Johnny's First Road Trip

We packed up and headed to Washington, DC over spring break to visit Johnny’s Aunt KK. My mom, Casey, Johnny, and I piled in our sweet Oldsmobile Ninety-eight and started our drive around 4:45 Friday afternoon, April 2. We made it as far as Morganton before we had to pull over to change a poopy diaper. I should have recognized this early pit stop for what it was: the foreshadowing of a long trip to come.

I figured we would arrive at the DC Days Inn by 1 am, but my calculation was off by a couple of hours. While we did exit the beltway at 2 am, we drove around and around trying to find our hotel, thanks to some misdirection from the hotel’s night clerk. We eventually got checked in and into our room around 3 am. We were all exhausted. Since having Johnny, Casey and I are usually in our bed by 8 pm and asleep by 9 pm. I know, I know, we are real party animals these days! Needless to say, we fell into bed, unpacking only our pajamas.

And what about Johnny? He did great on his first long distance ride. He did stay awake well past his 6:30 pm bedtime, finally going to sleep around 9 pm after our dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Blacksburg, VA. He slept until midnight, waking when we made a coffee stop but falling right back asleep as soon as the car was moving again. He stayed asleep until the next morning, even sleeping through being moved from the car to the hotel room. Score! My major concern about this trip had been that Johnny would not sleep and would be cranky the whole time. This scenario never played out. He slept snugly between his Nanny Ward and me each night and was a perfect angel everyday. I cannot remember even one cry. We know how fortunate we are, and we are so thankful for Johnny’s easy temperament!

Johnny’s Nanny and Granddaddy Mabry flew into DC Saturday morning, and the seven of us spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday sightseeing and eating great food. We toured the major monuments and memorials, walked around the perimeter of the White House, admired the Cherry blossoms, listened to beautiful music in the National Cathedral, walked through the National Zoo, and rode an open top double-decker tour bus around the city. The weather was gorgeous and warm, perfect for sightseeing and touring.

We reluctantly left on Tuesday morning and arrived back in Marion around 8 pm. We were tired from the weekend’s activity, but it was a good kind of tired. Johnny’s first road trip was a success, and Aunt KK made Easter weekend memorable for all of us, especially my mom because this trip was her first to DC. Thanks, Aunt KK! Johnny is lucky to have such a cool aunt!