Still filing....

The sky was dark with the gentlest hint of light blue peeking up above the horizon. The car was loaded - luggage on top, snacks in the back, DVD player ready and bikes on the rack. We swept up the girls, blankets and all, and buckled them into their car seats, still in their jammies. One last check of the doors, turn on the alarm and off we go into the 6 am darkness on a family road trip to Pawley's Island, South Carolina - two parents, two kids, one grandma and a black lab named Charlie.

Because I'm pretty much addicted to my iPhone, I decided to keep some travel notes on it as we drove. Here are some of the highlights:

April 2
6:15 am – Lauren is singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and MIL is filing her nails, which sounds extraordinarily loud in the dark at this hour.

6:35 – MIL is still filing her nails. How many fingers does this woman have?!?!

6:52 – Still filing....

8:10 – MIL is putting on lavender essential oil. I think my nose hairs are curling. Kids are coloring quietly - those lap desks from Hobby Lobby are working great!

8:24 – Seriously, my eyes are watering a little from the oil. I'm not going to complain about her the whole time, but man, who puts on scented oils in an enclosed space the size of a refrigerator?

10:57 – We've made one stop and both Charlie and Lauren pooped, so it was totally worthwhile. That and the McGriddle I had for breakfast. Lauren had to poop while I was already on the toilet, so I had to get up with pants around my knees and assume my usual position - standing in front of her with her head against my legs and hands on the sides of my knees - while she pooped. Smells great. Heading south, lots of hills and beautiful flowering trees.

11:09 – We're on 275 going in and out of Kentucky and Indiana. I swear to God I just saw a dead kangaroo on the side of the road.

4:07 – Our third stop - gas and Starbucks. Lauren napped. Grace didn't, but so far so good. Have headache, probably from waiting until 4:07 to get my Starbucks.

And that's just day one.