road trip adventures - part 4

The last few days have been full. We went to the aquarium and I got my mommy slushy while the kids had ice cream.

Garden Eels

Mommy "slushy"

The next day, we headed to Legoland for the last time. Abbey rode a roller coaster and the kids got to see a few shows that they enjoyed, but our run of peace with Harry ended. While we were waiting for Harry and Abbey to come off the roller coaster, he saw dark clouds and immediately became worried. I showed him the weather, but it didn't help. He just wanted to go, but that meltdown was nothing compared to the one that was coming.

Saturday morning, while we were packing up the van, the jerk dog made her escape. For those of you that don't know the story, we had Eve chipped just in case this happened, but Harry refuses to pay the $20 to activate said chip unless she's gone for more than 6 hours. Luckily, we got her back before we had to go that far.

As we headed to the next campground, we decided to stop off at Silver Springs State Park. They offer glass bottom boat rides which I thought would be fun to try. Well, little Harry was none too pleased with this change in plans. It was a mess, He was crying and fussing and refusing to do anything. Harry stayed with him through most of it while I took the girls on the boat. While we were waiting, I took some time to talk to the girls about how they were processing the meltdown. Harry and Harry finally reached a point where he was calm, everyone ended up with ice cream, and it was ok.

We hit the road again and then a migraine struck. Can I just say how messed up it is when you are trapped in a car with a raging pain in your head and a stomach that feels like you've been on a Tilt-a-Whirl machine? For 7 hours??? Needless to say, we got to the campground after dark and had a heck of a time finding our spot. A helpful lady came along and pointed out that someone had parked their truck in our spot, so she went and woke him up! He came out, moved the truck, and helped us get pulled into the spot. While it's billed as a pull-through spot, it took some maneuvering to get that to happen. Oh, and we crossed into the central time zone, so it felt like it was 10:30, but it was really only 9:30. This was definitely not a party campground. Most of the trailer lights were off when we rolled in.

The campground seems nice and it's a just a few minutes walk to Perdido Bay. Harry took the kids (I am still recovering from the migraine), but little Harry came back pretty quickly. He said it was too sandy, so I convinced him to try the pool. When he wanted to get out within minutes, I asked him what was wrong. He nodded at the clouds building overhead and asked me if there was going to be a tornado which is a pretty typical anxiety reaction from him. We headed back to the trailer and it's been thundering off and on since. Hopefully, the weather will clear for us to enjoy a proper campfire tonight complete with marshmallows for s'mores.

We pull up stakes tomorrow. Theoretically, we are stopping for the night between Monroe and Shreveport LA because are trying to get to Texas by Tuesday night. I say theoretically because a few minutes ago, Harry started talking about pushing through to Texas tomorrow. With the slow speed we go (maximum of 60 MPH) and the multiple stops we have to make for gas and the dog, we are looking at about 14 or 15 hours on the road.

Here are some photos of the camper. I apologize for the stuff everywhere, but I haven't figured out how to live out of the camper and a home within a day or two of each other. We all packed a week's worth of clothes, but I can't justify unpacking a suitcase only to pack it back up again in a day or two.

Tiny but useful bathroom. Harry has resisted us using the "facilities" because he doesn't want to pump it out.

The "kitchen" with a good sized fridge (it holds a gallon of milk and all kinds of other stuff).

Abbey's bed. It's in a little hidey hole and she likes the privacy.

Harry and Anna Kate's bed (directly across from the fridge).

View from front of trailer by the table.

The dining area which converts into another bed that Anna Kate will be using tonight.

our bed - it's directly behind the cushions for the table.

I have to admit I am a little nervous about the Texas portion of the trip. Harry's dad is still in an assisted living facility. We're going to try visiting him there and see if they'll let us take him out for a few hours at a time. I'm not sure how the kids will react to seeing him there. Depending on how it goes, Harry may need to visit him without all of us in tow. 

We're staying with Harry's step-mom (known as Bubby to the kids) which we haven't done before. Last time they visited us, I think the chaos that is our home overwhelmed them both and I'm concerned that we'll be a burden to her. We offered to stay elsewhere, but she insists we come and her home actually has an RV shelter. It'll be good to see Harry's family though. He just saw them a few months ago, but it's been years since I've seen them.

I have been pushed way outside of my comfort zone on this trip. Travelling with the dog, camping in a trailer, reconnecting with family we haven't seen in a while, etc. I am missing my quiet, predictable life in NC, but hopefully, I am setting a good example for the kids. Overall, they seem to be doing well and enjoying themselves (with the exception of poor little Harry when the weather starts to roll in). We've been playing a lot of games and trying to find things to do that each child will enjoy, Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but at least we're trying.