Day 1

As we pulled away from 1201 Elise Victoria Drive this morning, I was still second-guessing myself. Family members were concerned, and had valid questions ("What if you have to pee and there's only one tiny stall?" "What if one of them chokes and you can't pull over?" "What if your truck breaks down?"). Well, I didn't have answers to any of those questions simply because I hadn't considered them. But, inevitably, I mulled them over in my mind from 10 p.m. last night to first thing this morning - and added a few more of my own. In the end, I simply adopted the "Que sera sera" mindset.
We hit the road at 7:00 a.m., and the first movie the boys watched was "Cars." At the beginning of the movie, Rascal Flatts sings a remake of "Life is a Highway", and wow...perfect timing!! Kids were happy, car was humming, and off we were. I reminisced about all my road trips as a kid with my family, which I always loved. In fact, truth be told, I come from a long line of road-trippers. Both sets of grandparents loved them, all my parents, too! My Mum actually had a CB in her brand new Firebird when I was a kid (Her name was Mellow Yellow, and mine was Mischief Maker)...so fun talking on it! Anyhow, before I knew it, we were out of Nova Scotia and into New Brunswick. The skies had cleared up, and the sun was shining brightly! I had to pee. To avoid any potential logistical issues at any of the rest-stops, I decided to pull over and inconspicuously hang a bright blue, gingham-print Raggedy Andy quilt over the side of the truck door which proved effective as a makeshift privacy curtain. I'm sure no one knew. We later stopped in Fredericton for lunch and some outdoor playtime. It's the first time that I've been to Freddie, and it's absolutely beautiful...I can definitely see why people live/vacation there. Only frustrating thing was trying to get back to the highway. I've got a little-known talent whereby I can retrace my steps or backtrack to near perfection...even if I've only done the route once. However, I came in on Queen Street, and it was a one-way. After several loops around the city, I learned that King Street was what I needed to get back to the TCH. Signs would've been helpful.
Once we were back on the road, Henry screamed for a few minutes, then Angus joined in. No, not because he was upset, too, but to get Henry more upset. It's one of his favourite games. So, that lasted for about 30 minutes, and then Henry fell asleep. Then Angus really did get upset, and kept screaming "NO! NO! NO!" at the top of his lungs for another 30 minutes. Their combined vocal stamina is nothing short of awesome. I told Angus to stop screaming or I'd turn off the DVD player. He screamed louder and so I pulled the adapter out of the lighter socket with as much force as I could muster, and the movie died. Angus fell asleep minutes later and I had silence for almost an hour. It was beautiful. It was then that I realized how tired I was. Have you ever gotten to a point where you start to lightly slap yourself in the face to stay awake? No, me neither. I pulled over in Edmundston to get some gas, and both boys woke up. I asked Angus if he wanted to watch another movie (I was going to try and get to Riviere-de-Loup), and he said "Woody with a 'W', please." (That's his name for Toy Story. You'd think 'Toy Story' is easier to say, right?). I went to put it on, and it didn't work. I checked the connections, and they seemed fine. I jiggled the lighter adapter into place, and realized that it was broken. Half of it was still jammed into the lighter socket, and the other half intact, where it should be. Unbelievable. I tried pilling out the remains with a set of pliers, but to no avail. I went to WalMart to see if I could find a solution. Isn't that their 'thing'? All I got from the electronics guy was a "Desole."
So here we are. In the Days Inn in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The three of us in one room. Henry in one bed, Angus in the other. Both (amazingly!) asleep. I'm glad I made it as far as I did, and that we're all still smiling at the end of the day (although, three times this afternoon, Angus had to say, "Mummy's happy NOW!"...that's his way of telling me to cheer up). It's been a good day! No regrets (except maybe the lighter-cord blunder), and loving the experience of being on the road alone with the boys. That being said, I'm elated that Ryan will likely be doing the drive back with me on Sunday! I'm hoping to make it Ottawa tomorrow, but if not, it'll be close. Lastly, thank you all for following me, and for your words of encouragement...they really put a smile on my face when I need it most. Like when I'm sitting in a 300 sq.ft., pitch-black hotel room with two two-and-under snoring kids, with Toy Story playing for the 7th time today.

TODAY'S GRADE: B