families – Schpilkes The Blog

Still on the Road: From Minivans to Empty Nest Adventures

We always took road trips with the kids. Every other year, we’d pack the car to the brim and just go—no rigid plans, just the open road and a map. Over the years, we explored the entire West Coast of the USA this way, stopping at national parks and hidden gems along the route.

The kids would argue, bicker, and sometimes make us question whether they were enjoying any of it. But deep down, we knew—we were creating memories.

Back then, we drove a trusty minivan. The girls took the second-row captain’s seats, while our son (now a six-foot-two adult) claimed the back row, stretching his legs all the way to the front and occasionally sticking them in his sisters’ faces—just for laughs, of course.

We even did a two-week road trip across Canada. We really did travel a lot, and on a limited budget. With one income, three kids, a dog, and lots of coupons and budgeting tricks, car trips were simply the most economical—and the most memorable.

These past few years, the kids have grown up, started jobs, and moved on with their own lives. And yet, my husband and I are still hitting the road—just the two of us. No more minivan, now it’s an SUV. We pick an area, pack the car, and go.

This year was a little harder to plan. Our daughter got married. My husband went on a two-week biking trip across Europe with our son, which made his vacation time limited. I, on the other hand, had the opposite problem—plenty of unused vacation days and no one to go with.

After some back and forth—debating between a cruise, an all-inclusive resort, or another road trip—we chose the road. It’s funny, really. We don’t have the same financial limitations anymore, but we still picked the simplest option.

The truth is, we just love road trips. For us, it’s a time to reconnect. We talk, laugh, and reflect. Not every conversation is deep or exciting—401(k)s and investments come up, and I admit I tune some of those out—but even the silences are meaningful.

I used to worry about what would happen once the kids left. Would we run out of things to say? But lucky for us, we’re still discovering new things to talk about—even if we don’t always agree.

I hope we’ve passed on to our kids a love of adventure, and the understanding that no matter your stage of life, seeing new places is always worth it—with kids, or without.

What’s your favorite road trip memory?

Some people are stress eaters. I, on the other hand, am a stress baker.
When I get really, really stressed—I bake.
Unfortunately for me, I also eat what I bake. And I only bake things I like—like cinnamon rolls and banana bread. (Yes, I baked them even before the pandemic!)

I’ve always been a baker, but when I was diagnosed with celiac disease and had to go gluten-free 20 years ago, I had to change my recipes. I had to adapt to different flours to get the same taste my brain remembered. Luckily, I’ve adjusted. Unluckily, I still eat what I bake.

This past weekend, my daughter got married. It was stressful—but manageable. The family and guests that came with it? Less manageable and much more stressful.

I always have expectations about people’s behavior—maybe because I know how I behave as a guest. And in my foolish optimism, I expect the same from others. I’m usually wrong. But we’re only responsible for our own actions—and that’s where the stress comes in.

It’s stressful enough dealing with all that, but then all the flights back to my guests’ home country got canceled. So now, it looks like I’ll be hosting people longer than I expected—while also going to work, managing expectations, entertaining guests, handling stressed dogs, and just trying to return to my regular routine.

So: stress baking.
I’m writing this while my dough is rising, and I’ll be putting my gluten-free cinnamon rolls in the oven soon. Hoping the smell of cinnamon will calm my nerves.

(Recipe: Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls from Pamela’s Products, for the curious minds.)