Day 1 of the road trip

A four-hour trip got us to our first destination. The music selection of the drive was happy-song teen bands. We kicked it off with Backstreet Boys (every road trip we take must start with our theme song "I Want it That Way"), moved on to A-Teens, NSync, then B Witched. Good lordie, this 47-year-old knows way too many words to teen band happy-songs. And my hand movements are wicked good.



Harleigh and I are both in agreement that she will know "her" college when she sees it. I'm a big believer in listening to my heart. And so when we landed in the small town where College No. 1 (sixth on her list) is, our hearts started talking. We listened, but kept shushing the little voice, intent on seeing more. A drive around the campus was all it took for her to know (and me to agree) that this is not where she belongs. Granted, she is going to college to get an education, but if she'll be living at school for four years, then she'll have to be smitten with her surroundings. The school's publication department definitely cherry-picked the best images for their brochure and website. Don't get me wrong, the school is a very good one, and we know people who have gone there and loved it. But the Gahan Girls just didn't get a good vibe, for us anyway.

Harleigh said the whole town made her feel like she was on the set of Napoleon Dynamite. Agreed with her on that. We drove through the school campus a second time (maybe we just caught it on the first pass-through when all the students were taking naps) and it was still lifeless. Neither one of us could picture her here. I could just imagine her coming home for a weekend, ready to return, and crying on my shoulder "please don't send me back there."

We want a town and campus with heart and soul. We'll find it. Today was a bit of a let-down but we made the best of it, talking, laughing and shopping in places they don't have where we live.