Day 1409. The kids were up at their usual time of 6:30 am, and the first thing they wanted was to open the door so the cat could come in, which she always does. I went straight to work finishing packing our 5 suitcases, while Randy went downstairs to make breakfast. The kids then went downstairs as well, and once I was done with the suitcases, I also went downstairs to make eggs. The boys have been eating eggs for breakfast, Emmy just eggs, while Sammy also eats oatmeal, and Tammy hasn't hardly eaten anything for breakfast. Randy then closed up the suitcases and loaded the car up, while we enjoyed our last moments with Randy's daughter and grand-daughters. Once everything was in the car, we put the kids in, and then said good-bye. Just before 9:15 we finally hit the road for our day of driving.
We drove 380 miles/611 km, and it took us 12 hours door-to-door. It sure was a long trip. Our first goal was a McDonald's in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as we'd get there by noon, which is when I had a lesson to teach, and all the McDonald's in America have playgrounds. The kids started asking when we'd arrive pretty early on. They were playing or watching stuff on their two tablets, and sometimes I also had to give them Randy's phone to play with, as they all wanted the tablets. Sammy also had the story-telling headset for some time, but he kept dropping the chips that you put in, so it wasn't working very well.
We got to McDonald's at 11:55, and I was to start my lesson at 12:05. I turned my computer on and connected to wifi right away. Randy got some food for the kids. Sammy was crying, and the other two were excited about the playground. When I started my lesson, the headset wasn't working, which was inconvenient, as it would have drowned out the noise around me. I finally moved away to another table, away from the kids, but they all followed me. Sammy was crying and screaming, and Randy was trying to throw him on me. I could barely do my lesson. I then moved once again and went to another corner of the restaurant, just to be folllowed again. This was not working, and it was getting frustrating. I then figured out how to make my headset work, which made a huge difference. I was able to tune everything out, even when Emmy came and pulled on me, and finished my lesson. Then it was my turn to get something to eat, while still trying to make Sammy happy. The kids were a little disappointed by the playground because the slide was barley sliding at all.
Two hours had passed by the time we left again and got into the car to continue on our journey. It was nearly 2 pm, and it was nap time. Tammy kept saying she was not tired and not going to sleep. Emmy fell asleep first, then Tammy, and then Sammy. And Sammy was also the first one up again; he had not slept long at all. Emmy then woke up too, and Tammy slept on a little longer, as usual.
Like we had in the morning, we drove 3 hours before we stopped, even though Emmy had been saying for some time that he needed to use a restroom. Randy wanted to stop at a Chick-fil-A (in Troy, AL), as they also have playgrounds, and it did. The kids ran to the playground and had fun and did not want to eat right away. Later they sat down and ate a little bit. Sammy wanted to play too, and Randy climbed up to the top with him and went down the slide with him. We stayed there for an hour and 45 minutes, then got back into the car for the third and last leg of the trip.
Now they were all awake and on their devices again, and as time went on, they got more and more tired. Sammy cried, but then I gave him his horsey and played its role, making it talk, which always gets him to calm down. Emmy also had a little meltdown at some point. They were getting impatient to arrive, except for Tammy who likes her tablet too much. It was getting darker and darker, and Sammy wanted me to sing and entertain them. Emmy is scared of dogs and was worried about the dogs at our friend's house. Just before our arrival the topic of alligators came up, as they live here in freedom, and those made him even more scared.
When we arrived at 9 pm and were welcomed by my friend, Emmy clinged to my body and would not stand on the ground. She showed us the trailer, where we were gonna sleep/live the next few days, and Randy started unloading the car. The kids were wide awake again, running around and having fun, but it was high time for bed. It was 10 pm before they were in their bed that they share, all lying next to each other. I prayed for them and sang for them, and they quickly fell asleep. Randy ate some food and then went to bed, as he was exhausted. I started working on the pictures of the day and the report. Now it's 12:45 am, and I haven't been able to keep my eyes open as I'm so very tired. High time to go to bed for another short night.
