A Few Extra Notes about Our Florida Road Trip (FL Part 7)

At the end of our last transcontinental road trip last summer, I typed out a post full of logistics. It was full of helpful reminders that I reviewed before embarking.  I want to remember just a few more things about this trip. 

I barely took any photos of Dan. Never again will I make that mistake.

I didn't pack enough things to keep the kids busy in the car. I totally forgot that step of packing the car.

My kids are completely proficient in taking selfies. Each time I gave them a camera it came back to me with at least one or two pics like this. 

I'm not complaining. I love these self-portraits. 

 Several weeks ago a speaker in church commented on the danger of becoming self-absorbed--the speaker reference the trend of taking selfies. I think selfies are evidence of my kids' (developmentally-appropriate) self-centeredness and I love that they think highly of themselves and smile into the camera. When their self-portraits become pouty I think I won't be so amused.

But since there is an occasional one of these I shouldn't be surprised.

I don't know if I prefer my perhaps-vain selflies to the photos of my backside that my kids snap. Both document that was there, so I suppose they both have value.

Here's what dinner on the road looks like when I have my act together. A chopped vegetable and black bean salad with chips (to use as scoops) and oranges. With the help of a grocery store, a good knife and cutting board, and just about any flat surface this is welcome vegetarian fare when we're traveling.

 By the time I get home the side compartment of my passenger-side door is full of these. I read them as we drive away to catch up on what I could have learned if our kids had just a little more patience or it I could read just a little faster. I'm just glad the parks make learning so accessible for someone like me without Internet on the road.

 My glove compartment was full of these postcards and letters written by the kids. This exposes what I haven't mailed yet--I guess we forgot to find post offices along the way. We buy a few postcards at each stop, and I keep the extras in the glovebox for future dates when they have the fancy to write a note to their grandma. Stamps are always packed away with them.