I planned and planned for this trip. I did a lot of things to save money and to make things easier on our trip too. I bought a lot of snacks and drinks ahead of time so we wouldn't be as tempted to buy things in convenience stores. That worked out really really well. I boiled and peeled 18 eggs the night before our trip. I packed apples and an apple corer/slicer. I packed crackers, cookies, candy, string cheese, sliced (from a block) cheddar cheese, fruit snacks, etc. Most of the snacks came from the food pantry our church has that I just grabbed once in a while and saved back.
I wrapped and packed presents I'd bought over the last year to take with us, for the kids. Most everything I gave them cost about $1 each. (some less and some more) I numbered the presents and had a list in front with Paul and I so we knew what was in each one and could tell them which one to open. They thought it was great fun to know there were presents awaiting them and also to have something new (most of the time it was a toy/activity something) to do for the 18'ish hour trip.
We left on Saturday morning, the last day of January. There was snow on the ground in Illinois. We planned to stop in Kentucky for lunch. The snow storm we got on the previous Monday was an ice storm for Kentucky. The entire state of Kentucky (that we drove through) had no power and while it was pretty to see the ice on the trees and things, a LOT of power lines were down everywhere and a lot of trees damaged. At one place in the road, there was a crane holding up a power line over the road so the traffic could pass. It was crazy. God took care of us. The roads were clear. However, we couldn't stop for lunch because there were no restaurants open. Even the gas stations couldn't give us something warm to eat because they didn't have power either. So, we had crackers, cheese and hard boiled eggs for our lunch.
We stopped on the south side of Nashville to meet one of the girls from the board I post on for women who've miscarried more than one baby. She and I have posted together for at least 4 years, and probably longer. We met at a McDonald's there and the kids were able to play in the germ pool....er, play structure there. (You'd better believe I had hand sanitizer waiting!) She has two adorable girls that I got to meet. AnnaBeth is just about a month older than Nathan. Ella was born last fall. It was a lot of fun for me to meet Tracie. We were there about an hour before going on. It was a nice break for the kids to stretch and get wiggles out.
(Me, AnnaBeth, Tracie, Ella)
As we drove through the mountains near and around Chatanooga, TN, Paul got car sick. (I drove from Nashville to Atlanta.) We couldn't see much but Chatanooga is beautiful at night with the lights on the mountain side. We arrived in Atlanta about 10pm. 2 of my friends from the miscarraige board met us there and helped us carry in our luggage and settle in to our room at the hotel. Then, Paul put the kids to bed while I went to the VERY nice and comfortable lobby to chat the night away with them. We laughed and laughed. It was so fun and comfortable. I've been friends with these girls for almost 5 years now. We chat daily on line so meeting in person was just an extension of that. We know a LOT about each other and maybe more than you'd really tell at least most of your irl (in real life) friends/family. I'm sure the desk clerk thought we were crazy. We were crying at times from laughing so hard. I got to bed very late, but it was sooooooo worth it. I really wish we lived closer so we could get together more often.
(Kerry, Ericka, and Me)
The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel (a nice continental one!) and started the 2nd part of our trip to Orlando. The weather was nice, the drive was easy (although very boring) and the kids did great. Paul drove most of it until we got close to Orlando. I drive in all the cities and he drives the country stuff. Works for me.
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