Trip Recap

Just in case you need exact details about our cross-country excursion, I've listed them here. The drive cross-country was fun, but long. I wish we could have taken extra time in some places, but there wasn't any to spare since the DCA had to start his new job immediately and the kids needed to get back into school.

Our pack-out was finished a day early on Jan. 31. We were blessed to be able to stay with some friends in town for the next week while the kids finished up at their school and while the DCA turned over with his replacement. We started driving across on the morning of Feb. 8 and drove from San Diego to Lordsburg, NM. The desert is truly beautiful--I only wish we could have made a northward detour to see the Grand Canyon on our way through Arizona. It wasn't really feasible though since we were taking a more southerly route on I-10 to avoid possible bad weather through the more northerly route on I-40.

On Feb. 9, we drove from NM to Boerne, TX. We were shocked to find posted speed limits of 80 (!!!) on the highways through west Texas. We had never seen them before, and living out here in the more crowded East, it is unlikely we will see them again any time soon. We covered nearly 680 miles that day which we never thought possible with the kiddos in tow.

On Feb. 10, we stopped in San Antonio to see the Alamo, and then we went on to Lafayette, LA. I don't know much about Texas history so I found this particularly interesting. I was also surprised to find the Alamo is smack-dab in the middle of downtown. All of my media-driven, mental pictures of the mission placed it far outside town, away from everything. It was quite a revelation. We also had a chance to briefly walk around the Riverwalk. It was a peaceful place for the middle of a city. Our high-speed run to end the day took us through Houston. We really wish it had been baseball season, so we could have gone to Minute Maid Park. Maybe next time!

On Feb. 11, we visited New Orleans before finally turning north on I-65 and driving into Montgomery, AL. I spent a few years growing up in New Orleans, so it was nice to take the kids to a couple of the places I remembered from when I was their age. We did typical touristy things like visiting Cafe DuMonde and St. Louis Cathedral and eating a muffaletta. Unfortunately, Central Grocery was closed so we had to settle for a nearby restaurant. Dinner that night consisted of pizza in the hotel. We just couldn't face going back out in the car in traffic.

On Feb. 12, we stopped in Atlanta to see the World of Coca-Cola and then we stayed in Gaffney, SC. If you’ve ever driven on I-85, it’s the town with the giant peach-shaped water tower. The World of Coca-Cola was a lot of fun. The kids' and my favorite part was tasting all the different flavors of soda from around the world at the end of the tour. I really liked the Fanta from Estonia compared to many of the other flavors available. I'm still a Cherry Coke girl though. It is definitely my overall favorite.

On Feb. 13, we made it to my mom’s house near Raleigh, NC, and we stayed there two nights before driving into Fairfax, VA to stay with the DCA’s parents. We were with them for a week while we waited for our shipment to arrive and to unpack enough of it so the house felt liveable.

The kids and the DCA started school and work on Feb. 19, and things have been settling down since then. There's been some culture shock with the change in school curriculum and with the work commute, but I think we're over most of it. Mainly the kids just love having other children to play with in the neighborhood, which was something they've never had before. It already feels like home to me, and I'm hoping it will be the same for them soon.

Knitting content to follow soon!