We all do it. We all laugh at other people when we see them doing it. What am I talking about? No it isn’t picking your nose! It’s jamming out in the car of course! When we are on a long trip, Hanna and I have a couple standard things that keep us entertained.
1. Argue. When you are trapped in a car with someone for more than an hour, it is very likely you may end up in some kind of argument. I usually start and win said arguments, but of course we only argue once in a blue moon like all good married couples!
2. Talk with each other. We'll figure out our plan for the next week, talk about how life is going, or just get to know each other better.
3. Listen to an audiobook. We found that one of the best ways for us to sit quietly and not bicker is to put on an audiobook and enjoy reading a book with our ears. Our favorite is the Harry Potter series. The reader is amazing at doing separate voices for each character. I think we once listened to Harry Potter for 8 hours straight when we drove to Colorado!
4. And finally, jamming out.
To give you an idea of how this goes, I'll start from the beginning. Typically about 10 minutes into the trip we run out of things to talk about - let’s be honest we talk everyday and no one is THAT interesting! Hanna, as the co-pilot, whips out her iPod. She politely asks me what I want to listen to but as I like to thoroughly think through decisions weighing each and every option, we usually end up with her choice. She is much easier to please! After a few songs, the theme of our jamming session begins to emerge.
My favorite is the 80's rock theme which includes favorites like “More Than a Feeling”, “Sweet Child Of Mine”, and “Don't Stop Believin’”. They are all songs I love and more importantly, ones I know the lyrics to and can sing along with. I have not been gifted with the ability to remember lyrics (or any spoken word - I’m really more of a math and science guy), so I often end up sitting there while Hanna belts it out.
As our time in the car drags on the jam sessions become more and more intense. Hanna transitions our music selection from singing along, to belting it out, to some head bobbing, to full on car dancing. When the dancing begins the songs also start to change. What was once fun sing-a-long oldies now have become dance classics like “Bringing Sexy Back”, a little Avril Lavine, and if we’re really crazy some “Hey Ya!” - although it’s tough to “shake it like a polaroid picture” in the car. I'll have you know that I have been known to cut a mean rug in my day, but it's all about the right time and place. The car is usually not the right place. I have a tough time relaxing and just letting go, but when I do, I have so much fun with Hanna!
Singing and dancing together as we drive always makes me grateful that I have someone to laugh through life with knowing, in spite of my sub-par dance moves, she will still love me when the drive is done.
1. Argue. When you are trapped in a car with someone for more than an hour, it is very likely you may end up in some kind of argument. I usually start and win said arguments, but of course we only argue once in a blue moon like all good married couples!
2. Talk with each other. We'll figure out our plan for the next week, talk about how life is going, or just get to know each other better.
3. Listen to an audiobook. We found that one of the best ways for us to sit quietly and not bicker is to put on an audiobook and enjoy reading a book with our ears. Our favorite is the Harry Potter series. The reader is amazing at doing separate voices for each character. I think we once listened to Harry Potter for 8 hours straight when we drove to Colorado!
4. And finally, jamming out.
To give you an idea of how this goes, I'll start from the beginning. Typically about 10 minutes into the trip we run out of things to talk about - let’s be honest we talk everyday and no one is THAT interesting! Hanna, as the co-pilot, whips out her iPod. She politely asks me what I want to listen to but as I like to thoroughly think through decisions weighing each and every option, we usually end up with her choice. She is much easier to please! After a few songs, the theme of our jamming session begins to emerge.
My favorite is the 80's rock theme which includes favorites like “More Than a Feeling”, “Sweet Child Of Mine”, and “Don't Stop Believin’”. They are all songs I love and more importantly, ones I know the lyrics to and can sing along with. I have not been gifted with the ability to remember lyrics (or any spoken word - I’m really more of a math and science guy), so I often end up sitting there while Hanna belts it out.
As our time in the car drags on the jam sessions become more and more intense. Hanna transitions our music selection from singing along, to belting it out, to some head bobbing, to full on car dancing. When the dancing begins the songs also start to change. What was once fun sing-a-long oldies now have become dance classics like “Bringing Sexy Back”, a little Avril Lavine, and if we’re really crazy some “Hey Ya!” - although it’s tough to “shake it like a polaroid picture” in the car. I'll have you know that I have been known to cut a mean rug in my day, but it's all about the right time and place. The car is usually not the right place. I have a tough time relaxing and just letting go, but when I do, I have so much fun with Hanna!
Singing and dancing together as we drive always makes me grateful that I have someone to laugh through life with knowing, in spite of my sub-par dance moves, she will still love me when the drive is done.
