We traveled an average of 500 miles a day. There was a lot of "Yes!! Only 3 more hours!" We actually traded in both of our vehicles (yay for not having to figure out how we were going to get car #2 to 'bama) and got a GMC Acadia before the trip. It is spacious and wonderful and I'm not sure we would have survived the trip without it.
We thought Mak would do a lot of sleeping in the car but she really didn't. Boredom started to kick in for her around the time we got to Chicago. We did lots of rattle shaking, singing songs, making funny noises and funny faces, petting the puppies and eating.
Lots and lots of eating. Hey, even babies like to snack on the road! While I was stuffing my face with Hershey bars, Lays potato chips, and gulping down lots of pop and coffee, the little lady was downing an unheard of amount of milk. We brought some frozen milk that we kept in a cooler, but we could only use that until it thawed. Thankfully I was able to pump on the road, but there were times we didn't think the supply could keep up with the demand. We stopped at the store to buy formula just in case because we didn't like the idea of not having at least a back up bottle. The first formula stop was a fail...we went to open it to allow her to try it out and discovered it had an expiration date of April 2013. Um, yeah. Later we stopped to get more, but it didn't matter anyway because when we gave her a taste she made a ridiculous face and would not take it. Oh well. We made it without formula, but I had anxiety about supply the whole time.
The dogs did MUCH better than we expected. We knew Rocky would just sleep like a champ.
But we were worried about Taylor. They both had to go to the Vet before the trip to get up to date on shots and get health certificates, but Taylor also got a special prescription to help her with her travel anxiety. The stuff definitely worked, but our little puppy girl looked so dopy and had blood shot eyes the whole trip.
Fortunately, we got to visit some friends and family along the way, which really made this road trip seem like a vacation within the long journey.
We stayed the night in Missoula, Montana; Miles City, Montana (Did I mention what a huge frickin state Montana is!?!), Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan (not on the way but a great detour to see friends and family); Etowah, Tennessee and finally Dothan, Alabama y'all.
In Montana there were hardly any billboards, but when there were they were mostly for the Testicle Festival. Yes, you read that right. You can visit their website at www.testyfesty.com if you're curious...I would not lie. Miles City, Montana was special in other ways though because Makaela gave us her first REAL laugh there. It melted our hearts after a long day in the car.
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| Twins at a diner in Miles City |
The next stop for sleep was all the way in Minneapolis. We were champs of the road that day. That was our longest stretch, but we decided to take advantage of little miss Mak's good behavior and our ambition to get to our new home sooner rather than later. We always had to search for pet-friendly hotels, and as the trip progressed learned that La Quinta Inn tended to work well for us. They were pretty much every where, they had free breakfast and were pet friendly without a pet fee! We were literally just stopping to sleep, so we didn't really care about any other amenities.
Minneapolis was cool because we were back in our Midwest roots territory. They had restaurants we missed which brought huge smiles to our faces and bellies. In fact Tim snuck out and got White Castle. The people in front of him ordered ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY sliders. I thanked him (and his bowels thanked him) for not ordering such an insane amount. After I went to sleep Tim got a little wild and decided to give himself a Joe Dirt makeover. It was super sexy to wake up to the next AM.
Our next stop was CHI-TOWN! This was our only truly planned stop of the trip. We had made arrangements to meet up with S and A and were beyond excited. They greeted us at our hotel with cupcakes and banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. I mean...could life get any better? That night we ate at Giordano's for their famous deep dish pizza. It was the best deep dish OF MY LIFE. I wanted to eat the whole 10 lb pie. We love any time we get to spend with this couple. I wish we could be neighbors and have dinner dates and fun outings everyday. That is my dream lyfe.
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| A preview of Mak with long hair |
Mak looks like she could be Chjanea's child. Am I right? Love that they were twinsies in matching colors.
Before we left S and A treated us to Big Star for some delicious tacos. Big Star is THE spot in Chicago right now and although there is normally an hour wait, we just strolled right in. Unheard of! Obviously, I feel pretty cool right now.
S also took some family photos for us, with her gorgeous neighborhood as the backdrop. Gosh I love that place and we l-o-v-e these photos!
And then we were on to Michigan! This was a last minute change of plan. We had some extra time, needed more of a break and heard that Tim's Nana was in town and it was her birthday. We knew we had to make the detour and we are SO happy we did. It gave us the opportunity to introduce Mak to some of our family and friends back home. Although we were only there for a short time, we squeezed in a lot of quality time.
When we got in, we headed straight over to Nana's house to surprise her and enjoy some cupcakes.
Clearly, it was instant love for Mak and her one and only Great-Grandma. We stayed the night at Tim's sister's house and Mak got to play with her cousin G. G was adorable with Mak; it was so fun to watch them play. G will make a great big sister one day!
Luckily since my aunt lives right down the street from Tim's sister, we also got to introduce Mak to her. It made my aunt feel really special, and we loved spending the time together even if it was short.
Later we visited C and A at their new place. C and me kept it a secret from A and totally surprised her when Tim, Mak and I walked through the door. Why oh why did I not get any pictures of the three of us ladies?!?! I suck! I did however get these hilarious shots of C's son J with Mak. Can we say love at first sight!? Haha. These two are getting married in about 25 years.
Before we left we met up with the Martins at Starbucks. They were so sweet to drive to the other side of town to spend a little time with us. I just adore them. Again, no photos. WTF Erin.
As much as we didn't want to say goodbye, we had to hit the road. Next stop, Tennessee. We were on a mission to make it to Tim's parents house to stay the night. Truth be told that was a VERY rough ride. Mak was NOT having it and we weren't sure we could make it all the way down there. Once Tim and I switched seats (I became the driver and he sat in back with Mak) things took a turn for the better. I think little one just needed some daddy time. We made it to Etowah, and got to enjoy time with Tim's parents. We ate some down home cookin' at a great little small town place. There was lots of gravy and cheese and butter and it was glorious. Oh, and Mak got to meet Papa's favorite friend. Yee-haw.
One week after we set off on our journey we made it to our new home in Alabama. It felt really good to be "home" (and to get out of that car!)
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| Baby bird Mak |
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