over 2000 miles round trip

I've just returned from an excursion of sorts. A "road trip".

We decided early last week that we were bored and wanted to go somewhere, and after exchanging a few emails and texts with family members and friends, it was decided we would head to Florida.
Looking on the map...it's a long way. 957 miles by Yahoo's configurance, from our house to their's....but it would be an adventure!

So..a day later...we were off..suitcases packed for a 9 day jaunt across country and back.

There are things one learns while traveling, especially if traveling with children.
Things like:
~sleep traits you found so cute in your infant, are not so cute when said child is nearly 15. A 15 year old leg thumping his mattress makes a lot more noise than a 10 month old's!

~you can fit 3 people onto a queen size air mattress quite comfortably, if you lay across it sideways!

~There are still Danver's Restuarants in Mississippi. I haven't seen one of those around these parts since the mid '80s.

~Sometimes satellite guided directions are whacko. There is one spot east of Hamilton, AL, where the GPS insists I'm driving off the road over in the field. It did it when I drove to Birmingham back in the spring...both ways, and it did it again on this trip, both ways. For about 20 miles it keeps "recalculating" how to get me back on US 78, even when my tires are firmly planted on the asphalt.

~Motel 6 is definitely a fine room for the price..but would it hurt them to put more than one set of towels in a room that has 2 beds in it? or an iron?

~patting down your shirt with damp hands and hanging it in the motel bathroom with the shower going full blast for 10 minutes, then blow drying it for a minute works just as well as an iron...if you can stand to walk INTO the bathroom to turn off the shower!

~a 10 yr old boy can snore just as loudly as any old man. (the same applies to his farting.)

~McDonald's really IS the best value for your buck.

~you can watch the movie "Bring it On: In it to Win It" twice between Tallahassee and Melbourne, Florida.

~John Tucker really didn't mean to hurt anyone...he shouldn't have to die.

~there's a reason why the men's bathroom is always vacant when the women's is full.

~turning off the highway to go back to see something your child spotted is SO worth it.

~it really does rain everyday in Florida, but that doesn't mean you have to leave the beach

You also learn a lot about people when traveling, as well as about yourself.
What sets them off, what music tastes they have, their philosophy on fine dining, who can be counted on, who needs a good butt whoopin every 200 miles.....
and lots of introspection.

When one kid has earphones plugged into the PS2, another has earphones plugged into the mp3 player and the third is hoping John Tucker doesn't fall for putting on the red thong this time...it makes for some nice quiet time.

Yes..it was a good trip.
Overall, the kids were very well behaved..except for occassional slamming little brother's head into the side of the pool, or jumping on big brother to knock him down in the waves. Wrestling is a big part of having boys, but there are only so many choke holds a mother can handle. Watching your younger son's face turn red, and then blue, is not a pleasant experience. At least not the 4th time.

But now we are home, and laundry has begun, and the rest of the unpacking is sitting there daunting me....but there are more important things to do first.
FILM DEVELOPING

so...with tired feet and weary eyes I start my day....off to Walgreen's to drop off disposable cameras full of childhood memories, off to Walmart to restock the fridge where everything was either in shades of green or brown when I returned, off to get the oil changed in my truck. She passed that 3000 mile mark somewhere around Valdosta, GA a few days ago, and off to the post office to collect a lovely pile of bills and junk mail that I know has been accumulating.

8 days (we came home a day early) with friends and family was very exciting. Crashing at their homes and getting to share their lives, living in motels, eating out for every meal...but now it's back to reality.

Luckily, my reality isn't so bad.