The trip started out a bit hectic, but it actually went quite smoothly (I think... not the best memory in this here noggin!). I'm pretty sure we drove straight on through the heavy fog and got to the party just perfectly late for the ultimate gift to be opened immediately and enjoyed by all.
Allie - whom, I believe, they were going to attempt to now call Mia - was amazing great with everyone, and got comment after comment on being the friendliest cat anyone had ever met! Surprise.. Surprise! They loved her, and it was a fun party... Therese really enjoys Connor and Carter... the two boys her and David's ages.
Due to talk of icy roads, we decided it would be best for us to leave a day (or at least an afternoon) early. Mom (Gail) worked until around 1pm on Monday, so I had everything packed and we headed out around 2pm. Here is a picture of Opah with the kids Sunday night. He left for work too early to see them Monday morning, so they said their goodbyes early.
The kids, overall, were super great on the trip. We definitely had our share of melt-downs and hatred sessions towards seat belts, and I most certainly could not have done it by myself, but they WERE really good!
We drove about 10 hours the first day... pulling in to a hotel at about 1am... somewhere in Illinois. The kids were already in their PJ's - we had transitioned them at the last gas station and had them run amuck in the parking lot for 10 minutes to get nice and tired.
Therese got her long-awaited snuggle with Oma and I had the privilege of having my son literally sleep on my face all night long! It was a bit awkward when I woke up at times... but I actually slept surprisingly well!We actually slept in, the kids got to do their favorite thing... brush their teeth!, and had a continental breakfast there before heading off again at about 9am, if I remember correctly.
I thought this day would be worse, because the kids would be awake for the vast majority of the drive, but they were actually better.
They slept more than I expected, and their wonderful Oma became very adept at popping Chex into little one's mouths without barely needing to look!
As you can see in this picture... they kids had a reason to throw a tantrum the entire way if they wanted to... they were jammed in their as tight as can be! Luckily... they didn't see the dire straights they were in, and we didn't break down on the freeway due to the weight!We, of course, took running-around-the-parking-lot breaks to wear them out and keep us going, but the trip went really slick!
Just as a quick note: it was really neat on the ride, because we basically saw the seasons pass in fast-forward! We left winter in northern Illinois, then we drove through early spring, and then later spring, and when we got to Kentucky and Tennessee, and finally Georgia, it was almost early summer! The changes in the leaves, and the flowers, were really neat to see. And, of course, the thermometer kept rising. As I mentioned earlier, it has actually been a bit brisk here lately, but the days we were driving were hot ones.
Amazingly... we only used the GPS the entire time, and it never once lost satelite reception. Since then, here in Columbus, I've lost it several times, but the GPS angels were with us on the trip... we didn't take one wrong turn or miss one turn the whole way!
Oh... I had to get a picture of this for Bumpa... you aren't the only grandparent who spoils their grandkids... notice the large ice cream mustache on the little Boomerang!I guess there was a reason that they weren't sleeping yet when we needed to stop for gas later!
So... we pulled in to our apartment complex around 7:30 pm Tuesday night. Another 10 hours of driving later. Our apartment was a bit of a trick to find in the twilight hours, but we found it, unlocked and ready to be lived in. But... that story is for another day, because it is quarter to midnight here, and my son is screaming for me from his room.
Love, Maria
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