This sister’s trip was cheaper than any therapy could have provided. This journey and the adventures that ensued were just what we needed.
This Sister's Trip Was Cheaper Than Any Therapy
We are sisters connected by the heart by side or miles apart.
It's Been A While
My sister Kari and I haven’t been on a trip together since we were kids. Onboard the family van, traveling who knows where with our folks, six bikes and two brothers in tow, that last trip was almost 40 years ago.
We parted ways as teenagers to live our lives. We had our own lives, our own friends. We each got married, and she moved away.
Of course, we’ve remained close. We would keep up using social media channels. Kari would come home to visit, and I would travel to see her, but fundamentally, we had left each other to live our lives.
Time may stretch our bond, but our sisterhood and love are undeniable and never break.
Fast-forwarding across those forty years packed with countless blessings, hardships, challenges, joys, sadnesses and celebrations – we were finally going on a sister’s trip.
Seven Days and 2500 Miles
Kari and I had spent lots of time together over the years with family. But it’s been a very long time since we’ve been alone together for more than a day or two – and that thought was both awesome and terrifying.
Would we run out of things to talk about? Have we changed so much that we wouldn’t get along? Would we need to cut our trip short for these reasons or others unforeseen?
As it turned out, not by any stretch. Each of us has deep wounds and rough spots left behind by life’s circumstances. This sister’s trip is just what we both needed.
As it would turn out, it would be better than any therapy in the world could ever be provided.
It’s always been easy with Kari. Her playful demeanor allows an easiness that would be the red thread throughout our trip.
We were excited to get to the Gulf Shores, enjoying the fifteen driving hours to get there, using that first leg of our journey as a chance to become reacquainted which ultimately set the stage for a most excellent trip.
Those Long Miles
We drove over 2500 miles that week. Starting out Sunday afternoon from her home in Lake Ozark, MO, we would experience the highways and byways of six states over the next seven days.
Along the way, we spied cotton fields, Amish buggies and license plates from 32 states. We played the ABC game four times, hoped to see a bear eight times and observed more than 100 signs warning that the bridge ahead “would freeze before the highway did.”
We trusted Google and never got lost (even though the fastest route didn’t always feel the safest). We also trusted each other and stayed open to each new experience.
We snacked on bags of Terra Root Chips, two boxes of popsicles and gallons of water. I learned I’d picked up an annoying phrase, “wha, whaa,” when things became complicated, and we’d burst into fits of laughter every time she caught me.
Kari found van living more agreeable than she thought it would be, sharing many times that “being fully self-contained was an excellent experience.”
Our Amusement
We laughed – A Lot! Giggling like we were still kids, we broke into laughter time and again – our connection to a shared sense of humor deeply rooted in our childhood still intact. Like that one time at band camp…we laughed as we shared memories and stories never told before.
There was uncontrollable giggling as Kari taught me how to eat crab legs – only for me to do it wrong, breaking the poor animal’s legs in odd places and struggling to get any of the meat in my belly.
Laughing hysterically as the coffee maker she brought coughed, chugged and sputtered with each use, exclaiming certainty the job would get done – “I think I can; I think I can.”
What Was That?
Walk; slosh; swish. The tension broke as we focused on the sounds coming from the giant styrofoam cup I’d chosen to carry along.
Full of ice and liquid, the noises made with each step carried us into loud fits of hysterical laughter.
And one night, after a few adult libations around the fire, not only did we manage to see the Milky Way, we walked around the campground, just like we did on the many childhood camping trips so long ago.
Imaginations running wild, we tried to discern the ominous noises emanating from beyond the dark edges of the road.
The deep blackness of the night made it seem later than 9 PM. With each burst of repeated merriment after a short stint of composure, we were sure the camp host would be notified, sending us to our campsite in a time-out.
Kari’s readiness to go with the flow and her sense of adventure was probably my most meaningful and delightful surprise. I wasn’t entirely sure how adventurous she would be or how rooted her ways had become over the years.
Even before scooping her up on our departure day, I’d decided to be open to any way our trip played out. I was blown away at how she embraced the whole journey; how eager she was to have each new experience.
A wonderful surprise was when I found out that, just like me, she loved to be at the beach during the sunrise and sunset. We didn’t miss one the whole time we were together.
Will you look at the time? It's wine thirty!
We also enjoyed walking from store to store one late morning in Gulf Shores, skimming the trinkets and baubles for sale.
I looked for her in one store so she could laugh with me at the wild saying on a sweatshirt I’d just discovered, only she was nowhere to be found.
Walking and listening for her, a loud POP from a wine bottle being uncorked echoed through the store and the sounds of merry shoppers toasting each other; somehow, I knew she’d be among them.
Sure enough, she was in the center of a small circle of new friends listening to the sales pitch for this local wine, having a sample of a local blend.
Even After All Of This Time
Sometimes, I think we might actually be twins. Even after all this time, we still say words and phrases simultaneously – jinx, you owe me a coke!
We finish one another’s sentences and make the same gestures and verbal musings. It was terrific to drop back into our deep, unmistakable bond as best friends and sisters.
The Best Therapy
At the beginning of this post, I suggested that I thought Kari and I left each other those many years ago to live our lives and had become more like endeared friends instead of sisters. After this journey, I know the opposite is correct, and our sister bond mightier than ever because we are friends.
Traveling those sunny days together, exploring the warm sandy beaches seemed to pass effortlessly yet all too fast – full of hearty laughter, profound insight, and genuine reminiscing.
Every word and experience during the days will remain in my heart forever.
End Of The Road
We thought we were taking a trip to explore the Gulf Islands National Seashore. But, our journey was really one of reconnection and sisterhood.
Kari and I both felt renewed and refreshed upon our return. The sharing, laughing, tears and discovery were just what we both needed; this sister’s trip was so much better than any therapy session could provide.
Please share below in comments a life changing adventure you’ve had with a sister – biological or not.
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Kirsti Out Wandering aspires to illustrate well-being in mind, body & spirit, giving unconditional love to self and others, and pursuing all of the wild possibilities life serves up while living full-time from a sprinter van.
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My dear sweet daughters: I have just read the meanderings of you both “out wandering” Every sentence was a delight, and I feel as if I was on the journey with you both. There could be no greater love -gift to me than to read how you have again become not only sisters but best friends. Each of you is unique in your own ways and personalities and I am proud of that. God blessed your traveling time, your scenic searchings, even your weather, but most of all your renewed commitment as friends and sisters. Even though I knew from day to day – your journey news, I still was impressed tonight to read and imagine all the things that you’ve experienced. I liked especially at the end what Kirsti said about seek out your dream and experience the new and be open to all that life has to offer. Travel on – – dear wanderers! My love and prayers, Mom. 12/2021
Thank you, mom! We are sisters and adventurers because of you and dad. You instilled in us growing up – to be curious and have fun. Kari and I were so glad you could join us virtually but missed you being there with us.
Love you so much. Kirsti