A few days before I was scheduled to go, I canceled my trip. Jo had head lice. The school bus driver quit. Matt was away (and out of phone contact) on a canoe trip. And Phin was in hospice. I felt the timing just wasn't right for me to leave.
That weekend Phin passed away and a few days later I took Jo and Coryn to Phin's funeral. After mass the children released balloons. Tied to the ends of the balloons were messages and pictures made by the school children for Phin. All were invited to a reception at school that was a beautiful celebration of Phin's life, complete with Legos, KitKat bars and craft stations.
Four weeks later I planned to go away again. This time out to the West Coast with my mom, sister Leah and cousin Sarah. My mom and I were flying together from Milwaukee, Leah was coming from Portland and Sarah from Seattle. We were set to fly into San Francisco, rent a car and explore the beauty of Big Sur for a long weekend.
Then Leah's friend's father passed away and the funeral was that same weekend in Chicago. Leah made arrangements to come home for the funeral. With Leah coming here, it didn't feel right to be leaving. So again, just a couple days before my trip, I cancelled it.
Leah made the most of her time off from work. She attended the wake and funeral in Chicago and then came here to stay at our house and play with the girls. One afternoon Leah and mom and I snuck away to see About Time at the theater. All three of us walked out of the theater with tears streaming down our faces. It wasn't the fluffy romantic comedy I was expecting. And that was a good thing.
Then Leah's friend's father passed away and the funeral was that same weekend in Chicago. Leah made arrangements to come home for the funeral. With Leah coming here, it didn't feel right to be leaving. So again, just a couple days before my trip, I cancelled it.
Leah made the most of her time off from work. She attended the wake and funeral in Chicago and then came here to stay at our house and play with the girls. One afternoon Leah and mom and I snuck away to see About Time at the theater. All three of us walked out of the theater with tears streaming down our faces. It wasn't the fluffy romantic comedy I was expecting. And that was a good thing.
For Thanksgiving we planned to travel down to Atlanta to be with Matt's brother Andrew. Considering my track record with trips this fall I was feeling leery and a little anxious. I packed one suitcase with all our clothes and dropped off Debbie (our minivan) at the mechanic to reseal two leaky tires and check over the car before our road trip. Our mechanic gave us the green light and I felt slightly hopeful that this trip might actually happen.
For long road trips we usually leave after dinner with the girls dressed in their PJs. In an ideal world, the girls fall asleep after we get through Chicago and stay asleep while Matt and I alternate driving shifts during the night.
But most nights these days I'm in bed shortly after the girls go to sleep and I didn't want Matt to be stuck with the entire 13 hour drive. So we pulled the girls out of school early on Tuesday. We ate lunch and hit the road at 1pm. I took the first driving shift. Traffic wasn't bad until we were a few miles north of downtown Chicago. It was slow, but still moving. Three hours into our trip we were driving past Gary, IN and on the lookout for Interstate 65.
But most nights these days I'm in bed shortly after the girls go to sleep and I didn't want Matt to be stuck with the entire 13 hour drive. So we pulled the girls out of school early on Tuesday. We ate lunch and hit the road at 1pm. I took the first driving shift. Traffic wasn't bad until we were a few miles north of downtown Chicago. It was slow, but still moving. Three hours into our trip we were driving past Gary, IN and on the lookout for Interstate 65.
It had been several months since our last road trip and the girls were out of practice. We stopped for dinner at Wendys someplace in Indiana and changed the girls into their PJs. Back on the road the girls were restless. They slept off and on. Mallory begged to be taken out of her carseat. When that didn't work, Mallory whined that she needed her diaper changed.
Around midnight we pulled off the interstate in Smyrna, TN for gas and checked into a motel for the night. I forgot to turn off the school day alarm on my ipod, which meant we were woken up at 6am. After breakfast and cartoons in the motel room, we were back on the road. Mallory napped and the older girls read books, colored and played on their Leapsters. Three and half hours later we checked into our hotel in Atlanta and changed into swimsuits to take a dip in the indoor pool.
Around midnight we pulled off the interstate in Smyrna, TN for gas and checked into a motel for the night. I forgot to turn off the school day alarm on my ipod, which meant we were woken up at 6am. After breakfast and cartoons in the motel room, we were back on the road. Mallory napped and the older girls read books, colored and played on their Leapsters. Three and half hours later we checked into our hotel in Atlanta and changed into swimsuits to take a dip in the indoor pool.
We brought the cold weather down with us (and I managed to forget to pack socks for Jo and Coryn) so most of our downtime was spent in that heated pool. Andrew took us to Community Barbecue in Decatur for dinner our first night. Thanksgiving day we spent at Andrew's apartment. He prepared a tasty feast: turkey & stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows & apple pie.
Most of Friday we were at the Georgia Aquarium. The crowds were large but friendly. The girls were amazed at every turn - looking at jellyfish & sea dragons, touching stingrays, watching beluga whales, otters and penguins, climbing through tunnels and attending a Disney-esque dolphin show. After breakfast on Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and drove 90 minutes north to the Chicamauga battlefield. We walked the grounds and had a picnic lunch before saying our goodbyes.
Most of Friday we were at the Georgia Aquarium. The crowds were large but friendly. The girls were amazed at every turn - looking at jellyfish & sea dragons, touching stingrays, watching beluga whales, otters and penguins, climbing through tunnels and attending a Disney-esque dolphin show. After breakfast on Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and drove 90 minutes north to the Chicamauga battlefield. We walked the grounds and had a picnic lunch before saying our goodbyes.
The ride home was smooth sailing. Mallory slept for long stretches and the girls were content with their activity books and Leapsters. We stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel in Bowling Green, KY. With our bellies full and Debbie fueled-up, all 3 girls fell asleep and stayed out. So we kept driving through the night. We pulled into our driveway just after 2am. It always feels so good to return home.
Before we left town Coryn told me what she had learned about Thanksgiving at school:
The most important thing is for the family to be together.
That's one lesson that I sometimes overlook. I am abundantly blessed in so many ways. I am especially thankful for my family.
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