Sunday on the Mississippi

Now that I finally have access to my camera pictures, it's time to tell you about one of my favorite stops that we made on our trip home from South Carolina: the Mississippi Welcome Center.

I know, I know... it sounds like just another rest stop, right?  Not exactly.  For starters, this welcome center is accessible off Exit 1A on I-20.  That means you can get to it no matter which direction you are coming from.  Secondly, it's literally on the banks of the Mississippi River.

 Beautiful, isn't it?

I had stopped in here for a quick bathroom break around 6:00 a.m. on the way out to SC back in February and saw what a great place it would be to hang out for a while.  But at the time, my kids were asleep and we'd only been on the road a couple of hours anyway - not exactly prime time for a long stay.  So I resolved that when we headed back west we'd stop for sure.  Although I have crossed the Mississippi River several times in the past couple of years, it's always been one of those "Oh look, everyone!  It's the Mississippi!" moments where we are driving across the bridge.  Then we would have just a couple of minutes to look out the windows of the car and say, "Cool!" before moving on to the next stretch of highway.  This time we were going to stay awhile.

Some nice lady saw us picnicking on the hill and offered to take a picture of us.  Considering how travel-worn and unshowered I am in this picture, be glad I posted it at all.

I had a really hard time getting Connor to look at the camera at all.  He was enthralled by the river, and the barges going by.  Yep, he's all boy.

On the hill next to where we had our picnic there was an old cannon from some battle that happened nearby.  I can't remember which anymore.  (Sorry folks, not a history buff.)  Anyway, the kids needed to climb it, of course.

Even Connor got in on the action, though he never could get up very far.

Once he got here he'd just slide back down, every time.  Poor fella.

Finally it was time to let them roll down the hill.

Connor tried, too.

And although he found it all very exciting...

...he never quite got the hang of it.

And of course, we ended up with the obligatory injury for Olivia.  That girl just has the worst luck...

It was a wonderful afternoon.

Habits

It would appear that I have gotten out of the habit of blogging.  Oh no!  What shall I do?  Start again, of course.

It's been a bit of an adjustment trying to get back into the swing of things back at home.  Cleaning routines, blogging routines, school routines and cooking routines all went haywire while we were traveling.  Add that to the fact that I'm tired more than usual, and well... things just aren't getting done the way they should be.  So I'm reverting to a formal "schedule" for the next week to see if that helps things.

As I have considered what things should be part of my life, I realized just what a great habit this blog is.  And just for fun, here is another "Top 10" list for you.

(And by the way, aren't the daffodils lovely?  This is what welcomed me home...)

Top 10 Reasons Anita Loves to Blog!

1. My kids think they are famous.
2. "Family blog" doesn't sounds as nerdy as "family journal".
3. People actually get to see the pictures taken by my digital camera.
4. It gives me a chance to stop and see the humor in our lives.
5. We work harder to make good memories so we have something to blog about.
6. It's easier to keep up with people half-way across the country.
7. Blogging is yet another way for me to play on the computer.
8. I've made new friends (aka "blogging buddies") and gotten to know other people so much better!
9. I like watching my kids do goofy things and yell, "Mom, take a picture of this for the blog!"
10. It's just one more way for me to pretend that I'm perfect.

So why do you love to blog?

Done

Okay, so let's cut to the chase.  I've spent the last several days looking for my little cable to upload pictures from my camera.  I can't find it.  Of course, there's still a couple of bags that aren't completely empty yet but I'm pretty sure it got left in SC somewhere.  Shocking, I know.

But let's be realistic here.  Our trip to South Carolina was very, very stressful and very, very tiring.  We got to see family (which was nice) and a few friends (which was also nice) and make some money (especially nice) but for the amount of time we spent there we actually got very little "vacationing" done.  So in all honesty I don't really feel like recreating it for the sake of friends, family, and posterity on this blog.  The very thought of it makes me tired all over again.  And I can't get to my pictures, which is frustrating.  When I can, maybe I'll be inclined to share a few, but in the meantime a few words about our trip will have to suffice.

We left for SC on February 12th, the day after a big snow storm dumped a foot of snow on Dallas and was working it's way along I-20 - the route we were taking.  Fortunately, most of the snow had melted by the time we made our way through the southern states.  We were originally going to be in SC about 4 1/2 weeks, staying with the Crews side of the family in Columbia during the week while I worked, and then staying out in Lugoff with the Ervin side of the family on the weekends.  By the end of week 3 we were so tired of moving around and not being home in our own space that we decided that we'd leave as soon as my work obligations were fulfilled, which was on March 12th.  The closer the date got, the more anxious we were to get on the road again.  I had spent most of my time exhausted from working, single-parenting, and being pregnant and was ready to be home.  The girls were tired of sharing a bed, and eventually the fun of being around family and friends was wearing off.

I almost feel like we snuck out of town, because there were a number of people we didn't get to say goodbye to.  We really did expect to be there one more weekend, but we just couldn't help ourselves.  I even decided to break my "no traveling on Sunday" rule so we could be home earlier.  And so on Friday afternoon we started the drive home, which for the most part was a series of slumber parties for us.  Friday evening with Brian, Jess, and Jaina in Spartanburg; Saturday with Jenny and family in Atlanta; Sunday and Monday with Uncle Niel, Aunt Julie and all the cousins in Louisiana!  And then on Tuesday, homeward bound.

How glad we are to be home.  We were greeted by a yard full of daffodils (I didn't know I had them - it's our first spring in this house!) and an ecstatic dog.  And of course - a very happy husband and daddy!  But no one was as happy as we were to be home again.

The South Carolina "EdVenture"

Our first Friday in South Carolina, Aunt Beth took the kids to Edventure Children's Museum while I was working.  Since my camera was there, but I wasn't the girls will tell the story that goes with the pictures...

Olivia: This is Kelsey and Connor running up steps.  We had just arrived.

Kelsey:  Connor is staring at the camera.

Olivia: Eddie is humungo!

Kelsey: Connor and Olivia are on a camel.  They were smiling at the camera.

K

Olivia: Kelsey is talking in one of those things that sound travels through and the other person can hear you far away.

Kelsey: Olivia was the checkout lady while I (Kelsey) was shopping.

Olivia: Connor and Kelsey are buying bread.

K

Kelsey: Connor was a fire-fighter man, but he didn't want anything on.  It didn't fit him.  So he took it off.

Olivia: Our first snow-mobile ride.

Kelsey: I was pushing the button.  It made it rain the city right there.

Olivia: This is a small cabin in the "Snowville" exhibit.  I am drinking chocolate milk.

Kelsey: Connor was looking in the oven.  He was cooking things to make stuff.

And there you have it, folks... their day at EdVenture with Aunt Beth!

Insanity

I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted on our blog!  There's much to catch up on, and being just a trifle bit OCD I can't even imagine posting about our trip to South Carolina in a non-chronological way.  However, I am way too tired tonight to even think about uploading pictures or coming up with anything witty to say.  Just know that we are home safe, and relatively sound. 

Sound in body, if not mind.

The next couple days will be spent putzing around my house, taking naps, doing laundry, blogging, taking naps, walking the dog, organizing schoolwork, sorting mail, taking naps, entering receipts, and sleeping as much as I can.  Did I mention I'm in desperate need of some sleep?