It Starts...

Miles Traveled: 213 (Macomb, Michigan to Gaylord, Michigan)

Day one began a little later than planned.   After picking up Jack from his final day of Kindergarten (a little more on that later), with a couple quick stops to get gas and our vehicle weighed, we finally got on the road at 4 pm.  As we drove north towards our first stop the sky was gray and the clouds heavy.  It wasn’t long before we were driving through rain.

The first “Are we there yet?” was uttered only an hour and twenty minutes into our drive.  Any guesses on how many times we will hear that phrase over the next twelve days?

As I entered the elementary hallway at Endeavor Middle School I was greeted with a bear hug from my favorite six year old.  As he grabbed his backpack from his locker, no less than five classmates told me how much they would miss Jack.  Jack stood by my side, nervously chewing on his fingernails, unsure of what to say or do.

 

As students in his class and other grades came up to hug my little man, I realized what an impact he has on others.  His friendly smile and big heart clearly won over this small elementary school.  His backpack was filled with going away presents from friends, teachers, and classmates.  It brought me to tears.  

His teacher, Mrs. Stout, came out of the classroom to give us both a hug.  How this lady looks SO put together after seven hours with six years old, is beyond me!  With tears in her eyes she told Jack she would miss him and his ability to “keep her on her toes.”  She asked for pictures and postcards to which Jack replied, “We could Skype, I have Skype on my Kindle!”  She laughed and said, “I guess I need to learn how to Skype, don’t I Jack?”

After a quick road side stop, including rest stop calisthenics (don't you worry there will be a future post about this exciting component of our trip) we made it to Gaylord.  I am surrounded by snoozing kids and husband.  Breakfast starts at six and we plan to be the first in line.

Tomorrow - Green Bay