The End - Day 14 - Road Trip

Elvis & Graceland

If you ever get the chance to visit Graceland you MUST do it!  I am sure you have heard it a thousand times but Elvis really had such a remarkable gift. How blessed we are that he used it and shared it !

I could not help but think of how amazing his home & plane were by our standards today...and he died in 1977.  I think the only thing that really could be upgraded either in his home or plane would be technology and sparkle.  He definitely had the best!

We certainly did a lot of tours on our road trip and they were all different in how they were presented and carried out.  Graceland was probably my favorite because each person had their own headset and a programmed device.  A voice comes on and tells you how to operate the device, when to push play etc...You get to hear every word of the tour!!  You can repeat it, pause it, skip it or move ahead.  

In true Elvis style...very well done!!!

We all really enjoyed Graceland.  I am adding an Elvis book to my reading list.

I do not think 42 years was just not enough time.

So when we left Graceland we loaded up and the kids said can we go home?

YES!!!

I had planned to stop in Hope, Arkansas and see Bill Clinton's home and stay the night...but my kids really wanted to see Daddy, Bexar & Winston.  So, 9.5 hrs later we rolled into the driveway!

The longest drive of the trip and well worth it!

Daddy finished our chicken palace!!! Woohoo!  

We were so surprised :)  It looks GREAT!!

We went to church this morning and had lunch with some of our "framily".  

That is our word for friends who are like family.  

Came home and pretty much did nothing the rest of the day :)

Nana came over and we had breakfast for dinner. :)  Paw Paw had meetings :(

Thank you all so much for following us on our road trip.  This has been an unbelievable journey and we had an absolute ball!  I appreciate all of you sending messages, texts, emails and calling us.  I think I may stick with blogging! :) The kids were great, the places were great, the people we met every where we went were great.  Just a great adventure all the way around!

BIG thanks to Dan for letting me take the kids and run with my crazy idea.  Paying for the crazy idea.  And encouraging me every step of the way!  

You are awesome and I LOVE you.

We are glad to be home with Daddy!

Road trip song ... finale

I've Been Everywhere Man by Johnny Cash

Day 14 - Road Trip 2014

Day 13 - Road Trip 2014

EXPLORATION

This was the theme of the day!

We started at The Lost Sea Adventure in Sweetwater, TN.  It was so awesome!!!  The Lost Sea is the largest underground Lake in America.  It is 140 feet below ground level.  You tour down through a cave and then get to ride on the lake in a glass bottom boat.  The lake is stocked with rainbow trout.  They have nothing to eat in the lake so they are fed each time a boat tours the lake.  They are HUGE!!! Big fat fish!  While we were at the adventure sight we did some mining for gems and the kids had a ball. It was a lot of fun :)

We left there and headed to Chattanooga, TN.  We took a tour of Ruby Falls.  This is America's deepest underground waterfall.  It is at Lookout Mountain.  It is named after Leo Lambert's wife.  He discovered the lake while drilling in an effort to reopen Lookout Mountain.  Great history lesson built into our exploration today.  We had hoped to take a train ride and visit the park for lunch but rain limited our outside activities.  We did have Moon Pies tonight before bed...since they are made at the Chattanooga Bakery!  Pretty tasty treats!

We had great tour guides today...Trevor at The Lost Sea Adventure and Dennis at Ruby Falls.
They were a lot of fun :)

Headed to Lynchburg next...we were too late to tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery but since the kids were not old enough anyway it worked out just fine.  We did get to walk around.  The Distillery is the only place in Lynchburg that you can buy liqueur!  It is a really pretty place.

Then we set out to find where Dan's great-great-great-grandfather was born.  I think I have the right number of greats in there :) The Gattis' come from right outside Lynchburg and we found the road...Gattistown Road.  We think we found the house too.  Paw Paw will have to confirm.  Very pretty country...hay, pasture & cows.  Just like Jonah :)  

I was going to attempt to take the Gattistown Road street sign but Sterling had a fit!  I said I needed to find my screw driver (which I do carry in the car) and he asked why I needed it.  I told him I was going to take the sign...WHAT??  He says.  You can't do that...it is against the law!  So, there you go!  We left without the sign.  Party pooper....

This is the same kid that made the statement that since we did not have an elevator at our hotel last night it should not have been called the Quality Inn because that is just not quality.  It was rated #1 in Sweetwater, TN on Tripadvisor but I do have to agree...it could use an upgrade!  It was close to our next stop and I found it last minute ... since we were supposed to stay in Pigeon Forge another night.

We are now sticking with what we know and like...Marriott & Hilton.

I saw a Pennsylvania license plate today that said
HI EVRY1
Made me smile!  :)

Well, we are on the home stretch...

Couple of stops to make and then we are HOME!

Road trip song of the day...Take it to the Limit by the Eagles

Day 13 - Road Trip 2014

Day 12 - Road Trip 2014

Welcome to Dollywood!

LOVE EVERY MOMENT

Well, yes ma'am, we did!!

What an awesome amusement park!  Want to stay another day :)

Every park in American should be using the Q2Q system as a fast pass.  OMG...they are the best I have ever seen.   Sterling & I made it through all of the coasters & high thrill attractions and without the Q2Q there is no way we could have waited in all of those lines.  Well, actually, the Blazing Fury didn't pan out because it got stuck on the track!!!  Whaatt?  Yes, it did!  So, it closed due to safety issues (stuck on the track) and we decided we probably needed to win more prizes :) Nobody got hurt but we never saw the coaster car come back so I have no idea how those people got off. 

We loved all of the coasters!!!  My head is still spinning but we had a ball!

 

Carson was done with rides after the first one...wasn't a real coaster but a magnificent swing called the Barnstormer!  But she loved the River Rampage!  She won the first prize of the day on a horse racing game...isn't that just perfect!  She picked the unicorn from Despicable Me...HAHA!!  We cracked up!

Kenedy wanted to go back to the Alpine Coaster from yesterday.  Ha!  She had a great time on "her kind" of rides.  She loaded up on winnings at the Country Fair.  Sterling helped her get all the stuffed animals she wanted!  He won several things of his own too ... throwing the football.  Coach DiFazio will be so proud :)  Our car is now loaded with lots of Dollywood loot!

The Gazillion Bubble Show was out of this world!  I have never seen anything like it.  We were so amazed.  I highly suspect that my house might be full of bubbles at some point when we get home :)  

We headed out and drove to Sweetwater, TN for the night.  Our first stop for tomorrow is right down the street.  This is only the 3rd time I have driven at night on our trip.  It was only 1.5 hrs and worth it because we like sleeping in. :)  Pray for Carson Marie.  She is really homesick tonight.  Tired & worn out from a long day and a nice talk with Daddy...she is ready to get home!

The internet so far in Tennessee is just...well there really isn't any!  This is making my picture uploading hard.  My videos still have not uploaded.  Yikes!

Road trip song of the day...I will always love you by Dolly Parton

Day 12 - Road Trip 2014

 

Day 11 - Road Trip 2014

WE ARE MARSHALL

How many of you saw the movie We Are Marshall?  Great movie but very sad story.  In the movie, there is a scene where Matthew McConaughey is on a recruiting trip and is eating at a diner.  It was filmed at none other than ... The Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia.  Guess where we ate with Jim Haskell last week?  You got it ... The Varsity!!!  How cool is that? 

We headed to Kentucky after seeing Marshall University.  

We LOVED the Kentucky Horse Park.  We could have used about 2 more hours but had a great time and learned a lot while we were there.  I hope the videos I took post along with the pictures because The World of Horses show was incredible!!  We would like to start raising ALL of these horses in Jonah, Texas!!!  You will see a picture about Three Bars...read about him on the picture if you have a minute.  One of our horses, Lucky, blood line goes back to Three Bars.  Carson Marie reported to me multiple times that this was her favorite place that we have been to.  I had no doubt it would be :)

Rolled into Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in time to ride the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster!  Kenedy Sue has her spirit back!!!  You know at Seaworld a month or so ago,  I rode the Steel Eel with her and that just about did her in for roller coasters.  Well, I am happy to report that today she did GREAT and wanted to ride the Alpine Coaster AGAIN!!!  Way to go Kenedy!! :)

It was really cool riding through the mountain.  We all really liked it a lot!

Headed to The Old Mill for dinner.  We all wished we had multiple stomachs so we could eat more food!  It is SOOO great.  The kids made sure we wrote in the comment book before we left.  we also did a little shopping at The General Store.  We are staying right on the river and right across the street from a mini amusement park.  You look out one door to lights, bells & whistles and then look out the other door to a beautiful mountain, river and garden.  Love it!  The good thing is you can not hear any of the rides or any of the crazies still up doing the rides.   

It looks like we have the slowest internet in Tennessee so the videos may not make it tonight...may not have any pictures either.  I will add them tomorrow if all else fails.

We had another great day driving across America!

If you have ever thought about doing a road trip...plan it and do it! :)

Road trip song of the day...Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road by Loudon Wainwright III

(My kids love this song...and so do I :)  It is hilarious!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Skunk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxgagXVqZZM  

Day 11 - Road Trip 2014

Day 10 - Road Trip 2014

WOW!!!  What a day! What a great day!!

We drove in to DC from Virgina this morning and parked at Union Station and took a cab over to The White House.  That HOV lane on I95 rocks!!!  Thank you Uncle Brent for the perfect directions.

Judge (Congressman) Carter provided us with a special White House tour today.  I am not sure that words do justice to the feeling you get once you are inside The House that holds so much history.  We loved all of the candid photos of presidents, their families, friends and pets.  You could almost hear the laughs that you see in each painting and photo!  We loved it! 

Of course my phone was the only one that rang going through security!  I almost died!!

It was Brent...on find my friends we looked lost...so he called to make sure we made it :)

We ate breakfast at Old Ebbitt Grill.  The kids loved the Walrus on the wall the best!  Here is a link for a little history 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ebbitt_Grill

Very good food and VERY nice people.  The host gave the kids chocolates from The White House :)

After breakfast we headed back to Union Station, and booked it to Monticello!

This is my favorite place on our trip!!!  I love everything Thomas Jefferson!  I can not wait to get home to read more about this amazing man.  We purposefully did not finish every part of Monticello because I want Dan to do this tour!  He will LOVE it.  We are planning to come back soon.  We talked 3 times while we where there.  Dan knows so much of the history all ready but will love all of the side stories you get from being there with a tour guide.  Our tour guide, Tom, was awesome!!

We stopped at Carter Mountain Orchard on our way down the hill.  The Peach & Apple Cider are the best I have ever had!  Really!!!  You feel like you are on top of the world looking down.  It is gorgeous.  Well worth the stop!

We headed to Covington to see The Humpback Covered Bridge.  It is one of the last covered bridges that is higher in the middle than on either side. You can walk through it.  The kids thought it was pretty cool and I surely did!

Then we went to Charleston, WV,  to see their Capitol Building.   The gold dome is so beautiful!  It is 5ft higher than the US Capitol.  Sterling took pictures on his itouch so I will have to upload those another day. 

Now, we are safely tucked away at Pullman Plaza in Huntington WV for the night.  Does anyone know trivia about this town?  We got in late but plan to visit a couple of places here tomorrow before we leave town.  I can't wait to share some interesting facts with y'all :)  

We all miss Daddy...VERY much!  Kenedy asked this morning if we were going home...today?  Sweet girl!  We are officially on our way home!!!!  Traveled mostly west today but heading south tomorrow.  We are going to see some horses! 

We had some tears this morning saying goodbye to Uncle Brent.  

I have to say that this day has worn me out!  We had to leave Brent's at 6:00am just to make sure we made it to The White House on time and now it is after 11:00 pm...my wagon is dragin'!  Goodnight!

Road Trip Song of the Day...

On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

Day 10 - Road Trip 2014

Day 9 - Road Trip 2014

PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES!!!!!  OK just trains & automobiles!!!

The fact that I did not get arrested before we ever made it to DC this morning is a miracle!!

We left Brentsville this morning with verbal directions to Manassas (10 min away).  Made it 1/2 way and got turned around.  Called Brent...he was watching us on Find My Friends so he knew how to guide us into town...with 10 minutes til our train was scheduled to leave.  While we are on the phone, I see the parking garage and turn to get to it...I mean time is ticking!!  I am not sure if I heard the honking first or saw the front of 2 lanes of cars heading right for me.  So, I at least hang up the phone before I wave the cars around me so I can get to the next cross street ... made it to the garage!  Drove in and around in circles saw a police women and asked if I could park and she said yes if you prepaid your ticket when you pulled into the garage!  What?  We go ahead and park and find a machine to buy a ticket...train leaving in 5 minutes!!!  Buy the parking ticket, put it on the dash and run to the train station.  Have to use a machine to buy our train tickets ... one at a time ...OMG!!!  Taking a deep breath with 2 minutes to spare, call Brent to let him know we made it and then he says...did you validate your tickets?  What?  The man who I have felt watching us waves at me and says...you use the same machine.  Run back to the machine and right when we are done the train pulls up!  Woohoo!  As we start to get on the train, a very nice lady says...I am a mom and just so you know this is the quiet car!  What?  She points us to the "other" cars and we get on right as the doors are closing!!!  We look for a seat and find 4 perfect seats.  We look up and see the funniest sign about shoes...I took a picture of it and a picture of my shoes!  You will crack up!!!  We had to be just like a TV show to all of the commuters!!!  As the very nice train attendant comes by, I realize we are sitting in the handicap seats.  She finds seats for us...separated but good!  I thought Sterling was going to have a heart attach!  He looks at me before he moves to his new seat and says...Daddy is going to be mad at you!  What?  Ha!  

We made it didn't we? :) And just for the record...no he is not!! (insert face sticking tongue out)

Arrived to Judge/Congressman Carters office 30 minutes early for our capital tour!!!  Woohoo!

It was great!  We loved, Emily, the Aggie intern who took us on our tour and the May family from Georgetown that was with us.  

We had great pizza at We, the, Pizza!  I highly recommend it! We took a cab!  

Austin needs a We, the, Pizza!

Then we headed to the National Archives Museum and stole the Declaration of Independence!  

HA!!  We tried to reenact the movie National Treasure :) As we got in another cab, Kenedy shows him our purchased copy of the DOI and says "we stole the Declaration of Independence"  Sterling almost jumped out of the car!  He says Kenedy you have to stop saying that!!!  HAHA!!  

We got back to Union Station, bought & validated tickets and boarded our train to Manassas like pros.  We are fast learners :)

We took some pictures tonight of Uncle Brent's Zoo.  Willie, the tortoise.  Moses, the goat dog.  Rhett, the scarlet macaw. Ox, the scaly nape amazon.  The Emu birds, guineas, cockatoos, macaws, golden conures, and African greys.  I think that covers all of the pictures :)

Morgan, who works for Brent, brought his fishing tackle over to share with Sterling.  He caught a snake head fish yesterday and had pictures...yucky!!!

Our laundry is done.  Bags are packed.  Kids are asleep.  

We are ready to head home tomorrow!

2014/07/14

Day 8 - Road Trip 2014

We had a great day at The National Zoo with the best tour guide in the country!  

Thank you Uncle Brent!!

It has been a couple of years since the kids have been here.  It is such an amazing place.  We love the pandas best!! Currently, the zoo has 1 baby panda and 6 babies lions!  We saw them all!  The last time we were here visiting the zoo it was raining...today we had a very nice breeze and sunshine!

The girls and I made a fantastic trip to the DC American Girl Store (which is really in Virginia).  We had a GREAT time!  New outfits, ears pierced for the dolls, doll beauty shop visit etc...  Plus, a lot of items to put on the Christmas list.  It was a lot of fun!  Sterling and Brent were glad to just head on home.  It worked out to be a win win for all of us.

Uncle Brent has a great kid that works for him, William, and we just love him.  He has always been a part of the family.  He & Sterling made a bet today...something to do with running and money.  William typically comes in first race in everything he does....marathons, triathlons etc... he was so kind to Sterling during the foot race today!! :)  He will start his senior year in the fall and we are hoping he will get accepted to TAMU...his first choice!!! 

Many of you know that Brent raises exotic birds of many kinds...I will get pictures for you all.  I do have pictures today of Rhett.  He and Sterling talked a lot today. Pines nuts seem to be the snack of choice, he will talk your ear off for more!! 

The kids will get a taste of mass transit tomorrow :)

Day 8 - Road Trip 2014

Day 7 - Road Trip 2014

WE MADE IT!!!

We are in Virginia!  Brentsville, Virginia to be exact at Uncle Brent's House!!

We are officially 1/2 way through our road trip and I can hardly believe it.  

It really seems like we just left yesterday.

So, we got up this morning and drove through Elon University and wouldn't you know it we had a trail of ducks (geese) that decided to cross the road.  We have never been a part of a geese crossing before and it was really funny!  A group of people who had made model sail boats were sailing them on the pond at the University so that was really neat to see.  Rob described the University as a cross between Trinity Lutheran and SMU.  It was gorgeous!!

We made our way to Virginia through the worst traffic yet!  I have a distaste for traffic....just really do not care for it!  I wish at times that I could broadcast "SLOW TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT"!  I truly can not understand that if signs are posted why people do not read them.  This really troubles my mind...well at least while I am on a 14 day road trip...haha...otherwise I really could could care less!! 

We are so excited to be here in Virginia with Uncle Brent!!  We will be here until Tuesday...so we get to unpack!!  How awesome!  

Tonight, we had a dinner party at Uncle Brent's!  Several neighbors came over and friends from college and it was great!  We had a variety of fish fresh from Alaska and steak!  Yummy!!  Daddy got to have a dinner and sleepover at the Linebrink's.  We are so thankful that our great friends are taking great care of him while we are gone!  Nana & PawPaw made him dinner last night so he is has been in great hands!  I think he has had steak 2 nights in a row!!  :)

We are so thankful for all of the prayers you all have lifted up for us.  We certainly feel them!  God has blessed us in so many ways on our journey and we are grateful!  

Blessings to all of you and your families!

Road trip song of the day...Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane

Day 6 - Road Trip 2014

Another perfect day to travel across America!!

This morning we took a great tour of Ft Sumter.  Sterling is very interested in history and especially the civil war.  He was excited to get to see the place where it all began.  The girls thought is was pretty cool too.  The ferry to Ft Sumter left from the USS Yorktown which is another very important part of our history.  Sterling said it reminded him of the USS Lexington.  We met some really nice people from Fredericksburg, VA.  They were glad our road trip was taking us to their home state. 

Here are links for you to read about our hisotry... 

Ft Sumter 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sumter

USS Yorktown 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Yorktown_%28CV-10%29

We saw our first traffic accident today.  I know...with all of the miles we have traveled so far we have not seen a traffic accident!!  It was minor, thankfully.  Slowed traffic down a bit.  The drivers on the road today were not as friendly as we are use too.  We like friendly :)  I bet tomorrow everyone will be back to normal.

We have absolutely loved being with our dear friends the Bacchus Family today and tonight!  

Sterling & Ian have known each other 1/2 their lives.  The Bacchus' moved to Elon, North Carolina in December and we have really missed them!  They lived in town in Georgetown and now they have 10 acres in the country with a pool and LOTS of fireflies.  The 3 Bacchus boys are in heaven!  We had a great dinner (thank you Rob)...and loads of play time for the kids.  It is a highlight of our trip to get to spend time with our sweet friends and catch up.

THANK YOU BACCHUS FAMILY FOR ALL OF YOUR HOSPITALITY AND FOR LETTING US STAY WITH YOU!!!

Road trip song of the day...Convoy by CW McCall

(Breaker 1-9...this here is Rubber Duck)

I have to get a CB...just saying!!

Day 6 - Road Trip 2014

Day 5 - Road Trip 2014

We did it!  We got up early and made it to the Georgia Aquarium!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

A very reliable source told us that this aquarium is the top rated aquarium in the country.  We are here to tell you that it is!  We have lots of pictures to verify that it is the best but they do not really do it justice.  If you ever get a chance to visit you should!  Do the early bird special.  We were there for 1 hr before it opened.  It was really great and totally worth getting up early.  By the way, early for us is 9am!!  That was our arrival time...ha!  The whale sharks are just incredible!

We had a huge blessing by getting to see Jim Haskell today!  We miss him so much even after all of these years.  He & Linda are doing great.  Lunch at The Varsity was pretty amazing.  They serve more burgers in a day than any other place in the world!  Jim gave us lots of Atlanta pearls of wisdom while we looked out over the city.  I think it would probably take us a full week to see all that Atlanta is home to.   But I think we covered the top 2...The Aquarium & Jim!! 

We left Atlanta and made our way to South Carolina.  We drove through a down pour and when I say down pour, I mean the bottom really fell out!!  I have never driven through rain that came down that hard and fast.  Thank the Lord for electronics or my kids would have freaked out!  We still made it in time to catch some sand and the pool!  We are staying at a great little resort right on Patriot's Point.  The little pizza joint right up the street is amazing.  It is the best pizza EVER!  Andolini's Pizza if you are ever in this neck of the woods.  

I have failed to mention some of the nicest people that we have met along the way...

The lady we met at the Louisiana gas station that is from Louisiana but lives in west Texas now. She was home for the holiday weekend.  We were both getting gas and buying water.  She was so nice to talk to.  In Oxford, we met a guy that went to school with Allen, one of the Duck Dynasty boys.  He noticed Sterling's hat and told us all about growing up with the Robinson group.  The girl that gave us the special tour of Wildrose was just about ready to let us take home as many dogs as we could get in the car.  She was just precious!  The lady at Elvis' birth home told us lots of extra special tidbits that we loved getting to hear.  We also got a discount for traveling so far that day! Ha!  The fella in Alabama that put extra pepperonis on Carson's pizza because she was the only one that liked them (out of my 3 kids).  The man we met in the elevator this morning at the aquarium whose grandson is from Keller, Texas.  He introduced him to us later.  He plays baseball and has been to Georgetown to play the Wings.  Steve, the bellman helped us with our bags today here in Charleston.  This is the first bellman we have had on the trip.  I think I like having a bellman.  The nice people from Texas that we got to visit with at the pool tonight.  And Charles from Charleston for recommending Andolini's.

Road Trip song of the day...Highway 20 Ride by Zac Brown Band

Day 5 -Road Trip 2014

Day 4 - Road Trip 2014

We had our best night sleep last night in Birmingham, Alabama!

Thank you Ken King for letting us invade your house!  

We picked veggies from the garden and had dinner at home.  The kids really wanted to stay another day.  I think it had something to do with night vision goggles, boxing gloves and the pool table.

We made our way to The Peach State this morning and spent the day at Six Flags White Water.

I do not have one picture to show for it...which means (at my house) that it never really happened! Ha! Ha!  It was a big water slide day.  Sterling rode The Cliffhanger which we saw on TV before we left home.  He could not talk anybody else into riding it.  Kenedy, who said she would never ride anything ever again after riding the Steel Eel at Seaworld, rode 3 water slides.  Way to be brave Kenedy Sue!!!  The cotton candy I promised her had nothing to do with it :)

I have to say that I have found all of the truck drivers on road the last 2 days to be so very polite.  Not just to each other but to all of the other crazies out driving around.  However, flying into Atlanta today made me thankful for my years as a bus driver at Texas A&M (and there were a lot of years there), I just wish I had a CB in my suburban.  

I do still have my CDL but I have no plans to become a trucker!

Tomorrow will be the earliest we have had to get up and get moving and we also have a very special lunch date!

Kenedy tells me that really Hound Dog could not be the road trip song of the day yesterday because it is not actually a road trip song.  Nor does it have anything to do with a place.  

I will try to stay on track moving forward.  HA!

Road trip song of the day...Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips

Day 3 - Road Trip 2014

We had another wonderful day "road-tripping" across the country!!  

Last night we stayed at The Inn at Ole Miss right on the Ole Miss campus which was pretty cool.  Breakfast was great and yes included grits!  One of my favorites!  We took a tour of Rowan Oak and introduced the kids to William Faulkner.  He was a very interesting fella.  I love this quote, 

"My own experience has been that the tools I need for my trade are paper, tobacco, food and whiskey!" - William Faulkner.  

Carson loved that he and his wife rode horses and had a horse barn.  The picture of the kids with his bronze statue on the Oxford Square is my favorite picture of this trip so far!  The kids got to play in a real phone booth.  We bought John Grisham's new book at the local book store, Square Books.  Only fitting since he has a farm right up he street.  I wonder how much time he spends there?  Square Books is one of my favorite book stores...I could spend days in here!  I think I bought Grisham's last book there too.  The kids loved it too and picked out a book about Wildrose Kennel.  

Wildrose Kennel was a neat treat for the kids and for the 20+ dogs we got to pet and play with.  This is the kennel where we bought Bexar four years ago.  It is an Orvis endorsed kennel and if you get a chance to visit you should.  It is like a dog resort.  I loved that every dog we came in contact with has Bexar's same sweet disposition.  So very sweet!  Kenedy made me laugh...when we pulled into the kennel she said can we pet the dogs and guinea pigs?  What?  Not sure what kind of kennel she was expecting to see but how sweet to think that there is a place like that.  Precious!

In 1977, I remember I was sitting in the middle of the living room floor talking to my mom when the news broke that Elvis died.  We just cried!  Today, my kids got a little taste of The King.  Carson said wow he has so much hair, just like Daddy!  Ha!  I told them to remember the little 2 room house that we saw today...on our way home they will get to see the big house!!  

A museum is a place to observe not play.  From The Man in the Yellow Hat (Curious George Movie)

HAHAHA!!!

Road trip song of the day.... Hound Dog - By Elvis 

Day 3 - Road Trip 2014

Day 2 - Road Trip 2014

We miss Daddy!!!  

Day 2 and one of us has to say this out loud about every 5 min.  Thank the Lord for facetime, texting and just plain ole phone calls!

We walked out of our hotel in West Monroe this morning and all 3 of my kids said, "What is that smell???"  HAHA!!  All I could say ... that is just Louisiana!!   I really wish I had a picture of Kenedy's little face last night when I ran her bath water and she walked out of the bathroom and said Mommy it is yellow!!!!  Again, I had to laugh - out loud!!! :)

Today, we made a trip to see Si but he must have taken the day off because we could not find him anywhere! We loved seeing where all of the fun memories on TV are made and scored a few souvenirs.

We took in some history in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  We toured the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum.  This is the first place that Coca-Cola was bottled.  Had ourselves a coke float while we were there.  Then, we made our way to the Vicksburg National Military Park.  We got to see a small civil war reenactment and they shot off a cannon on what is called no mans land.  This is the actual spot between Union & Confederate territory during the war.  It was VERY cool!  The USS Cairo is in the park and just left us with out words.  What an amazing part of our history.  We left Vicksburg and headed to Jackson where we saw Medger Evers home.  I had talked to my kids about who he was and what had happened to him.  When we read the historical marker in front of his house we were all just sad.  What a terrible time in our history.  

I could see in my kids faces today that civil war and civil rights are not easy things to understand.  

We are bedded down for the night in one of my favorite towns...Oxford, Mississippi!  We had a couple of hours of swimming and ate way too much for dinner at Ajax!!  I have 3 little people sawing logs...I am going to join them!  Night Night!

Road Trip Song of Day......I like Texas by Pat Green.

Day 2 - Road Trip 2014

Day 1 - Road Trip 2014

WOW!!  What an awesome first day of our 14 day road trip!!!  

It was a stroll down memory lane for me...Franklin, Texas brought back memories of me flying thru town on my way home from TAMU only to see the blue lights in my rear view mirror!  I got a ticket in Franklin almost every time!! This time however I slammed on the brakes the moment I saw the city limits sign!!!  We made it all the way thru town free and clear.  My Mom & Dad would be so proud!  Ha!!!  Crossing over into Louisiana brought back many fond memories of trips with Mom & Dad & April to see family.  We made this trip a lot. The tremendous dose of Nugent hospitality we received today makes my cup runneth over.  I have missed the Nugent Clan terribly. And dare I not forget to mention all of the trees...this East Texas Girl with Louisiana roots misses TREES!!! The kids have soaked up all of the memories I have shared about grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins, places and experiences from my childhood.   Lots of smiles & laughs!  They loved making their own Nugent family memories today!  We plan to be back very soon!  Sterling is chomping at the bit to coon hunt with Jeff and one of his world renowned coon dogs. 

Not only do you have to drive at a snails pace in Franklin, Texas, but the universal speed limit for the entire State of Louisiana is you guessed it 55mph!!!  OMG...right before we rolled into Georgetown, LA (yes you read it right...all of the Nugent's live in Georgetown, LA) I got to drive 65!

The road trip song of the day...I can't Drive 55 by Sammy Hagar! 

(click on the picture to see more photos)

Day 1 - Road Trip 2014 (Louisiana)

BLORA - Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area

Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area - 2014

On Wednesday, we made our first trip out to Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area!
It is a short trip but a full day of fun.  All of these kids had a wonderful time!!  I did not get pictures of the water slides and kid "car wash".  I recommend you take a day trip, it is well worth it!

Murphy Park - Taylor, Texas

We had great fun at this little treasure in Taylor!  

We loved hanging out with The David's!

Murphy Park - Taylor, Texas