Day 30 - June 30, 2010

June 30

Last day!  I can’t believe it. 

We had breakfast in the hotel.  Kids were rambunctious.  They were excited to go home.  But first we were going to go the Children’s Museum – they’d been begging after we’d walked past it the day before.  We walked over and I was planning to only stay for an hour….well, they wanted $25 a person!  Serioulsy.  I just couldn’t do it. 

The kids took it well, so we decided to hit the road.  Bellmen helped us load the car and took one last picture for us.  As I pulled out of the hotel, I started crying.  I couldn’t believe it.  I don’t’ know why, either.  I was ready to go home, but I was also said to see it end.  I also couldn’t believe that I’d done it!  4500 miles in 30 days, with four kids.  Crazy.  But I was so proud of us.  I knew I was going to do it every summer, for as long as they’d go with me.

The ride home went by fast (a great audio book also helped the time fly).  As we pulled up to the house, it felt a little weird.  We’d been gone so long.  The house looked amazing.  In no time, the kids were jumping on the couch, Hunter was playing the WII, Cammy had stripped down to a diaper.  Terri came over to greet us and tell us how much she missed us.  We’re back!

Traveled:  Chattanooga, TN to Cumming, GA    136 miles/2 hours

Post Script:

4500 miles, 16 states, 17 pieces of luggage, 14 places to hang our hats, 50 or so meals in restaurants, cities, beaches, zoos, mountains, 10 or so pools…

Day 29 - June 29, 2010

June 29^th

We hit the road nice and early….with me mostly packing the carJ.  We had pleasant drive to Knoxville.  We tried to get Rich to hang with us, but he wanted to go home.  I almost buckled…and went with him, but I really wanted to see the trip through to the end.  Aud threw a fit, because Rich was flying home and she wanted to be on the plane…so that was fun.

I stopped at the bookstore to get a new audio book, even though we technically had only 3 hours of road time left.  Turns out, it was a good one, Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand (I could have kept on goingJ).

Anyway, we got to Chattanooga fairly quickly, no troubles.  I was a little surprised when we got the DoubleTree – our room was tiny.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  I thought it was a suite hotel.  Not.  Very, very small!

We had lunch downtown and then headed to the docks.  I took the kids on a boat ride down the Tennessee River.  I was nervous, to say the least.  Seriously, my nervous with bubbling over, but I really wanted to see if we could do it.  In the end – we did.  Bear didn’t try to jump over-board and the ride was cool.  The boat was a huge motor boat, so at times, we went really fast.

After, we went to the hotel pool.  Fortunately we were the only ones there, although there was a weird moment when one of the hotel’s maids sat with me and got way too personal.  TMI!

The other excitement of the day was when Aud got her hand caught in the elevator door at the hotel.  How she didn’t lose some fingers, I will never know.  She was doing something she shouldn’t (playing with buttons & trying to stop the door so Hunter couldn’t get out), so perhaps a lesson was learned?  Don’t play with elevators.  I did feel terrible for her, she sure was terrified.   The shriek alone, stopped my heart.   Risk Management was called and I had to fill out a report.  But she was fine.

We ordered dinner in the room for our last night.  I was tired, but also sad…our journey was coming to an endL.

Miles traveled:  Rose Hill, VA to Chattanooga, TN    186 miles/3 ½ hours

Hotel:  DoubleTree Hotel, downtown Chattanooga

Silly Band Award:  All of them!

Quote:  Hunter, “I can’t believe this is it!”  after I told Hunter we were at our last hotelL.

Day 28 - June 28, 2010

June 28^th

M&D’s dog, Zoe was running around our room last night about 3:30, which woke up both Rich & I…then he tossed and turned (per the usual), which prevented me from getting back to sleep.  Consequently, I began to think.  Nothing good comes from thinking in the wee hours of the morning.  I hate it.

When I finally do drift back asleep, it is short lived because a damn fly starts buzzing around my head, loudly.  I turn the fan on fast, to keep him away, which works…until the kids start filing in, one, by one.  So, I get up.

The day, weather-wise doesn’t look promising.  It’s hot, humid and overcast.  This doesn’t stop Bear from getting in the kiddie pool, that has to have more foreign objects floating in it than I’ve ever seen.  Gross.  I tried to scoop out as much as I could, but still…gross.

Today we were going to see Mamaw.  Mamaw has tons of knickknacks….talking & singing stuffed animals in particular.  The kids love it.  Rich and I are ready to run for the hills after five minutes….only so many singing frogs you can take. 

Mamaw looks good, the same, actually.  She always has her hair done, always in pajamas and socks.  The only sign, to me, that she’s slowing down is that she didn’t ask us if we wanted to eat every five minutes…and there was no chocolate pie waiting for Rich.

By the time we got back to the grandparents, the skies were dark!  The rain was whirling around in all directions and Ron & Evelyn were heeding all kinds of warnings.  At one point, the wind blew the patios table, chairs and umbrella across the deck so we were told to take cover.  Cover was an alcove under beneath the garage stairs.  The kids took it like troopers….never a dull moment on our road trip…

We had an early dinner, followed by homemade blackberry cobbler…from berries Rich and his mom picked in the morning.  It was so delicious.

Fell asleep watching the College World Series with Hunter.  Go Gamecocks.

Silly Band Award:  All four, for braving the worst of Mother Nature.

Quote of the day:  Ron, after the torrential rain, “To the folks around here, light rains bring peace of mind and general wellbeing.”

Hunter, to mommy, “Yes your majesty, Queen of the childrens.”

Day 27 - June 27, 2010

June 27^th

My back was killing me this morning, when I woke up.  I slept hard, but the mattress was just as hard (and perhaps decades old).  I had to have Rich pull me out of bed, literally.  It took a cup of strong Smith coffee to get me moving. 

At some point during the weekend, without my knowledge, my daughter agreed to go to church with her grandmother…so, although I didn’t want to go, my Catholic guilt got to me.  I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t been since Hunter’s First Communion

St Mary’s is a beautiful little church and the service was nice.  The priest talked about focus and commitment.  (It was so appropriate and really hit home).  If anything this trip has taught me, I’ve lost focus and commitment.  I’m really no longer great at anything…just somewhat good at a lot of meaningless and, sadly, meaningful things.  I’ve given up on a lot of dreams.  That’s so not me.

After we had cupcakes and grape juice in the basement, followed by some playtime on the playground.  When we were done, my calculations concluded we still had time to kill in order to miss Rich, dad, Bear & Hunter’s departure for the party.  So we hung out in Kroger for an hour…I kid you not.

I drove home real slow and watched a cool storm move in over the mountains.  I was beautiful.  At the house, Rich and dad were working on a ceiling fan…so my plan backfired.  And, Rich was lobbying for me to go to the party in his place.  Not gonna happen.  In the end, Rich and mom went, briefly.  Just what in the world is such a big deal about turning 16?  I don’t get it.  When I turned sixteen, the big thing was getting your license, which was gift enough.  I’m not sure if you can even drive anymore, at sixteen.

Dad and I had cocktails while they were at Mamaw’s.  He’s tired.  I feel bad.  He’s had such a rough year, health-wise, and it shows.  I pray that I‘m able to take great care of myself and I avoid pitfall of cruel diseases, and stay vital for my grandchildren.  For Barrett.  I hope.  I pray.

Nice dinner, early to bed.

Silly Band Award:    They were all good.

Quote of the day:   Audrey, after our hour of hiding out,  “Kroger is my new favorite store.  I got makeup, magazines, paper dolls, and they have food too.”