Distraction

A few weeks ago, as the first anniversary of my Rob's death approached, I knew that I needed to be very, very, very busy during the week of September 18th, 19th, and 20th.  I knew the kids would probably be okay whatever we did or wherever we were but I knew I would not be.  I also knew that if I was a total wreck on those days, I would set the mood for my children to be upset if they did think of their father's death.  I knew I needed to be distracted.  I did not plan to try and forget the dates, days, or the events (as if I could) but I did hope to drown out the memories with distractions to the point that I could survive the days.

So I planned a trip...

...a 10 day trip...

...that involved driving in 4 states..

...and 3 different places to visit.

On Thursday, September 13, 2012, after we got back from getting Anna's driver's license, we finished packing and finished preparing my parents for me to be gone for 10 days and the kids and I took off on a road trip.  Road trips have always been our most fun as a family.  And they still are.

Stay tuned for where we went (some of you who read this blog already know of course).  It will take a while to go through all of the photos to whittle down which ones to post.  I took over 3,000 over the 10 days.  Does that surprise anyone?  

And to answer the question that someone asked me - Did it work?  Did the trip distract you enough?  

The answer is yes and no.  If you've read the blog entries written on those dates, I did not forget and I did relive the agony of each moment - especially on the 19th and in the early morning hours of the 20th.

But it did help to have activities to keep me moving  - literally.