Girly games on the open road

You know those statistics about the amount of time you spend doing everyday things?
Like, “The average person spends 4 days of their lives brushing their teeth! Two weeks every year pumping gas!”
And then you think, well, not at one time! Gaw!

Well, I’m going to spend an entire day—24 hours — in the car this weekend, pretty much all at one time.
It’s 12 hours to get to New Orleans from South Carolina and my twin sister, Joy, best friend, April, and I are hitting the road for Jazz Fest.

Have you ever taken a 12-hour road trip? It’s kinda fun; whatever time you leave in the a.m., that’s the time you’ll get there in the p.m.

-Leave at 8 a.m.? Arrive at 8 p.m.
-Leave at noon? Get there at midnight.
-Fall asleep in the backseat? Get there faster.

I’ve made the road trip back to New Orleans nearly 10 times in the nine years I’ve lived in South Carolina, several times with Joy and April. I’ve even done it alone.

I remember being so tired on the solo drive when I got to Atlanta that I stopped at a shopping area and bought a David Sedaris book on CD from a Barnes and Noble. The minute the first CD went in, I laughed and laughed all the way home.

Years later, when Joy and I saw David Sedaris perform, I waited in line for AN HOUR to tell him how awesome it was that his book on tape got me through the long haul.

“It was so funny!” I said, as I gave him my book to sign.
He looked at me and blinked.
“So…you like road trips?” he asked.
“Um...”
(He’s kind of an oddball)

I don’t mind road trips. I like to think I’m a good road trip companion because I’ve got stories and jokes and fun games like “I say a unisex name and you tell me if you think of a boy or a girl:”

-Casey
-Jamie
-Chris
-Cameron
-Reiley
-Taylor
-Nicky

I also like road trips with girls because we can talk about boys, which can take hours.
Once, when my friend and I were on a road trip we played a “I hate Charlie because…” game. (Charlie being her ex-boyfriend). That game lasted surprisingly long.

Another girls' road trip, we took turns picking out our favorite elements from ex-boyfriends to build the perfect man: I’d take Brad’s smile, Jason’s abs, Conner’s sense of humor, Jordan’s car…
(It was very shallow. What can I say? Men are pieces of meat. Kidding mom.)

Mom thinks the “I packed my trunk for a trip” game is a classic that will never get old, but I disagree. I think DUMP, MARRY or SCREW is much more engaging and revealing.

I promise we're not mean people. We’re just cooped up in a car for 24 hours and sometimes you need something silly to think about. Like, if you really had to dump Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Matthew McConaughey. (I’d dump Brad Pitt! I swear!)

We hit the open road in T-minus 45 minutes. We’re driving through the night and won’t get to New Orleans until 6 a.m., which pretty much makes us badasses.

Ex-boyfriends, watch your backs. ;)

-Jenny