Virtute.org

I started writing my personal history on this blog, I’m far from finished, but I can’t seem to find the time to sit and write for an hour so perhaps I’ll write a few memories here  and there and later compose them into my history.

My family didn’t take a lot of family vacations that weren’t to visit extended family.  Most of the time we traveled it was to see either my grandma in Pittsburg, PA or my grandparents in Knoxville, TN.  Either trip meant many hours in the car. 

We seldom stopped for food because I know my mom was always trying to conserve money.  She’d pack a cooler full of sandwiches and a variety of snacks.  One time she packed baby bottles filled with juice for all of the kids.  I think the idea was to prevent spills ( this was my mom’s frugal alternative to juice boxes).  My sibs and I loved the bottles, mostly for the strange looks we got from other cars passing by.  We would wait until another car was about to pass and then lift the bottles in the air to take a long drink..  My mom became very embarrassed and made a sign for the window that said “these are not my children.”  The time in the car passed more quickly on the long drive and so for several drives after that we all insisted that she pack us baby bottles of juice.  I think she initially refused, not wanting to repeat the embarrassment, but eventually she caved and for awhile we had baby bottles for every extended trip.  We were also required to make the “these are not my children” sign for the window.  I think once we wrote “these ARE my children.”