We just got back from a much needed road trip. Wes was able to take leave from September 28th to October 6th and we had a blast! We started off our trip driving from Texas to Mississippi, Mississippi to South Carolina, South Carolina to North Carolina, North Carolina to Tennessee, and then Tennessee back to Texas. It was just a giant loop!
Day 1
We got up around 2am to get everything in the car and everybody ready for the day. I was DEAD tired, but luckily I was also excited so it wasn't so bad once I showered and woke up. We got everything and everybody in the car and hit the road by 3:30am. We stopped for gas and pee breaks but made it to my grandpa's around 1-2 in the afternoon. We spent the day hanging out with him and the kids got to have their first shooting lesson on his property. Who better to teach them than two Marines!? They had so much fun with that.
After shooting, we went by another relatives property and then headed off to dinner. After that we loaded the kids into the car and drove about an hour and a half to Meridian, MS. We stayed the night at the Three Foot Hotel which was a cool historical building that was remodeled. The downtown was SO cute and I'm glad we stayed there. I didn't get to sleep until 2am and was SO tired. We accidentally booked a room with one king bed, so all 6 of us had to sleep in that and it was...interesting.
Day 2
We woke up around 6 or so and got ready for the day. The morning was bright and beautiful and the town was quiet. We drove around the historic downtown area before we left and it was so pretty. I loved how clean it was and how they seemed to really take pride in their history. We got on the road and headed right in Alabama. We stopped at a Buc-ees because of course we had to, and then continued our way through the state. When we got into Georgia things got interesting.
Right outside Atlanta there was a HUGE chemical fire that shut down the entire interstate. It caused a massive back up in traffic and we had to crisscross through neighborhoods for hours to find our way out. Finally we were on the road again, but going through Augusta was so sad. They were hit hard by hurricane Helene and it was like an apocalyptic scene. There was no power, no gas, and it just looked torn apart.
Next we made it in to South Carolina and by this point it was getting dark. We drove until we made it to my Aunt Jill's house and pulled up around 11-midnight. They were so sweet for letting us detour and stay with them. They have this cute Air BnB under their house that they let us stay in. We got the kids settled, ate some food and then PASSED OUT. I slept so good that night.
Day 3
We actually got to sleep in which was so nice. We got up, got ready, had some breakfast and then decided to all go to the Boone Hall Plantation outside of Charleston. I hadn't been since I was a teenager. It was the same but also different. They had added a few things and renovated a bit. But overall the grounds were just as beautiful as I remembered and I was so happy to be able to share it with my family. We spent most of the day with Aunt Jill and Uncle Tony exploring the grounds, touring the home, and riding on the tractor tour. Once we were finished it was pretty late in the afternoon. We decided to drive to Charleston and just drive around exploring the sites. We didn't have time to really get out and walk but we did get to roll all the windows down and show the kids the iconic Rainbow Row and so much more. We will definitely need to plan a trip again one day!
After exploring we drove the hour or so back to Aunt Jill's house. We said good bye and then drove about 3 hours up north to Camp Lejuene. By the time we rolled onto base it was well past 10pm. We stopped quickly at the Lewis' place to pick up some air mattresses and then we checked in and drove to our little shack by the beach. But, when we went inside I had a feeling this wasn't the right cottage house that we originally booked. It was tiny, bare, and had no washer dryer. Normally I wouldn't care so much, but we definitely had laundry that needed to be done and it was pretty uncomfortable after so many days of driving.
We ended up having the kids sleep in the loft and then Wes and I slept on the couch. It wasn't the best nights sleep, but we were all too tired to complain.
Day 4
The next morning I called to see if we could get switched but they had nothing available. We went by the PX and grabbed some coffee and breakfast and then around noon headed to my friend Jenn's house. We hung out together and it was so nice to catch up after not seeing them in 4+ years! Wes ended up calling the Inns of the Corps and getting us a room there, so we hung out at Jenn's house while he grabbed all of our stuff and moved it over. We spent the day catching up and it was so needed. That night we met with the Lewis' for dinner at the O Club and it was so fun! We gave them their gifts for helping us out over the last year and I'm so glad we got to spend that time with them. We also were MUCH more comfortable in our hotel room.
Day 5
The next morning everyone felt refreshed. We slept so much better and it was nice to not have to drive anywhere new, to be in one place for a few days. We went out in town and had breakfast together, which was so nice. Then we ended up meeting our friend Amy at the base park and letting the kids play and run around. It was so good to see her because I hadn't seen her since 29 Palms I think! After the park, we just spent the day hanging out and relaxing at Jenn's house. That night we drove up to New Bern and had dinner with the Burkhardt's and it was so much fun! We all laughed and had a great time. We got back to the room pretty late and everyone crashed as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
Day 6
In the morning we woke up and went over to the Murphy's house to finish up some laundry we had. We also met Amy at the beach on base which was a ton of fun, and then after that had dinner with our friends the Green's. We hadn't seen them since 29 Palms. The kids got to play together and we got to hang out out front watching them and catching up. That night the kids slept HARD. We packed up our things and got everything ready for the next day of driving.
Day 7
We all got up early and packed the last of the things. We checked out and were on the road around 7-7:30am. We drove to Fort Bragg to drop of Wes' surfboard at my friend Sam's house so she could transform it into a beautiful work of art. Then we drove through North Carolina, into Virginia, and then back down into Tennessee. We had to avoid western North Carolina because of Hurricane Helene, which devastated that area. We got into Franklin late and grabbed some pizza on the way to our hotel. We checked in, went upstairs, ate, and fell fast asleep.
Day 8
We all got to sleep in, which was much needed. We eventually got up and got ready. We hopped in the car and drove to downtown to find somewhere to eat. We found a cute restaurant in a hotel and had some breakfast. From there we walked around a bit. It was such a cute town! We all got ice cream and had fun shopping around. We decided to drive to a Civil War site and got to walk that a little bit. I love being able to show the kids historical places along our trips. That night we met with a childhood friend of mine and her family for dinner. It was fun to catch up and see her family for the first time. I probably haven't seen her since elementary school. After dinner we drove around downtown a little more and then headed back to the hotel to get some rest.
Day 9
It was our last day in Tennessee so we went to breakfast at a cute spot in downtown Franklin. They turned an old house into a restaurant and I love places with character like that! After breakfast we walked a bit around the square. Then we packed into the car and hit the road for Texas! We were all so sad to leave, and wished we had more time to spend in Franklin. We drove through Memphis and got to see the outside of Graceland. We drove through Arkansas which wasn't very impressive. We did however, drive through Hot Springs National Forest and that was pretty! We finally drove into our driveway at home around 2:00am. We were all SO tired. We unpacked what we had to and left everything else in the car or garage. We slept so good that night!
We had such a great time on this trip and it was so needed. I'm really glad we made the time to do this before such a HUGE move for our family.
