Day 1

Today was our first day on the road. We decided to drive to Smoky's mom's in Illinois, rather than stop along the way for the night. In case you are wondering (or even if you aren't!), that previous statement didn't mean that we made no stops today! Our protocol is to drive a little while and stop [first at a Steak and Shake for iced tea], drive a while and stop [next at an Eddie Bauer Outlet to see what their specials were], drive a while and stop [this time for a bathroom break], drive and stop [we topped off the gas tank and wandered around Sam's Club], drive and stop [time for dinner! yea!], and then finish the drive to our destination.

I know, it's surprising with all those stops that we arrived in time for sunset.

After hauling all that stuff that we packed into the motel, it didn't take Gabby and Sparky long to settle down. They look pretty comfortable and relaxed, especially given that they didn't have to do any of the driving today!

I'm pretty tired myself tonight, so I think I'll sign off. Tomorrow we will visit with Smoky's mom and other family.

—Shann