the rhythm of the road: off to Charlotte



Bill with Ari and Ashlyn in their castle. Love it!

We set out. Thursday, January 3, my birthday. Typically, we tackle the 8-hour, 456-mile drive by leaving early. And we usually hit rush hour at one end or the other, Columbus or Charlotte. That day we left about 10 a.m. for reasons I'll not go into. Oh, and we were two cars: Bill and I in the minivan loaded with David's stuff bound for Florida, and Katie in the Civic, bound for her new/temporary home in Charlotte.

It was a drive made longer by a big fat back-up on I-77 south of I-81 in southern Virginia. I don't see why the closure of one lane creates such an insane back-up of traffic. Just keep moving, people!

This is what keeps us going ... knowing these darling girls are waiting in Charlotte.

Ari turned three on New Year's Day. What a bundle of fun!

She still calls Bill's beard "Popsy's feathers." Oh my goodness.

Ashlyn looks to Ari for her cues. She wants and does and says whatever big sister says!

She also takes a shortcut and calls BOTH of us "Baba." Adorable.

We spent three nights in Charlotte, visiting Dan and Jenny and playing with the girls.

We hit the road again after church on Sunday.

Next stop: South Carolina!