The Merrill Family: The fun of moving - from my kids point of view

So we left Maine on Saturday, August 18th to head for North Carolina. I wasn't sure where we would live once we made it back to NC since we had a contract on our house and the buyer wanted to take possession immediately, but that was beside the point. (Pictures of our beautiful house will be forthcoming on another post -- I'm so sad that we have to leave it behind.) The plan was to hit the road at 9am and make the journey in two days. Yeah, right. So much for the plan. We didn't get on the road until 10 and our lunch stop at Friendly's in CT took TWO HOURS! Very un-Friendly, my friend Justin said. So we stopped Saturday night in New Jersey, just off exit 8 on the pike. We didn't get to see our blogger friends Barb and Carlton in Delaware for dinner as was the plan -- a. my kids wouldn't have been happy driving that far, b. Carlton wasn't happy that day because he's getting his two year molars, and c. it just would have been too late by the time we made it. Barb -- I hope that we get to meet your family someday soon, and by then you'll have Baby GoGo home with you and we can't wait to meet him too!

Sunday was a new day and we got on the road by 9:30. Of course, with the move west meaning that it will be very tough to see my sorority sisters for the next two years. So, we stopped off in Maryland at Sarah's house for lunch. Of course, I again neglected to get photos (sorry Megers!). It was great to see Diana, Sarah, Kim, Justin (Kim's wonderful hubby), and Quinn (Kim's handsome little boy). Then after lots of visiting, and another two hour lunch, we were on the road again. This time we were able to stop just south of Richmond for the night, thanks to wonderful DC congestion slowing up the driving. Garrett and Elena decided that they had to sleep with YaYa and I, but we all got some sleep. This is their reaction Monday morning when I was trying to load the luggage trolley up so we could go bye-bye -- they thought they could get a ride too!

Finally, we arrived back in Jacksonville on Monday afternoon. Stopping for lunch around Wilson caused some concern for Garrett. He saw the hotel in front of Cracker Barrel and thought we were stopping for the night. "Nooo, nooo Momma! No night-night!" I guess that he had had his fill of hotels!

Thankfully my friends Stephanie and Mike offered their house as a stopping point until we could get more permanent sleeping arrangements for the next forty-five days settled. It was kinda appropriate to be staying with them -- Chris and I lived with Stephanie for the first month plus when we moved to Jacksonville seven years ago. But the kids and I didn't have to crash there that long this time. I found a beach house in Surf City for us to live in until we move in October. Whooo hooo! Of course, that meant that I had to pack the kiddos up again and move them again. I think the following photos accurately reflect my children's thoughts on the issue.