SUMMER 2024
Our oldest and her husband moved to North Carolina so we decided to head over and meet up with them from Texas. The plan was to drive to Chattanooga and meet up with our oldest, Maddy, and hang out there for a few days while she was finishing up leading worship for a camp. We decided to stay at the Chattanooga Choo Choo which was the coolest hotel. The rooms are all train themed and they even have renovated trains you can stay in! We hiked, shopped and ate some amazing food. Our favorite restaurant was The Boathouse and we even got to meet the owner. They have an amazing margarita and the oysters were so fresh! We also visited the Chattanooga whiskey distillery for a tour which was literally across the street from our hotel.
We drove to Raleigh to pick up our son in law and then headed to one of my favorite places on earth, Lake Lure. We were devastated that Hurricane Helene destroyed much of Chimney Rock but they are rebuilding and I have no doubt we will be back. We might even retire there! Our time at the lake was filled with boating, paddleboarding, relaxing, shopping and eating. I can’t wait to go back. We planned on heading to Charleston but ended up in Savannah for two nights in between stops, and then Hurricane Debbie had other plans for us. Our Airbnb in Charleston was canceled the morning we were supposed to leave Savannah so we drove to Santa Rose Beach instead. Thank goodness for smart phones and internet! It was super easy to book a new hotel so we just hit the road with no plans and I found something on the way. We ended up across the street from the beach and our Airbnb included a golf cart rental which made the trip less than 5 minutes. It was the perfect beach stay. We ended up realizing that our friends were also vacationing near by and it was super fun to meet up with them for dinner!
We have done several road trips with and without a camper and I have some pro tips for road trips with kids! Day 1 and 2 are always the worst. By day 3 everyone is starting to settle in so I let a lot of things slide on the first 2 days. There will be fighting and whining and I cannot change it so I let the kids work things out themselves and I don’t get involved unless I really need to. By day 3 everyone is getting into a new rhythm and that is usually when we start having fun. I also don’t make everyone do the same things. If we are doing an activity that say my 17 year old is not into, I will let her skip it and stay at the Airbnb to do something that relaxes her. It’s her vacation to and I don’t set expectations for everyone. Obviously, if you have young kids that is not an option but I do provide choices to my older teens and adult children.
Life is so short and we all work so hard that taking time for rest is important. We don’t travel much during the year so our two week summer vacations have been life giving. Summer 2025 is happening in July and I will have some fun new spots to show you! We plan to drive from Raleigh to Shenandoah Natl Park with a stop in Washington DC on the way back. After we regroup in Raleigh we are going to give Charleston another try! Happy Summer friends. :)
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