There are so many joys to a nice long winter break; topping the list is time with family and friends.
On Friday night I spent A LOT of time with some high-school buddies, whom I met for a drink after our high school girls' soccer game. Spoiler alert: I got home after 2 AM. And what's even more perfect: Husband and I and the kids were staying at my parents' house while our kitchen cabinets were being painted. So I not only stayed out WAY LATE, but I had that weird guilty feeling of coming home to mom and dad's in the wee hours of the morning, sneaking in quietly-ish and trying not to wake anyone.
Another spoiler alert: it was more a night of hilarity than a night of debauchery. But it felt really great to crack up with old friends and even shut down a few bars in our sleepy, touristy home town.
We occupied ourselves for much of the time with a game of Who's in Your Minivan? A colleague introduced me to this mental exercise back in 2008, which involves populating your vehicle with well-known folks you wouldn't mind sharing a long road trip with, based on your own criteria: crush-worthiness, entertainment value, navigational abilities, snack provisions, etc.
Note: you and your friends can spend a long time debating and discussing criteria alone, and whether or not your passengers have to be currently living, and if you're driving a Honda van with eight seats or mini-er version with seven...
I had Lenny Kravitz in my 2008 Minivan, which led us to an analysis of his maintenance of the "It Factor," and the recounting of the time one of my friends inadvertently crashed a party he was hosting.
Salma Hayek and Stephen Colbert emerged as popular choices. I was talked into dropping off Matthew Fox, Brad Pitt, and Hilary Swank at the next rest stop, but I'm keeping Jon Stewart in shotgun and Brandi Carlile at an audible distance in my van. I'd have to add Eddie Redmayne from Les Mis and Dax Shepard from Parenthood, as I am charmed by the passion of the former and goofiness of the latter, and the earnestness of both in their respective roles. Robert Redford will round out my crew for obvious reasons, including his dedication to environmental issues and the possibility I'd get a discount for the Sundance Catalog.
Let's face it; I could probably fill two minivans (Hey! Who's in Your Caravan!), particularly if I expanded criteria beyond more superficial rationale and included the many figures I admire. Okay, not that kind of figure--I meant people. Sheesh.
Our discussion grew more serious when a friend challenged us to name "the one that got away," or the "what if" or "sliding door" people with whom we'd had brief encounters or missed opportunities. We dubbed these revelations as "Who's in Your Mini Cooper?" acknowledging that most of us were unlikely to rattle off a long list of fish that got away. There were high school sweethearts, college buddies and post-college people to consider as we pondered the might-have-beens.
Spoiler alert: there will be no great revelation of the occupants of my Mini Cooper. Ha!
But who's in your minivan?
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