National Gallagher Vacation Part #1

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Jun 30, 2010 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

The trip is planned! The bags have been packed the the roads are wide open to the traveling Gallagher family in their non-minivan SUV fully equipped with so many pieces of luggage, electronic and food a small third world country would think we are invading. In preparation for our travels I sat down and watched “National Lampoon’s Vacation” at least six times, because I had a feeling I might duplicate part of the trip. (For those wondering, we left our dog at home and Carrie’s parents are checking on her and taking car of her. No tying her to the bumper here!)

Our trip is going to be a blast. Seeing the scenic sights of the Mountain states while getting a little rest and relaxation. Having made this trip many different times, we are adding a new twist to the trip. Carrie and I have decided to take the kids on a little extended trip through the West Virginia mountains.

With the alarm set, the dog feed, the neighbors on alert we are gone, we headed off to the West Virginia mountains.

Monday brought a day of nothingness. Much relaxation along with an occasional check of email was an amazing day. We took some time and had lunch with my mother and sister at a nice Mexican restaurant before heading out clothes shopping. Yes, you read that right, I went clothes shopping. I was not taken kicking and screaming, but I was almost in tears as I waited for clothing decisions to be made. I shop manly, meaning, I walk in, get what I need, pay and then leave. But the girls and my mom…well, let’s say store staff were almost on hand to become personal shoppers for them. 

We were not shopping in just any store, we were shopping in Gabriel Brothers! Now for those of you not familiar with Gabriel Brothers, you can find some excellent deals, but you can also find some misfits; like pants with a collar! I once bought a shirt their that said “Cincinnaiti” not Cincinnati. I knowingly wore the shirt around for weeks until someone said, “isn’t your shirt spelled wrong.” I quickly told them it was a different way to pronounce it and they walked off with a new and horrible grammar lesson. Since I had to be shopping, what a special place to do it. I did not find anything unusual, but I did find a pair of Nike basketball shoes size 22! Here is a picture of them with a size 12.

On Tuesday, our normal family SUV became a “SUV like minivan but not really.” As our family grows up, their legs seem to take up more space than usual. After looking at trading in the SUV for another with a third row, I made some phone calls and came upon a rare find – a third row seat for our SUV. Our Buick SUV is already equipped for one; it was an option from the factory, so every car has the necessary adjustments to make it happen. We decided to make it happen!

I traveled across the Mason-Dixon line to a Salvage Yard/Auto parts place in Pennsylvania to purchase a third row seat. After driving like a maniac to get there, the seat was in bad shape. Instead I ended up getting a leather third row seats, shoulder seat belts and a storage compartment for behind the seat for a very reasonable price. Tuesday night would be installation night. I wanted to get the seat installed before the “Gallagher Scenic Mountain Trip.”

With a time and manner that even Tim Allen would grunt at, everything was installed and I walked away with all my fingers, no extra parts and no duct tape used! I was quite shocked what a little research and effort can do to transform a normal SUV into a “Non-Minivan, SUV on steroids.” Now, if I could only get a V-8 in it!

Okay, one last thing. Some of you know that I am delving into the world of Motivational/Corporate Speaking and in the process of developing a website to go along with it. I spent some time on Monday and Tuesday tweaking the site to almost being just right. If you would like, you can take a look at the site by going to http://www.gallagherinstitute.com or clicking the picture below!

Thanks and those are just my thoughts!

Chris