If you’re like me, you have to pretty far for breaks from school. This can understandably be incredibly boring, but there are a few universal thoughts that I have every single time I drive from school to my mom’s house or vice versa.

1.Hey, there’s the bridge.

For the longest time, I had no idea what the point of a very fancy bridge seemingly leading nowhere over the highway was. I would get incredibly frustrated if a new person happened to be with me and asked what it was because I didn’t know the answer. However, I have since figured out that it is a museum.

2.What are you doing…?

Undoubtedly, when you’re on the highway for nearly six hours, you’ll come in contact with some drivers who you just don’t understand. I’ve seen someone come to a complete stop in the middle of the road for no reason, someone who kept moving over with me every time I tried to pass them, and a truck who forgot I existed and almost hit me. And those are just the highlights.

3.Woo, new time zone.

I know exactly where the switch between mountain and central time zone is and I get way too excited every time I pass it. It isn’t the halfway mark, or anything remotely significant. I just really enjoy some sort of proof that I’ve made progress. It means the next time I stop, I can text everyone to say I made it to the time change.

4.WOO, NEW STATE!

Unlike the time change, the change in the state actually is significant for multiple reasons. Again, it’s an obvious mark of progress but for me, the state line actually is about halfway between the two destinations. It’s not uncommon that as I pass the sign that either says “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” or “Nebraska…the good life”, I sing significantly louder and sometimes add a little squeal as I pass the state line.

5.I wonder if Hospital Road actually has a hospital…

This is a thought that I don’t really want to be forced to find out the answer to, but it always makes me wonder. I feel like if Hospital Road does not actually have a hospital somewhere on it, then that is incredibly misleading and might just be a problem in the case of an emergency.

6.Ugh, why is the sun a thing?

This is especially true in the event that I’m driving west in the late afternoon. The sunset is blinding and makes me seriously have problems seeing where I’m going. This is the reason I have a pair of sunglasses in my car.

7.Okay, where’s the exit…

When the majority of the drive is on one road without much thought, the one highway change becomes a big deal. It’s the easiest part to mess up, so I start counting mile markers about ten miles before the exit. Missing it would be a serious problem because I wouldn’t know how to find it again.

8.The dance studio! Yay!

When you start seeing ads for the places you went frequently when you lived in the same town year round, it gets really exciting. Not because you plan to go there again anytime soon, but because you know that means you’re really close to home.

9.Wow, not being on a highway is so slow.

When you finally are turning into your neighborhood, the speed limit just seems so slow after six hours of going anywhere between 65 and 80 miles per hour.

10.Finally!

Ariel says it all here, which is ironic since she can't speak. As you turn off the car and open the door, it hits you. In less than 30 seconds, you’ll be reunited with all the people and/or animals you moved away from. If that’s not cool, nothing is.