We decided that instead of taking a direct route to Utah
we would make the most of it and take the time to visit some
family before we left that part of the country.
Our first stop was in Myrtle Beach South Carolina
to visit Mike's brother Joe and his sister Kim.
We got in late and were able to crash (thank goodness!) at their place.
Then we headed to Valdosta, Georgia for a visit with Mike's dad and step-mom
They fed us a delicious lunch of pulled pork.
The kids enjoyed playing Mancala and Checkers
Anna was constantly checking on Sasha in the heat and
making sure she had enough water.
Johnny gave Noah a leather jacket that belonged to his father
He gave Dallin and Isaac each a pocket knife
Shelia gave the girls each a doll.
Mike and his Dad
Our air conditioner in the truck decided at this point to be very selective about coming on...
You could say we were HOT!
After Valdosta we headed to Byron to visit briefly with Jan and Dale.
This visit was nice also because it gave us a chance to cool off in their house.
When we left Jan and Dale's it was a little later so it wasn't so hot outside,
that made it so we weren't burning up as much in the car.
I felt especially bad for Sasha...I know she was uncomfortable in the heat.
We made it to Marietta to stay with Mike's aunt Juanita and her husband David.
They kindly took us to dinner at Howard's Delicatessen.
I guess parts of the movie "A Joyful Noise" were filmed there.
The next day we took the truck to Juanita's mechanic to be looked and he
said it would take a day or so to get everything working properly.
If I remember correctly the air compressor had to be replaced
and the front and rear brakes or rotors! Not cheap!
We decided to make the most of it!
We went and visited with Mike's grandma.
This was something that was very important for us to do.
She hadn't been doing very well lately and we didn't know if
we would be able to see her again.
We also made a trip to the Coca-Cola museum,
we took Mike's cousin Jessie with us too.
Dallin and Isaac getting carbonated
Dallin by the vault where they keep the secret formula for Coke
I wish they would have had these for sale in the gift shop!
Yep...her face pretty much says it all
Beverly is disgusting!
...but if you go there, you must try it...
I got Dallin's reaction to it on video...
Olympic torches
Kids on the couch from the Coke lounge on American Idol
On the move we tried to eat at a different place
for each meal, and we tried to introduce the kids
to places they hadn't had before.
While in Marietta we introduced them to Krystal.
Since we had the delay in Marietta Mike's mom decided to drive there and visit with us
so we wouldn't have to make a stop at her place in Alabama.
We were glad to see her and thankful that she would do that
for us so that we could try to get back on schedule.
