Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Giveaway: $200 Visa Gift Card

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint



I received $75 in compensation in exchange for sharing my (I hope) funny story about a holiday road trip.


Want to win a $200 Visa Gift Card? Read on for my story, and share yours for a chance to win. Plus, seven other bloggers and BlogHer are giving away additional $200 Gift Cards. Visit the BlogHer.com special offers page - you've got 9 chances to win a $200 Visa Gift Card!

***

Everyone always wants to go home for the holidays, especially the recent college grads who like to pretend their independent and above it all but really just want some home cooking and laundry and comfort.

The first Christmas after I graduated college, I was living in Chicago in an apartment by myself. My family was in Minnesota, and I was thrilled to be flying home. Me being the cheap me that I am, I flew out of Midway because it saved me a good $30 on the ticket.

I took the orange line out to Midway and waited for my flight to take off. Silly Chicagoans, they canceled my flight due to the heavy snow falling. And they canceled the rest of the flights heading out of Chicago to Minnesota that day, too. Since it was Christmas Eve (it’s cheaper to fly then, ya know), I sort of needed to get home.

When I asked what I could do, the lovely gate attendants offered to book me on a flight out of O’Hare – the other airport in Chicago – as they hadn’t canceled flights. I’d have to get there on my own, and the flight left in three hours, but it was doable.

I hopped in a cab and was on my way to my second airport of the day. Taking the el back to the city and then out to O’Hare was cutting it a little close for my flight. Of course, since it was snowing heavily, traffic wasn’t exactly moving.

Almost two hours into the drive, I realized I wasn’t going to make that flight no matter what I did. We were still on the highway and not exactly close to O’Hare. It was about then that I looked at the cabbie’s meter.

It was at $78. And this cab didn’t take cash. And I’m not one to carry a ton of cash on me (I’m still not, in case you’re thinking about mugging me someday). I quickly opened my purse and fished out my wallet to discover that I had exactly $80 on me.

Eek!

I quickly asked the cabbie to drop me off at the closest bus station, which fortunately was at the next exit. He took all my money, and he wasn’t nice about it either.

By this point, I was starting to get a little panicky. Everything that could go wrong was, and all I wanted to do was just make it home. This being back in the age of the dinosaurs before everyone had cell phones, so I picked up a payphone and called my parents collect.

After reassuring them that I was alive, I decided that I’d play the brave, strong woman. I told me parents that I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas this year. Instead, I’d head down to Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Chicago to go to Christmas Eve midnight mass by myself. It would all be ok.

I hung up the phone and pulled my fare card out of my wallet – I could at least afford to take the el back to my apartment! – and started the journey back to my apartment, spinning tales in my head about how sad the situation was and how tragic a figure I made. I cried silently to myself as I walked through my door.

It was about then that I realized I didn’t know where Holy Family was, and walking there (since I had no cash, remember) for midnight mass was probably not going to happen. I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner that night, as I’m sure it only adds to my comic tragedy. I have to assume it was something like macaroni and cheese. From a box. This was in the days before I really knew how to cook well.

Around 2 in the morning, my parents called. They had driven down from Minnesota to pick me up. They picked up my suitcase that was still packed, and we all climbed into my parents’ car to drive home in time to celebrate Christmas morning at my parents house. Or at least what I remember of it.

But hey – every story has to have a happy ending, right? Fortunately, I learned all the appropriate lessons from that trip, and knock on wood, I’ve managed to avoid so many woes trying to get home ever since then.

So what’s your funniest holiday road trip story? Share your story in the comments below, and you can win a $200 Visa Gift Card.

This contest is open until December 31. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Mandatory Entry: You must leave me your best holiday road trip story in the comments below or none of your entries will count - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
3) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
4) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck – and I can’t wait to read those road trip stories!

157 comments:

  1. One time I went to floriday when I was little and my brother's friend came along. we drove and the whole time he as going "shut up lauren" whenever i'd so something. Oh, joy.

    -Lauren
    lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. i follow this blog

    lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My most memorable holiday road trip was traveling to Houston for Christmas to meet my mom's boyfriend's family when I was about 12. It was incredibly awkward. First of all there were cultural differences (the family was Filipino), then it was just weird for me to watch them have their Christmas while I was the outsider. After that trip my mother broke up with the guy, because she realized she liked his family more than she liked him!

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I flew home from college my freshman year, and it was my very first time flying ever. I was terrified. I flew alone from the teeny, tiny 2 runway airport in my college town to Newark, NJ, where I was supposed to have a short layover. Well, the second flight was delayed for hours and hours and hours, and I was still all worked up from the crazy turbulence in the first flight. And, I had pink eye, and unfortunately had broken my glasses a while back. Oh, did I mention that I had just broken up with my boyfriend, too, the day before when he left the school for good??

    So, I sat in the Newark airport with one contact in, one puffy oozing untreated pinkeye eye, sad heart and terrified anxiety, all alone and an overall sad sack. Can you believe that no one talked to me?? :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I follow your "regular blog," too!

    (Oh, I forgot to even mention that I was flying home for Christmas break from college. D'oh!)

    (And, I couldn't help but point out that in the Mandatory Entry section you're asking for our best holiday road "strip" stories... now, that would be a VERY different story...) :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think my best road trip story was when it was my first time getting on an airplane. I went with my Senior class on a Mission's trip to France. Well, unfortunately I never got to say goodbye to my family. They had dropped me off and everyone else had their parents with them and they had all been on a plane before. I felt so left out! My parents had lost who they were following, other parents where to park. So, I ended up going on the plane and exhausted hours later...in the evening I had arrived at the camp, in France and managed to call my family! However, my Mom went out to get my Brother rolls for dinner!!! LOL So, she missed my call but I did end up speaking to my Dad and Brother. :) It was a great trip and all in all, there is NO place like home! I missed it so much!

    Thanks for the chance to win this giveaway, it's truly wonderful!!

    purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tweeted: http://twitter.com/luvscontests/status/6485772169
    purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I follow this review blog. purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I follow your 'regular' bloggy too! :) purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I blogged also: http://dietcokehandsanitizerchk.blogspot.com/2009/12/visa-gift-card_08.html

    purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

    **Hopeful**

    ReplyDelete
  11. My best holiday road trip story is when we went Christmas shopping, and for some reason, paid no attention to the weather forecast for the day. When we walked out of the mall later that afternoon, it had snowed several inches and counting! The problem was that we were two hours from home and when it snows here in Missouri, that's a big deal. It took us a few hours just to get out of the parking lot, and the 2 hour trip home ended up being 6 hours long. My poor Mom had to drive 30 mph on the snowy highway with my young brother and me in the backseat! Thankfully we made it home safe and sound, but it was scary at the time. Now we can look back and laugh at how clueless we were to the snow forecast that day!

    mdmerenghi@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm following your other blog too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. My most memorable holiday road trip….when I was little we never spent holidays with grandparents. Just couldnt with dad’s job. But one year, we somehow could do it. We were going on road trip and we had to bring all our gifts to open on christmas morning. Dad’s truck was so full he couldn’t see! We had a camper on the back….stuffed!!! My grandparents laughed so hard when they saw us. Memorable though!!

    afrugalfriend@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hmmm funny Christmas story that involves driving in the snow, but not trying to get home for Christmas.
    http://worldofweasels.blogspot.com/2008/12/back-to-funny.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. I tweet because I love. http://twitter.com/WeaselMomma/status/6493791222

    ReplyDelete
  16. My most memorable Christmas was the year that my mom and step-dad got married. Between the two of them there were 5 children and thus we had huge extended family Christmas. Any way, on the way to my Grandma and Grandpa’s house my step-dad decided to turn on some Christmas music in the vehicle. Of course the only station he could tune in was one playing newer songs, and so on the 2 1/2 hour trip to their house we heard the “Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer” song about 3 times. Needless to say all 5 of us kids remembered those exact words from that song and only those words. So, when we finally arrived at the grandparents house we were eager to recite some “carols” for them in true Christmas fashion. Our parents were mortified to hear that the first song of our choice was the “Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer” one which we sang over and over again and only that line. Thank goodness Grandma just thought that that was hilarious and laughed it off.

    catrisha{underscore}tittle{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I follow this blog. Catrisha T

    catrisha{underscore}tittle{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  18. We travel every year and stay with my in-laws for about a week after Christmas. Christmas day, we visit 2 or 4 family Christmas parties. One year, we didn't get very far...ok, we didn't get out of the driveway, before we got my wife's car buried in a 3 foot snow drift. It took an hour to dig it out. Needless to say, the rest of the day was quite stressful for me because of the way it started.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Flying into Denver at the old Stapleton airport just in time for the airport and all roads leading towards are destination to be closed by the blizzard. We finally got to the family home about 6pm on Christmas day after spending a night sleeping in the airport followed by driving 125 miles at less than 20 mph following a snow plow caravan.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Had a nice memorable road trip from SanFran to Chicago... I can't drive stick so I couldn't so any of the driving, and without being the driver I never got control of the radio. Lets just say that "Album 10" by Too $hort was heard at least 5 times a day.
    def001@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. http://bit.ly/737lSH
    kc@mominthecity.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. My most memorable holiday road trip was from Texas to North Carolina with our son when he was just a month old. We never imagined that you would have to take so much stuff for a baby! We had to stop every hour or so because I was breastfeeding and to feed him we had to take him out of the car seat. To top it all off it snowed and we had to drive in a blizzard! What a trip!
    jedoggett@embarqmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. I was home from my freshman year of college over Christmas and feeling very grown up. I decided to take a still in HS friend out to dinner at a restaurant that was a bit further than our normal stomping grounds. Afterward, I decided to take a shortcut and got on the interstae to head to our main route home.

    Unfortunately, instead of going north, I went south. And south. And south. And about a mile before the W. Virginia border, the floor of the car (below my friend's feet) CAUGHT ON FIRE! As in actual flames. The car fille dup with smoke and we were stranded many, many miles away from home, with a car we couldn't drive, on a very deserted interstate.

    Eventually someone stopped for us (this was pre cell phone), and it was a man who barely spoke English. he drove us to the next exit (across state lines no less) and took us to a gas station. I had to call my parents and suddenlyt didn't feel so grown up anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  24. My eventful holiday road trip was a road trip to Disney World, Florida from Louisiana with three small kids. Just know, that we stopped a lot for bathroom time. It was a long 10 hour trip that we settled for flying the next time we take a trip there.

    brownatural @ gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Tweeted
    http://twitter.com/unluckymrsmom/status/6579312313

    ReplyDelete
  26. My funniest road trip story was when I was younger my family and I lived in the Midwest and traveled to CT to visit family one summer. The family we were visiting thought it would be funny to leave seafood tucked away under the seat before we left. The whole drive home everyone was blaming everyone for the smell. We searched and searched but they hid it well. Eventually we decided it must just be in the carpet. It was a few days after we got home that it was finally discovered! Funny for them.... :)
    brownfamilyfive at verizon dot net

    ReplyDelete
  27. My best holiday road trip was long time ago. (It seems like holiday trip can't never without hassles!) Many years ago (10 or so), we had a great family reunion in France, it was my first time in Paris and the get together was like a United Nation reunion. It was very interesting to meet some relatives from Japan, France and United States.

    ReplyDelete
  28. tweet.http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/6592869995

    ReplyDelete
  29. Blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-honest-truly-reviews.html

    ReplyDelete
  30. Follow your regular blog as well.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Alas, I am known as "The Reluctant Traveler..."

    http://injaynesworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/injaynesworld-we-are-known-as-reluctant.html

    ReplyDelete
  32. I Tweeted!

    http://twitter.com/Jayne_Martin

    ReplyDelete
  33. our craziest road trip was when my sister took over a car trip when she and my mom and brother were moving me up to school a week after the New Year and instead of taking us to my college accidentally drove us back home because she everyone was asleep and she was too proud to use GPS. not funny then but hilarious now! :)

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  34. blogged!

    http://the-prestigiator.xanga.com/718159313/visa-giveaway-sponsored-by-sprint-and-blogher/

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  35. I follow this blog!

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I follow your regular blog as DG!

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  37. tweeted!

    http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/6608939339

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  38. My most memorable holiday trip wwas one where my dad had decided to take us ice skating and sledding on the property he owned out in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain. We took two cars--an old minivan with no snow tires, and my dad's new Jeep. The access road is on the side of a mountain, crosses a bridge, and is frozen solid from October-March every year. We got about 50 feet down the road when the van started skidding. We were on a sheet of solid ice, and the van jacknifed. We were skidding sideways down the mountain, and we were right along the edge of an embankment. It was a straight drop down into the creek, with nothing but a few trees to break the fall. All the kids were crying, my mom was panicking and yelling at us to be quiet, and my dad was standing at the top of the road yelling for her to let off the brakes and steer. The car eventually stopped when a tire hit a rock, and my mom had everyone crawl out the front passenger door (she didn't want us below the car, in case it should begin sliding downhill again.)



    We got out and stood on the ice, and my dad hooked the front of the van to his jeep and tried to striaghten it out. He got about halfway there, and the cable broke. The van ended up over the cliff and in the creek! No one was hurt, thank god, but what a day!



    Trying to get down the hill in kiddie snowboats was yet another challenge. I was a chubby kid and not exactly a graceful one; I landed on my bottom every 3 steps! I eventually got frustrated and crawled down the rest of the road on my hands and knees. There are pictures of me crawling aross the ice that I still--more than 15 years later--have not lived down!

    We did end up having a blast snowtubing/sledding down the mountains for a few hours while waiting for a tow truck. We even made a campfire and had hot cocoa (from melted snow!) and toasted marhsmallows. It was one of the best, scariest, and most memorable holidays of my life. Definitely one the grandkids will be hearing about someday!

    ReplyDelete
  39. My best road trip was the first trip I took with my daughter we went to Niagra Falls. It was in November so it was really to cold to do to much but we had a hotel room that overlooked the falls and she sat in front of the window the whole time with the most cutest face! And we went to the rainforest cafe which was really awesome to she loved all the animals! We have yet to get any other time to go back on vacation but I definatly want to take her back there!
    Haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. I tweeted!
    http://twitter.com/Haydensmommy05/statuses/6619154679
    Haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. I am a follower of this blog!
    Haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. I am a follower of your regular blog!
    Haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  43. When I was a little girl I visited my family in Arkansas.. and I was at a baseball game to watch my cousin. I was running up and down the bleachers while I was holding a glass bottle of Sprite. I fell and cut open a vein... it was a bloody mess. I had to get into my uncle's (who I barely knew) car and I got blood everywhere. Now every time I visit they make sure to give me plastic pop bottles.

    -bartendingblogger@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'm a follower!! (bb)

    -bartendingblogger@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. I left a tweet about this contest!
    http://twitter.com/kbhittner

    -bartendingblogger@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  46. One year, hubby and I did a trip around the US (well, half of it) to be with some friends in one state and family in another. It was a very busy travel schedule, and by the time we were headed home, we were worn out. As we drove through one long, never ending and hilly section (while we were still looking for our "real" route), we went over and down a hill before we saw the Police car parked in the median. We're still not sure if it was because the downhill increased our speed or if it was because our car windows were tinted pretty dark, but when we got pulled over (nerve-wracking enough for THIS safety-conscious driver), they actually called out to hubby to get out of the car and go get in their car! Ack, you're going to take my husband and leave me alone in the car not knowing what's going on? Well, it's been 7 years, and hubby still doesn't find it very funny. But the one moment that still makes me smile a little is that while he was sitting in there, he realized they were listening to a great band on the radio. Since we couldn't find any good stations while traveling, he was tempted to ask what station it was. joyful(dot)too(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  47. We never had to travel much because our family lives so close. I will never forget the car rides home from church on Christmas Eve though. We always knew that Santa had come while we were at church and we'd have presents waiting for us. My brother and I would crane our necks looking out the window for his sleigh and always swore to each other that we could hear the sleigh bells. I still don't know how my Grandpa managed to get those presents set up while we were on our way home from church but, he always did it!

    robin@lolidots.com

    ReplyDelete
  48. I follow this blog as Lolidots!

    robin@lolidots.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. I follow your regular blog as Lolidots!

    robin@lolidots.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. 2 years ago, my inlaws payed for our vacation to go to be with the in new york for Christmas. since we are a family of 8, they bought us stand by tickets from a relative that works for the airline.
    well we took 3 days to pack and like always a couple of hours before we had to be at the airport, everyone remembered they were missing important things that were unpacked without me knowing.
    2 hr countdown begins, everyone is screaming to everyone else, looking for things, i cant find my camera that keeps dissapearing out of my purse, and coats are missing. the 9 and 7 yr old girls vote they dont need coats, "hello!!! we are going where there's snow!!!" so 2 hrs later everyone is getting last minute things to put in their carry on bags for the flight entertainment. husb decides its time to check all the fluids in the car. i scream at him and remind him were flying to new york from california, not driving!!! so we make it to the airport late, as always, not to mention that it took us an hour to find a free extended stay parking lot for military, we made it to the desk and we get lectured that since we have stand by tickets we should have been there 2 hours earlier. really!?!?! after all of the bags are weighed we shifted some items around from bag to bag because some bags were over the weight limit and some were way under.
    our bags finally get through that ordeal, time to go through security check point.
    i strongly believe there should be a line for mommys and kids, keep in mind i have a lot of little kids to help take shoes off and coats and empty pockets and open carry on bags for. people behind us complain loudly about how long its taking, mind u im rushing the whole time flippin kids on bottom and pulling out shoes faster than i can throw them. we finally go one by one through the metal detector thingy, then security gets called to the x ray machine. seems our 5 year old thought it was a great idea to bring his metal cap gun with him in case someone tries to steal the airplane while were on it. many many explanations and apologies later, we are allowed to go through. so obviously we missed the flight we wanted so we had to wait for the next one. omg in a packed holiday airport with a bunch of hyper kids!!!!!!!!!!
    part 1 of 2 militaryfamof8@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  51. part 2 of 2
    we kept making bathroom trips because they clamied to "have" to go, but i know that its because for some unknown reason my kids are fascinated with going in public bathrooms! yuk!!
    people would keep staring from all angles at how many we were, and i would hear the remarks and laughs when i would count"1,2,3,4,5,6" ok were all here lets go!"
    next flight was readt to take in some stand by flyers, we had choices of sending some of us ahead or waiting for another flight or seperating us all throughout the plane. who in their right mind suggests i let a 2 and 4 year old sit together without a parent near by?!??! kids would come up with new snacks constantly, and i would get answers like "that stranger gave it to me" or "a man said it was ok to have candy" or "that guy with the coat called me over and gave it to me" so more crying from me feeling like i failed as a parent because all of my kids were getting food from strangers. i could have lost 1 or 2 or 3 kids that night. i had many older couples smile and pat our kids on the heads, telling us it would be okay, and that they had been through that many years ago. i was just a ball of tears that night. we finally got a whole row for ourselves and we played hand games, patty cake, rock paper sicssors, made up jokes and stories. we had a lot of fun. after a lot of planning, a lot more praying, plenty of crying, from me, not the kids, after 6 hours, we finally all were able to board the plane, as long as daddy took half of the little ones and i took the other half on different ends of the plane. we then sat on the plane for 3 hours because we didnt have clearance to leave since new york was having snow, go figure!
    so me and the kids decided to play phone games by calling daddy and the group, we were playing "guess who" and i spy back and forth with our cells phones.
    finally we got the notice and we were off!

    this was such a hectic and hard time, but it gave us memories for a lifetime, it has been the most adventourus and fun trip we have had, exept for the flight home where we split up into 3 flight,s but thats another one, lol

    militaryfamof8@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  52. The first time I flew home alone to Colorado to spend thanksgiving with my family I was snowed in at the air port and didn't have any money to call home on the payphone (this was pre-cell phone days) I waited for hours alone in the terminal 3hrs drive away from my final destination when my dad came to my rescue, found me and drove me home through the storm. We had to keep stopping the car and getting out to scrape ice off the windsheild so we could see to get home...it was a very LONG and COLD day of travel but we made it. My suitcase got there three days later.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I think my most memorable holiday trip is a toss up between the time my parents, little sister, and me spent Christmas in Paris (cue the Anastasia music in the background right after she exclaims "Can you imagine? Christmas in Paris!") and the time we went to Tahoe, there was a huge spontaneous blizzard, and we were forced to camp down in a small hotel in the middle of nowhere for a week or so.

    I remember I got a gorgeous green taffeta dress in Paris. But then again, I got to miss school because of the snowstorm, and I got bragging rights for being in a blizzard.

    So, like I said, toss up!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Seriously? You want to hear it? Since it's a long one, I'll link to it. (That counts, right?) It's classified as The Most Humiliating Moment of My Life. It happened because of a trip we took over the Thanksmas season, traveling to/from Alaska.

    http://therockingpony.blogspot.com/2008/02/holy-public-panties.html

    ReplyDelete
  55. Most memorable holiday trip? There was this one time, coming home from college for X-mass break I made the 5.5 hour drive in under 4 due to a hot blond who smiled at me. She was going WAY over the speed limit, but I just had to keep up. Ended up passing her just before a toll and paid her's for her. Fantasies just don't come true though, she never pulled off the road to give me a "special" thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  56. My first holiday trip with my husband (then boyfriend) we went to my timeshare in Florida. I set the whole trip up and when we picked up the rental car he asked me, "ok, which way do I go?". I just about died! I didn't know and I never thought to print off directions. We just decided to "wing-it" and I said if I could find the big bridge I could get us there. There are a lot of big bridges in West Palm Beach but we eventually found it and made it there. He never got iritated with me and we laughed it off. That was my most memerable trip and the day I knew I wanted to marry him!

    ReplyDelete
  57. I am a follower of this review blog!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I live in Alaska so we don't travel for holidays too much. Once when I was young and driving a Camaro I was hurrying along a very slick and winding road. I crested a hill gave the car a little gas and completely spun backwards. I was now doing 55 backwards. I plowed off the road and right into a church parking lot that was miraculously empty. I came to a stop 2 feet from a light pole. I sat there as the snow from spin out settled around and laughed and cried simultaneously. From that moment on it was known as the church of the holy spin out.

    ReplyDelete
  59. My most memorable holiday road trip involved picking my husband up form a rafting trip in Eastern British Columbia. We were trying to make it home in time to celebrate the 4th of July and ended up overheating at the Canadian border and taking 3 days to get home. We were ill-equipped to camp but camp we did! HORRIBLE!
    mcbrady13 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  60. Following your review blog!
    mcbrady13 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  61. Following Honest and Truly!
    mcbrady13 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  62. When I was about 8 my family of four (big sis 11, and parents) drove from PA to FL to celebrate Christmas with my aunt, uncle & cousins. It took us two days to drive there and we were both exited to see our cousins again after a couple of years but upset to be missing the "white Christmas" that was predicted for us back in PA (we didn't always get snow at Christmas). We had a great time in FL -- we marveled at the palm trees with lights on them -- and then on our way home we actually saw snow in Georgia! it was just a dusting of flurries but it made up for missing the big snowfall back at home.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Imagine driving what's supposed to be about a 7 hr trip with 4 month old quadruplets....... It turned into a 9 hour drive btwn the MULTIPLE diaper changes, stopping to feed bottles,( 2 babies had bad reflux so you can only imagine the baby puke....) checking on the kids since they were rear facing and i'm a first time mom. It was a crazy trip. But they are great travelers now at 2.5 yrs. We're starting potty training now so i'm SURE we'll have some fun traveling times ahead!

    jennyhasquads (at) yahoodotcom

    ReplyDelete
  64. The second christmas after moving from Canada to NJ we decided to go back to Montreal to celebrate Christmas with our extended family. On the second day of our trip my mom, dad, sister and myself started getting a fever. By the 4th day we all had the worst flu of our lives. The 14 hour ride home was awful. All of us were medicated to the high hilt, shivering with cold sweats and fevers. Needless to say we never went back after that LOL it's just too cold for us now!

    ReplyDelete
  65. I also follow your regular blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Once when I was driving to my parents, I realized half way there that I had hit the road without the presents... but I did remember my cat. So, me and the cat had to turn around and go back and get the presents, ultimately arriving hours later than planned.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Tweeted
    http://twitter.com/LisaSVance/status/6814989372

    ReplyDelete
  68. We've never traveled for the holidays, with the exception of 1 Thanksgiving about 8 years ago. My brother, sis-in-law, & I road tripped 9 hours to New Orleans to visit family on my Dad's side who are mostly Latin American. After spending all those hours trapped in a car with my sis-in-law (whom I cannot stand), I arrived to a Thanksgiving dinner with very untraditional fare. Not to sound atrociously ungrateful, but I wasn't feeling very thankful that particular holiday. All the ones since then have been great though!

    ReplyDelete
  69. I'm a follower of your "regular" blog also!

    ReplyDelete
  70. arrived in denver for my connecting flight (christmas a couple years back)....no connecting flight to rapid city, sd for a few days...we ended up on a charter bus...and the driver was falling asleep toward the end of the ride. worst evah!

    ReplyDelete
  71. On our way to visit family in Texas when I was young, my dad had to drive fast to stay in front of tornadoes. We didn’t stop, we just kept driving to beat them -it worked, luckily, but I won’t ever forget it! It made the normally 16 hour drive go a bit quicker though!

    ReplyDelete
  72. blogged here: http://contestsandgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/9-chances-to-win-200-visa-gift-card.html

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  73. tweet, thanks! http://twitter.com/idahojill/status/6866411344

    ReplyDelete
  74. When I graduated from Boot Camp in the USMC I was so ready to get out of Paris Island South Carolina. I was walking on egg shells. No one thought I would actually graduate. I didn't think I would make it either.

    My family greeted me on graduation day with a diet coke and a snickers. It was a feast for someone who spent 3 months without anything slightly edible. Then we were gone. We stopped by Disney World on the way back home to Texas. It was just me, my parents, and Joey. Joey was my younger brother who is now in The Marine Corps.

    I paid for everything seeing how I had three months of paydays saved up. We had a blast. We stopped by the beach.

    We got home for Christmas. We live in a really small town. Most people are born there, grow up there, and end up spending their whole lives there. So when I came home the treated me like a hero. My whole family was there. I didn't feel like a hero but everyone seemed so proud that I made it.

    It was a special Christmas. I was never so happy to see home. It is hard to believe that was 11 years ago. Now it is almost impossible to get everyone back together for the holidays. I will never forget the holiday I came back from boot camp;-)

    chewysmum79@yahoo.com

    Jeanette Huston

    http://mommyblessingsinsmallbundles.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  75. I tweeted this giveaway here

    http://twitter.com/gijeanie/status/6911487802

    Jeanette Huston
    chewysmum79@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  76. My friends and I decided to take a road trip from OK to Dallas and since none of us ever drove there before we got a GPS system to guide us. Little did we know that when we stopped to re-fuel a car we also had to enter our destination again. Our GPS didnt reroute for us and a pleasant lady's voice instructed us to "keep going straight". After about an hour of driving straight we suspected something might be wrong. We consulted a map instead of listening to GPS and found out we were going east the whole time - instead of going south. We almost ended up by the Arkansas border and a trip that was supposed to take 5 hours took nearly 8!!! Thanks GPS!
    ann.altima at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  77. The best road trip I ever was on was when my family drove from Los Angeles to Costa RIca. We traveled in the US and then MExico and then Central America. It was fun and interesting and it was such a wonderful experience for any kid. I learned so much and saw so many cool people. The best thing was visiting Mayan ruins in Mexico and seeing a volcano in Costa Rica. amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  78. My husband and I traveled to Niagara Falls (Canada) last summer and drove back to Buffalo, NY to catch our flight home. We thought we had plenty of time to spend in Buffalo, for my husband explained that our flight didn't leave until 5 pm. We were at an outlet mall leisurely shopping and were even planning on having a late lunch eating some "genuine" Buffalo wings before coming home. On our way to lunch, I happened to glance at our itinerary to find that the flight LEFT at 3 pm and not 5 pm. It was currently 2:30 and we weren't even sure where the airport was! I freaked out and as we were driving down the highway, I was hanging out the car, yelling at a passing UPS driver to give us directions. People on the freeway were looking at us in disbelief! We finally made it to the airport and got our bags checked in at 3:30! Lucky for us, our flight was delayed due to bad weather in Cleveland and we still made it home safely! From now on, I ALWAYS make sure to look at the itinerary too and not just listen to my husband!

    ReplyDelete
  79. http://twitter.com/melissaaggie98/status/6920919126

    ReplyDelete
  80. blogged http://theartofrandomwillynillyness.blogspot.com/2009/12/blogher-and-sprint-1231.html

    ReplyDelete
  81. LInk to my blog with my story/entry
    http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/2009/12/roadtrip-down-memory-lane-i-love-road.html

    ReplyDelete
  82. tweet
    http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/6955657387

    ReplyDelete
  83. blog link
    http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/2009/12/honest.html

    ReplyDelete
  84. We once tried to set out for my parents' house, 300 miles away, in a big snowstorm. With my 1 year old son in the back seat. We figured if we could just make it to northern Virginia, we'd be out of the weather. That was dumb.

    We didn't even make it down our driveway! We lived on top of a mountain (still do, but a different mountain) and the driveway was very long and curvy. We slid off the edge of the second curve, had to walk back up to the top of the hill lugging the little one and our suitcases. Sad Christmas, that year. Missed my folks. That was one long trip, huh? Thankfully, we are older and wiser now, and would never attempt such a thing.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Tweeted: http://twitter.com/Getalonghome/status/6963385130

    ReplyDelete
  86. My best holiday road trip story isn't really funny at all but it was just a very good and fun trip. A couple years ago, me, my fiance and one of her sisters decided to take a driving trip to New York City to experience it during the Christmas season. We did a lot of the typical touristy things like ride the Staten Island Ferry, visit Central Park and go to Macy's. Plus we stood for a few hours in the very cold weather at the today Show and were on tv with our OSU Buckeye things displayed. It was definitely a fun trip.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Here's my tweet: http://twitter.com/courtenay27/statuses/6975642485
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  88. I am following Honest and Truly Reviews.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  89. I am following your other blog (Honest and Truly) as well.
    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  90. When I was a high school senior, I set off on my first big travel adventure, a ten-day trip to Mexico, during Christmas break. The trip was an annual event; teachers from all over Minnesota drove in a caravan down I-35 and then into Mexico. (Most of the group was teachers and their friends; my friends and I were the only three students on the trip. I doubt this casual arrangement would be allowed these days!) We spent Christmas Eve in Oklahoma City and a group of us went to Midnight Mass; I was a little disappointed in the music but I can't say I really missed my family because I was just so excited to be experiencing new things on my own. It was only years later that my mother told me how tearful she had been because her daughter (the oldest of six siblings) was off traveling...the start of the growing-up process.

    peterson@macalester.edu

    ReplyDelete
  91. I follow your blog Honest and Truly.

    peterson@macalester.edu

    ReplyDelete
  92. A few years ago we went to visit my brother for Chanukah. They live about 5 hours from us. The trip to them was rather uneventful. The trip home, well it was interesting to say the least. The trip took us 7 hours! We started off and almost immediately realized that we had to get gas for the car. So we stopped at the first rest area to tank it up. While there we heard a rumble coming from the back seat. My then 7 month old son filled up his diaper. Oy! I took him out and noticed he was a little wet. Sure, you betcha. . . diaper blow out. I managed to find a place to change him amid screams and protests of new clothing. We get back on the road and my newly potty trained older son proclaims that he needs to GO! So he chants this the entire way to the next stop. We get there and he refuses to go. He gets inside howls about the blowers in the bathroom and comes back out. We start back up...about 10 minutes later my son says he needs to go potty again. This time I take him in and he says he does not have to go, but is hungry. I take him back to the car for snacks. We go back on the road. Suddenly we realize a pattern. Each time my oldest sees restaurant signs on the highway = a request for a potty break. By the time we were almost home my parents called us. Hubby and I were in hysterics. We could not stop laughing because we must have made at least 6 pit stops for potty, eating, nursing and diapers.

    ReplyDelete
  93. I used to live in Hawaii. My Step Brother was a surfer. He wanted to go surfing at Waipio Valley on Christms day, so off we went. To get into the valley, the road is so steep that you must have a 4 wheel drive to make it. Once you get into the valley, the road is basically nothing more than dirt roads throughout. We headed towards the beach, set up camp & were awoken at about 2am with a huge storm moving in. We decided to pack up and get out while we could. However, the dirt road that we followed to the beach was now turning into a river from the heavy rains. We pursued on any way until we got stuck in a large pool of water. We were stuck for awhile and the car was fairly submerged and we were soaked. Eventually a large tour vehicle came by and towed us out. We made it up the steep road and then we made it about 1 mile outside of Kailua and our vehicle completed shut down. I guess all that water from being stuck in the river messed with the electrical system and caused the car to just die. It is amazing that we made it as far as we did. At the time none of this was very funny, but now that I look back it is Hillarous.

    ShawnaMichelle@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  94. Tweeted
    http://twitter.com/ShawnaMichelle2/status/7085422773

    ShawnaMichelle@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  95. I'm following this review blog via google friend connect.

    ShawnaMichelle@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  96. I am following your regular blog Honest & Truly via google friend connect.

    ShawnaMichelle@ymail.com

    ReplyDelete
  97. My most memorable holiday road trip took place about 20 years ago. I was driving back to college after spending the holidays with my family. About 8 hours into the drive we stopped in at a gas station and I accidentally left my wallet in the bathroom. It had a lot of cash from gifts and the check for next quarter's tuition!! I didn't realize what I'd done until I was back at my apartment 3 hours later. I panicked and called every gas station in the town where we'd stopped. Of course, the wallet was no where to be found. To my amazement, I got a call in the morning from someone saying they'd found my wallet (they used my drivers license to look me up in the phonebook). Even more amazing was that they were just about a mile from my apartment. When I went to pick it up, everything was still in my wallet. To this day I cannot explain how my wallet got back to me! The people that found it sure had good Xmas spirit to track me down and return it. I will never forget it!

    ReplyDelete
  98. I follow this review blog (Google Connect)!

    ReplyDelete
  99. I also follow your regular Honest & Truly blog (Google Connect)!

    ReplyDelete
  100. Well, since this happened on Thanksgiving Day 2001, I suppose it would be considered a holiday road trip. We were actually moving from Minnesota to Tennessee for my husband's job change. Unfortunately, we didn't even make it out of our small, rural Minnesota town before having to stop and delay for several hours. The reason? Someone forgot and left the emergency brake "engaged" on our manual transmission pick-up which was being towed by the U-Haul. Had to get two new tires... after finding someone to help us on Thanksgiving day in a town of 3,000. :)
    roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  101. I follow this review blog.
    roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  102. I follow your "regular" blog, too!
    roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  103. My family used to travel every year to my grandmother's house in Connecticut for Christmas -- I don't know how my parents managed to hide gifts for 3 kids in the station wagon!

    On one of the most memorable holiday trips,a prisoner escaped and was on the run. The police were searching every car that crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge in NY, so we waited (not-so-patiently) for our turn to have our car scrutinized by dogs and giant flashlights! Our typical 4 hour trip took twice as long. But we had a major story for Grandma :)

    ReplyDelete
  104. Funny?! I'm all teared up here, Woman! Holiday travel story...I guess a post is in order...Here it is!

    http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2009/12/travel-gods-are-trying-to-tell-me.html

    ReplyDelete
  105. My Tweet: You don't have to have a blog to enter Michelle's $200 Visa Card Giveaway; you just need a travel tale :) http://tinyurl.com/yd7ughe less than 20 seconds ago from web

    ReplyDelete
  106. Shared the link to your giveaway in my post.

    http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2009/12/travel-gods-are-trying-to-tell-me.html

    ReplyDelete
  107. Already following Honest & Truly. Thanks for the chances to win! :)

    ReplyDelete
  108. For me, it was on a business trip I took that took me and my coworkers to Las Vegas. I'd just bought some new luggage, and I picked it out in a light purple color so that it'd be easily distinguishable from the mass of black luggages on the carousel. We were standing in line at the luggage carousel and I was keeping a watchful eye out for my purple suitcase. Some of my coworkers were making fun of me because it was so bright that they asked how could I possibly miss it? About that time, I saw it pop over the carousel at the other end. Relief! But I didn't see it come around the bend. I kept looking, waiting, watching. No sign. I decided to go toward the other end and as I walked down that way, I saw my luggage being pulled away...by a little girl! Evidently she had the exact same suitcase as me (in the light purple shade!) and thought this was hers. Thankfully I caught up with her and her chaperon to correct the discrepancy but could you imagine--being stuck with a 10 year old's suitcase of clothes?!

    carmensechristjunk at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  109. It all started with a bad haircut, a shirt even a circus clown would burn, and a pair of hot pink Umbro shorts. It was Christmas 1992 and...

    Read More

    http://theadventureofmotherhood.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post.html

    ReplyDelete
  110. One of my most memorable road trips would have to be from this year. We headed out of state to visit family and it is a 4 hour drive. Our two small boys had been sick with a stomach bug and after they started to feel better, we got on the road. Once we arrived at my parent’s home, everyone started to get sick. It hit me a day later and I can’t recall ever being that sick. All in all, 16 family members ended up getting sick. What a Christmas to remember. The ride home was uneventful though and the boys slept the entire way, they were so tired!

    snedfam at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  111. My story wasn't funny at the time, but it was memorable. My most memorable holiday road trip was a trip back to college after Christmas break. My mother decided she didn’t want me making the 7 hour trip alone, so she would drive with me and fly back home. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately my mom came down with food poisoning about 2 hours into the trip, and I had to drive the entire rest of the way, stopping every 30 minutes so she could vomit or use the bathroom. It took forever, and she was miserable. It has been over 20 years and we still joke about that nightmare road trip. After that she always let me drive by myself, and never offered to come “help” again.

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  112. I blogged about the giveaway
    http://lunaj1456.blogspot.com/2009/12/chance-to-win-200-from-sprint.html

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  113. I tweeted
    http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/7179595250

    ReplyDelete
  114. I follow your blog

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  115. I follow your regular blog

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  116. The funniest thing I can think of that ever happened traveling during the holidays is the time my dad decided to move us 600 miles from PA to Virginia. We had an early Christmas at Grandma's & left Christmas Eve day. Crammed into this vehicle with boxes of stuff(and a rocking chair tied to the top, can you say Beverly Hillbillies?) was 6 people, including a newborn and a chihuahua puppy.
    The truly hilarious part was the startled looks on the faces of the holiday travelers when they saw 3 little faces peering at them from the back windows of an AMBULANCE on the interstate on Christmas Eve.

    ReplyDelete
  117. tweet
    http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/7182812045

    ReplyDelete
  118. blogged
    http://pixie13-justconteststuff.blogspot.com/2009/12/200-visa-gc-from-sprint-blogher.html

    ReplyDelete
  119. funniest memory would be my honeymoon...we were at a waterpark and my wife lost her top..like lost it ..gone..she had to run out of the pool and wrap a towel around her and go to one of the park's shops to get a new top!!! LOL
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  120. tweeted http://twitter.com/RePurrPussed/status/7195427083
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  121. following this blog
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  122. following your other blog too
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  123. Most memorable and funny road trip was when my cat Wookiee was a kitten. He was about 3 wks old and still being bottle fed, so we had to take him with us. We fed him when we stopped at rest stops and people would surround the car and gawk. Some people did not know what he was, as he just looked like a tiny ball of brown fuzzy. Their reactions and questions were priceless.
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  124. I tweeted this giveaway here: http://twitter.com/FotoMacro/status/7195485467
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  125. I follow this blog via google.
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  126. I follow your other blog via google too.
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  127. I remember that once my extended family went with us to kings dominion. There were children in the care and we stopped almost every 10 minutes because they had to pee. we were so annoyed. shopgurl101@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  128. blogged blogged: http://sweetqt.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/sprint-giveaways/

    shopgurl101@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  129. http://twitter.com/shopgurl/status/7222303437 shopgurl101@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  130. Probably the craziest was when our car caught fire outside of Grass Valley, California, in the middle of August for our big summer road trip to Disneyland. OMG the heat. When we got a tow to the service station, it was like out of a horror movie…a dozen old men on a coffee date stared at us without speaking the entire time we were there. I kept thinking we were done for lol I’m sure it’s a lovely town, but I’m not going back.

    homeschooledyear at g mail

    ReplyDelete
  131. Twittered here: http://twitter.com/Leighbra/status/7226996038

    homeschooledyear at g mail

    ReplyDelete
  132. My best holiday road trip was when we drove to San Antonio Sea World last Independence Day. It was my baby's first long trip in a car, but to my delight, he didn't give me any hard time at all. At my husband's request, I started telling stories to keep him awake while driving. Funnily but not surprisingly, my baby fell fast asleep while hearing my stories!

    ReplyDelete
  133. Follow your regular blog as well.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I have a crazy road trip story! My friend had just found out that his father was getting married the next day to a woman he had met a few weeks ago online (but never in person!). The first time the couple would see each other was at their wedding! My friend wanted desperately to try to get to his father and talk him out of what he thought was a bad idea so we drove all night to try to "stop the wedding", like they do in movies! Our trip was ridiculous, exhilarating, but serious at the same time. We got there too late though and missed the wedding! (The woman later ran off with all of the husband's money and it wasn't her first time doing this to someone!)

    ReplyDelete
  135. tweet: http://twitter.com/princessla66/status/7231559929

    ReplyDelete
  136. My most eventful holiday road trip began December 26, 2006. We drove from our home in North Platte, 4 hrs east to Omaha where we were to catch a flight to Burbank, CA the next day. To be truthful, the action started on Christmas Eve when I had both ears hurting. I knew I had an ear infection, but all of the doctor offices were closed. I suffered through and made it to the doctor on the 26th, barely in time to get out of town at a decent hour. So anyway, the drive down was fine. The next day we get up, head to the airport and board the plane. This was the first time I had ever flown. Yeah. Sick as a dog! Turns out, I’m not a great flyer! We had a layover in Las Vegas and as soon as we get into the airport, I lost my balance and fell on my hands and knees. Then, I got up and made it (in record time) to the restroom…which I got to know real well. Everyone in our party wanted to eat…that was just about the last thing I wanted to do and my husband coaxed me into eating. Then, on to Burbank. As it turns out, the Santa Ana winds were vicious, we had an extremely rough flight…and I cried the entire time. It was horrible. We did finally make it to Burbank, and on to our destination of Disneyland…and the entire trip I had motion-sickness. Car, plane, bus. Uggghh. It sucked.

    It wasn’t until we got home that I realized why I was so sick. I was pregnant. After suffering from infertility for 6 years, we were finally adding another little one to our family. While being sick like that was bad…it ended up being a blessing. My daughter Paige is now a 2 year old who lights up my life!

    seeryusfam@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  137. darn feel asleep and didn't come over in time. good luck girls :)

    Fav Holiday trip was last year going to my moms cousins house. It snowed and it was a long drive it was beautiful and the kids BEHAVED most of the time. Yup then we got there and I had to deal with the cousins. But darn it, it was good while it lasted ... LOL

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.