Let the Good Times Roll

by Kami Cornwall

Growing up in Boise, my mother's family was the only one living outside of Utah, therefore we were the ones expected to travel for every holiday. We packed all seven of us into the blue Oldsmobile station wagon and head out for a long drive. My older brother and I would pump our fists up and down each time we passed a trucker. When they would honk in answer my mother would jump and wonder aloud why they were honking at her. She hadn't done anything wrong. Then hearing us snicker in the back we'd get a good scolding.

As the evening wore on we would fold down the back seat to a hard, fuzzy surface area and pull out our sleeping bags while my parents tuned into CBS nightly news. I fell asleep watching the sky grow black and the stars wink. When the car tires rolled slowly and the hum of the car died down we woke up, knowing we were almost to grandma's house.

Now I have children of my own and we are packing up for the long drive to Utah. We don't do it as often as I did as a child because I live farther away. It is now a twelve hour drive rather than the mere six. My car doesn't have a folding back-seat, nor would my children legally be allowed to roll around in such an area if it did. They will be securely strapped into their seats, asking for snacks, electronic gadgets, or their favorite music. We will bring along books and an old-school travel-bingo game for them to play and may even get a chance to do the "alphabet game" which gets even better in Utah where there are tons of billboards.

Despite all this, one thing remains the same this Thanksgiving. The whole family will be together sharing good food and reminiscing about those times when we were young, rolling around in the back seat and getting truckers to honk their horns. However you spend this Thanksgiving, I hope you have a great time reminiscing about "the good old days." And drive safe!