Six hundred and seventy-eight miles one-way in a car, twice in five days… Just me and my toddler… TOP TEN:
1. I love the rest stops on the Ohio Turnpike.
2. I hate the tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (holy $28!!).
3. I hate driving in the rain. Especially when I have to keep adjusting the speed of my windshield wipers.
4. I hate driving next to trucks when there is no shoulder, we are on a mountain, in a tunnel AND in a construction zone. I blame having watched too many action movies where things tip over and blow up!
5. I get extremely aggravated, irritated and irrationally angered by people who leave their blinker on for MILES!! C’mon people, don’t you HEAR it, SEE it?!? I mean, HOW, HOW do you not know?
6. I love that the Maryland Welcome Center rest stop has a Play scape!! INGENIOUS!! Note: the two people we saw both times through this past week keep this place as immaculate as Italian grandparents kept their tomato gardens… a true beacon on the long, long road.
7. I love that B must have two quarters and a shiny penny to crank out those “penny pincher” commemorative pennies at each and every opportunity. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered half of the machines are not working (at least the ones we encountered between Michigan and Virginia).
8. I love the ocean, buuuut the beach is sandy. Sandy in such a way that no matter WHAT you are wearing, eating, drinking or laying/sitting on, you will be getting sand in your mouth and every other unmentionable, uncomfortable crevice possible. I always forget this when I enthusiastically plan a day at the beach.
9. Hotel pools feel SO chlorinated that I always want to do a Silkwood-style scrub down afterward. (It’s an 80’s movie, called Silkwood, watch it)
10. I love my family. They came in from three states just to hang out for a weekend. I love my sisters gourmet, no-carb, perfectly portioned dinners (I think I lost weight, thanks sis!). I love my brothers constant joking about how he hates the water and hates heights, but he is special forces in the Navy and jumps out of airplanes INTO water for his job! I love the scruff of my dads beard on my cheek when he gives me a BIIIIG hug every time I see him.
My hubby had to work this Holiday weekend so I called my long distance family and arranged a last minute gathering of a few of us in Virginia Beach. I’m glad we came!
Tell me about YOUR Labor Day weekend…
Detroit Family Fun 
Awwww nice! I’m so with you on the indicator thing. Drives me bananas as well! I used to get really annoyed with the sand at the beach too but now that we live only 200m from the beach I’ve had to accept the fact that sand is a big part of our lives and now it doesn’t bother me lol Love the pics. So glad you had a nice trip and props to you for all that driving with a toddler!!!
Love a good road trip and you are one brave girl to go it alone with a toddler!!! That Pennsylvania Turnpike is KILLER on the tolls, I believe they are the highest tolls we have ever paid in all of our road travels!
Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting :)) I was SO nervous about it being just me and B for two days straight driving but he was a star! He did get a little stomach bug and we had to throw away two pairs of shorts but I wasn’t going to have THAT smell in the car for hours and hours… PeeeeYeew!
Haha, the blinker made me laugh so hard because it’s so true! People leave it on all the time… I’m glad they invented the blinker that only blinks 3 times. BUT! I think some people also need to figure that one out : D !
Totally! That three blink blinker option must not be available on all models, but I can’t wait for it to be standard issue 😉