An epic road trip can take a toll on even the strongest of folks – and their marriages. Two consecutive weekends of road tripping seem to be taking a toll on me – and my “partner!”

At the moment, we’re doing the “silent treatment” with each other as a means of “giving space” to each other. It’s not really so much that we’re *mad* at each other, per se – but let’s just say doing a 20 hour road trip (round trip) this past weekend could not have been timed any worse. Spending a whole day Monday cooped up in the car while we drove across the U.P. in incessant rain (and cold) made us borderline insane…we were both quite “punch drunk” when the day was over (and drunk “for reals” when the night was over, lol)!

For starters, we just took a trip the weekend before for our wedding anniversary – and we had this trip planned for months. Then just a short time ago, we learned that our niece’s graduation party would be the following weekend. Now that all of the driving through mind-numbing, endless expanses of trees is over – we definitely need some “coming down” time. And sadly, we’ve both been forced to eat a “reality sandwich.” May is an expensive month for us – we have at least a couple of “annual” bills we need to pay in the month of May, over and above the gas expenses of not one – but TWO road trips. It’s funny – the craft beer is cheaper in the U.P. – but the gasoline certainly isn’t!

Very generously, my folks offered to pay us back for our two nights we stayed in the motels. That was a HUGE help – and my mom’s happy we don’t have expensive tastes! We still had to fork over money for the graduate, and for gas, food, etc.

We’ll shake this off in long run. It was a poorly timed trip, for sure – but we’ll definitely get over the fallout from it… soon! Complicating things a bit, is my “partner” has been trying to quit smoking (he’s on day 12 with no smoking as of today). He was sorely tempted to break the “drought” last night, but I tried to talk him out of it – saying he’d feel much more crappy about himself if he gave in. It’s definitely a struggle for BOTH of us! I’m half tempted to tell him to just light up again if it means he’s in even just a “slightly” happier mood! Ugh…

In the short run? If my “partner” wants space? He can have it! But that doesn’t mean I’m calling off my trivia plans (he just doesn’t have to participate in them). The need for “space” works both ways, pal! Speaking of, at least a couple of us plan to play tonight at The Owl in Milan – and Thursday, at least a couple of us plan to play the 80s music theme night at Haymaker. The (trivia) shows must go on! I haven’t played in nearly a week – I’m starting to feel “the itch!”

When Friday rolls around? We’ll see about “regrouping!” Maybe even have a face to face conversation!