Number of Miles Driven: 185

Drive Time: 1:00 - 3:40 pm

States Driven through: AL, MS, LA (3)

We thought we'd have a leisurely beginning to our day since we weren't leaving Mobile until after lunch; however, we started "packing up" around 8 a.m. and didn't really stop until it was time to meet my family for lunch at Cracker Barrel around 10:30. I'm not really sure why it took so long, but hopefully we'll get faster at our "repacking process" with each stop. Andrew finished mowing the lawn (with a little help from Michael) and Tracy sent us off with a gallon of blueberries. 

Lunch with the family was great - the food was good and it was great to see everyone one last time before we left. Carolyn decided her first "souvenir" would be a nondescript stuffed animal from Cracker Barrel. We had to convince her that just because she bought it in Alabama didn't really make it an Alabama "souvenir." Not to be stopped from spending money, she found a pair of Bama (Roll Tide!) fuzzy socks that were Mom-approved. Caleb bought a pack of baseball cards, so Andrew bought a pack of baseball cards. He brought along his card collection so he plans to add to it on the trip and try to buy a pack from each state - I think he just wanted to buy the pack because Caleb bought it, but I liked his spin on it because it made it seem more "souvenirish."

Before heading out to Louisiana we had to stop back by Tracy's and my grandmother's houses for things that were forgotten. In all likelihood we'll leave a trail of Griffin gear at each stop along the way - something to remember us by! One of the things we left at my grandmother's house was Dani's stuffed dog, Brownie - glad we didn't leave him behind! 


The drive to Prairieville, LA was easy and uneventful. The kids were quiet and Dani took a nap. Michael thought it would be fun to drive the kids through New Orleans to see the mausoleums and drive over Lake Pontchratrain (longest bridge in the world that goes continuously over water) - however, when they found out it would take an extra 15 minutes they said "Nahhhh" - so we stayed on I-12. 

As a result, we rolled up to our next destination right on time. What awaited us was lots of thoughtful surprises! 



Adam and Kylee - friends from middle and elementary school, respectively - drafted a welcome packet with all the tips we needed for a comfortable stay. And we were greeted with a personalized sign! They opened their house with open arms (and open toy bins!), so the kids immediately made themselves at home playing air hockey and ALL the musical instruments - our presence was known (heard) immediately!





We spent the afternoon swimming and Andrew loved fishing in their pond. Carolyn preceded every jump into the pool with gymnastic flair and Matthew perfected his cannonball. I got Arvo to like me by letting him jump to me - he's the sweetest kid with the cutest smile! I was glad we became friends - I was honored that he wanted to jump to me and bump into me :-). 



Andrew (let's be honest, it was really Michael) went digging through their compost looking for worms as bait. They caught something but it wriggled free while being reeled in. 


They put together a feast for dinner - delicious burgers/hot dogs, peppered baked beans, green beans, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese - yummm! 

Dinner wasn't complete without the spectacular performance put on by Andrew after eating a cayenne pepper. He ate (and swallowed) the whole thing - at first, things were fine. And then they weren't. He began pacing the floor, turning red, and eventually crying. We tried to ameliorate the heat and pain with milk and bread but it didn't offer much relief. We honestly thought he was exaggerating the heat because Adam had just had a cayenne pepper on his burger and didn't think it was that hot. He took a bite the stem that was left over from Andrew's and agreed it was 2-3X hotter than his - oops! Sorry, buddy. Of course, Carolyn had to give her input because she had also eaten one of the peppers and didn't have nearly the same intense reaction - but she had spit hers out. We videoed a moment of his torture, but the formatting is messed up. We've included it for your viewing pleasure nonetheless. 



Aside from the pepper fiasco, we had a lovely evening (even the pepper fiasco was fun for everyone but Andrew). We swam until it was dark and then got to end the night with homemade angel food cake, homemade whipped cream, and raspberries (still drooling...). 


We got an early start on Tuesday (June 29) because our goal was to get to Austin by 3:30 pm for a tour of UT Austin's football stadium. Adam and Kylee sent us off with a bang with another fantastic spread of breakfast tacos - I think we should bring them along with us so we can continue having delicious meals! 

It was a fantastic visit with the McPherson's - they pulled out all the stops to make our stay memorable, comfortable, fun; and we left with full bellies! I even got a kiss from Arvo when we left!

Thank you, McPhersons!! Until next time...

Next stop: Austin, TX

***My biggest regret so far on this trip is that one of my oldest friends, Haley Vanek, lives in Hammond, LA - which is right off I-12 - and I didn't even realize it. I knew she lived in Hammond, but I was thinking it was off I-20. When we passed the Hammond signs along I-12, I was bummed that we missed an opportunity to connect and meet each other's families. ***