Road Trip!

Audrey (and Mommy) experienced a first this past weekend. We took our first road trip together to Grandpa and Grandma's house in Tennessee! Jerry had a very busy weekend, between Relay for Life with his job and going out of town Saturday for our friend James' birthday, so Audrey and I were in for a pretty quiet weekend home alone. While I am alone with her all day throughout the week, the weekends seem like they're supposed to be "fun" and full of more family time, so I started toying with the idea of visiting my family in TN. While I had just seen my parents the weekend before, my sister (Aunt Jill) had been itching to see her niece. So, after much deliberating, I decided that I would get up Friday morning and hit the road.

Not surprisingly, I was quite nervous about the trip. I kept fearing that Audrey would start crying when I couldn't pull over. I dreaded finding a desolate yet safe place to nurse her. Also, being someone who likes to get a trip over with quickly, I worried how much time would be added to the trip. Friday morning, after loading up the car and feeding Audrey one last time, Jerry led us in a short family prayer asking for safety, patience, and calmness. Praise God for answered prayers! While the trip took a little longer than usual (which was to be expected when I needed to stop and feed her twice), we made it in about 8 hours (usually takes 7) without any big problems. Audrey slept most of the time, and when she was awake, she was quiet! She started to get fussy when we were about 20 minutes away, but that is to be expected from someone who's been trapped in a car seat all day! I am so thankful the drive went well!

We really enjoyed our weekend with family. My great-aunt and uncle stayed at my parents' house Friday night because they were in town supporting their son (my cousin) in the race in Nashville. My mom also talked my grandparents into driving down from Illinois, and they brought along my great-grandpa! We all met at a BBQ restaurant for dinner. Uncle Gordon and Aunt Candace were so surprised to see Audrey and me, and even more surprised when Grandpa Nash, Grandpa Max, and Grandma 'Laine arrived! Saturday morning, Uncle Gordon and Aunt Candace left to watch Kyle in the race, and the rest of us went out for a nice, family breakfast and spent the day relaxing around the house. Mom cooked a delicious dinner that night. Then, Sunday morning, we drove to Manchester, TN, where my Uncle Greg lives (My Grandma Laine's brother). Staying true to the weekend filled with surprises, we surprised Uncle Greg by showing up to his church (he is a preacher). Later in the day, my grandparents left to head back to IL, but Audrey and I stayed one more night. We hung out with my parents, sister, and Myles the rest of the day. Monday morning, Audrey and I were back on the road. While the trip wasn't quite as smooth (she was a bit more fussy, but was soothed by her pacifier), we still made it safely in about 8 hours. Daddy was SO ready to see his little girl! As soon as I got her out of the car, Jerry greeted us and said, "I think she's grown in just those few days!"

One of the special parts of our trip was taking a family photo of the 5 generations we have. I am so blessed that I still have living grandparents and even a great-grandpa. My 90-year old great-grandpa is now a great-GREAT grandpa to Audrey! A few pictures below highlight our trip. We are so thankful for family and safe travels! Now Audrey's first car trip is under her belt!

Wearing her outfit from Aunt Jill

Audrey and her Great-Great Grandpa Nash

5 Generations!

Happy girl back home in SC!