Florida Days 8 and 9--Wrap it up!

Sunday's task was to drive from Macon, GA to Lebanon, IN (a medium-sized city outside of Indianapolis). We weren't really on a schedule of any kind, so we made a lot of stops. The best one was Sugerno's Coffee Shop in Louisville. It came recommended by 2 different Facebook friends, so we made a mid-afternoon stop. The kids enjoyed their hot chocolate and chocolate chip scone.

We had a rough night in Lebanon--Sammy was awake until 10:30 and Anne until 11:30. I was awake until 12:30, and Daddy woke us all up by 6:00. It was a little rough there for a bit... :)

Monday was the drive home to sweet Minnesota. No offense to Erin and Todd, but how do you people live in Chicago?!?! Worst traffic of the entire trip. We left Indiana at 6:30 a.m. and reached our driveway at 4:02 p.m. We were all anxious to be home and enjoy our own space. Sam and I both slept hard last night on our familiar pillows!

Here are some random facts about the trip:

--Gas averaged $3.50 per gallon--most expensive was in Chicago ($4.12)

--Our awesome Kia averaged 26 MPG

--We saw license plates from 30 different states and families on the beach from several different countries (My favorite? The super-British dad with children named Ruby and Archie)

--Sweet tea is the cocaine of the South--so good!

--DVD players are not good for every day driving, but they are awesome for long road trips. Thanks, Opa, for loaning us yours. It made all the difference.

--Also indispensable for modern travel is a smart phone. It seemed like I was constantly Googling things while we were on the road, such as "McDonalds playplace locations Indiana"

--Three states in a row claim Lincoln as their native son. We passed through Illinois (The Land of Lincoln), then Indiana (Lincoln's Boyhood Home), and then Kentucky (Birthplace of Lincoln) Get a new claim to fame, people!

--This country's time zone boundaries are senseless and confusing. We spent several hours of travel not knowing for sure what time it was.

This trip was excellent and we will definitely do it again. Feels good to have some new family memories!