How I Survived the 10 Hour Drive to Thanksgiving

My husband is from a small town in West Tennessee, which meant that we spent 10 hours in a car to stay at his parent's house. My parents were also coming down from Knoxville to another town about 30 minutes away from his family. We love Thanksgiving because it allows us to see both of our families without as much back and forth driving.

However, that still meant we had a 10-hour drive ahead of us. I was worried for multiple reasons: 1) My tailbone still hurts. 2) James doesn't like to stop, and as much as I've had a small bladder before pregnancy, I'm at a whole new level now. 3) Long periods of sitting or standing don't agree with me. I have to change it up frequently to stay comfortable.

But I made it! How?

1. A surprisingly patient husband.

I love my husband dearly, and he has many strengths. However, patience is not typically one of them. But anytime I spoke up to say that I needed to go to the bathroom, he didn't complain. He just looked for the next exit, let me out quickly to go, and we were back on the road. No judgement. No arguing. It was quick and overall didn't add that much time to our trip. Plus, the frequent stops allowed me to stretch my legs for a few minutes and prevented me from getting too uncomfortable.

2. Running laps when we stopped to fill up the tank.

Okay, so they weren't long laps, (In fact, because of the busyness of the travel weekend, I was confined to running laps around my car!) but it got the job done!

3. Choosing places to eat with space to walk around.

Instead of eating in the car like we have been known to do, James stopped for us to eat at outdoor shopping malls or food courts with Chick-Fil-A. (Subway & Chick-Fil-A are my only approved fast-food restaurants.)

Even with making these choices, it probably only added 45 minutes to our overall trip. Plus, we were more rested when we arrived in Tennessee. I highly recommend following this pattern if you have to make a significant road trip when pregnant.