Day 9 and 10

Well, the World of Coke deserved its own post so now I will finish up blogging about Day 9 and 10. After our adventure into Coke World, we ate lunch and then headed over to the Georgia Aquarium. This place is huge! It is the biggest aquarium in the world. We saw animals that I have never seen before. Did you know that one of their whales was transported to Atlanta via UPS? Man, talk about what brown can do for you!
Day 9 of our trip was really us being full-fledged tourists. We were tired by the end of the day, but we all had fun.

Colton in front of a viewing window at the aquarium.

Act like a fish!

Carter and Connor looking at the huge wall of water before us. Wonder if this is what it looked like for the Israelites as they passed through the Red Sea.

These two pictures were taken while we took a break while at the aquarium....Hunter and Connor played a game on Todd's phone...

and Carter and Colton wrestled.


After the aquarium we drove back to Griffin and had such a fun evening as we were treated to a barbecue with friends and family. The kids got to swim and we visited with Andrew and Alice Blake, Otis and Nancy Blake, Otis and Ellen Blake and all the cousins. Plus, we got to see Katie and Riley Newman. I have to tell you a highlight from one of my conversations this evening. As I was talking to Otis and Nancy Blake (who have been married for 50+ years) I said, "What an example you two are, you're still married, loving each other and doing things together!" Otis replied, "We're not just loving each other, we're excited about one another." Isn't that inspiring! To be excited about the person you are married to after more than 50 years together.

Thank you to the whole Blake family for being so kind to us while in Griffin! Here is a picture of all the boys the morning we left.

Otis Blake and Todd.

On Day 10 we began our trek home. We made a special stop in Birmingham, AL to see Ellen Davis and Kalynn Anderson. Why didn't we take a picture? Grrr....
We were supposed to stop at Ellen's school, and we did eventually make it there, but accidentally went to the wrong school at first. (I wish I could explain how comical this mix-up was, but my explanation just wouldn't do it justice. Right, Ellen?)

We probably could have made it all the way home on Day 10, but by the time we hit Memphis, we were shot. The boys were acting goofy and Todd and I were ready to be out of the car. We spent the night at an Embassy Suites and the boys swam one more time. (Lots of wet swim trunks on this trip.) Here are the boys this morning as we were checking out of the hotel.


Now it is Day 11 and we are headed home. In fact, we will be home in the next 40 minutes. Another remarkable part of this trip...being able to blog while in the van. Todd's new phone allows us to access the internet on a laptop while we travel. We stopped by The Library Center to return the books and audio books that kept us company on this journey. We are thankful for Adventures in Odyssey! What a trip. We traveled through eight states, visited great places and saw friends and family whom we love dearly! What's next? Laundry, groceries and the start of school for the boys. God you have been so gracious. Thank you for safety and precious memories.