Hey, hey, hey!!! I hope you all had a grand weekend and Happy Father’s Day! We are back from our road adventure (the kids and I headed east to explore and visit friends), and what started as apprehension (Hello?! Driving cross-country alone with two kids?!?!), became one of the most amazing times I’ve ever had with my kids. With the absence of friends and home, and Mr. Sugarplum, we all turned to each other and really worked as a team. There was surprisingly less whining and bickering, and my son took his role as the man quite seriously. The confines of a car and an endless supply of Jolly Ranchers really encouraged great conversations, too.
And while I may never drive thru a McDonald’s ever again this week, I would absolutely road trip on my own with them anytime. The kids are even talking about making it an annual trek, so I think that’s a good sign they had fun with ol’ mom, too.
Texas/Arkansas State Line
Road Trip Child Labor
Car Picnic
Gorgeous Sky from Who Knows Where
Heck yeah, we travel with a box fan!
I was very conscience about being present with them, and savoring each moment. (I talked about being bad at it in this post). I didn’t check the blog once, and barely glanced at email. Are my kids seriously this amazing all the time, I’m just too ‘busy’ to see it?!
Precious Moments
Nothing But Time
With no agenda or reservations, we just stopped when we wanted, ate when hungry, and checked out the local scenes.
Gus’s Famous Fried Chicken
Balcony where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, Civil Rights Museum
Crossing Another State Border
The main reason for the trip was to visit our favorite people we miss so much. We moved from Nashville almost seven years ago, but our hearts still ache for the beautiful area and our sweet friends.
Batman Building, Downtown Nashville
{Heart}
My Sweet & Gorgeous Friend, and Part-Time Sister Wife (minus the whole sharing a man thing)
My friend (I talked about her here) just had her third girl, so we all fought over the baby snuggles. Mmmmmm, the smell of a sweet baby head!
“Mom, I want one!”
Pretending She’s Mine
Sweet Girls
And since my BFF happens to be a rockstar hairstylist to the stars, I jumped at the chance to have her work her magic. It’s been forever since she’s done my hair, and I finally feel like myself again. I might have even gotten a little teary-eyed.
Mr. Sugarplum flew in Thursday to join us, and we spent our last night together, enjoying a picnic in the country. (***Thank you so much for the amazing stay, June, and shacking all of us up! We had so much fun, and we miss you guys like crazy already!!***)
Arrington Winery
As much fun as we were having on our own, I was thrilled to see my hubs…and let him drive us home! And just like this trip, Mr. Sugarplum always finds the good spots.
DeGray Lake, Arkansas
East Texas Sunset
In total, we covered 1752 miles….and according to the kids, we passed 32 McDonald’s, 8 cemetaries, and stopped for gas and food 19 times! It’s no wonder we didn’t leave the house (or our jammies) yesterday! It may look like all we did was drive, lounge and eat, but I also helped my friend with some house projects…those are coming up!
So how’s your Summer so far? Are you making memories, at home or on the road?
