Many moons ago (okay, so maybe just back in March), we decided to embark on a vacation to lower Georgia/upper Florida. After booking a home in the area, we began planning & my parents (Momma & Poppy) joined in on the fun! We found out we were expecting at the end of April, but considering I would only be about 23 weeks at the time, we figured that all would be fine. And so this begins the adventure of one Poppy, one Momma, one Daddy, one Mommy, a 20-month-old (almost), and a 23-week-old fetus as we DRIVE across the states.
We started out from our destination in Illinois at 4 a.m. (!!!!) Charlie did fantastic!! He stayed awake for most of the first five hours and even without the use of the DVD player. We made it to a Kentucky Welcome Center right outside of Louisville & ate our cereal/fruit breakfast. Charlie ran around, but eventually opted to WANT to get back into the car!!
We traveled another 3 hours (and some change because of a traffic jam caused by a nasty accident) and made our way into Knoxville, TN. We ate at a Drive-In, Pizza Palace, from the show, “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” Without any real seating, Charlie opted (again) eat in his seat and we enjoyed Pastrami sandwiches, a Meatball sandwich, Onions Rings & Chicken Tenders. We regretted later not trying the world-famous pizzas, but there simply wasn’t time.
We drove our final 3 hours to the destination of Spartanburg, South Carolina. We watched Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (almost all of it) and Charlie again did great with minimal complaints. We landed at Courtyard by Marriott (thanks, Marisa & Priceline!) and spent some time looking for a place to dine. After passing up a brand-new McDonald’s, we landed at a Carolina BBQ restaurant. Overall consensus? Decent. The meat was a bit dry, we tried fried okra and the sides were so-so, but there were some good bites as well.
Highlights of the Day:
*Team Schultz is beating Team Vales in the license plate game. As a total car, we have acquired 28 states and one Canada province. Poppy seems to be doing the best – despite his concentration on driving.
*Charlie has been spectacular and is not (yet) revolting as far as the car goes. Pray for continued cooperation.
*We made it all the way to our original planned destination AND made great time.
*Charlie’s favorite car games thus far? Throwing around Poppy’s mini-beanie babies & playing with the Magna Doodle borrowed from Cousin Jonathan.
States traveled:
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina
I’m so proud of Charlie! It makes me not dread the roadtrip we’re planning next spring. I hope you love Georgia and Florida. We have friends in Spartanburg, SC. Small world!