Days 5 and 6

Days 5 & 6

Almost there! We have made it to Columbus, IN. We have 1 medium day and 1 short day left. Yesterday we left Homewood Suites in Sioux Falls, SD and drove 6+ hours to Wisconsin. We stopped to see friends. It was so good to see get this break in the middle of our journey. It was so nice to be in a home (even if it wasn't our own). It was nice to sit on a couch at night and talk to friends and to watch a little news. It was great to get to do a load of laundry. It was so nice to have two home made "comfort food" meals (chicken pot-pie, and breakfast casserole). It was even better to let C see and play with old friends. This morning, once we were all repacked, we headed over to a park to let the kids play and get out some energy for about a half hour. It was a perfect stop. :) Thanks again Rainbow and Chris for your amazing kindness and hospitality.

This afternoon we drove 4 and a half hours and arrived in Columbus which is right outside of Indianapolis. We are staying at one of the nicest La Quintas that I've ever stayed in: Super clean and modern decor, comfortable beds, nice staff, free wifi and breakfast, and good military rate.

How are Duke and C? Well Duke is such a great dog. He is very popular with everyone when we stop and he has quietly slept/laid on his bed pretty much the entire way. We let him out every time we stop, no matter what, and let him go potty and give him water. He has a bed in the back of my SUV and we bring it into the hotels every night. C is doing really well too, especially considering her age. I have different toys/activities for her to do each day to keep her busy. We have a dvd player and ipad in my car which we try to save till the end of each day when she has run through all of the toys and games and we are desperate to make it the last 45 min to an hour without a break down. So far so good. At night I've been taking her to the hotel pools and letter her swim for 20 or so min. She's having a ball.

On to Asheville tomorrow. I'm going to take mom and C to Montreat tomorrow night or Thursday morning. Love it there! Great park and little fresh mountain stream to play in...fun will be had.

C is taking an interest in using my camera. She captured these pics of Duke from her level. :)

The Mississippi I think.

Fun at the park with friends.

 Finally passed out after fighting it for a while. Then woke up and asked for headphones and went back to sleep. Too funny.

Pool time at the hotel. 

Days 3 and 4

Days 3 and 4

Saturday morning we got up and actually made it out of the hotel by 9:00 am. Yay us!  We started our drive with the thought of stopping in Gillette in the back of our minds. Then when we got to Gillette, we stopped for dinner {at a Subway that had a DRIVE THRU!...it doesn't take much to impress me} and decided that we could probably make it to Spearfish. Well...we made it to Spearfish and there were no rooms available. Then we made it to Sturgis and there were no rooms available. Then on the way to Rapid City we called every hotel in the area and got the very last room at the Ramada (sad day...but at least it was a room).

Today was a great day. We woke up and grabbed some Starbucks for breakfast (a big thanks to my SMM families for that!). Then we headed over to Mount Rushmore. My mom had never been and I was really excited to take her and C. We ended up walking the half mile around the Presidential Trail. It had 450 stairs...yikes! C bought herself a flat penny. She was so excited! Then we hopped back in the car and headed toward Sioux Falls. On the way we stopped at Wall Drug and took a brief walk through. Now we have made it to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and I would highly recommend the Homewood Suites- wonderful and clean suites, pet friendly and very nice and helpful staff!

Tomorrow we will get to see some familiar faces! I can't wait!

Here's the question of the day: What's with these pallet looking fence line ups??

My Darling Daughter took the next two pics.

Mom took a pic of me taking a pic of C.

Day 2

Day 2

Hotel recommendations: I highly recommend the Double Tree in Spokane. Excellent service and great rooms. If you are military you get free hot breakfast buffet included. I also would recommend the Comfort Inn in Butte, Mt. They have a great military rate and your stay (military or not) includes hot breakfast, wifi, and ice cream. The rooms are very clean and the beds are comfy. Both of these places accept pets. :)

We didn't get as far as we were hoping on our drive today, but that's alright. We ended up, at the same time of day as yesterday, getting stuck in road work traffic. Luckily it was moving... just ever so slowly. We stopped at a rest stop to eat lunch (that we packed) and play catch for a few minutes. Then we got moving again.

We decided to stop in Butte because we needed to get dinner and my darling daughter was getting antsy. I think it turned out to be a great idea though. We grabbed some food for dinner, checked in at our hotel, got settled and then grabbed some ice cream to-go (even one for Duke) and headed over to a local park. Mom walked Duke around while I pushed Caroline on the swings. It was good to get out and let both kid and dog expel some energy.

Now we are back at the hotel and headed off to dream land. Our goal for tomorrow is to leave the hotel by 9:00. Thursday we left Everett at 12:00 and today we left Spokane at 10:30. Fingers crossed.

Day 1

On the road again....

I want to thank my friend Taylor for being at my house for the pack out and ship days: for keeping me company and helping me clean. You are an amazing friend and I'm so glad to have had this time to get to know you. Also, a huge thank you to my friend Tori. Not only did you help me clean and keep me company, but you took care of Caroline so that I could be at the house. Thank you!

I also want to apologize to my friends Megan, Catherine, Gael, and Michelle who I so wanted to see one last time before I left but I couldn't wrap my head around stopping to take a break. You ladies are so amazing and I have learned so much from each one of you. I am blessed to have worked with you and to call you friends.

To all of my Washington friends/family I know this isn't "goodbye" but it is "see you later." I will miss you!

Yesterday we ran errands around Everett and took Duke to Petco to have a bath. Then we headed out. I knew it was only going to take about 4 and a half hours to get to Spokane (our first stop). That would put us there before dinner and we would have a nice relaxing evening. I didn't account for 2 hours of delay due to roadwork and an earlier accident. By the time we got all checked in and settled it was past Caroline's bed time and we had pbj's for dinner (Caroline didn't mind). The interesting (to us) thing that we noticed along the way to Spokane is that spring time must be hay harvest because there were huge piles of hay bales all over. Who knew? The hotel was great and Duke has been being good. Today we will get on the road and just drive and decide where to stop when we get tired. Day one of driving complete. :)