Hey! Guess what?

I'm in North Carolina!

Weren't expecting that, were you?

Thursday night John came home from work and told me he would probably need to be in Atlanta for about 3 weeks starting Monday (today), and asked did I want to tag along with Libby. Sure! We talked about our travel options, and after running some numbers, realized that for the same price (less actually) of John's 3 round-trip plane tickets he would need if he went alone, we could rent a minivan for three weeks and drive out, staying overnight at a hotel on the way there and the way back. On the company's tab, of course. They also will pay for gas. So we put it all together and John turned it in to his project manager on friday morning. At 3 pm on Friday, John called and said "We're good". Since I had to work Friday night, I had 2 1/2 hours to get packed. Talk about scrambling! I got off my job early and was able to hit Target on the way home for snacks and entertainment for Libby. We were in bed by midnight.

Saturday morning Libby woke up at her usual early time and we were able to hang out all together in bed and get our wits about us for the day. We cut John's hair, got our showers, then left to pick up the minivan (with a DVD player, of course). We needed to get cat food for Hobbit and bloodworms for Fish, so we had to wait for the pet store to open at nine. I went to Target one more time for some last-minute things, then we reunited at chic-fil-a for breakfast. Fast trip to the pet store, then home to load up the van. We pulled out at 10:10 am.

13 hours later we made it to Birmingham, our stop for the night. Traffic was easy, and we stopped a number of times to eat, walk around, get gas, let Libby run, etc. Libby slept the last two hours of the trip, and I was worried she would be wide awake when we got to the hotel. Not so. she was tired, and shivering (it was cold!) so we bundled her up in some blankets and gave her some warm milk and she went right to sleep. John and I followed her example, asleep by 12:30.

Up bright and early again yesterday morning, we decided to take it slow. Our "Platinum Status" resulting from our 3-month stay at a Marriott this past summer got us two bottles of water, some fake trail mix, and a late check-out time of 1 pm. We had a great breakfast (the Residence Inn has the best hotel breakfast in the world) and spent a little while outside letting Libby run around and dig in the dirt. John got maps and directions together for me and we left around 11:30.

Daylight savings and the time zone change got us to Atlanta around 4-ish. We stopped at Whole Foods for dinner, picked up a few things, and I dropped John off at his hotel. Sad. I didn't want to leave him there, I wanted to bring him with me! Libby and I continued on our way, minus our male presence. She enjoyed a viewing of "101 Dalmations" (one of the purchases I made friday night) during the last leg of our trip. At 8 pm we arrived at my in-laws house in the Smokies. I love these mountains! We will be here for a week. Thursday John will get off work at 3 and will either rent a car for the weekend, or I'll go pick him up, and he will join us at his parent's house for the weekend, returning to Atlanta Sunday or Monday. Either Monday or Tuesday I will Libby and I will make our way to Cary where we will visit my family for a week. At the end of that week, we will drive back out to my in-laws, spend the night, then pick up John in Atlanta the next day and start making the long journey home to Texas.

A long trip, a lot of driving, especially for a 31-week pregnant lady, but well worth it. I got clearance from my midwife in case any of you were wondering (Dad) and kept my feet up most of the trip, so I don't have any swelling (Mom). I am tired, but that's nothing new, is it?

I am looking forward to a quiet week here in the mountains, and am also looking forward to my time in Cary. I'll be there for the big Stake Enrichment thing on the 22nd, so should be able to see most of my friends. (Dad, you'll be watching Libby, right?)

Libby is asking for a snack, so I'll leave you now.