Reminisce of a College Road Trip Part 1

                   

It was a summer evening in 2008, and my teenage daughter who was in the 11^th Grade planned movie time for the family. She chose the movie entitled, College Road Trip, starring Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symone, and Brenda Song. The movie was funny and we enjoyed it immensely. After the movie, my daughter asked me and her dad if we could give her a college road trip the following year to the college of her choice. Her dad and I told her that we would not be able to drive because we do not like long distance driving. Her dad even mentioned his frequent back and shoulder pain as deterrent to driving long distances. I mentioned how my hands hurt whenever I drive far distances. In other words we had many excuses why we were unable to go on a college road trip. My daughter told us that a college road trip with her parents would mean the world to her. I then started thinking that if we had a third driver maybe the road trip would be a reality. So, I called my son to ask him if he could help us drive on a college road trip with his sister, and my son just started to laugh and told me that he did not like driving long distances and would not be able to help us. At that time we had an idea of the city in which my daughter would attend college even though she did not get her acceptance letter as yet. With only my husband and I as drivers I did not believe a college road trip would be possible and I told my daughter that we would not be able to take her on a college road trip; however, she was told that her father would travel with her by airplane to check out her dream college. I really believe that was the end of the college road trip but things were unfolding behind the scene and what would happen in 2009, I believe happened because a teenager refused to give up her dream even when she was told “no” by her parents and continued to believe in faith that a college road trip was possible.

During February, 2009, my husband accompanied our daughter, on an airplane, to visit her dream college in New York City. A couple months later the acceptance letter from her dream college was among the acceptance letters from other colleges. My daughter jumped for joy and she could not stop speaking about her dream college. We were very happy for her and we supported her decision and at the same time I was a bit apprehensive because she had received more scholarships from other colleges. She was not interested in the other colleges. Her heart was set on going to her dream school; subsequently, she would be the one spending four years of her life studying and why not spend it at a place that she wants to go to.

Graduation day came in June, 2009, and it was a beautiful ceremony. Relatives came from out of town and family and friends from close to home attended the Graduation Ceremony. I was proud of my daughter and I was so grateful to be alive to see that day. I had serious complications due to pregnancy after having her so I view each day as a special gift from God.

We were busy shopping for college and before we know it summer was almost gone and it was almost time for us to accompany our daughter to college, not on a road trip because we were going to fly on an airplane. Somehow, I had procrastinated in purchasing the airline tickets and I even forgot to check a favorite airline that I take on trips. So, while I was looking for tickets at the last moment the prices of tickets kept going up by the hour and I finally made the decision that probably a college road trip may be cheaper. I approached my husband and told him that I believe a college road trip would be cheaper and if we take the truck we would be able to carry everything our daughter needs for college, and we would not have to buy anything in New York. After sometime of trying to convince my husband to see the benefits from a college road trip he finally agreed to make the trip. Neither of us had driven more than 600 miles at any one time and now both of us were planning to travel over 2,300 miles to New York City. My daughter was extremely happy when we told her that we would drive her to college. She then told us that she had prayed to God for a college road trip with her parents and the decision to drive her was the answer to her prayers.Her Her