Day 1412. We had another long drive ahead of us, just a little shorter than three days ago, when we went from MS to FL via AL. Today we were going from FL to GA via AL. We didn't set an alarm. Once the kids got up, we got up as well and started packing. I then took the kids up to our friend's house, where they got to play with the little dog. Not only was Emmy not scared of it anymore, he even hugged it!
I left them there to finish packing and loading the car with Randy. Then I went back upstairs to get the kids, and we all walked to the car together. It was time to say good-bye. The girl was holding Sammy, and when asked whether Sammy was gonna stay, he said yes. But then he changed his mind. Their boy who was 2 years old hugged our children, and he was visibly sad that they were leaving. We strapped the kids in and also said good-bye and started our journey at 9:15 am.
At first we were following the car's GPS, but it was not what my phone was saying, so then we started following the phone. All that meant that we were not going the best way and ended up on a lot of small roads. The kids were mostly playing on their tablets and on the phone, as we kept going and going. We actually drove for over 3 hours before we stopped at a little food mart in the tiny town of Preston, GA, for some food. It was already 1:30 pm, but we had crossed over to Eastern time, so for their body clocks it was only 12:30, so the perfect time to eat. We had been looking for a Chick-fil-A as they have a playground and the food is good, but there weren't any in rural Georgia, and so we ended up at the foodmart. We got some fried chicken that was way too salty and some fries, and everyone had a little to hold us over until we'd get to Chick-fil-A. The restroom was also an important stop. They ran around a little, then we continued on our way.
We left just before 2:30 and I told the kids that it was nap time and that they would only get the tablets back after sleeping. Emmy fell asleep first, then Sammy did, but Tammy would not sleep. Sammy didn't sleep long and was up first, then Emmy woke up, and they both got the tablets. A tired Tammy then had one of her fits, because she wanted the tablet.
We drove 2 hours 45 minutes before we reached Chick-fil-A. It was just after 5 pm, so nearly dinner time, and it was high time for them to get to move. We got some food and let them play at the little playground. We stayed there for over an hour before moving on at 6:30 pm.
We had less than 90 minutes left to drive and reached our friends' house just before 8 pm. Sammy had already been really cranky for the last half hour, and I had worked hard to keep him happy. They were all happy that we had arrived. I had told Emmy that there was a dog, and so he was too scared to go in. I told him I'd carry him and that satisfied him.
It was great to see our good friends again, and they were happy to meet the little ones and had fun with them. We ate dinner together, then it was high time to get the kids to bed. Once again we had mattresses on the floor for them, right by our bed. Tammy fell asleep immediately, and the other two didn't need too long either, as it was already late.
It was late, and I was tired, but I still had a lot to do in light of the service tomorrow morning. I had to put everything together for my product table, the first one since arriving, so it was more work than usual. And then I still had to prepare for what I was going to say. I knew there was no working on pictures or writing a report. I forced myself to keep going until being the last one to fall into bed.
