We have arrived. I have to say, while we had some moments in the car the trip down here was pretty smooth.

We were able to leave by just after midnight on Thursday night and get a full nearly 12 hour day in. It worked great and the kids slept until close to 7am and we were at our hotel by 1pm. We stayed at a Days Inn in Chattanooga, TN that worked really well for us. The rooms were nice and the boys did well. We were having dinner at Sonic when the sky opened up and poured. It was very refreshing having a light mist where we were sitting.

The next day we got up fairly early and drive to Valdosta, GA. This was a much shorter driving day but a longer time with the boys awake. I have to admit, it was a bit more difficult than our first day but really they were troopers, it did help that we promised more swimming when we got to our hotel. By the end of the drive Zach was requesting, "bed".

Our hotel in Valdosta was a Quality Inn and while it was nice (the bedding was fantastic, nice fluffy comforters) the hotel itself seemed old and a bit run down. The best part, thought, was the Sonic and Sonny's BBQ just across the parking lot. This was a huge help as Zach was not handling eating in restaurants. (I think it was due to the constant changing of where we were. Even the places with play areas were not a draw for him and we ate in the car a lot. ) This was also a help since once again the sky opened up (seeing a pattern here) and we got a ton of rain. There was even a flood warning for our area but Brandon was quick to comfort me by explaining that since we were on the second floor we were safe. (Thanks honey) (rolling eyes).

Our third day out (Sunday) we took our time as we were not able to check into our house until 4pm. I thought the drive that day was a 4 hour drive but it ended up being more of a three hour one. This was fine as we let the kids swim in the morning while we loaded the car and then took a nice lunch at Sonic....

Gotta run, the boys are out of the pool and we are off to Disney, to be continued!

If all goes well we will be leaving middle of the night, tonight. The list of things to do is growing shorter so that is a good sign! Josh was very excited this morning that this was his last day of school. The funny/sad thing is that it's not the last day of school for the rest of Dujardin. They have tomorrow off, Monday off, and then have to come back on Tuesday for 1 hour. I'm not sure who comes up with these ideas.

We're going to be traveling to Lookout Mountain, TN tonight and tomorrow and then spending the night there. On Saturday we will be traveling to Valdosta, GA and then on Sunday on to Orlando. I'm not sure how much blogging I will be able to get done on the trip so I will give a full report when we get there.

Hugs to everyone....we're off!!

One day to go

I was asked by a few people if I was going to be keeping a blog and decided that having a record of our trip, even for just us to read, would be nice. So, here it is.

Cast of Characters (emphasis on Characters)

Me : Christy

Hubby: Brandon

Oldest Son: Josh

Youngest Son: Zach

Personal Support Worker: Ben

Just some background. Brandon and I have been married for 11 years in July. We actually met in a chat room and the rest is history. This year is Brandon's 6th year working with St Paul's Church in Bloomingdale Illinois and because of that he is getting 3 months sabbatical. When we started talking about taking a Sabbatical we knew that financially we were not able to pack up and travel anywhere. Brandon applied for and received a grant from the Lilly Foundation for about $50,000. We dreamed big and are now just hours away from leaving on this amazing journey.

Josh and Zach both have Autism Spectrum Disorders which will play a lot into this blog as much of what we decided to do this summer had to accommodate their disability. Josh has a form or autism called Aspergers which is typically more high functioning with sensory and social issues. Zach has more moderate/severe classic autism. Josh tends to be my avoider. He is oversensitive to stimulus and gets overwhelmed easily. Zach is a sensory seeker which is why many of you see him climbing, jumping, and running. Zach is also under-sensitive to outside stimuli which is why when you hug him he likes a strong squeeze as opposed to a light hug. You will see many examples of how these different approaches shape how the boys approach this trip.

Last of all is Ben, he's our PSW and will be with us for the summer helping out and being a third set of eyes. I'll talk more about Ben later.

Glad you can join us!!