Texas and Southern Comfort Food

We're on the road, heading to Florida. Well, right at this particular moment G, J, & C are sleeping in the hotel room while I type away downstairs in the breakfast area but soon we'll be on the road again.

We began our journey on Tuesday morning, after locking up our Woodstock house one last time That was quite sad. I'm almost glad we won't be there to see the "For Sale" sign posted in front of our beloved house.

We headed east and made it past NM and into TX that first day. We spent the night in Ft. Stockton, TX Tuesday night.

Yesterday we continued to drive through Texas. We drove, and drove, and drove, through San Antonio and Houston, and we still ended up in a hotel in TX again last night, this time just outside of Beaumont, TX. We stopped in Luling, TX to have a late lunch with Grandpa John's daughter, Barbara. She was sweet enough to drive an hour just to catch up with us!

We drove into Central Time that first day of travel and J wants to know why he had to eat breakfast in the dark?! We're used to waking up to nearly broad daylight at 5:30 AM. Now, it's not light out until 7 AM or later. This is not necessarily a good thing for us early risers!

Since we've been in Texas the longest thus far, I'm noticing the Southern accent, the extreme politeness and friendliness of the locals, and the delicious Southern comfort food.

Last night, after being on the road for over 11 hours, I was determined NOT to be subjected to fast food again. So G and I grabbed the hands of each child and walked a ways to a shrimp and steak restaurant.

Al-T's had an interesting menu. Fried Alligator was on the menu. I wasn't brave enough to sample that or the frog legs. The menu also showed fried "boudain". I had to ask the waitress what "boudain" is because I honestly didn't know.

In the end, I decided on shrimp gumbo with cornbread. Ummmmmm! It was quite yummy, reminding me a bit of my year spent in Atlanta. I do love cornbread! We played it safe with the kids and got them breaded chicken and fish.

The humidity is increasing as we drive East. My natural wave is coming back into my hair, but so are the frizzies. So far, the humidity hasn't been unbearable, but we have been in air conditioned cars most of the time. G mentioned that he actually likes the humidity. It's repairing his cracked and dried skin.

I'm listening to the news coverage on the eastern storm, Hurricane Earl. It's predicted to reach Category 4 storm. 145 mph winds. At least it's on the Atlantic side. This just reminds me that I will now have to start being concerned with natural disasters.

Okay, time to get packed up and on the road again. We're hoping to get through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and into Florida today!

My Kindergartener didn't start Kindergarten today.

This morning as I drove J & C to their preschool, I saw the little neighbor girl from across the street being walked to her first day of school by her parents and older sisters. She and J would've gone to school together.

I saw several other small children walking with their backpacks so large it seemed as though the child would tip over. Some kids were dashing to get in the doors before the bell rang and big yellow buses were lumbering all around me on the streets.

Today should have been the day that J started Kindergarten and I must admit, I'm feeling a bit sad that he isn't...yet.

When we purchased our house 5 years ago, J was 8 1/2 months old. Already we were thinking about what elementary school he'd go to and we chose our house in large part because it was part of a school district that had an elementary school with consistent EXCEL ratings, as well as good middle and high schools close by. Many of our neighbors had sent their kids to the elementary school that was walking distance from our home and they raved about the school, the teachers, and the principal.

We've spent these past few years acquainting J with this elementary school with frequent walks to play in the playground. We talked it up a lot to build his excitement.

Not all that long ago, we attended Kindergarten round-up and enrolled J in the upcoming Kindergarten class, not knowing we'd be moving out of state. He was so excited to tour that elementary school and we were just as excited.

Given our current circumstances, I had to make the practical decision to wait on starting J in Kindergarten until we get to FL. He would only be in this elementary school 2 weeks before our move. It didn't make sense to put him in one school only to pull him out and start him in another.

So, my little Kindergartener didn't start Kindergarten today. Most likely, he'll start on Sept 7th, about 2 weeks after the FL schools begin. We will have missed any 'meet and greet' social events they have for Kindergarteners and their parents. We won't have the luxury of getting a tour in advance. We will miss out on the fanfare and excitement that comes with all the little Kindergarteners starting their first day of school together.

I'll have to make J's first day special for him in my own way. A special breakfast, new school supplies, being there to help him get settled in a new classroom, and taking lots of pictures. Same for C as well, as she'll be starting a new preschool too.

And when that's all taken care of, I'll get to go home to a house full of unpacked boxes. I suppose it'll be nice to have the distraction of unpacking that first day.