Road Trip Confessions

{Warning:No pictures} Last night I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with girl friends!! When I first moved back to Birmingham after spending some time in Tuscaloosa for graduate school, my roommate and I were invited to have dinner with a group of girls. When I first went, I knew a handful of these girls because they were from Mobile though a year younger than me. Ten years later I am still invited to enjoy dinner with this group monthly, and I have come to know many of these women quite well. It is a group of amazing women who I am blessed to call friends! When I think of how the group was formed there is no clear explanation though the one unifying element is that we all love the Lord and for those of us who are mothers want to raise Godly children. Truly, we are blessed to have each other and our monthly Girls Supper Club. We have been there for each other through thick and thin, the highs and lows, the joys and tribulations of life, and I don't see that changing. We've seen dates gone awry, weddings, an indoctrination to motherhood ~ babies {babies born and babies wanted}, job changes, new addresses, etc... Last night was a treat in so many ways ~ 1. I needed a night out of the house 2. All but two of the group were there 3. Rachael fixed an amazing shrimp dish ~ a recipe that I can't wait to get my hands on Now for the meat of the post: Road Trip Confessions As I told you, the children and I went to Mobile last weekend. Many people wonder how I travelled with four young children alone. Well, first of all my children are good travelers. {For that we are blessed because we seem to be on the road a lot~} We do not have a DVD player nor do I want one in the car. Instead we talk. We listen to music and sometimes books on tape. The children play games and interact as we drive. Yes, sometimes that interaction turns to screams but for the most part it is a sweet time. When the screaming gets to be too loud I interject and we do something together. This particular trip we counted trucks heading northbound on I-65. Simple yet satisfying...Sometimes I let them pack a backpack of activities, but not always because it is just one more thing that has to be put away upon returning home. Best of all, my children sleep in the car. As hard as I try, my children don't always get as much sleep as they need so they catch up on some much needed zzzz's. I much prefer rest stops to fast food restaurants and gas stations, and I typically pack a picnic for us to enjoy as we get out some energy, take a break from sitting, and of course potty. For some reason I didn't do that on Sunday. I think my reason was wishful thinking that I could make it all the way home without stopping. What was I thinking! Well, we stopped at what is about the half-way point to grab lunch, feed a baby, and of course potty. I wasn't about to take all four children into the tiny restroom by myself so we {the confession is that the "we" included me} used our trusty bucket. I have a bucket in my car! Yes, a bucket ~ nothing fancy, just a bucket you could use in the sand. We say that it serves double duty ~ trash can and potty.