We are on the way! So excited to FINALLY be on the road. The plan is to get as far as North Carolina tonight and then find a dog-friendly hotel. We needed to arrive at the condo in the morning so that we’d have enough time to unpack the trailer, pick up the mattresses, and find a place to park for the night. Since our goal for today is right around 800 miles (10-11 hrs with the trailer), we decided to let the kids sleep until their usual wake up times and then get started.
We left the house just after 8:00 am. Scott woke up with some sinus pressure so the kids are doing their best to stay nice and quiet for the morning hours. Coco seem to get it too as she has kept pretty quiet as well... just some nervous panting until she settled in. Sammy is drawing illustrations for her book on her ipad and Tyler’s watching a movie on his. Its been a smooth ride - no construction or traffic.
Its about 1:00 and we just got back on the road after a lunch/fuel stop in Findalay, OH. We’re making good time so far and just started an audio book to pass the time. Scott took some extra meds at our last stop... fingers crossed he gets some relief soon.
At one point, we stopped in traffic and saw a Pickup truck loaded down with 1980’s living room furniture... think dark brown with olive flowers. “Hey kids look, its a load of our new furniture!” I’d like to tell you they immediately knew we were fibbing... but it isn’t so. We had a good laugh as we waited.
At supper, we got a call that Best Buy has located our Range and DIshwasher (they’ve been missing since last Friday when they were scheduled to be installed but didn’t show). The plan is for them to be delivered tomorrow and then installed on Friday... so at least we can eat a home cooked meal before the weekend ;)
The trip is a little slower when you have a trailer in tow. Well that AND multiple stops for food, fuel and bathroom breaks. For some reason we just cannot get the kids and the dog on the same schedule. Geez!
Throughout the day, Sammy has asked several times about what it means to be “a girl after God’s own heart”. Several Times. Its sweet and we explain how David was described that way in the Bible and its a great goal to strive for. And then a few hours later, she’d bring it up again. Well just now, she pulled her headphones off (they are watching The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) and said, “Mom, I think maybe you are a girl after God’s own heart...” she proceeded to share her many reasons why I would qualify and then wrapped up with a reassuring tap on my shoulder and a “I’m sorry I didn’t want to make you cry”. For the record... I hadn’t started yet. Although I think I’m a far cry from David’s example, it was such an encouragement to hear her share her reasoning. What matters most is she understands what it mean to be a follower of God and she notices some of those traits in her mama. My heart is full tonight.
Its almost 8:30 pm and we just reached Virginia. We are hoping to make it to Winston-Salem, NC for the night which is probably another hour and 40 mins. That will set us up well for the morning.
When I called the hotel we hoped to stop at, they were completely booked, so we looked online for another pet-friendly option and came up with one that looked promising. When I called to book it, it was HALF the price of the first and 30 minutes closer.
We pulled off just into North Carolina, near Mount Airy. Filled up the gas tank and then got checked in and settled. Everyone is tucked in and its 10:30 pm. We have another 4.5 hours to go tomorrow so the alarm is set for 6:00 am. Here’s hoping for a good nights sleep for us all!
