9 states, 950 miles, and a Spring Break Adventure

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a chicken and a scaredy cat. When I was a teenager, I still wanted my mom to go with me to the checkout counter when I purchased something at a store. Still, as an adult, when I'm going to go run errands, I always feel better when someone goes with me, even if that somoene is 4 years old.

So, when I came up with a plan to travel alone, without R, to take the kids to visit my cousin for spring break, I almost didn't go through with it. You see, I hadn't seen this cousin in 25 years. I was going to have to drive 950 miles by myself and I was going to have to stay in a hotel by myself. But, growing up is good for us and at 38 years of age, I am still growing up. So, I suppressed my anxiety, listened to my husband's encouraging words, and went. And I am so glad I did. We had a wonderful trip.

Armed with many hours of books on CD from the library, we began our adventure. Our drive took us through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, a small few miles into and then out of Georgia, our destination in Tennessee, and a day trip into Alabama.

We had a great time with my cousin and her family. Her boys, and B and C are just a year apart in age and they hit it off great.
My cousin and I got to talk and talk and talk... her husband was so kind for letting me monopolize her time. I also go to visit with my Aunt and Uncle and really get to know my Aunt. She is wonderful. I wish we lived closer.

The kids enjoyed all of the animals, especially Corinne, who enjoyed helping my cousin's one son with caring for all of the animals. (3 dogs, 2 cats, gerbils, a rabbit, and one of their 3 horses.) One of my cousin's son's took us on a riding tour of my Aunt and Uncle's property.

We took a day trip to Alabama to visit the Rocket Center in Huntsville, and go bowling. We got to see lots of rockets, planes, and other space related items.
The kids got to sit in some simulators,
and B and C got to try rock climbing.

We also spent a day in Chattanooga where we visited the Aquarium,
road the Incline Railroad to the top of Look Out Mountain (it reaches a 75 degree incline so the train is built "crooked" or we'd have been falling off of our seats at that point),
and visited Point Park on the top of the Mountain (the site of a civil war battle).

One evening my Aunt and Uncle hosted a family dinner.
My other cousin and his wife and daughters came over too so the whole group was there.
My Uncle played the piano, we sang and danced, and had a great time.

It was hard to say goodbye when we had to leave. It had been such a wonderful trip.

On the way home, we discovered the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA. We had fun seeing all of the outdoor exhibits and stretching our legs.