Well, since this TR is entitled "2 Kids, 2 Dogs, 1200 Miles...", I guess I'd better get to introducing the two dogs. Well, really one dog, one odd dog/cat hybrid.
On the right is Pepper. We're not sure exactly what he is (we got him as a rescue.) When people ask what breed he is, we usually respond in one of two ways:
- Part Lab, part Spaniel, Part Stupid (He's lovable and very protective of the kids, but honestly, sometimes I swear he's about a bright a box of hammers)
- Holstein
See? Because we're from Wisconsin. We have cows everywhere. It's even our State's Official Domestic Animal.
On the left is Allie. She was also a rescue, but we know what she is: part Rat Terrier, part Australian Cattle Dog. Also part cat. Let me explain: her previous owners had her since she was a puppy. They also had two cats. So she learned much of her mannerisms from them. For example: laying around in the sun and being completely ambivalent to the presence of humans - except for when she wants to play. Madison wants a cat so bad, and every time she asks, we just say "we already have Allie, why do you want
another cat?"
Our plan for the trip was to drive down and stay with Bambi's parents in Lakeland, FL. You thought we were staying onsite for 2 weeks? With the dogs? I just checked - to board two dogs at Disney's Kennel, even at the resort guest rate - is over $900. (Cats are a little cheaper, but I don't think they charge on mannerisms, just on biologically what your pet is supposed to be.)
So, for not having to pay a dog sitter at home or in Florida, we decided to bring them with us. Pepper is already pretty skittish about new experiences, so sticking him in the cargo hold of an airplane would not be a good idea. We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)
With that our plans were finalized - we would drive the 1200 miles (hey, isn't the name of this report "2 Kids, 2 Dog, 1200 miles"? Yes, yes it is. It's not a coincidence.). We've driven twice to Florida already, so we knew we could do it without having to vote someone out of the van half way there. We packed everything up and left home at about 3:45 on Friday, June 28. Yes, we did the math and realized this would put in Chicago at rush hour. Our philosophy was this - we'd rather sit in rush hour traffic with the possibility of getting lucky than sit around home for 3 hours, then go.
Everyone was excited to go! Even the plant we had packed in the back (that was from Bambi's Grandfather's funeral back in February. Bambi's dad wanted the plant, but didn't want to take it on the plane. We plantsat for 5 months, then brought it with us).
Last but not least, our navigator for the trip - Perry the Platypus.
Well, we did get stuck in Chicago rush hour. According to the GPS, we only lost about 30 minutes though, which wasn't so bad.
The drive was pretty uneventful - which is a good thing. Every trip where we don't have to stop and clean up vomit is a good trip in my book. We drove straight through again, stopping for gas, potty and driver changes every 3-4 hours or so. This was taken at 1:18am, which would probably put us somewhere around Tennessee. And, as we have every single time we drove though, we saw the majestic Smokey Mountains of Tennessee in complete darkness.
To keep the kids engaged in the drive (or possibly to keep them from turning on us, mutilating our bodies and leaving us in a ditch in remote Georgia) the kids get a small gift at every state line. One of Evan's gifts was
Lego Indiana Jones for his DS. We didn't hear a peep from him for over an hour.
Madison, ever the fashionista, is modeling her new purse.
The dogs are pretty good riders. Basically they get to do what they would be doing at home - sleeping. But even that gets a bit taxing after 18 hours in the van.
Notice Perry has turned around to watch the road and make sure we are going the right way.
And then - my world came crashing down. 6/25/2011 10:12 AM. In the middle of nowhere South Georgia, I found a Cheese Doodle in my Cheese Balls. I can't even describe how I felt. Hurt. Rejected. Sad. Angry. Confused. You know that feeling when you find an onion ring in your french fries? And how happy you are, like you just won the food lottery? Yeah, this feeling is the exact opposite of that.
I ate it anyway, but I didn't feel good about it.
For anyone that's done this drive, you know that from Atlanta south is the worst part. The scenery can generously be described as "barren", and you've still got 10 hours to go. Our last gas/potty stop showed just about how everyone is feeling.
Compare that to the first picture of the kids in this post. Heck, even the plant looks depressed.
But we pressed on and made it to Grandma & Grandpa's house by early afternoon on Saturday. 19 hours and 40 minutes - shattering our previous record! (Never mind the fact that Bambi's parents recently moved from the south side of town to the north, easily cutting 20-30 minutes off the drive)
Coming Up Next: "Do you think we should just trade [the van] in and buy a new one?"
I'm glad everyone is ok. How brave of Madison to get back on her bike after such a fall.
(Welcome, anyway, though!)
Or...um, my kids do. 
I'm picturing you, looking through the sun roof at the heavens, arms outstretched and shouting "WHHYYYYY???!!!" 
I love it!
