Memories and Mayhem is a fitting title for describing the adventures the boys and I had as we made our way across country. Saying goodbye to Vegas has struck deep, but we filed the road trip with some incredible memories.
Let's go on A ROAD TRIP! Jan and I got road trip shirts (and one for Gammie for the second half) to show our excitement for the adventures to come....
We left with a huge hug and a couple tears and then we hit the road
The National Petrified Forrest
While we loved the Petrified Forrest, the rest of the first day was one of Mayhem. The 8-hour Google drive took us 13 hours and Jan and I got the stomach flu that night in a sub-rate motel. It was a long, hard day that did not leave me looking forward to continuing.
We had to cancel our big social plans for the next day, as I did not want to subject anyone to the discomfort Jan and I were feeling, but we did a quick drive-by to some of our most special friends just off the path in Clovis.
It has been THREE YEARS since Alexander has seen his go-to besties from Florida, Lucy and Kiera!
I did not get to hug up on Serena and Alyssa and my other friends in Clovis, but these moments were priceless
From Clovis, we headed to Tulsa, which was the true turning point.
Jan and I got over our stomach bug and we all exhaled and soaked in the joy of family time as we got to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Mary's
The boys finally got to meet the chickens! Alexander named Feathers when Uncle Ryan and Aunt Mary first got her. She became 'his baby' for the whole visit
Zoey was thrilled with the backyard accommodations
So were the boys
These two. Alexander kept walking up to Ryan and embracing him. Big, long hugs. Our little dude had a lot of emotions about the move and it had started to present as anger. Having Ryan's love and attention went a long way in helping Alexander work through his feelings.
Niko's shirt matched Aunt Mary's tattoos. Who doesn't love Saturn and dinosaurs?!
We all needed this so badly
The highlight for Alexander may have been staying up late so he could hold a sleeping chicken
Jan flew out of Tulsa just hours before Gammie flew in. I think they gave each other a high-five mid-flight!
Dancing to records and Wonky Donkey
Siblings are the BEST
We got to meet Magnolia, and Alexander loved talking about how Ryan and Mary made us all family by being married so Magnolia is his cousin
Wearing our Road Trip shirts, we gave our hugs and love and hit the road again
I can't say enough how much our time in Tulsa meant to all of us. I hope we can get back very soon!
Gammie and I ran into more Mayhem as we drove through the night. We were feeling great and laughing our tails off to the audio book of The Princess Bride, which we watched in Tulsa. The laughter turned a bit hysterical as we tried to find a pet friendly hotel at 3 a.m. and found them either full, or extremely aketchy. Gammie was navigating as best she could and led us to an Oyo. She said, "We'll be safe here!" As I took in the crowd of people in the laundromat parking lot and the swinging open office door of a dark super sketch motel I turned to my mama and said, "OYO- family not staying here!!!" I wouldn't even turn around in the parking lot!!!
It took us another hour and a half to find a hotel but luckily this one had a great pool for a morning swim before hitting the road again
Gammie said I'm a pretty cool mom for letting the boys splash in this rain water on our first stop of the day. I wanted tired, happy kids in the car and we had a suitcase full of clean clothes!
Our final stop before Gammie's house was the Majestic Cavern in Alabama
Wow. Insane. As long as a football field and twelve stories high, this natural cave offered a reprieve from the heat, and an experience in Total Darkness. I was truly mesmerized.
After the cave, the boys got to play water balloons, mini golf, pan for gemstones, and splash in a splash pad. This was a good find, Gammie!
I stopped in Atlanta for just one day, but snuck in a quick lunch with some of my faves!
I was so glad it worked out to see Rachel and Shorna. It was impromptu and quick, but so much fun.
Gammie kept the boys while I rushed on to Cal Carolina (as Niko calls it) to meet the truck
We were so blessed that our truck was able to travel straight through from door to door, allowing us to start getting settled right away.
This trip was a long one and not free from its challenges, but the special moments and adventures definitely outweigh the hard times!
