On July 11, 2014, we embarked on an adventure. An adventure to see and learn and make memories. An adventure we’ll never forget. With the car (thanks again for letting us borrow the Highlander, Sharon!) loaded down and smiles on our faces, we left our little North Georgia mountain town and headed out on a roadtrip out West.
First stop (aside from a couple of necessary restroom breaks), Alabama. We found a nice little camping spot at Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham. There, we set up for our first official night of camping on the journey and went about making a nice gourmet meal of turkey sandwiches, complete with Doritos on paper plates. That’s right, we classy.
After our fanciful meal, it was time for a trip to the spa. Errrr, I mean, a dip in the lake. Now, if you really know me, you know I don’t swim in lakes. At all. Ever. If I can’t see the bottom, it’s not happening. But, my sweet husband weaseled me into this one. When you’re just getting started on possibly the best vacation of your life and your significant other starts saying things like, “They’re only little once” and “This is vacation…they want to hang out with us…enjoy these moments…blah blah blah…,” you get into the dang water! It’s vacation, baby! So, knee deep, splashing around in a merky Alabama lake is how we started making memories on our American adventure.
After a hot, humid night in our tent, we got an early start on the road, heading toward Mississippi. We were excited to stop at the Mississippi River, and we found the perfect viewing spot on the Mississippi/Louisiana border in Vicksburg, MS. The kids were able to stretch their legs and run around on the playground while we enjoyed the view.
After our playground shenanigans and Mississippi River viewing in the sweltering heat, we had a hankerin’ for some Louisiana grub. So we crossed the bridge and started looking for a nice local spot to take a break. We happily stumbled upon a gem of locality in Monroe, For the Love of N’awlins! The staff were all so sweet and friendly. They chatted up the kids and asked about our trip. And the food? It was amazing! Jet and I both stepped out of the box and tried something new. I think it’s safe to say that by day 2, “It’s vacation, baby!” had pretty much become our #americainthebuff mantra. So, I ordered the Crawfish Po Boy with a Remoulade (am I even spelling that right?!) sauce. You guys, it was SO GOOD. Our little Jet ordered gator. Yep, GATOR. When in Louisiana…you know. We embraced it. And it was good.
We saw a billboard on our way to lunch in Monroe and Jet was pretty adamant that we make an extra stop along our journey. So, we were all, “Whatever. It’s vacation, baby!” and embraced our inner redneck and made the stop. The boy was happy. It was worth it.
Also, twins?
Our trip from Georgia to Louisiana went by pretty quickly. Meaning, a lot of driving, not a lot of sightseeing. How do I put this delicately? It all looked like Georgia, so we were ready to get further West for a little change of scenery. We enjoyed the food and the sights and the memories, but onward we must go!
If you made it to the end of this blog, kudos! There will be more adventure sharing to come! I mean, just imagine how long my Cali blogs will be. Have Mercy!
If you missed some of our adventuring while we were out and about in July, you can update yourself on instagram: #americainthebuff
xo | Brooke
PS: Just incase any of you moms were wondering how we entertained the kids on our journey, I bought a couple of USA color and activity books for the kids to complete as they go. The first two days, they were a hit! But, let’s be real. They got tired of them by the time we made it to Texas. That’s just real life, you guys. We roll with it.
