Here's a photo of Stella getting ready for a day in the sun.
Day 1: Kicked-off at the lake house with the Gilleland family joining us for a day of fun. The children had a blast and the adults had more fun. Dustin cooked a great meal for us and we absorbed much beer and wine ... followed by night swimming and a lot of coconut water.
Day 2: Gilleland's headed home and we enjoyed the rest of our day swimming in the lake, kayak rides and relaxing. I got the ole' Weber going again and made a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs to last us our stay. Grilling and chilling.
Day 3: I decided it would be a fantastic idea to wax my car and get it ready for the trip. I drove around town picking up the car washing materials I would need to make my Subie look like, well, a polished Subie. Also had to pick up a replacement hammock stand from our last lakehouse trip, but that's another story. I did see a fawn the size of Lucinda in the neighborhood and took an incredibly bad video:
Day 4: Worst idea ever? Waxing my Subie. What was I thinking? The car looks EXACTLY the same, except now it shines a bit more. Too late, I remember why I hadn't waxed a car since high school. Oh well. Hopefully it shows me some love on the road. Stella and Dylan had a blast jumping off the dock into the water. Daddy had to catch Dylan (over and over again), and will be sore tomorrow. Sarah spotted a snake in the water, and I was able to snap a photo of the little guy. We had "family movie night" (always awesome) and watched, "How to Train Your Dragon." I need a dragon.
Day 5: Back to the ATL. Subie gets more attention - oil change and tire rotation. I hope this car doesn't get cocky and start thinking she's a BMW or something; that's all I need.
Several realizations about my sabbatical so far: The quality time with my children has been amazing - I will definitely miss them during the next phase of the trip. It has been great spending so much time as a family without feeling rushed. Sleep is still an incredible thing - caught up on a ton of it. Laying on a raft watching the sunset as the sparrows grow tired and the bats replace them is a beautiful thing to watch. Forgetting about work and various jobs is incredibly difficult. Beer is really good.
The next several days will not be exciting, as we pack, test, plan and map. But, I promise if you continue reading, this might actually get exciting.
