Our last few days in LA were spent visiting B's parents and our nieces, Clare & Kaye. Lise' loves being with them, and I love it b/c they all keep each other entertained. It's like a mini-vacation for me.
All good things come to an end, and it after 4 weeks, it was time to head back to New Jersey. Lucky for me, I we have great friends that welcome us with open arms (or at least they pretend well)!
First stop, Tuscaloosa, AL. It's only a 4 hr drive from Hammond, but that day it rained, and rained, and rained. The last hour was torture, but we made it, and it was sure good to see Ira & Flossie again.
Our time there was bittersweet. We would have enjoyed a few more days, but we had to press on. The next day's route was to the Mascioli's home just north of Atlanta. We've known them since we lived in Dallas, and it's always a joy to cross paths. Lise' and Emma are 6 months apart, and she sure enjoys her company. I think they must have run 10 miles in circles around their house.
Abri has this on her Christmas List
I have to say it was another good visit. The only thing missing was B and a few more days.
On Thursday, it was time to drive to Raleigh/Durham for a short night with the Misitas. Poor little Emery was a little under the weather, so the girls didn't get the visit they were looking forward to. It was at their house I noticed my tire was looking a little low. When Chris got home, he looked at it and noticed a nail. It was after 6, but he called Walmart for me, and they said bring it on in. I got there 3 min prior to closing, and they tried to turn me away. I went in, hung out while they checked the tire, and then they came to tell me they had looked at everything and there was no nail. They couldn't find a reason why it was low. By this time, it was late, so I took their word for it, after confirming it was the tire I had asked them to check. So, on Friday, away I went.
This was the day I was dreading. It was easily an 8hr drive, so add 2 kids to the equasion, and I wasn't sure I'd make it in one piece. I had to drive through DC, Baltimore, and the edge of Philly. Not to mention Friday afternoon traffic on the NJ turnpike. I made a slight misstep in DC. I took a right at the fork when I should have gone left and ended up in some part of DC I'm sure I wouldn't have wanted to be in after dark, but it was only noon, so things were good. I made it through, got back on track and sailed through Maryland. It was at this time I called B. He couldn't believe the time I was making, until I hit Delaware. Now, let me tell you. You're literally in Delaware for the blink of an eye. You could easily miss it. I wish I could have. What should have been 10 min. turned into an hour of backups thanks to construction. I coudn't believe it. I had made it within spitting distance of home, and now I was going to go nuts. I had called my chiropractor from Baltimore and made an appt for that afternoon. B was going to be waiting for us. I JUST WANTED TO BE HOME!!!! After what seemed like years, we made it to the NJ toll plaza. Thank goodness, and we made it home not a minute too soon.
My road warriors
We were so happy to be there. But wait, the trip wasn't over yet. The next morning, we woke up early to drive to Connecticut for B's coworkers wedding. That was another 3 hours, and I truely give it to my girls for what they did. They were great on the trip. I don't want to do it every month, or even every few months, but I proved to myself that it can be done.
The wedding was in a small chapel on the grounds of a private boarding school. It was beyond beautiful up there. After the ceremony, cocktails were served on the lawn, and at some point Lise' threw a fit about something. It was so funny, I had to take a picture.
Abri was content playing in the rocks and putting them in her sandals. She could get them in, but then she couldn't get them out, so she would walk to us, crying the whole way.
Here's Shelby & Danielle, my new babysitters.
Prior to sitting down for dinner, Lise' & Abri played dress up in the shoes abscent from the previous pic.
Finally, it was time for dinner. The girls had had enough by then, can you blame them? Believe me, if there was any family w/in driving distance of us, I would have shipped them in. Unfortunately for us, that's not how the stars are lining up at the moment. We were saved, however, by the chocolate fountain. Lise' LOVED it! Everyone at our table enjoyed watching her excitement as she experienced sheer joy.
Hmm...this could be fun. (Notice CLEAN face)
I think I've figured this out.
It was time to hit the road..again. We had originally planned to stay the night, but we felt our kids needed some consistency in their lives, and the drive was only 3 hrs. I wasn't driving it, so what did I care. I'm glad B made it, I'm glad we went, but I was glad to be home.
