Road trip!

No summer is complete without a road trip.

There’s something adventurous about

taking to the open road with a GPS and some time to spare.

I took an adventure of my

own this summer — a road trip with just my 3-year-old daughter, Maya, to visit my brother and his family in Florida. Telling

people about my plans before my trip evoked gasps from most. A

16-hour car ride with a preschooler constitutes cruel and unusual punishment for some.

I have to admit, I wondered for a split second if they were right when I heard “When are we going to be there?”

soon after we crossed the Stark County border. When I looked back, Maya

giggled and went back to playing with her dolls. Whew.

I couldn’t have asked for a better travel companion. We didn’t have to make extra stops or even use the

emergency stash of surprises I packed.

My little girl grew up so much on our trip. She started doing many of the things that she often relied on her older brothers to help her with. It was a

special “girls trip” with plenty of relaxed bonding time.

With the long summer days — and adventures — starting to wind down, it’s time again to think about preparing the kids to go back to school. Look for fashion ideas for students (Page 24) as well as higher education opportunities in Stark County (Page 29). It’s amazing to see all of the options right here in our own backyard.

Also, look for your chance to win some of the clothing featured in this magazine, courtesy of Westfield Belden Village. Turn to Page 81 for more details.

Saying goodbye

This month, About magazine bids farewell to Laura Ruby, our advertising manager. Laura and her family are relocating to the Cincinnati area. She has been the advertising manager for About for the last two years and brought a wealth of magazine experience. We wish her and her family all the best.

If you need any advertising assistance, please contact Chris White at (330) 580-8428 or chris.white@cantonrep.com.