DAY ONE - Rogers, AR to Jackson, MS
We got up bright and early on Friday to hit the road for Jackson, MS - a little over halfway to our final destination of Pensacola Beach, Florida. The trip was relatively calm. We drove straight through to Little Rock, where we stopped at Park Plaza to let Caleb get out of the car and run around the mall before eating lunch in the food court. We stopped for just over an hour and then got back in the car to make the rest of the trip. Caleb was a great traveler this time. He watched movie after movie and never complained at all. He got a little fussy just as we were leaving LR, but it was because his sippy cup wasn't working quite like he wanted - nothing major. We stopped for gas in Pine Bluff and then drove straight through my old stomping grounds in McGehee without even tapping the brakes. (The last time we drove through there, I tortured Rudy with a tour past the places I lived, my elementary school, etc.) We stopped for several potty breaks along the way - a necessity with a pregnant woman and a 3-year-old and finally rolled into Jackson right on time. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which we were pleasantly surprised to find had a pool - another necessity when traveling with a 3-year-old. He (like most kids) LOVES staying in hotels. The boys went to kill some time at the Bass Pro Shop, which Caleb said made him "sad" because there was a stuffed bear biting a deer or something like that. He did like getting to see an alligator there, though - and he loved seeing all the fish. The boys came back to the hotel to get me and we went to get some dinner. After dinner, we swam in the pool and headed upstairs to get some rest for Day 2.
DAY TWO - Jackson, MS to Pensacola Beach, FL
Caleb woke up on Saturday morning and said, "I so excited to go to the beach!"
Mom and Mr. L. met us in Jackson around 11:00 on Saturday and we followed them the rest of the way to the beach. As we had the day before, we made several stops along the way for potty breaks, lunch and leg stretching. We got caught in awful traffic going through Mobile, but Caleb got to see the battleship USS Alabama (from the car window) and we got our first glimpse of the Gulf. I was sure ready to stop seeing pine trees and start seeing palm trees! We finally made it to Pensacola and we were sure glad to get the trucks unloaded. Our condo is absolutely fantastic. It opens up right onto the beach.
We don't have to haul our stuff across a street to ge to the beach or pack up in the car and park in a parking lot. We just go right out the back door, over the dunes and we're at the shore. In fact, I'm typing this on the back deck as I listen to the waves crashing and enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean. The condo has 3 bedrooms, a loft and 3 baths, so we have more than enough room for the 5 of us. The kitchen in this place is almost twice the size of my kitchen at home - which is good, because we sometimes all find ourselves in there at the same time. Mom and I took Caleb out on the sand for just a few minutes shortly after we got here. It was so good to feel that warm sand under my toes. I love that feeling. (I'm not so crazy about feeling sand in my bed, though...but it comes with the territory.) I haven't been on a beach since Rudy and I went to Mexico 5 years ago. There's just nothing like it. Caleb loved the sand and really wanted to make a sandcastle, but we convinced him that it would have to wait a little while. We came in and got some of our stuff unpacked while Rudy and Mr.L. made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on some essentials and to Joe Patti's to get oysters. When they got home, we had a quick dinner, then relaxed on the deck until bedtime. Caleb was exhausted and actually told us it was time to go to bed. He slept like a rock and I'm sure he was dreaming of sandcastles.
We got up bright and early on Friday to hit the road for Jackson, MS - a little over halfway to our final destination of Pensacola Beach, Florida. The trip was relatively calm. We drove straight through to Little Rock, where we stopped at Park Plaza to let Caleb get out of the car and run around the mall before eating lunch in the food court. We stopped for just over an hour and then got back in the car to make the rest of the trip. Caleb was a great traveler this time. He watched movie after movie and never complained at all. He got a little fussy just as we were leaving LR, but it was because his sippy cup wasn't working quite like he wanted - nothing major. We stopped for gas in Pine Bluff and then drove straight through my old stomping grounds in McGehee without even tapping the brakes. (The last time we drove through there, I tortured Rudy with a tour past the places I lived, my elementary school, etc.) We stopped for several potty breaks along the way - a necessity with a pregnant woman and a 3-year-old and finally rolled into Jackson right on time. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which we were pleasantly surprised to find had a pool - another necessity when traveling with a 3-year-old. He (like most kids) LOVES staying in hotels. The boys went to kill some time at the Bass Pro Shop, which Caleb said made him "sad" because there was a stuffed bear biting a deer or something like that. He did like getting to see an alligator there, though - and he loved seeing all the fish. The boys came back to the hotel to get me and we went to get some dinner. After dinner, we swam in the pool and headed upstairs to get some rest for Day 2.
DAY TWO - Jackson, MS to Pensacola Beach, FL
Caleb woke up on Saturday morning and said, "I so excited to go to the beach!"
Mom and Mr. L. met us in Jackson around 11:00 on Saturday and we followed them the rest of the way to the beach. As we had the day before, we made several stops along the way for potty breaks, lunch and leg stretching. We got caught in awful traffic going through Mobile, but Caleb got to see the battleship USS Alabama (from the car window) and we got our first glimpse of the Gulf. I was sure ready to stop seeing pine trees and start seeing palm trees! We finally made it to Pensacola and we were sure glad to get the trucks unloaded. Our condo is absolutely fantastic. It opens up right onto the beach.
We don't have to haul our stuff across a street to ge to the beach or pack up in the car and park in a parking lot. We just go right out the back door, over the dunes and we're at the shore. In fact, I'm typing this on the back deck as I listen to the waves crashing and enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean. The condo has 3 bedrooms, a loft and 3 baths, so we have more than enough room for the 5 of us. The kitchen in this place is almost twice the size of my kitchen at home - which is good, because we sometimes all find ourselves in there at the same time. Mom and I took Caleb out on the sand for just a few minutes shortly after we got here. It was so good to feel that warm sand under my toes. I love that feeling. (I'm not so crazy about feeling sand in my bed, though...but it comes with the territory.) I haven't been on a beach since Rudy and I went to Mexico 5 years ago. There's just nothing like it. Caleb loved the sand and really wanted to make a sandcastle, but we convinced him that it would have to wait a little while. We came in and got some of our stuff unpacked while Rudy and Mr.L. made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on some essentials and to Joe Patti's to get oysters. When they got home, we had a quick dinner, then relaxed on the deck until bedtime. Caleb was exhausted and actually told us it was time to go to bed. He slept like a rock and I'm sure he was dreaming of sandcastles.
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