We're Off!

6:00 am We've decided if we don't leave now we may as well stay so here goes nothing. We finished packing up the cars in a wintry 16 degrees and we pulling out by 7:04 am. Yippee! Atlanta here we come, sloooowly! Jerry and I both have mixed feelings about leaving, it looks so beautiful!
7:05 Ally, Why are we driving so slow?" And it begins...........
7:15 McDonald's for the breakfast of champions (mainly due to the fact that there is nothing to eat at our house and we're starving) While we were eating Jerry asked Ansley, "Are you my gal?" Her reply, "NO!" Jerry, "Yes, you're my gal." Ansley, "No daddy, I not a COW!" Too cute!
8:07 Sunoco for gas $1.09 a gallon. Gas couldn't have gone down at a better time and with price chopper rewards on gas it's a $10.00 fill up and we're off. Attempting the new route to try to avoid 95 in the day hours, UGGG!
8:09 Ally, "I'm hungry, I need a snack" I direct to to the line above where we left McDonald's for gas. It's gonna be a long trip. Oh how I love traveling in daylight.
8:15 Driving for 5 minutes and already the windshield is so filthy we can barely see out of it. No worries use the windshield wiper fluid. Nope! It's frozen. Perfect!!
8:38 Ally is her first act of kindness in weeks, gives Ansley her kitty cat pillow to sleep on. Maybe things are turning around.
9:00 Ansley "My belly hurts"
9:05 It killed me but we stop. Take girls to bathroom and clean the windshield. They are is filthy and now so are my legs from leaning in to strap the girls into their seats.
9:15 Ahhhh the open road
9:28 Ally "Are we still in CT?"
9:35 New York line. The roads are terrible, this is going to take forever at the median speed of 35 mph.
10:05 We have somehow messed up already and the roads are getting worse. With another storm just to the west of us we have decided to stop fighting the navigation and take 95. Unfortunately we have added more than 1.5 hrs to the trip by changing courses. Oh but what the heck, whats another couple of hours cramped in a small over packed civic driving 40 mph.
11:00 New Jersey and a brisk 26 degrees according to the car.
12:10 pm Ansley's asleep
12:35 Ally's asleep (Thank God for small miracles. Too bad it's so close to our lunch stop)
12:52 Delaware, no signs of snow anywhere. I think we're in the clear!
12:56 Maryland and a warmer 32 degrees. Lots of interesting looks as our civic with Georgia plates looks like it's been through a blizzard.
1:08 The first Waffle House sign. We must be getting closer!
1:10 Ally's awake "Are we in Georgia yet?"
1:30 Stop for lunch in the middle of nowhere 15 miles from the exit. Why do they put restaurants on the signs when they are soooooo far from the highway. UUUGGGGGGG!
2:30 We hit the road again. Look out Maryland mommy Rice is on a mission, GET OUT OF THE WAY!! Gas up at 1.59 a gallon.
3:00 Virginia almost back to the south.
4:10-5:30 TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC and more, you guessed it, TRAFFIC! Oh how I love I-95!
5:50 The kids are crying, I'm crying, Jerry wants to cry, and we aren't even out of Virgina. Boy it's gonna be a looooong ride.
7:10 Rest stop
7:20 Looking for food
8:00 Pizza Hut and a warm 42 degrees.
9:30 We stop at a Exxon for gas and to evaluate our current predicament. We have 500miles to go, more than half the trip and have already been on the road 14 hrs. With 6.5 hours to go (barring no further complications) we should arrive to my parents at 4 am. Just enough time for a shower, breakfast and the ride into work. Life is grand isn't it? Jerry's driving so I can get some sleep before work.
9:45 pm Both girls are asleep. Jerry is tired and we aren't going to make it.
10:00 pm North Carolina line, finally the south!!
10:50 We pull into the Flying J Rest stop (best rest stops, if ya wanted to know) Good place for a potty break, gas and a shower if ya need one. The kids are asleep so Jerry and I decide to pull in and try to rest for a few hours. It's tons of fun, especially when you can't put the seats back, in a civic, crammed with Christmas gifts. Can't you just feel the Christmas cheer!!
3:00 am I call out of work for the morning.
3:35 am Fun at the truck stop. Jerry and the girls have fun checking out all of the fun stuff at the truck stop store. Ansley finds some singing snowmen, turns them all on and starts singing and dancing. I smile for the first time in almost 15 hours.
3:40 On the road again. 337 more miles to go. About 5.5 hours. Is it me or should we have been there like 10 hours ago?
5:44 South Carolina line. 191 more freaking miles. 3 hours to go and it's pouring rain. At least now the car is clean.
5:45 Bathroom break for daddy, the girls are asleep.
6:15 Gas up before taking off at 1.45 a gallon.
7:43 Georgia state line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! About 85 more miles. 1.5 hours to go and a hot 51 degrees.
7:58 Ally's screaming. Ansley has a chunk of Ally's hair and is pulling, HARD!
8:10 We just passed our old exit in Jefferson.
8:20 Screaming and crying from the back seat.
8:58 Our final destination.

Gas for trip: about $30.00
Tolls: $19.05
Miles Traveled: 1,152
Total hours door to door: 26