I left my mom in Utah, and headed out early the next morning with the kids. I was originally going to take 3 days to go from Utah to Tennessee, but we were all pretty tired of the car at this point. So I decided to drive as fast and far as I could. We drove for 2 days, spending 12-14 hours in the car each day.
Courtney had to take lots of pictures of the arch as we drove by. I probably have 20 of them.
The first night at the hotel was tough. I was exhausted and grouchy and had no patience. When I first arrived, I couldn't drive into the garage because my car top carrier was too tall. I had to park on the street, throw all the luggage into the car wherever I could cram it, and get the carrier off. The problem was that one of the straps had broken earlier that day. I had tied it down with a lot of knots and now I couldn't get them undone. I was almost in tears because I was so tired, so I just left the carrier on top empty and drove into the garage. I figured if someone stole it during the night, good for them for getting it untied. We went to sleep totally exhausted.
The next day was long, but the kids were such great travelers. They were happy and content to watch movies and play in their seats the whole day. Dylan decided to get the bug that Travis had, and threw up right after lunch. So we had to stop and clean that up before continuing.
I somehow made it to my sister Kim's house that night and slept great in her comfy and dark and quiet guest room.
Bruce flew into Nashville the next day. Yay! I was no longer a single parent. I had help!
We went to Tim's Ford with Kim's family and rented a pontoon boat, just as we had last year. I didn't get any pictures this time. We had fun swimming and tubing all morning. Then, soon after lunch, we saw lightning in the distance. We made the kids stay out of the water and we drove around, hoping it would pass. Justin made a comment that we should let Courtney and Cara ride on the tube, he thought the lightning was far enough away. I wasn't going for that, but I didn't have to say anything. Before anyone could decide, a huge bolt of lightning struck right near us. The kids were freaked out and it started pouring rain. We quickly made our way back to the marina, unloaded the kids and supplies, and huddled under the marina's covered porch. This storm wasn't going anywhere. So with some sad faces we loaded up the cars and headed back to Kim's house. This was our 3rd time at Tim's Ford, so we have a lot of great memories that can make up for our short day. And we plan on going again every year.
The only pictures I got while in McMinnville were these, and a few other similar ones. Apparantly, Travis found my camera and took shots of himself and Gracie.
That's the last part of this trip. Bruce drove us home to Holly Springs.
It was fun, long, exhausting, and full of great memories. The whole trip was slow and relaxing. In each location, I didn't have much planned. We just did what we wanted each day, whether it was full of activities, or just hanging out with family. Becuase we didn't have a stict schedule to stick to, it made everything so pleasant. We could play when we wanted, and rest when we needed. That's the only way this long trip was full of fun and not tears. I definitely want to do something like this again, in a few years. I need to rest my cross-country driving skills for a while.
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