It was about a year ago that we drove from Ohio to Texas, stopping along the way in Little Rock, Arkansas. In all likelihood, we’ll be moving again a year from now. I wonder what we’ll discover on our next moving-day(s) road trip?
For more travel photos, stop by the family travel blog Delicious Baby and check out Photo Friday.
It’s come to my attention that I take lots of pictures of the back of E.’s head. Sometimes this is on purpose, but not always. I’ve noticed that it’s really difficult to get a good picture of her these days…I’ll get the perfect shot all lined up and then–poof–E. is running away and my neatly-composed moment is gone.
So, here is a collection of pictures of the back of E.’s head that actually turned out better than they might have if she had looked at me and said, “Cheese!”
Here she is outside of the Guenther House in San Antonio:
And here she is at Disney World this past spring:
In this photo, E. checks out a horse in Bandera, Texas:
This is one of my favorites. E. is standing in front of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
I took this picture of the back of E.’s head on purpose when we were in Hawaii:
However, this most recent one, at Love Creek Orchard in Medina, Texas, was an accident:
Remember to check out Photo Friday at Delicious Baby for fun travel pictures that are actually properly-composed!
Since it’s mid-September, I guess it’s time to admit that summer is officially over. And what a summer it’s been! We moved from the midwest to southern Texas, E. served as a flower girl at our friend’s wedding in North Carolina, and we enjoyed a weekend trip to Chicago. We also started exploring our new hometown and the surrounding area, booked our next big trip, and renewed our vow to workout on a regular basis. I’m tired just thinking about it.
As for our journey from Ohio to Texas, it already seems like old news to me! But since the big drive was pre-blog, I figured I would write about it now before I forget the details.
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We decided to take the Nashville–Memphis–Little Rock–Dallas–San Antonio route with a few of our military friends who were also moving to Texas. Although we each drove at our own pace, we stayed at the same hotels and met up for dinner each night. Our overnight stops were in Nashville, Little Rock, and Dallas.
We left Ohio after 5:00 on a Friday evening, so we didn’t get to Nashville until late. The first leg of the drive was uneventful, although the countryside in Kentucky was really quite pretty. By the time we reached Nashville, I was exhausted! We hit the sack as soon as we got to our room. The next day, we met up with my cousin for coffee, had lunch with our friends, and hit the road. Nashville seems like a blur when I think back.
The drive through Arkansas wasn’t nearly as pretty as Kentucky, but there wasn’t much traffic and the weather was good, so I really can’t complain. I felt a little hesitant about our impending stay in Little Rock. I had heard some not-so-nice things about the city and didn’t know what to expect. We stayed near the Clinton Presidential Library, and I have to say…I LOVED IT. From what I saw of Little Rock, I thought it was quite charming.
We ate dinner at Bosco’s, which had tasty food and great beer. E. was super-good that night. She was very patient while everyone finished eating and entertained herself by coloring lots of pictures. She must have been tired! The girls and I took a quick walk while the guys had another beer. It was Saturday night, and the area was crowded with people going out to bars and restaurants. We felt totally comfortable walking at night in the area, although it might be less crowded during the week.
The next morning, Nick, E., and I went by the Clinton Presidential Library before it opened for the day to take some pictures. I love taking pictures of architecture, so I took several. I had been anxious to see the building, since I had read some critical things about its design. I liked it; definitely modern, but nothing too shocking.
After lunch in Little Rock, we got on the road for our third day of driving. After an uneventful drive, we finally reached Dallas. This felt like an accomplishment; we were finally in our new homestate! After checking-in at the hotel, the girls and I asked the front desk guy for recommendations for dinner. We decided we wanted BBQ, and of course we mentioned that the restaurant had to be kid-friendly. We were directed to Bone Daddy’s. Upon our arrival, we discovered that it is basically the BBQ version of Hooter’s! We were a little surprised, but they did have a kid’s menu and descent food, so it worked out fine. We all had a good laugh.
The next morning, we went downtown to Dealey Plaza to see the infamous grassy knoll. I remember learning about Kennedy’s assassination in school, and it was really interesting to see the site in-person. Somehow, it seemed much smaller in person, not as expansive as it seemed on television. There were a fair number of people there: some of them taking pictures with tripods, studying the area carefully. Others were running out to the X on the road, which marks where Kennedy was shot, and posing for pictures. It was definitely odd. We ate lunch, got back on the road one more time, and headed south towards Austin.
We didn’t stop much on the way to San Antonio. We were so anxious to get to our new hometown. Once we got here, we headed to our future home first, even though we’d be spending the night in a hotel. After checking out the new pad, we ate dinner at a Greek restaurant, visited the Alamo, and checked-in at our temporary home. Luckily, our furniture arrived a few days later, and we were able to move into our house that same week.
Considering the drive was 1,200 miles, I feel like I should have some…thoughts?…feelings?…about the trip. I saw places I had never been to before, and E. racked up a few states on her travel map. Yet, the most exciting part of this trip was arriving here in San Antonio and realizing that all of the preparation had paid off.
