Today marked the first day of our family road trip. Our day started at the new U.S. Cellular store in Joplin. We arrived early and were greeted by the store associates and quickly equipped with new HTC Merge’s for our whole family and also a new Motorola Xoom tablet. While at the store, all of the associates were really nice and helpful. Especially Kathryn, who helped us get our new phones set up with Apps and fun games. Angry Birds was a necessary download for Drew.  We can’t wait to learn how to use these devices as we explore these new cities. We are so excited that we will be able to share our road trip experiences with not only our family and friends, but also with everyone following our adventure! 

After we were all set, we started the five hour trek to St. Louis, Missouri. We took I-44 all the way there. We were pretty lucky with weather in the beginning but soon ran into thunderstorms along the way. Forging on, we finally spotted the St. Louis Arch in the distance.  

We just arrived at our hotel in St. Louis and have luckily gotten a small break from the rain. Hopefully it holds up for the Cardinals game tonight. Our hotel is right across the street from the stadium. We are exhausted but we’ve had a good day. Can’t wait to begin our adventure in St. Louis tomorrow and see what’s in store.

Today is the second day of our family road trip. We woke up refreshed and ready for our riverboat tour on the “Tom Sawyer.” We got to stand at the front of the boat and gaze out at the St. Louis riverfront while the captain told us a little history about the area. One sight that was talked about was a statue in the water that depicted Lewis and Clark returning after they explored the Louisiana Purchase. The boat ride was hot but with the breeze, it was very relaxing.

After the tour ended, we visited the St. Louis Arch. It was much bigger in person than we had originally thought! Known as the “Gateway to the West,” it is a 630 foot structure made of stainless steel, completed in 1965. Drew was a little nervous because he is afraid of heights but with some convincing, he agreed to take the tram to the top. Once inside, we learned about the history surrounding the Arch including how the design was selected and how the arch was built. The tram seats looked like little white egg shaped pods with five small seats. We were all a little anxious, but we made it to the top without a problem. Once at the top, we got to admire the city from above. We could see Busch Stadium and our hotel. It’s true what they say – the people below really did look like ants. After we took some pictures, we caught a tram back down to the bottom. It was a memorable experience and even Drew enjoyed it.

After we visited the Arch and got some lunch, we started our drive to Memphis, Tennessee. We took Interstate 55 South most of the way and were thankful that the weather remained absolutely perfect. We stopped at the Arkansas state sign to take some pictures and after 5 hours on the road, we finally arrived at our hotel, ready for dinner and a good night’s sleep!

Our Memphis adventure started when we first arrived in the city. We checked into our hotel and freshened up before heading to Beale Street, nicknamed the “Crossroads of American Music.” The street was packed with people and there were policemen on horses and bicycles everywhere you looked. Music blared from every restaurant, shop, and stand and Elvis impersonators of all shapes, ages, and talent levels littered the streets. This only seemed fitting since this week in Memphis is Elvis Week which celebrates the 34^th year since Elvis’ passing. We shopped for a bit and found some souvenir t-shirts before heading to the Hard Rock Café for dinner. While at dinner, we were even serenaded by Elvis impersonators. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

In the morning, we took a quick detour to Sun Recording Studio where many stars, including Elvis, made their first records. We took some pictures and then headed to Graceland to pay a tribute to Elvis. Many fans of all ages were also there to celebrate his life. We took a tour bus to the Graceland Mansion where we had the chance to tour the downstairs portion of The King’s house. We were surprised to hear that he bought the house when he was just 22 years old and only paid a little over $100,000. The décor inside was 70’s style, recognizable by the avocado-colored kitchen appliances. Some of our favorite rooms were the T.V. room and the pool room. All of the rooms were designed by Elvis himself with very eclectic furniture and decorations. Outside the mansion, is the final resting place for Elvis, his mother, his father and grandmother.  There was also a memorial plaque for his brother.

After leaving Graceland, we began our drive to Atlanta. Our drive today took us through 4 states: Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The weather was sunny and warm; perfect for a road trip. We finally arrived in Atlanta at about 9:30 p.m. exhausted and ready for some dinner. We checked into our lovely hotel where we promptly ordered pizza for dinner. We are very excited to explore the city of Atlanta tomorrow and can’t wait to visit the Aquarium!

The fourth day of our trip began with a walk through Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta towards the Georgia Aquarium. The torch like towers and engraved brick walkways made it seem like the city of Atlanta was still hosting the Summer Olympics.

The Georgia Aquarium was the activity that Shelby and I were looking forward to the most. We were not let down at all because the Georgia Aquarium was awesome! We saw so many interesting and beautiful animals of all sizes and colors. From tiny fish and sea horses to massive whalesharks, beluga whales, and manta rays, the aquarium showcased it all. At the African Penguin display, you could crawl through a tunnel and see the penguins from under the water, right in the middle of their habitat. They were so close to you! Our favorite display was the Pacific Reef which had a variety of fish to look at. The tank holds 600,000 gallons of water and even simulates the waves of the ocean. We happened to be there at feeding time and got to watch a diver feed the fish some tiny shrimp.

 We finished our visit with the Dolphin Tales show. Dolphin Tales is a water show that includes singing, lights and perfectly timed maneuvers by the dolphins. We had never seen dolphins in person and were amazed by their grace, beauty, and intelligence. Watching the trainers and the dolphins work together was fascinating.

After we left the aquarium we headed towards South Carolina and Grandmama’s house in Walterboro. The road to get there was very scenic and took us through many small, southern towns. We arrived at Grandmama’s house in the early evening and were greeted by hugs and smiles. We were so happy and relieved to see each other. After spending some time visiting, we took Grandmama out to dinner to celebrate her 62^nd birthday. It was the perfect way to end this day. The long drives are behind us and now we can relax and focus on spending quality time with family.

The fifth day of our road trip was very mellow and was spent visiting, relaxing, and pampering Grandmama. After all the driving from the past couple of days, it was nice to have a day to decompress. We ate lunch with Grandmama at her house and helped her take care of a few things around the house that she was unable to do on her own. When we were done helping around the house, Shelby and I took Grandmama out to get her hair cut and her eyebrows waxed. She felt very spoiled and we were happy to just spend time with her. After that, we headed to the store to pick up a few things she needed to make sure she was taken care of when we left. It was a long day for Grandmama and after all the activities, she was very tired. We made plans to go to Charleston in the morning and then went back to our hotel so that she could get some rest.

The rest of the evening was spent swimming back at our hotel. At first Drew was hesitant to swim because it was dark but since the pool was heated, he changed his mind pretty quickly. We swam for almost two hours, ate dinner and watched some TV. We also used our Motorola Xoom to research activities we could do in Charleston. After we made our itinerary for the next day, we watched some more TV and went to bed. It is so great just to be here with Grandmama and enjoy the beautiful weather. School starts next week for both Shelby and Drew. This has been the perfect way to end our summer.

Today was the sixth day of our road trip. We picked Grandmama up early to get a start on our jam packed schedule and headed towards Charleston. On the way, we made a quick stop at the Angel Oak. The Angel Oak is a giant live oak tree that is truly enormous. It is estimated to be over four hundred years old, but many people say it’s over a thousand. The tree is twenty five and a half feet around and sixty five feet tall. We took some pictures and headed towards Patriots Point.

Patriots point is home to a retired aircraft carrier named the U.S.S. Yorktown. We put Grandmama in her wheelchair and Shelby pushed her around the carrier. Drew really wanted to see the airplanes so we started our tour on the flight deck. We were surprised at how much he knew about the aircrafts before reading the information plaques. Next we headed down to the hanger. In the hanger was a flight simulator, a Medal of Honor museum and even more airplanes. In the Medal of Honor museum, we learned how the medal is awarded and learned about men who had received this honor.

After we left the U.S.S. Yorktown, we got something to eat before heading to Battery Park. The park is near the ocean and surrounded by Civil War cannons. The famous Rainbow Row is adjacent to the Battery. Palmetto trees line the waterfront. Across the street is a wide sidewalk and a railing that overlooks the ocean. From the railing, you can see the boats in the harbor and Fort Sumter in the distance. Many of the sailboats were out on the water, taking advantage of the windy day. The sound and smell of the ocean was very soothing after a busy day.

When we were all worn out from walking up and down the waterfront, we headed to our car and drove Grandmama home. We said our goodbyes with lots of hugs and kisses before heading back to Charleston and checking into our hotel.

Today was the seventh and final day of our road trip. The day began with Drew and Shelby taking a morning swim. Then it was time to check out of the hotel and head to Charleston International Airport where we turned in our rental car and checked in for our flight. The kids had never flown before and were both a little nervous. When we were taxiing down the runway and gaining speed for takeoff, there was some clutching of the arm rests and nervous breathing. There was also some unexpected turbulences because of storm clouds in the area but once we reached cruising altitude, it smoothed out and they became more comfortable.

We landed smoothly at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport at about 2:00 p.m. local time. We ate lunch at Chili’s in the airport, drank coffee and sodas, and spent some time downloading apps from the Android market and learning how to use our new phones. Finally, it was 6:55 p.m. and time to start boarding for our flight to Joplin. This time the kids knew what to expect and were much more relaxed. We had a wonderful flight and landed in Joplin a little before 9:00 p.m.

Winning U.S. Cellular’s Summer Mobile Adventure has meant so much to my family. After a difficult year financially and emotionally, it was amazing to be able to go visit Grandmama, especially with her poor health. Although we don’t get to see her often, she is such an important part of our family. Because of this trip we were also able to see and do a lot of other great things that the kids really enjoyed. Shelby loved the Georgia Aquarium and Drew loved visitng the U.S.S. Yorktown in Charleston. After such a hard year, it was great to see them smiling and carefree for a while. This road trip brought us closer together as a family, and that is a truly priceless prize.