dear diary,
you know how thanksgiving dinner tastes almost better the second day when all the holiday hoopla wears off and the saran wrap is peeled away from leftover mashed potatoes and turkey gravy to reveal an even homier meal? so, road trip day two is just like leftover mashed potatoes. tasty but more comfortable. equally delicious but settled in.
awaking this morning to sun streaks peeking through rubbery hotel drapes and the realization on cubby’s face after a bit of sleepy-eyed confusion that she is still on our little travel adventure…and we’re still having fun.
if day one was characterized by raw enthusiasm, day two is settled with nostalgia. i keep looking at her contented little face wondering what she gets of this whole thing. knowing it’s special…applauding ourselves for making memories for them and taking the time to lose valuable miles on the road to stop for something worthwhile…something kiddish, adventurous, memory-making. and yes, while i know there are many moms who accomplish much greater tasks, trekking with babies up mountains and enlightening their little souls with a bigger realm of nature in say african jungles and such, i am not ashamed to admit i’m celebrating mediocrity here and patting myself on the back for a simple jog across one stretch of highway with a baby…and doing it husband-less. gotta start somewhere.
(hello…look at the shirt. how ’bout them apples?)
so, we quickly realized we were not indeed as brilliant as we thought for finding a hotel next to a cracker barrel because…well, nine out of ten buildings in any given georgia square mile are most likely to be sitting next to a cracker barrel. seriously, georgia has an infestation of cb’s.
day two commences with previously-said thick rich coffee and egg & tomato sandwiches and continues with breakfast wrap-up video here.
followed by long road naps from the littlest two through the smoggy atlanta traffic…
…and then finally into the hills and valleys of southern tennessee (honk-honk).
all gas stations are, of course, left with the mark of roadtrip 2009 which, might i declare is an untrackable tag.
the drive has been simply enjoyable and after what seemed like warp-speed time, we landed in another cozy inn outside of knoxville where we ventured out in hail tonight…yes, hail (proof here) to find this pregnant mama the tennessee barbecue i ravenously craved.
and speaking of pregnant…not exaggerating here…not pushing out. seven and a half weeks in and this is what it looks like after i eat. it just appears.
which is just fine by me.
triple baby bath tonight…
i am so enjoying being with her for so long and the opportunity to be so present. and amazed at how great she’s been and how happy she is to just drive and be with us. (all our little roadtrippers are troopers…alas, they shall have golden carseats when we return.)
so proud of my roadtrip girl. and loving my vision of her contended little elfin face in that rearview mirror. (or hotel bathtub).
and as for hotels?
i think i like ’em. i love my home…i do miss my bed.
but there is something about setting up a make-shift home in a hotel room far, far away. like playing house when you’re little. tonight i sprayed my room spray and rummaged through the trial-sized treats laid out to find a bag of decaf orange pekoe which i brewed in the little bathroom coffee pot and poured into the pourous turquoise styrofoam cup. and i brought it over to my night stand where i propped up my pillow from home and cuddled with my girl who conveniently has felt at home wherever i am…and we watched t.v. without any guilty excuses for what else we could be accomplishing.
(those are my legs, her head, thank you very much)
yes, i like hotels. and i like the challenge of creating the perfect night…the perfect adventure…the perfect roadtrip wherever the wind might take us.
tomorrow, it shall take us north…to play in the mountains and kentucky bluegrass fields.
heidi’s summation of day two here.