peak of Clingmans Dome mountain, which they had learned about in school. After a half-day of taking in the fresh air and celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service, it was time to get back on the road.
Second Stop:
The Nation’s Capital
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Over the course of two days, visiting Washington, D.C. was like experiencing a history lesson in 3D.
We walked the National Mall from top to bottom, taking in as many monuments as we could. Though my husband and I have visited Washington on several occasions, and I even lived there for a few months while reporting on Capitol Hill in grad school, it was so special to see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the newer World War II and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, among others, through the eyes of our children who were all seeing it for the first time. My college-bound son, who was so eager to join his new college life, seemed to really enjoy spending these last few days with his younger sibs. He even fancied himself living at a certain famous address some day, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
My husband John, who has always been so professorial, wanted to make sure the kids experienced the three branches of government, so with a little forethought several weeks earlier, I submitted a request online through my congressman’s office for tickets and passes to visit the Capitol building and the White House. We also toured the U.S. Supreme Court. That’s the beauty of visiting Washington, D.C. — much of the sightseeing is little to no cost, once you get past paying for parking.
Last Stop:
Yale or Bust!
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As we pulled up to the Yale University campus, I began to think I was driving onto the set of a Harry Potter film and waiting for the Hogwarts to jump out at me. The majestic, ivy-covered buildings of the school, which has been around since 1701, may have seemed a bit intimidating had it not been for the warm welcome my son John received when he arrived at his dormitory. A gaggle of super-excited college kids cheered and chanted to welcome him as the newest Bulldog. The thing that got my husband John super-excited is how the welcome crew unloaded all of the stuff we had brought with our son and took it up to his room. I had never seen anything like it. We didn’t have to lift a finger!
With John settled into his dorm room and the anticipation of a long trip back home, we didn’t tarry long in New Haven, Connecticut. We departed the next morning after an embrace with our son that lingered longer than usual. We travelled 2,500 miles round-trip, passing through eight states to create endless memories.
Now if I can only get Bliss to stop looking at me with those big puppy-dog eyes with crocodile tears in them as I drop her off at school every morning. Thankfully her teacher, Mrs. Porter, who taught all of my children in kindergarten at Downtown Elementary, assures me that she’s all smiles as soon as she enters the classroom. Somehow I figured that. Now let me go get a tissue and wipe a few tears myself.