On Friday, we set off on our first road trip as a family. When we told people we were planning to drive to Florida from Chicago, we got some shocked expressions. “You’re going to drive to Florida with a toddler?!”
We left Chicago after work on Friday night and made the five-hour trek to Louisville. It was smooth sailing until it was time to sleep at the hotel. Victoria was restless, and I was therefore up until 3 a.m. The next morning, we slept as long as possible before visiting friends and family in the city. It was nice to relax for the morning and early afternoon without being stuck in a car.
We departed Louisville around 2:30 p.m. on our way to Atlanta, where we had booked a hotel. Our six-hour drive took us through Bowling Green, Nashville and Chattanooga before finally heading into Georgia. Our short stay was nice enough: I soaked in Dr. Teals Lavender Epsom Salt solution and then went straight to bed. Victoria and I both slept much better this night, despite the loud noises emanating through the hotel hallways.
We awoke at 7 a.m. to get ready for our last leg, a seven-hour drive. It was a rainy but pleasant day in Atlanta that turned into torrential downpours as we hit Macon. Several people had died the night before in tornadoes in southeast Georgia, and the forecast called for more possible tornadoes and thunderstorms. To say I was on edge is an understatement. It didn’t help that a weather report said there was a 90 percent chance there was a tornado within 50 miles at any given time in exactly the area we’d be driving through. What?! We paid attention to the radar to make sure we were safe, and we planned to stop driving if the drive ever became hazardous. Luckily that didn’t happen. We crossed the state line into Florida to find sunny skies and a temperature of 80 degrees. Not too shabby!
That later turned into more storms, but it’s been pleasant so far.
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Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.