The Long Journey Home

Memphis is home and although we are closer than before we are anything but close.  Ben and I decided a while back that it would be cheaper and perhaps easier to drive home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  This would become our first family roadtrip.  In addition to Memphis we also traveled to Baton Rouge to see friends and family.  All totaled we traveled 2224 miles and spent 36 hours in the car.  While that would be enough on its own all of it became a lot more interesting with a nine month old baby. 

Thursday the 18th we packed the car.  The trunk was so full it had to be loaded and unloaded like a jigsaw puzzle.  For the first time I was not the heaviest packer, this time it was Charlotte.  Babies don't travel light (yet another reason for not flying).  The first leg of the journey was great and we made it all the way to Crestview, Florida.  We (Ben) made the decision to pick up dinner from Hooters.  Yes, I said pick-up.  No way was I going to bring the baby to Hooters.  Ben made the decision to order fried pickles and loaded tater tots and also left his jacket.  Luckily, the clean-up crew was there in the morning when Ben realized he had left it at the bar the night before. 

Morton's in Madisonville

Tailgating

We made it to Louisiana without issue on Friday, and enjoyed lunch in Madisonville before heading to Baton Rouge.  Pretty much all we did in Louisiana is eat.  Friday night: sushi.  Saturday: tailgating at LSU and then boudin and burgers with friends.  Sunday: Brunch at Court of Two Sisters in New Orleans and then a po-boy after the Saints game.  All of this and still four days to go before Thanksgiving.

The ride up to Memphis was also good and Charlotte was a great traveling companion.  I truly believe that she knew that she was on an adventure and at every stop there was a friend, cousin, aunt, uncle or grandparent to welcome her. 

Opps!

The one thing I didn't expect in Memphis was a flat tire.  This actually resulted in us getting four new tires.  While I was grateful we did not have this problem in the middle of nowhere it did cause me to lose a day of fun with friends and family.  Nevertheless, we got the problem fixed and continued on our adventures.

By Thanksgiving day Ben and I felt as though we had each gained about 100 pounds.  We decided to take Charlotte on a walk and then Ben decided it would be a better idea to walk all the way to his brother's new house. We missed the turnoff and headed back to Ben's parents house (a much shorter walk).  After our walk we felt better about ourselves and we ready to stuff ourselves again. 

Fall in Memphis with Uncle Todd

Thanksgiving was great and everyone from Ben's and my family was in attendance. We continued to eat and enjoy good company. 

Friday we headed for home.  The drive home was uneventful though Charlotte was a bit of a pain.  I think she was upset leaving everyone behind.  I promised her that we would go see everyone again soon.  Though I plan of flying the next time.