A Note from Janice Brown, Founder

The other day I was talking to a woman while I was waiting in line at the grocery store. We were stuck in a queue four people deep, and waiting on the cashier to get a price check for another customer’s peas, so we made the best of it.
It turns out the woman was getting ready for a road trip, so we were bonding over all the time and energy that goes into getting a family ready for vacation. There’s food to pack, medication to remember, and planning for all kinds of weather. Then there’s adjusting the car seat, bringing the right toys (it could ruin the entire trip if the beloved blanket or favorite stuffed animal gets left home), and making sure we have enough water, definitely in a non-spill container to avoid a mess.
“And of course,” she continued, “finding a hotel that can accommodate us can be tricky.” I nodded my head and agreed with her, telling her how an indoor pool is a must for my girls. She looked at me funny, but carried on talking. After another minute or so, and finding out that the frozen peas cost $1.89, I asked her how old her kids were.
“Well,” she answered, “Gracie is 4, but still acts like she’s 2. And we think Sammy is about 6. We adopted him last year.”
“Oh,” I answered, not knowing exactly what to say. Then the woman quickly added, “In fact, if this line doesn’t move a bit faster, I’m going to have to call Allison and tell her I’m going to be late.”
“Yeah, I know how that goes. I always seem to be running late the days our babysitter needs me to be home at a certain time,” I commiserated.
“Oh, no,” she said. “They already were at daycare for three hours this morning. I wanted to tire them out before the trip. Allison is our groomer.”
Ahhh! Suddenly it all made sense to me–she was talking about her dogs. I smiled at her thinking that if she was talking to someone other than me, she would have gotten “the look”; and “what was that again about the car seat and the blankie?” But to me it seemed totally normal.
I have a job where I get to go to trade shows packed with vendors who proudly display outfits that cost more than my own clothes, make food with higher-quality ingredients than what I generally eat, and sell better smelling shampoo than my expensive salon stuff, so nothing fazes me. In fact, on second thought, I guess most of you wouldn’t be fazed either.
Our travel issue is one of our readers’ favorites, and this year we have packed it full of great getaways, cool products, and lots of tips on how to stay safe and have fun.
Here’s to the wide-open roads and hoping your pet doesn’t get carsick.