Number of Miles Driven: 231

Drive Time: 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

States Driven through: AL (1)

After a delicious breakfast and failing to find postcards at 4 different places (sorry GG and Kellie - we're trying!!) we left Tuscaloosa for Mobile around 12:30 pm. Compared to our first day of travel, 3.5 hours was a piece of cake! We met two of  my high school friends for an early dinner at Big Time Diner in Mobile - we thought it'd be a kid friendly place since we had 6 kids among the three of us. We also remembered it being a fun place to eat when we were in high school - it's interesting how things seem so much better and "fancy" in high school! But it was a good choice for letting our kids "meet" each other - they immediately were laughing and shooting straw wrappers at each other. Michael took one for the team and sat at the kid table to keep it under control, so I could catch up with friends from elementary and middle school. 




After dinner we went to a park and then hung out at Tracy's house - our gracious host while we were in Mobile! The kids all had a blast on the trampoline. and we put Andrew to work mowing Tracy's back yard. Of course, Tracy insisted he didn't need to do that, but Andrew actually showed interest in mowing the yard. He asked Tracy, in all seriousness, several questions about her expectations and hopes for the lawn; and he confirmed the areas of the yard that needed to be mowed vs. not mowed. He was a trooper and got about 2/3 of it done before it got too dark. 

The kids (and adults) had another late night of hanging out - it's so hard to go to bed when everyone is having fun! Blakely had two twin beds in her room, and Carolyn enjoyed having a "sleep over" in her room. Michael called it a slightly earlier night while me and Tracy stayed up a bit longer continuing to catch up.




The next morning (Sunday, 6/27) we met my family at Chickasabogue Park where there's a nice beach area and canoeing along the Chickasaw Creek. All the boys save Matthew (Michael, Andrew, Travis, Dylan, and Caleb) played disc golf. The kids loved playing in the water - they did races on boogie boards. 














Dani preferred to do "head"stands. She was trying to copy Carolyn who was doing cartwheels and handstands all over the beach. 

Andrew and Carolyn were most excited to try canoeing. They had never canoed before and they both loved it. Michael even let them be the back paddler when they got used to it. Dani was in the canoe with me, Adrianne, and Caitlyn and did NOT like it. All she had to do was sit and enjoy the ride but she kept saying "I don't like boats. Boats are boring." She ended up laying down in my lap when I moved to the middle of the boat so Adrianne could paddle. 






After a fun (but exhausting day) at the creek, we headed back to my grandmother's house to have dinner and meet up with Aunt Robin, my cousin Ginger, and her three sons Orion, Apollo and Phoenix. It was quite the house full but it was wonderful to have a family reunion of sorts. We even have photos to document the occasion. Surprisingly, we got EVERYONE to smile at the same time and in the same direction relatively quickly. 

The cousins had a GREAT time together. Andrew was Caleb's shadow and wanted to throw the football, sword fight with chopsticks, and have muscle competitions. Carolyn liked having Caitlyn braid her hair and dunk her in the creek. It's always wonderful to see family - even if it's a short period of time. Every time I see all the "kids" I can't believe how much bigger they've gotten and how much "older" they look.

Grateful for family that is always welcoming and loves unconditionally without expectation.



Next stop....Prairieville, LA!