- When considering driving 8 hours in two stretches, make sure you bring ample snacks
- Do have enough "good food" to bribe children to eat when they want "bad food"
- Fruit roll ups are officially "bad food"
- When driving through New York City, strongly consider a nice long and LOUD movie for the DVD player. You can actually listen to it because the traffic is so slow.
- Counting license plates is still pretty cool, but much harder when the states have multiple designs.
- Driving through 11 states takes a fricken long time
- Playing "I Spy" in the Smoky Mountains can get dull (I spy something green. A tree? Damn, I spy something green, Another tree? DAMN!)
- Hiking in the Smoky Mountains can be damn beautiful and restful
- Staying with family? Not so restful
- Staying with cousins that we love? Fun, but SO not restful with 5 kids under 7 in the house
- When your spouse asks your child "You said you ate all of the Chicken McNuggets. What do you call THIS!" And she replies "Turkey" Do NOT LAUGH! We are NOT ENCOURAGING THIS (although, even I admit it was pretty funny)
- When your spouse asks your child "Why are you being so childish?" and the other replies "Because she is a child", that is okay to laugh.
- teaching your children hiking is priceless
- Being in touch with nature is wonderful, especially when you have taught your kids how to avoid poison ivy, so they tell you every time you pass one on a trail
- 9 days is a little too much togetherness.
- But I love my family and hope we do many more of these trips
Guess who went on Vacation? Bullet format
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