Yeeps!
I've never done a cross-country drive before. And definitely not with four little ones and no copilot. I had no idea what to expect. But off we went to the great unknown!!
The night before we left, my perfectly made plan blew up, so I got to bed way late, and I hadn't even started packing the car yet. I woke up at 3am and couldn't sleep, so I decided to pack the clothes. I went back to sleep for an hour, and got up and did some more packing. It wasn't until about 7:30am that I knew we were going. There were still loose ends that needed to be tied at the house. It felt like one of those nightmares where you're trying to do something, but with every step, you have more stuff to do and it's just never ending. So, about 7:30 I decided I just didn't care about the loose ends, and I was just going to go be with my husband, come what may!!
We left about 8:30 with our SUV bursting full of our stuff. I was finally free!! The kids did beautifully. I mean it! They watched movies without fighting all day! Even Logan, barely 2, sat without fussing the entire day! (thank goodness for DVD players!!!). We stopped and saw THE THING at the gas station, something none of us had ever done before. I had my first, second, and third energy drink ever, and we made it safely to Odessa, TX by nightfall.
The hotel was, well there's no gentle way to put it, it was just plain nasty. We found a half eaten chili pepper in one of the drawers. There was a mystery curly black hair on the toilet, the floor seriously didn't look like it had been swept, and the shower curtain was dirty. Bleck! (it was a days inn, for any who are curious). The pillows were so hard they gave me a headache, so after a couple of hours of sleep, I got up and showered and we were outa there.
Off to Dallas, tx where John has three siblings. Kids did great, yet again. They started to get a little wrestless about 8am, at which point I may or may not have given them dramamine. They were asleep for the rest of the drive.
When we got to Jess's house, jaren watched the kids and I got some good girlie shopping time in with my sister in law. Love her! We had a fabulous dinner over at my brother in laws house, and the kids were able to jump on the trampoline, play laser tag, billiards, and computer games with their cousins. Us adults played card games and chatted. It was the perfect vacation after such an overwhelming couple if weeks.
The next day we went to the lake with josh, megan, Jess, and jaren! Oh so much fun!! The sun was heavenly, and the kids had SO MUCH FUN! That night, we did fireworks back at Jess's. Not the sissy fireworks that you're allowed to do in Sierra vista, but real, honest to goodness fireworks. Fun!!
The next day I felt relaxed and rejuvenated, and we set off for the last leg of our journey! We left about 9:30 am. Talk about excited!!!
And we weren't the only ones excited! John called several times to see where we were. He was thrilled to be able to have his family back!! *little squeal of joy*
The drive from texas to Georgia is very different than the drive from Sierra vista to Texas. It's BESUTIFUL and GREEN!! There are tall trees lining the sides of the freeway. Just walls of green. I was taken back by the beauty. I enjoyed the drive. And the kids, once again, did marvelously. They just watched tv and slept.
We got to Dallas, GA about 10:30 pm. John waited up for us, even though he had to go to work the next day. He decorated the kids room with a bunch of balloons, and he put a sign on their door too! (we figured we'd let them sleep in the same room the first night, since it was a new place and we didn't want them to be scared). John also put a sign on our bedroom door. ;). Love my husband!!
What a neat experience! I am no longer scared of driving cross country and we are safe and happy in our new home!
