Long trip

So, this past Wednesday a whirl-wind of activity started here in my neck of the woods. On Monday my Grandma found out that her brother who lived in Florida had passed away. Her other sibling, who had lived in Oregon, had passed away around 3 years ago and she didn't go to the memorial service so she really wanted to go to this funeral. My dad was supposed to take her but because of circumstances with my half-sisters and their mother he wasn't able to so about 5 hours before they were supposed to hit the road I found out that I was taking her.

I began to frantically pack for myself and Maddi. We had decided that she would go with me and Wyatt would stay home with Jeremy since he doesn't like to ride in the car much and she still stays where I put her. I tried to talk her into flying but she refused to get on a plane so we had around a 14-16 hour drive depending on traffic. So I loaded up myself and Maddi, hoping I hadn't forgotten anything after packing so quickly (which of course I DID forget things), picked up my grandma and headed to the store to get some apples to take with us. Her brother and his wife had always came here to where we live to attend the Apple Festival and to take home some of the apples from the orchard here.

Then, we got on the road at around 4:30pm. We drove a few hours and stopped around Charleston, Wv and ate at a Cracker Barrel and got back on the road until a little after midnight. We stopped in Rock Hill, South Carolina at a really nice Hampton Inn and settled in for the night. Back up at 6 in the morning and back on the road by 8 after enjoying their very yummy continental breakfast.

We drove the rest of the way and arrived in Homosassa Springs at 4:20pm Thursday. The viewing was at 5pm and afterwards we went back to the house and ate dinner with the family. The funeral was the next morning at 10:30 am. I didn't attend the funeral since I wanted to get some rest so that we could drive further that night to head home but my grandma said it was a beautiful service and he was buried at the Florida National Cemetary (Think Arlington and white crosses). He had been in the Army and fought in the Korean War.

We were back on the road after the dinner at the church at around 3:30pm and drove all the way to 1:00am and about an hour past Rock Hill, SC. We stopped for the night in North Carolina and drove the rest of the way and I pulled into my driveway at 2:00pm on saturday.

It was a LONG trip and we were driving so much and I was sooo glad to get home. We ran into a TON of snow in Virginia and West Virginia and when I stopped for gas in West Virginia I had an inch of ice on my front grill. I went in to get gas and when I came back out an older gentleman was cleaning off my grill with one of the windshield cleaners. He said it could have over heated my car and I am really glad he was looking out for me because I was so tired I don't know if I would have thought to do it.

Madelinn was such an excellent little traveler! She spent most of her time in the back cooing, talking, kicking her feet, sleeping and playing with her giraffe and baby doll. She had a few 15 or so minute crying jags when she would get tired but other than that she was amazing. And even though she spent most of her day sleeping in the car she would still settle in and sleep after her bottle in the hotel and sleep until we got up in the morning. I was so glad that she was such a good little girl.

On a side note, I don't ever want to make that drive again in such a short period of time. I was so sick of being in the car I haven't left the house since getting home!