Yesterday the husband and I went to Madison, Mississippi for a few hours so that we could go to a party for our friends Todd and Marti. We got there in time to help with just a teensy bit of party set-up before the actual shin-dig started.
(By the way, have you ever watched about ten Southern women set up for a party?)
(No? Well, it is a SIGHT TO BEHOLD.)
(It is also a veritable festival of capri pants, but that is another story for another time.)
D and I had a really wonderful afternoon – lots of good conversation and laughs and whathaveyou – despite the fact that there were a couple of I-may-be-calling-you-“honey”-but-make-no-mistake-I-would-not-renew-our-wedding-vows-right-now-if-you-paid-me-cash-money moments in the car because of my tendency to think that I know a shortcut to pretty much everywhere.
Unfortunately, my directional hubris caused us to drive aimlessly around your various and sundry suburban neighborhoods not once but twice, and we also ended up heading toward Nashville on the Natchez Trace when really all we were trying to do was get to a Barnes & Noble on the other side of the interstate.
(NOTE TO THE INTERNET: ULTIMATELY WE MADE IT TO BARNES & NOBLE, SO CLEARLY I WAS ABLE TO GET US TO OUR DESTINATION, AND IN THE END THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS, THANK YOU.)
D suggested a little bit ago that maybe my problem with directions is that I think I know where I’m going even when I don’t. However, I’m not so sure that it’s an actual “problem” because, HELLO, I’m relational, and taking the occasional road less traveled enables me to become more familiar with my surroundings as well as the people who live in whatever area we’re visiting.
So there’s purpose to my mapless wanderings, you see.
Oh, I do appreciate a good scenic route.
The only exception to this rule is when I can’t seem to find my way to the nearest Popeye’s, in which case I’ll immediately call a friend or family member and ask them to look up the absolute shortest route on Google maps, then plead with them to not hang up the phone until I’ve made it to the drive-thru because I CANNOT RISK A MISSED TURN WHEN FRIED CHICKEN IS AT STAKE.
I’m sure you understand.
So.
Who’s the road trip navigator in your family?
And.
How does he or she pull off this role without making everyone else in the car CRAZY NERVOUS INSANE?
I’m just, you know, wondering.
In the interest of scholarly research and all.
My husband is the one who actually wants to look at a map and stop and ask for directions. I like to try to use the sun as my compass and guess and wander around and take the highway instead of the interstate because I just think it’s fun. Like an adventure. Of course, my level of adventurousness is directly proportional to the number of kids in my car.
Well, I honestly have to admit that my husband has channelled his inner Rand McNally (you know, the atlas people) for as long as I have known him. He can get us ANYWHERE without very many wrong turns.
In fact, we drove to Cincinnati many years ago and he was able to find the house where he lived…WHEN HE WAS 3 YEARS OLD (they moved to Nashville when he was 4)…and we didn’t make but one wrong turn. I’m still amazed and have no idea how he did it!! This was before Google, Mapquest, etc.
Our common comment in the car is that he has a “built-in compass in his nose.”
Me? Well, I get lost in the neighboring town and end up in the most dangerous part of the city — EVERY. SINGLE. TIME! I have just decided I will mark that town off my destination choices!!
But my saying is, “Getting there is half the fun!” So my philosophy is that if the “getting there” lasts a little longer then so will the fun. Can I get an Amen?
Blessings,
Dori
I am Magellian, really I rarely get lost. My husband lives by the GPS and couldn’t get to Wal Mart without it any more.
Which is most likely why I never get lost, he gives the WORST directions ever. So I learned directionability (look a new word) out of sheer necceisty.
Its not me, that’s for sure. My husband can read a map, which is one of the reasons I married him; except the time I was pregnant, in need of a bathroom and we were in the middle of nowhere late at night.I didn’t think we’d get home, especially when his “shortcut” took us down a windy road that ended at the very edge of a lake. But I am over that, really.
My dh drives, I navigate – end of story. The secret to our happy marriage!
My hubby is the map-reader and/or all-around-know-it-all-I-told-you-so destination finder….BUT the kids all want to ride with me because mommy goes on ‘adventures’! I have no problem being lost because that’s NOT what I call it…I am taking the ‘creative’ way and i have NEVER been truly lost.
My husband’s sense of direction isn’t that great. He is almost always the driver and I try to sit quietly, unless I can obviously see that he has NO IDEA WHERE HE’S GOING, and then I speak up. We’ve had many of those “I’m calling you honey, but…” moments ourself. Thankfully, they are usually dissipate when we (finally) reach our destination. Add 4 loud kids to the mix of wandering-without-a-clue and it’s a miracle that no one gets hurt. ;)
Glad to hear that you had a lovely time anyway!
“are usually dissipate”?? Oh, my. I clearly need to go back to bed. :)
I wish we had a Popeye’s. I feel that since you are so fond of them, that I must be missing out on something extraordinary.
Navigator? My husband. I get confused in a large mall as to which direction we were heading when we are coming out of a store and ready to get to the next one. Not that I don’t have my navigational opinion in the car because, Oh, I do, but ultimatly he has the final say most of the time. Unless he’s never been to the place before and I have.
That would be me. But I also bought Al a GPS system for his car in the event that I am not available. I love the scenic route too, and I am always looking for that shortcut. On occasion, to avoid making a left-hand turn at a busy intersection, I may also seek a long-cut, i.e. the “go-around-your-elbow to get to your thumb” route, but that is all in the interest of safety and sanity and protecting the Bean’s ears from mild profanity. Yes. Southern-woman party prep = the bustle of easy efficiency dressed up in capri pants and giggles with a splash of sweet tea. I miss it.
This is hilarious! I am soooo glad you asked this because now I get a chance to announce to your tens (a-hem) of readers that my name is Carol and I am directionally challenged. I can read maps, and I can follow directions, BUT I have no innate sense of direction. My hubby, on the other hand, was born with a compass in his brain. If he has driven anywhere once, he can always find it again. Sometimes, for reasons known only to him, he’ll ask my advice. I’ll say, “I think we should turn right”. Then he’ll turn left and it was the correct choice to turn left. Perhaps he was just varifying his own inclination of which way to turn by asking me and then doing the opposite. And this does not offend me in the least because I know my limitations. Whew! Glad to get that off my chest!
I’m all for scenic routes myself, but my DH will pull over at the next gas station any time he thinks we’re off-course. We’re a bit of a reverse the the stereotype in that, I guess.
I did, however, just get a cell phone that came with a navigator… a lovely woman’s voice actually tells us exactly where and when to turn, and if you make a wrong turn, she politely states “recaluclating route”. It’s quite handy!
This is going to be L O N G and is a little off topic but I have got to VENT!!!! we were sked to fly to Salt Lake City on Friday (neither my husband nor I have ever been there) he was going for business and I was going so I didn’t have to make the bed, cook or clean for 5 days!! We were driven to OHARE airport 2 and 1/2 hours, checked in curb-side, arrived on time….breezed thru security no problems, the place was packed, several flights were canceled because of bad weather down south…..but we were flying west….soooooo no problem….the board said our flight would be on time. We have plenty of time so we’ll get a bite to eat…..the lines are at least 40 people long outside each of the restaurants including McDonalds…..still no problem we are early…we walk….we sit….we people watch….finally we get a bite to eat….sit at a table, it is clean, we have pleanty of time….as we retun to our gate we check the departure board and the flight is delayed 10 minutes but it is a different gate….no problem, we have lots of time….we walk to the new gate….we wait we people watch we check the board….one hour later….there is a new gate assignment and now the flight is delayed one hour…..this would make us flying out at 11PM our time….OK we’re here we’re fine…..we have books to read…..30 minutes later….it says we have been REASSIGNED to yet another gate….we walk there and the board says we will take off one hour later….finally as we are at the fourth gate we have been sent to the board says boarding will start in 15 minutes….YEA!!!! then it says boarding will begin in 8 minutes….boarding in 3 minutes…..THEN the person working at the gate says over the load speaker….”YOUR FLIZGHT HAS BEEN CANCELLED”….yes….our flight was cancelled!!!! Now it is midnight and they want us to get in a line behine 300 other people from the previous flight to make arrangements to fly out the next day!! Well needless to say we walked out of the airport….went to a car rental place to rent a car and drive home….well they refused to rent us a car bacause it was one way and to short of a distance….a taxi ride would have been $500 and the next car rental place was OUT OF CARS!!! We eventaully got a car service company to drive us home to South Bend…..We got back to our home 11 hours after we left….OH and I did I mention that our bags went to Salt Lake City…..mine went Saturday morning and my husbands went Saturday night…..We are waiting to find out if we will ever see them again….the good news is I just kept saying to myself the Lord see this…..the Lord must be protecting us from something….and my husband who handles dignitary transportation only swore once….he too said well I guess we weren’t supposed to go to Salt Lake…..Thanks for reading this…..I know that in the overall view of life it isn’t the worst catastrophy ever…..but it certainly makes you realize why people lose their tempers and makes you wonder what ever happened to customer service. God Bless, Pam, South Bend
First, I have no sense of direction. If there is any possible way to turn the WRONG direction, I’ll do it. Hubs is surprised that I haven’t gotten lost in our driveway. Keep in mind, we live in a 1008 sq ft house on a postage stamp sized lot. I believe he is serious, though.
The neighbor must have noticed my navigational deficiencies. He is a dear single man who has adopted us as family. For Christmas, he gifted me– er, us– GPS. I almost cried right there. So, my husband has deposited Mr. Tomtom in my glove box and has reminded that he is living there. Oh, driving has never been easier. I cannot read a map, but at least know which way is up. But, with my lovely GPS, the voice in the box just tells me which way to go.
You need one. And a brochure from Popeye’s. The box will direct you right to the driveway everytime!
Well, my hubby is the navigationally-challenged one in our family, so last Christmas “HELLO! A shiney new GPS all for him.”
DO NOT know how we ever made it through any family vacations without it. It is momey well spent, you can do so much with besides the obvious. Do you know you can ask it where the nearest Popeye’s Chicken is AND IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO IT, no matter where you happen to be at the moment!
Life is good.
Not only am I the navigator, but I am also the driver. My husband drives like a 9 year old. All of us end up with horrible fits of nerves whenever we have to go somewhere with him.
We, even make it past the “honey” stage and sit there is horrible silence.
So, it is much better if I just drive. I google earth everything first. Read, re-read, and re-re-re-read it all.
I would be the navigator in our family. I find it amazing that my husband has lived in our tourist town his entire life and still doesn’t know the fastest routes at certain times of the day.
Although I tease him, I let him drive and try to bite my tongue when he goes the direction that I would not have gone.
My husband drives me crazy (ha!) because every time we go to a large retail establishment he thinks he has to find the farthest parking spot and I think we need to find the closest one possible. It’s ok to drive around forever until you find the closest one, right??
The navigator was hubby until a week ago when I unceremoniously demanded (yes, demanded) a Tom-Tom for my birthday. So now, it’s the Toms. It was all in the spirit of sparing our driving experiences from “attitude” problems that kept arising when hubby drove us to and fro. And made us late.
I’m the navigator and the driver, as well. I get horribly motion sick if I am riding, but not when I’m driving, which is really weird. However, one time we were headed back to Arkansas from Ohio and ended up in Illinois when we should have been in Tennessee. And another time we ended up in Tennessee when we were supposed to be in Kentucky. Yes, I am gifted as a navigator. (You should have seen the look on my hubby’s face when he saw the “Welcome to Illinois” sign. It was a very tender moment.)
yah i think that mississippi needs to change the names of 49 and 59, because they are clearly too similar in name. the thing about being the navigator is that it is all your fault, and not anyone elses when you end up in new orleans instead of biloxi. who would have thought??
Actually, I am. I’m pretty good with finding my way around with a map. However, I have taken the wrong turn in Dallas/ Ft. Worth before and ended up in a very bad part of town. Chris has never let me forget it. So, there’s a little more to push me towards right-ness now :)
I am very good with finding my way around a mall, as well–which is a very important skill, I think.
My nickname is “Suzy Longcut” because I can’t find my way ANYWHERE! DH has finally just started laughing at me because it is so pitiful! He, on the other hand, can listen to me tell him where we need to be and draw a MAP on a NAPKIN from my description…and actually follow it! He still doesn’t understand why I turn a map upside down to read it. Personally, I blame it on the vertigo!
I’m the Map, I’m the Map, I’m the Map, I’m the Map.
I’m the MAP!
:-)
My husband can barely find his way to church without me.
I get lost in a paper bag. Or an open field. Whichever is closest.
And my husband still loves me. He just doesn’t ask for my help navigating. Well, once in awhile he’ll ask me if I know where I am, just so he can laugh. Our relationship is all about the give and take…
Jason is the navigator, but it’s only because my roots are not as deep as his. I’ve only been here 5 years next month in comparison to his 40…1. :/
We got a car with a GPS in it, and then the CAR is the bad guy. All we have to know is the address.
And, you can also, from anywhere, tell it that you want to go to Popeye’s, and it will tell you exactly how to get there.
Although I laughed out loud that the car we wanted had one, my husband predicted that it would quickly become one of my favorite things, and ya know – he was right! :)
My sense of direction is usually very good. Except when we’re in Fayetteville (NC) visiting my husband’s sister. Then I am HOPELESSLY lost, even after all these years…I think it’s because I’m on the lookout for the nearest mugger and could care less about the road. Unless it’s going into a bad neighborhood. But seriously: is there a good neighborhood in Fayetteville (also known as Fayette-Nam/Fort Bragg)?
My husband will check the map every five minutes, even on a straight road. I think he just likes seeing the progress :-)
Unfortunately, he also likes to look at the map WHEN HE IS DRIVING. I have to nip that in the bud often. That’s why I usually do the driving, and he does the navigating!
I am the map reader, however, in order to keep the peace, I make subtle suggestions along the way which Hubby ends up following and then he thinks he got us there without one single stop for directions. We recently ended all opportunity for quarrels on this subject by getting a GPS. Girl, you need one of these! There’s no more calling a friend to find the nearest Popeye’s. It will tell you and give you a map to it!!
I’m the navigator in our family. I have a good internal compass. Plus my husband likes to have someone else to blame when we get lost, so it works for both of us.
I can’t find my way out of a cardboard box. Luckily, my dear husband has a great sense of direction and can read a map too! I have neither of those abilitites. I can’t even get to places I have already been to. As a matter of fact, this morning we visited a new church and I had no idea where the nursery was after church to go pick up our girls. We had just been in the nursery an hour earlier. I always joke and say “Every trip is a new experience” (even places I have been to time and time again). We often go to Disney World and Sea World (we live in Orlando) and I can not find the next attraction by reading the map. The last time we went to Sea World my older daughter and I walked around for about 30 minutes in the pouring rain, circling the same stupid building about 4 times because I could not figure out how to get to where I wanted to be by reading the darn map! I am hopeless! (But I do have a GPS for driving!)
DIrections. Oh boy. I have learned to print out directions both coming and going (the trees look different from the backside) or I get horribly turned around. My husband found a way to a castle in Austria, just ruins, not on any map, no signs or arrows–nothing. The castle was on our right, he turned left, then right, left again–on and on and without making more than one small turn around he drove right to it. Awesome.
My directions are more along the lines of, “uh…the street we are looking for starts with a “D”.” And without fail it will turn out to start with an “S”. I definitely drive by Braille. And after 23 years of marriage, if I’m driving, there is no conversation happening.
I direct, hubby drives. Problems ensue when roles are switched. My nickname in high school was “Crash”; hubby inevitably wants to TURN THE WRONG WAY when leaving parking lots.
Mapquest, an excellent resource in modern day travel, is right about 85% of the time. But it has left us in the middle of corn fields (literally!) more than once.
Maps of any sort are no good when road construction is taking place. We usually allow anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour for getting sidetracked and/or lost. Works for us! :-)
http://theparkwife.blogspot.com/2008/02/men-and-directions.html
hehehe
The Park Wife
We just take our marital counselor in the van with us. We like to call her, “GPS.”
well, we have ‘adventures in creative driving’ if I am giving directions. I have no sense of direction but the hubs is a walking compass. He bought me a GPS so I would not get lost when traveling for work b/c he knows me!! :-)
Oh I can not stand to get lost it gets me all nervous. After driving with my friend who has one of those GPS thingys I am not begging my hubby for one :)
I just feel so much more comfortable not to mention you can plug in anything and it will give you directions including churches if you are OOT and need one to visit – WAY COOL!
I am hoping I get one for MD and to insure this fact I keep calling him telling him I am LOST – hehe
God bless,
Kim
My hubby and I learned early in our relationship that he reads the map, and I drive. We tried it the other way around, and it was not pretty. It wasn’t that he can’t drive or I can’t read the map. The communication just did not work that way. Believe me, it’s much better when I drive and he reads the map.
Well, if you’re still interested, Andy gets lost on a regular basis. We recently attempted to get our license plates transferred, and I followed him (several detours and all…ahem), only to finally end up at the inspection station instead of the DMV. He then handed the map over, so to speak, and I managed to make a mistake, too, (which we had a good laugh over…we started to think this place was simply impossible to find) but then I did manage to get us safely there.
(Only to be publicly humiliated by our three children as we frantically tried to fill out all manner of unneccessary paperwork.)
Hubby is the navigator. He prefers I call him “Nav”, actually. His sense of direction is not so good. Our travels have gotten even worse with the addition of the GPS, because now instead of thinking he knows where we are, he is SURE of where we are (which he doesn’t).
My husband and the true love of his life – the GPS. Even if we are going to the Wal-Mart (which we have been to 1,452 times and it is but a few miles from our house), he has to use the beloved GPS.
I am the walking GPS in our family. I’m pretty good with a map and I have a better sense of direction than my hubby. My navigational skills are usually handy, but they have occasionally landed us in sticky situations when I think I’ve found a “short cut.” I believe the worst was driving through some sketchy section of Baltimore that freaked even hubs out. He ran every red light that we hit so he wouldn’t have to stop the car.
But I have to say that downtown B’ham still has me totally turned around. At least in DC, you could always look for the Washington Memorial and figure out your direction. Vulcan just isn’t doing it for me here.
NOT ME! I am so directionally challenged and I worry about getting lsot so I pretty much learn one way to get somewhere and that is the ONLY route I will take.
Mapquest is my best friend even thought people have told me that there are shorter routes etc…. Mappy with its lovely specific directions and I get along just FINE.
My dh is usually the guy, but lately we’ve been using mapquest when we aren’t sure how to get places and that has ended the tension LOL I’ll never forget the time (before my dh & I were married) that we got lost on the way to a wedding because my dh was sure he could get us there just because he could see the church on the hill. We arrived just as the bride was entering the sanctuary. Nothing like a grand entrance =)
we avoid this problem by not going anywhere. ;)
I am the navigator in my birth family. I love maps and I can get us wherever we need to go. I wish I could claim the same for my married family, but unfortunately my husband is like you. He thinks he knows where he’s going and since he’s driving he just goes whether or not I’m telling him to go another way or not. And then when we’re good and lost, even then he refuses to admit I might have been right. Infuriating! And no, his lovely GPS doesn’t help at all. It’s usually the cause of his “thinking” he knows where he’s going.
Hey Boo, I’m a lurker, but I had to post. A few years ago, hubby and I drove from Flagstaff, AZ to Taos, NM (8 hours), stayed 2 nights, and drove back (8 hours). While we were in Taos, we did alot of sightseeing (by car). It was supposed to be a vacation. I couldn’t look him in the face for 3 days after that. I was traumatized. He drives like everyone is the enemy trying to take him down. So now, (sniff) we have agreed that for the sake of our marriage and vacation enjoyment, we don’t drive while on holiday. When we do drive anywhere past the grocery store, I drive. We have a secret pact, he pretends to work on his Blackberry so I have to drive. Our marriage has hit a new high. Praise God.
Love your blog.
Karen in CA
My husband usually navigates while he drives, because he usually knows his way around. But here’s how it usually goes, ESPECIALLY if we are heading to an engagement where I really need to arrive on time.
Me: You know where you are going, right?
Hubby: Yes.
Me (a few minutes later): You’re SURE you know where you are going?
Hubby: Yes…basically.
A few minutes later, I notice that at stop signs he is looking right and left more intently than just for on-coming traffic.
Me: &*)^^)(*hl&t^^gpp*p)d!@#$%^&
(OKAY…I don’t really cuss, but I feel like it. Why can’t they just ADMIT it when I ask the first time?)
My husband does the navigating and the only way we are not divorced right now is that I learned early on to SHUT MY EYES for the majority of the trip. Seriously. I can carry on a conversation with the kids with my eyes shut. Just helps.
I am the navigator in the family although hubby likes to think he knows more than me .. I “let” him think so … that ego thing .. it is a wonder ….
I had to look up “hubris”. Don’t judge me.
I don’t even let my husband drive any more. Who were we trying to kid before when he pretended to be in charge. We both got so sick of me giving orders I just take charge. BUT when we’re lost I make him go in and ask for directions. (That’s me sliding down a little pink in the cheek…am i really that bad?)
My approach to directions is the same as George Constanza’s approach to life in a memorable episode of Seinfeld. That is, whatever my instinct tells me, I do the EXACT OPPOSITE. This works for me. I also have a GPS, but sometimes those buggers don’t get it right either! This is the first (and certainly not the last) time I have happened upon the hilarity that is the BooMama Blog. And while I’m not a “real southerner” cause I live in Texas, I was born in Virginia and appreciate all things southern, especially the ability to laugh at ourselves and on RARE occasions, laugh at others (tongue currently in cheek). Thanks for the belly laughs. It’s the most exercise I’ve gotten all day!
Gee KatDish – you didn’t have to make it clear we Texans aren’t real southerners – we are chameleon southerners – we can be western or southern – depending on the food craving! My DH is the route magistrate in our vehicles – I occasionally have a map on my lap and instructions but often he says “that’s not right” and does what he was going to do anyway. It’s all good – we get where we need to get with the Lord’s protection and timing.
My husband is the smartest, most creative guy I know. He has one weakness, though. He has the worst sense of direction imaginable. It is such a relief to me, the exceptionally flawed one in the marriage, to have this one area of “expertise.”
I think it just demonstrates God’s mercy.
I can read a map, but I turn it (you know whenever I turn, so I know which way to turn when the next one comes) which drives the husband crazy. I also drive by landmarks–turn right at the Wal-Mart or left at the CiCi’s Pizza.
My husband is a first responder, so he knows the shortcut to anywhere. I often say, please don’t put me out of the car, I have no idea where we are. Thankfully, he never has–probably wanted to though!
Blessings,
Jane
BTW-Yes, us Southern chicks do know how “to put on the dog” for a party!
I am directionally dyslexic: if I think I need to go right, then I’m quite sure my destination is to the left, and vice versa. (Yes, it’s as confusing as it sounds.) My hubby has an amazing sense of direction, plus 20/15 vision to read road signs from a half-mile away. He will also bring an atlas and whatever smaller maps are necessary for any trip. I don’t think he was ever a boy scout, but he is Mr. Prepared.
And incidentally, Popeye’s isn’t just about the chicken; it’s about the red beans and rice too. Mmmmm.
I am the navigator.
My husband and family conceed it is best…almost to the point of driving me crazy. Why is it that I have to explain over and over again to my husband the directions to a place that he has been to twenty times already?
That is the real question I’d like answered.
Please
Anyone?
I am the navigator in the fam. But, the sweet hubs always drives. Hmmmm. I’ve learned that when I tell him he’s going the wrong way, he gets a little frustrated with me. So, I usually say, “Hey babe, know where you’re going?” And that’s my code for “Exit now!” And he does.
And we laugh and laugh and laugh some more about it.
I think I was born with a compass in my nose.
Dh is usually in charge because he has to be behind the wheel. I learned on our honeymoon as we drove across New Zealand that it was just as well if he drove all the time because even if I was driving, I’d be sightseeing at the same time and he’s still just be looking at the road.
But he travels so much for business that he’s used to just kind of driving around and looking for things. That’s how he gets to know new areas… just driving around.
I occasionally get my hands on a map and find myself in the navigator’s chair. Which calms my nerves quite a bit. Because, you know, it’s all about me and my control over the situation.
Two words. “Tom Tom”.
Hi, Boo! This is your Central Texas Fan Club, coming out of lurk-mode to answer THE question!
Greg’s mom rode with us once, and she made the mistake of saying, Why do you always tell him where to go? So I shut up, and after about half an hour, she says, Shouldn’t we be there already? Yep. Why aren’t we? He missed the turn. Why didn’t you tell him? HA! (A “Kodak moment” except for being audio taped, not photographed!)
PS Greg’s atlas is in the bathroom. His reading material. Weird….
You really should warn us when you visit Madison. I would have called in some paparazzi. Then you could have claimed it was their fault when derouted…
He’s the driver, I’m the navigator.
Supposedly.
He’s a great driver, but doesn’t TRUST his navigator. I say “take this exit”, he says “Are you sure?” and breezes past it. Argh! Any time we get lost, it’s because he wouldn’t listen to me. Hello? Who HAS THE MAP? I may be spatially challenged, but I can read a map.
He prints the maps, I have a compass in my nose. When he is alone, he gets lost… coming home from work.:)
My hubby is directionally challenged even in a place we go many times. There for we agreed on the purchase of TOMTOM. He is the driver, but I just tell him where to go. Thankfully though on long trips TomTom has allow me to sleep and worry that he is going to make a wrong turn.
two months before we got married, my (now) husband bought me a GPS device for the car – I guess he KNEW my directional skills were going to cause tense moments!
Bridgette is our navigator. She is a GPS that we got half off at a going out of business sale, but we love her just the same. I have no idea why my husband named her Bridgette, but it has brought about some questioning by me to find out who in his previous life had that name!
We recently got a Magellan GPS. We named her Vickie (one of Magellan’s ships was named Victoria).
Vickie is one smart cookie. Over the weekend we headed down to Richmond from DC. Vickie knew we were in the HOV lanes…
Vickie has saved us on many occasions–and she’s probably why we’re still together!
If I’m not 100% positive either Terry or myself know where we are going, I look it up on Google Maps. I like the scenic route, but feeling lost makes me all twitchy.
Oh, my sister is the navigator. Our main rule is if she turns the map upside down, we are lost. Pull over and stop because you never know where you may be heading!
My husband, who is normally very good with directions, got lost 3 times on our first date.
I would be the navigator of our family, and I always make my husband crazy nervous in the car! Of course, he makes me crazy nervous! I’m always pushing that imaginary brake pedel on the passenger side of the car. You know the one of which I speak, right?
I am the chief navigator on our excursions. But I am not as good with Google and mapquest as I am with a real honest to goodness map. And I can even fold those suckers back up correctly! Go me! Though I seem to be losing some of this skill as I age.
My husband and I both know that I am totally directionally challenged, so whenever we’re driving to a new place, I’ll get lost. But I do drive much faster than my hubby, so even though we get to the wrong destination, we get there very quickly!
Too funny.
Yes, I have watched a group of Southern Women get ready for a party and this Canadian gal has learned to stay the heck out of their way and just admire the shoes!
When my husband became legally blind, I had to take over the driving, and this is when my hubby and I knew we truly loved each other because for awhile there it was touch-and-go until he learned to tell me to turn 2 blocks from where I should turn, not 2 miles! Did I mention I have a short attention span? I’m also directionally challenged and I freely admit it! My DH just bought a GPS for me with (and this is VERY important) TURN-BY-TURN directions. It’s a Garmin StreetPilot c550 and I love it!
DH and I are pretty balanced in our approach. I got him a GPS for Christmas b/c he’s a gadget geek who hates asking for directions and would just as soon divine his way to our next destination. But our rule is that the driver of the car gets to pick the route and the passenger doesn’t get a whole lot of input on the route to be taken unless there’s a REALLY GOOD REASON OH MY GOSH THE ROAD IS JUST GONE WE CAN’T GO THAT WAY! Works well for us! GPS doesn’t have a name though…I’ll have to ask him about a name for it and he’ll look at me like I hit my head on something and we’ll go on from there with a nameless GPS!
And the comment on the capri pants – cracked me up!! At LPL in San Diego in April Miss Beth told us we weren’t allowed to talk about the Friday night teaching to our buddies AT ALL when we got home that night! It was just between our hearts and God until she completed the teaching on Saturday afternoon. So at the end of the praise set to end Friday night, Travis reminded us of this, that we were to keep our mouths shut and he actually said to an arena of women “Now y’all aren’t gonna talk about what you’ve learned tonight, right? Y’all can talk about your cute capri pants or whatever, but not about what Beth’s been teachin’ ya!” I cracked up!! I thought that was such a Southern thing to say, and I was very impressed he knew what a “capri pant” is! Not too tough now to see how he got that knowledge if the capri pant is that prevalent in the south!! I’d love to read that post! ;)
On our very first date, I thought I knew the way back to the freeway and ended up getting us completely lost in the middle of a city I’d been driving to frequently since I was four. We figured it was a bad sign. It was.
(Shh–dont’ tell anyone I’m leaving this comment. I’m totally supposed to be on a bloggie break and have my computer shut off and stowed right now. Addiction, thy name is blogging.)
That’s why you liked Africa! Because really, it’s all about the relationships, not being on time or anything. Time is relative, and your relatives take a lot of time, remember.
My husband just humors me. He just uh huh’s when I give him directions. Once he does that enough, I’ll ask him, “You know where you’re going, don’t you?” And he’ll pull out the big guns – the “Yes, dear.”
He does not call me dear, so you know he’s annoyed at that point.
I LOL because Hubby and I have been lost in that very same area trying to get to the very same Barnes and Noble!
We call him Gregory the GPS and he has saved our marriage. Seriously. A lot of times.
It’s both of us really. He makes the decisions and I contradict him. I am wrong and he smirks. He then asks if he should go left or right and I respond with, “Don’t ask me because obviously I NEVER know where I am going.” Thank goodness for the handy GPS on my iPhone. Well, except last weekend when we were in College Station and I was looking for the Mariott Courtyard. Who would have guessed they have 2 of them in CS?? NOT ME! So, after driving through CS and turning around just to drive back to 6 to find the Marriot Courtyard located directly off the freeway husband was not happy. Oops.