We left right after school on Thursday and headed to mom and dad's to meet up with Em and Jeff. They were caravaning with us to NJ on Fri morning. Mom and dad had left earlier that day, opting instead to take the trip in 2 days, so that it would easier on Mom. She did really well on the trip, by the way. Very happy for that! While mom and dad were gone, the church family tore up the old, Hobbes-soaked carpet and refinished their wood floors. I hear they look beautiful! So, to help them out, we moved almost all the furniture out of the living room and dining room that Thursday night, before we left. Well, we got up at 5:30 am on Fri and got everyone dressed and loaded. We didn't actually leave until about 6:30, but that was right when we had hoped to get out of there. Here we are at the start of our big adventure!!
We stopped only once before stopping for lunch. But, when we stopped for lunch, we stayed there for over an hour. Just enjoying stretching our legs and getting out of the car! We stopped right inside of PA. The kids were REALLY excited to see signs of Hershey!
They had soft pretzels there, the size of our heads! Really yummy!
We had a great time caravaning together, because even if we didn't stop at the same times, like when they had to feed Kendalyn or we had to take bathroom breaks, we always seemed to catch back up with each other and were able to have lunch and some breaks together. Here we were at lunch.
Yay! We're in PA!!
We had a great time caravaning together, because even if we didn't stop at the same times, like when they had to feed Kendalyn or we had to take bathroom breaks, we always seemed to catch back up with each other and were able to have lunch and some breaks together. Here we were at lunch.
Yay! We're in PA!!
I tried to take a picture of the beautiful PA landscape, but it was hard to do that in a moving car. The forest mountains were definitely a sight to behold. I didn't realize how much I missed this area until I was back. We spent every summer as kids and teens there in PA and NJ and it felt so good to be back there. The kids couldn't get over how different it was from what they are used to. They "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed" the whole trip. Looking at the rocky cliffs wall by the road or the rolling mountains. It was all just absolutely beautiful!
I think the most exciting part of taking the PA turnpike was hitting the tunnels. I remembered these from when I was the kid and took this route specifically for the tunnels. The kids LOVED them! We got to go through 4. :-)
We took another relaxing break right before hitting Philly. And, good thing too, because the traffic was insane. We're lucky we all made it out of that city with our marriages still in tact! But, this was a quiet, relaxing little stop. Jeff and the kids were looking for clovers.
Em fed Kendalyn and Pete checked out the map. There was a Phillies game that night, so the traffic going into the city was bumper to bumper. But, once we got into the city, it wasn't too bad. We crossed the Ben Franklin bridge, which is a huge bridge going into NJ. The kids loved that too! They got to see so many new and awesome things during this drive.
Well, we finally made to Grandpa's house around 7pm, I think. The kids were tired, but did an awesome job on the trip. They were just too happy to be upset or fight. It was great! When we got there, my parents were there and my Aunt Judi and Uncle Alan, as well as my cousin Heather. It was fun seeing them that night.
We didn't stay very long, because we wanted to get to the hotel, but I walked the kids around the house and showed them what their great-grandparents' house was like. Then walked behind the house to Mt Calvary, their church. Love this church and had SUCH an amazing service there on Sunday. I'll share that with you later.
Then we went back to our hotel room, which was FANTASTIC! It was so big!! Can you tell? We had a king bed and a fold-out couch, so there was plenty of room for all of us. And, for our LOST party on Sunday. ;-)
And, the best part was, we had a full kitchen! So, we were able to feel right at home. Our first day/trip was really a great start to our adventure out east. Would do it again in a heartbeat!
I think the most exciting part of taking the PA turnpike was hitting the tunnels. I remembered these from when I was the kid and took this route specifically for the tunnels. The kids LOVED them! We got to go through 4. :-)
We took another relaxing break right before hitting Philly. And, good thing too, because the traffic was insane. We're lucky we all made it out of that city with our marriages still in tact! But, this was a quiet, relaxing little stop. Jeff and the kids were looking for clovers.
Em fed Kendalyn and Pete checked out the map. There was a Phillies game that night, so the traffic going into the city was bumper to bumper. But, once we got into the city, it wasn't too bad. We crossed the Ben Franklin bridge, which is a huge bridge going into NJ. The kids loved that too! They got to see so many new and awesome things during this drive.
Well, we finally made to Grandpa's house around 7pm, I think. The kids were tired, but did an awesome job on the trip. They were just too happy to be upset or fight. It was great! When we got there, my parents were there and my Aunt Judi and Uncle Alan, as well as my cousin Heather. It was fun seeing them that night.
We didn't stay very long, because we wanted to get to the hotel, but I walked the kids around the house and showed them what their great-grandparents' house was like. Then walked behind the house to Mt Calvary, their church. Love this church and had SUCH an amazing service there on Sunday. I'll share that with you later.
Then we went back to our hotel room, which was FANTASTIC! It was so big!! Can you tell? We had a king bed and a fold-out couch, so there was plenty of room for all of us. And, for our LOST party on Sunday. ;-)
And, the best part was, we had a full kitchen! So, we were able to feel right at home. Our first day/trip was really a great start to our adventure out east. Would do it again in a heartbeat!
2 comments:
Your pictures and commentary is wonderful. Thanks for all the help you were in the planning and coordinating of this trip. Without your help it wouldn't have happened.
I love the family picture.
I feel like I'm writing a book, because there's so much to share, ya know? Hope I'm not boring people with my long-windedness!!!
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