South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee to Virginia

This was an exhausting, bitter sweet trip for us. We miss our family and friends in Des Moines, and now we have friends and places that we miss and think of often in Rapid City. E and I have been talking about how short a 3 month contract now feels. We went all in in Rapid and it was hard to leave. The sweet part comes in the form of a new adventure in a state, I've never visited and reunions with so many amazing people. The boys have become pros at long car rides. M is a craft addict, so much so that we stopped at a Michael's off the highway to restock. X loves books or magazines and both boys loved these little cars I picked up at Target. They were entertained by those the whole car ride from SD to IA. We also did plenty of roadschooling because M is full of questions and it is so easy to practice math, or any subject really when you're trapped in the car. And don't forget the snacks! Fruit rolls are a must and somehow gas station hot dogs off the roller are now a requirement on long drives. M even identifies Love's as his favorite gas station for roller hot dogs. The car rides are long and there is a bit of whining, but I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the adventure of driving through different states, stopping at various places, and conversing with my 5 and 2 year old. Driving honestly puts flying to shame, but I am sure the boys will love that too.

 

On the way to Roanoke we first stopped in Lexington, KY and spent the night at a hotel. The boys loved it, and I can now add stayed alone in a hotel with 2 children to my list of accomplishments. We had some extra time in the morning to go to a beautiful park in Lexington called Jacobson playground. It was great to take it slow and stretch our legs before continuing on. X has become obsessed with benches and there were tiny kid sized ones here, so he tried them all out. The trees were just starting to turn. Isn't Fall the best?!




When we decided to take this year to travel, I knew we had to make it to Knoxville, TN either for a contract or on our way to a contract. We were so blessed to be able to visit my college roommate and bestie who even lived with EZ and I when we were first engaged and happens to be M's fairy godmother. We detoured a tiny bit to visit Knoxville and spend a few days with her precious family.  I was so excited to meet her adorable little guy, introduce her to X and remind M of just how amazing she is. It had been 4 years since we last saw her! I guess that is what happens when you go to school in the south then move to the Midwest. We stayed up too late chatting, drinking hot chocolate, and watching Hocus Pocus 2. Family sleepovers are underrated. We also visited another pumpkin patch (I might be addicted), stocked up at Trader Joe's (the one store Roanoke doesn't have), watched LSU play a terrible football game, and walked the downtown farmer's market. It was honestly just as good as the DSM farmer's market. We had the best time, and the boys did not want to leave! 






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