For as long as I can remember, I have always longed for a life on the open road. Like a trucker who hauls a rig from Boston to Seattle - a part of me always wished I could have lived a life behind the wheel.

Obviously, because of the life I lead, I do not have the ability to fulfill this particular fantasy - at least not in whole. But today, I did - in part. For today, Summer and I drove 574 miles from Chickamauga, Georgia to Orlando, Florida - and enjoyed every mile, and every minute of it.

For nine hours, Summer and I carved our way down Interstate 75 doing an average of eighty-five miles an hour determined to reach our goal - Orlando, Florida where our friends Tom and Carla, Mek and Deborah, Michael and Krissy and Debbie eagerly await us.

As soon as my eyes opened at 2:17am, I was ready to go. And when we finally hit the road, it was smooth sailing - at least until I took over. After Summer's cappuccino wore off, she asked me to take over. But after only fifteen minutes of driving, I suggested that we switch back again because my night driving is not exactly the best. She agreed, jokingly saying that I swerve and I drive too slow. I am not mad at what she said, because she is right. But nonetheless, it was so cute to feel like a married couple as we - I mean, she - drove through the early morning hours towards Florida.

After we had breakfast at Denny's, and after the sun finally decided to rise, I took the wheel and drove the rest of the trip, giving Summer a chance to rest, and me a chance to prove that I actually can drive. So for five hours and another few hundred miles, we inched ever closer to our destination and our friends with me behind the wheel and Summer in the passenger's seat of her own car.

After driving for hours, we finally saw a sign that said "Orlando" and were very happy that we had reached the end of our journey - or at least we thought. It turned out that for every exit we reached, we had to travel down another highway. Summer and I laughed as I kept asking if the highway we were on was the last one, and she had to say no. When we got off U.S. 27, and saw that the next directions were to make a right into the complex that housed our home - we both let out a collective sigh of relief.

Now that the third leg of my vacation will begin, which is spending time with my dear friends in Florida, I am very happy that I decided to meet Summer in Chickamauga and take the ride with her to Florida. Each day that I spend with her and get to know her more, I find her to be an intriguing woman that has both a warm heart and inviting smile. Her company is something I miss between times that I see her, but when we are together, she makes any trip, be it in New York, Chickamauga, or Florida - very special.

Of course, according to Summer, if she drove here instead of me - we would have gotten here sooner - and we probably would have...

...how I love being "married" to Summer.