Unscheduled Stop {365 - Day 213}

Today we managed to turn a 2 hour trip home from my parents' house into an epic 4 hour journey from hell.  For starters, it poured rain the entire.way.home.  Seriously, it was like a little storm cloud tracked our car the whole way.  It took forever as usual to pack all our stuff, so we didn't leave until 11:30.  Close to lunchtime.  So before we even got out of town, we stopped to pick up lunch to go and a rainy day treat of cappuccinos.

Then, we were on a phone call with our business partner which delayed departure for another 15 minutes.  By that time, we were in the car close to 45 minutes before getting anywhere.   Which led to problem number two, Sarah Beth needing to stop to use the potty.   She didn't ask though, she just got all teary-eyed and upset in the backseat until we asked what was wrong.  We rushed to find an exit on the way down the mountain, of course, where exits are few and far between.

We finally found one, which led us to our unscheduled stop at this nifty little roadside stand in Saluda. 

Day 213 {iPhone + Photoshop}

We bought some strawberry cider and a quart of blackberries.  I can't say either item was delicious, but it was fun walking around the little shop with its sawdust floors and homemade shelving.

Of course, once we stopped, SB didn't really want to use the potty.  She requested a pull-up, which usually indicates a more serious potty matter, so we obliged and got back on the road eventually after eating our lunch in the parking lot.

 

After about 20 more minutes of driving, SB decided that she really did want to use the potty after all, so off we went to a McDonalds in the middle of nowhere.  The potty had an automatic flush which was louder than a rocket, scaring the heck out of poor SB.  To top it off, the automatic water faucet was scalding hot and the hand dryer was even louder than the toilet.  I think that traumatic 5 minute stop undid weeks of potty training progress.

So, back on the road, we finally got close to Charlotte, when Sarah Beth  had enough and started yelling "I want to get out of the car NOW!"  The only thing that stopped her was the bag of chocolate covered pretzels that her Daddy bought her as a bribery tool.  (Note to self: don't ever buy chocolate covered pretzels for a car trip. Disastrous mess.)

I am now going to sit on the couch with a cup of hot tea and wish upon a star that a magic fairy unpacks my suitcase before I go to bed in an  hour.  Night night all!