The Oregon branch of the Mac Family packed up our kit and kaboodle (that’s them in the picture above) for our annual pilgrimage to visit the Tennessee branch of the family. We always enjoy it, but the last couple of visits I’ve thought to myself “that was our best trip yet!” This year was no exception. Maybe it’s because the kids are more independent and are such good travelers, maybe we’re figuring out the right balance of travel times/busy days vs. chill days/visiting vs. playing, maybe it’s because our relationships are deeper with the family there, or maybe it’s that we just always have a good time – regardless, we all had a great time!
Our trip this year was a little bit different, because we decided to travel a bit while we were there. I joked that we were crossing the Great State of Tennessee, and we pretty much did. We arrived in Nashville, spent a couple of days visiting with family, and then went to Gatlinburg with Papa and Oma. After a few days in the Smokey Mountains with them we drove our way down to Chattanooga to visit with Donna, Brenda and Hannah. Then it was back up to Nashville for a few days. Yep, if you look at a map you’ll see that we criss-crossed the state. I have a ton of pictures and a ton of stories, so I’ve broken up up the trip into a couple of different posts.
We arrived in a thunderstorm (after a three-hour delay in Kansas City). We caught right up with Papa and Oma and introduced the kids to their menagerie. Yes, the kids loved seeing their grandparents, and their great-grandma Nanny, but I think their favorite part of our time in Nashville was the animals at Papa and Oma’s farm. It may be their favorite part of the entire trip – since Sam and Clare still talk daily about Rosie the Pig, Blackie the Rooster, Gabby and Zeus (and Papi and Utah) the dogs, and Blackjack and Ransom the horses.
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| Sammy particularly loved Rosie the Pig. At one point he took me to show me the pig and he just couldn’t stop staring at her. He didn’t have the vocabulary to fully express himself so he said “It’s a pig! Her name is Rosie! She’s a pig! She has… a face!” |
It was nice to circle back after our traveling adventures back to Papa and Oma’s farm. We saw the animals again, relaxed with Papa and Oma and has a picnic in their backyard. It was a wonderful, mellow way to begin and end the excitement of the trip.
I’ll wrap up with a few more pictures of traveling. The kids did sooo well. At home we keep a pretty tight ship with a fairly structured schedule and regular meals. On the road it was much more relaxed – naps were caught as the kids sat still (usually in the car), meals were early/late or eaten in the car, bedtimes were late and wake ups were early. The kids rolled with it. Flight delays, no problem. Head lice, no sweat. Stomach flu, doesn’t slow us down.
Bless their hearts.
