Road trip

'Twas 3 nights before Christmas when we hit the road,

Leaving only the cat stirring in our humble abode.

We were headed to Knoxville and we travelled with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas would visit us there!

The children were nestled all snug in their seats

With a bag full of books, toys, games, snacks and treats!

With Dad at the wheel and I with my knitting

And the dog in the back just drooling and sitting

We drove through the mountains, full of ice and snow,

Hoping the roads would clear up as we go...

Out of the window the mountains flew like a flash

And we were soon over the fear that we might slip, slide or crash!

The sun rose as we travelled and melted the snow,

Giving the luster of Denver appearing below.

Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear

But the flatlands of Kansas with roads dry and clear.

The scenery never changed, just windmills and fields.

The occasional town, where we could get gas or a meal.

We made it through to Missouri and stayed briefly the night,

But were up early again to continue our flight.

Then on the horizon we saw it come to us,

and I knew in a moment it must be St. Louis!

More pleasant than puppies these boys sat in the car,

Never asking "are we there yet?" or even "how far?"

"Now, Hampton! Now, Sammy! Now, Jason and Gabe!"

Momma's so happy that you're all well behaved!

As a treat we can listen to Harry Potter, book 3

Since our friends lent us the whole story on CD!

So we listened, we talked, played the license plate game.

We took naps while Dad drove, he was fine all the same!

And then with a beeping I saw on the dash,

The ominous sign that we would soon run out of gas!

As Dad drew up his resolve and was turning around,

We gave a sign of relief as the station was found!

We pulled into Knoxville with a little time to spare.

And Yaya and Papa were so happy to have us there.

We fell out of the car, our feet happy to touch gravel,

Though our clothes were all tarnished from 2 days of travel!

A bundle of gifts strapped to the trailer on back,

I looked like a peddler just opening our pack.

The tree, how it twinkled! The family, how merry!

The food was delicious! The memories so very...

Wonderful! And though we didn't want our vacation to end,

We knew it was time to start driving again.

"On, Tennessee! On, Kentucky! On, Illinois! On, Missouri!

I-70 will take us home! Now hurry!"

The arch of St. Louis was a fun sight to see.

But I knew from there on that entertainment was up to me!

So we kept listening to our book, and the radio helped.

And I laughed when we stopped, in spite of myself.

For as we drove through the day I could hardly believe

That our night on the road would be New Year's Eve!

So In the middle of Kansas, at a sweet Super 8

We ordered pizza, watched tv and didn't even stay up late!

Then on New Year's Day we got up, and before the sun shone

We were back on the road - we were on our way home!

And as we reached the last chapter about the boy wizard,

We headed up the mountains and into a blizzard! 

We made it through the storm and over the pass,

We had plenty of fun (and plenty of gas)!

The dog was amazing - he just slept in the back.

He's happy as long as he's with his pack.

The boys did fantastic, they were mostly always all smiles.

And Dad was at the wheel the whole time, over 3,000 miles!

So laying Hamp's feet aside of my nose,

Our road trip finally has come to a close.

I say to you all, friends and family so dear...

Hope your Christmas was merry - and Happy New Year!