My Story....More than you ever wanted to know :)

I consider myself a professional roadtripper. Are there requirements that make someone a professional roadtripper? If so, I don’t know what they are and I am just assuming I meet them. Here’s my adventure story.

In 2015 I decided to take the year to travel and my story will explain why. Three years prior, in 2012, I lost my mother to cancer. She battled the disease for three years, two and ½ years more than the doctors had given her. I was depressed and lonely without her in my life. I started looking back and thinking of memories I had as a child of her and while my parents were wonderful, loving people, I realized I had very few memories of us traveling or going to places I was truly interested in as a kid. I always loved the city and unknown places and being from rural, middle-of-nowhere America I didn’t get to go to either of those often. My mom hated driving in any town with a population more than 5,000 or with more than one stoplight. This really restricted road trips with her. Some of the best memories I had were actually with my Aunt Lola who lived in Madison. She would take me to the “big, fancy” mall, movie theaters, and the State Capital at Christmas time to see the enormous tree inside. These seem to be the memories that stick out in my head.  That being said, I do have fond memories of trips with my parents too. Nashville was always a favorite and we went to visit my dad’s family there several times while I was growing up. When I was younger I actually dreamed to going to college there, but my parents didn’t think that was a good option. Looking back, I am sure they were correct. Again. My one and only trip out of the country, to Canada when I was 11 or 12, was pretty awesome as well. But three people, two of whom smoked, stuck in the front seat of a Chevy S-10 left a lot to be desired on that particular road trip. My parents did a lot of things when I was growing up: camping, fishing, hunting, more camping, more fishing, more hunting, more cam…ok, you get the point. Most kids would be like that is awesome, what are you complaining about? And I am not actually complaining, just putting it out there that to this day I really dislike all three of those activities. I always had fun playing around with my cousins at the campgrounds in Big Flats and then at our family campground near home, but it was never really my bright spot. Never felt much like I fit in in the woods. Or on the water.  Or with a gun.  Why am I telling you all this and sounding like a spoiled brat? My three older brothers would probably say just because I am a spoiled brat. But it actually leads to why I have crowned myself a professional roadtripper. Ahhh….there is a point to this rambling, finally.

About a year after my mom passed, I fell in love with an a capella band by the name of Home Free.

Photo from Chattanooga, TN February 2019

(If you already follow me on any form of social media-FB, Twitter, Insta- you already know all about them. And you are welcome.) I had always loved a capella music and how much talent was involved with creating the sound of a band without any instruments. I grew up listening to country music, loved many of the classics like Marty Robbins and Statler Brothers, but at some point in the 1990’s fell out of love with anything country music. I pretty much despised it. My daughter on the other hand (who came into this world in 2000) LOVED it from the age of about two. I mean loved it. She was running around at two years old talking about Keef (Toby Keith) and Chesney, which I am still not sure how she could get out Chesney and not Keith, but that is a different topic. Slowly over the years she got me listening to more and more of it with groups like Dan + Shay coming up on the scene and Rascal Flatts and Hunter Hayes. And then here walks in these “local” boys popping out a capella country hits in a style I had never previously heard and I instantly fell head over heels. And bonus, even though she didn’t love them as immediately as I did, my daughter also ended up loving these down-to-earth country boys. Little did I know at the time what a huge impact finding them would have on my life.  Ok, so maybe after this comes my point about being a roadtripping queen… J

My daughter and travel partner-2019

 By the time 2015 rolled around we had seen Home Free live numerous times around our area and just couldn’t get enough of them. Their live shows were addicting. Their personalities were slightly even more addicting. Getting to know them personally just added to their sweet charm. One day while looking at their 2015 spring tour schedule it just hit me to use their schedule to navigate our vacation plans. I told my daughter for the next year we would travel to places we had never been (and several we had), see them perform, and do some fun and educational things along the way. Adding the commitment to educational things helped me justify my decision to myself…I mean that does sound good, right? But really underneath it all what I wanted was to create memories with my daughter that would last her a lifetime. Memories she can look back on when she is my age and recall all of the adventures we had together.  I wanted her to have what I struggle finding in those memories of my own mother. From what I hear from other parents, it’s not always normal to have a teenage daughter who is interested in the same things as their mom. As I previously stated, this wasn’t true for me and my mom. And in our case of parent/child relations, my daughter and I must be the oddballs on the playing field. We tend to have a lot in common beyond our love of Home Free. We like to visit the same places. Watch many of the same shows and movies.  And sing along to all the boy bands that existed before Home Free including NKOTB and the Backstreet Boys. Our music selection really does make for some fun in-the-car concerts featuring us if you’re wondering. Unfortunately for her, I can’t sing at all….but I don’t let it stop me from “performing” like I am a super star!

Now, even though I wanted this to be for the two of us, my first long trip to see the guys wasn’t with my daughter it was to Kansas City, Missouri in the spring of that year with my two girlfriends, Michele and Lisa. 

Kansas City, Missouri 2015 with Michele and Lisa

One of the best things I ever committed to doing with friends. I highly recommend to all women to take at least one adventure with your bff’s. After that trip, my daughter and I traveled to numerous other shows that year and to several other states including Iowa, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  Long story short on this part, we loved this so much we haven’t stopped. It’s 2019 and we are still roadtripping strong! We have now seen the guys perform in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, and South Dakota. Some of these states we have seen them in numerous times. And along the way we visited the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, the Ozarks, Branson, The Great Smoky Mountains, The Opry, National Civil Rights Museum, Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis, St. Louis Arch, Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, along with numerous other zoos, museums, and points of interest. I kept true to that education piece I mentioned. It really wasn’t just for fluff. Also, we have met so many interesting people along the way and some of those people have become best friends and family.  People I can’t imagine my life without, including the five guys that created this inspiration for me.

Professional roadtripper status? Like I said before, I don’t know what the criteria is to declare yourself a professional, but I do know since we started this in 2015 we have traveled well over 40,000 miles by car just on these adventures. That averages out to just under 850 miles a month following around some country a cappella nerds and seeing the beautiful country we live in. Not too shabby. Should I mention before 2015 I rarely, if ever, drove to points past Minneapolis or Chicago? Deciding to do this pushed me outside my comfort zone and by doing so opened this great big world to me and my daughter. I thank Home Free for that motivation. (Next goal, they think they can actually get me on a plane. I don’t think that one is happening. Sorry fellas.)

Since I started traveling I planned to start a photo blog to document our adventures along the concert routes. I am way behind. Years behind actually, but no time like the present to start. My plan is to post pictures of places I find interesting, beautiful, unique, etc. I might also throw in fun places to shop for souvenirs or places to eat or stay. Oh, and some pictures of the band too. If I get overly ambitious, I might just go back and relive some of my trips and share what I remember as it comes to me.

I hope you all enjoy joining me on this adventure. 💙