At the time this posts, I will be buckling my seatbelt to drive myself, my 2 daughters (4 years and 14 months), and a friend of mine to Atlanta for a girls weekend while my husband and a couple friends participate in a startup weekend. (More info on that after it’s over.) The number of firsts that this is for me is pretty high and is resulting in a high anxiety level. There have been more tears and stomachaches over this trip than in all the years I’ve had issues with anxiety.

But this trip has the potential to be AWESOME.

This trip could open up the world (or at least the continental U.S.) to our family. My husband and I have wanted to do a cross country road trip for some time, and this is the springboard trip which will help us determine if and how it can be done.

This is not the first time my husband and I have done a road trip with a child. Our older daughter is a fabulous car rider and made the trip from FL to NY like a champ. Our younger daughter though, can barely make it out to Disney (about an hour) before she’s antsy and fussy.

And I have chosen to drive this fussy child all the way to Atlanta. Just me in charge of my two girls in a Mazda CX-9 for 9-10 hours.

The only thing saving me from dissolving into a literal puddle of goo is that while I might be the driver and parent, I am not alone. If I absolutely have to, there is still someone else who can drive. There is still someone to take the “happy” child while I deal with the “unhappy” child – whoever that may be at the time.

And that this trip has the potential to be AWESOME.

Wish us luck.