I know I was bad this weekend…not blogging or anything.
I drove Chicky and a teammate to South Carolina for more soccer games. You might recall that I made this drive three weeks ago.
Before we left, though, I checked the mail and found this…
Free samples! With coupons!!
We drove to Jacksonville on Friday after school, allowing the girls to attend all of their classes. This is important because they take college classes and have a strict attendance policy.
The only bad thing about leaving in the afternoon is night driving, which I despise…
We pulled into Jacksonville around 10pm.
We were blessed in being able to stay with another teammate for the night…saving some $$ in the process.
What a lovely home. The bed I slept in was heavenly! I noticed this sign on one of the walls…
My personal favorite on the list? The third thing from the bottom.
We rose early on Saturday and drove the rest of the way. What beautiful weather we had too!
I think I’m a fairly patient driver…always considerate of my passengers’ needs (i.e. hunger, potty, etc.). So, we stopped whenever the urge arose.
Because we travel so much, I have grown to appreciate certain things…non-greasy fast food, clean restrooms…you get my drift.
Boy, did we hit the lottery (minus the money) when we pulled over at a Goasis…located somewhere between Savannah and S.C.
The thing that drew me there was the price of gas, which I could see from the interstate – $2.21/gallon.
The girls went on into the bathroom, and I joined them after filling up.
Here’s what I saw when I entered…
Notice the low-level sink? It’s perfect for the littlest hand-washers.
Chicky was coming out of the stall, and she said, “Just wait…it gets better.”
And it did…
Doesn’t that look like a bathroom in a hotel room? Every stall had its own sink with enough counter space to set your purse on. The walls were floor to ceiling, allowing for even more privacy.
Here’s another view…
It was simply AMAZING! What a welcome respite from most of the places we typically stop. There were several food establishments to choose from inside, along with hand-made yummies such as fudge! I was a good girl and limited myself to the chocolate chip chocolate muffin which, I later discovered, had pudding in the middle. YUM!
We arrived in Columbia, S.C. with plenty of time to spare, which allowed me to make a visit to Hook n Needle to purchase this…
It’s Noro Kureyon, and yes, the Mr. knew I would be purchasing it. My plans are to make a booga bag with it…a gift for his grandmother for Christmas.
The girls waited patiently in the car, and then we headed to the hotel for some relaxation time before the game. Unfortunately, the team lost both its games (one Saturday night and one Sunday morning), but considering that there were no subs available, the girls played well, only losing 2-5 against the two best teams in the league.
Although the games didn’t turn out our way, I have to say that if you’re ever traveling to Columbia, make sure you consider staying at the Hilton Garden Inn at Harbison. It’s very nice and close to a lot of amenities. Again, that’s the picky side of me coming out. We stay in a lot of hotels in a lot of “interesting” areas. I appreciate primo locations when I am blessed to stay there.
We wearily began our drive home after Sunday’s game…a LONG nine-hour drive.
On the way, I stopped and picked up newspapers from Columbia and Atlanta…
It’s very interesting to compare the coupon supplements from different papers.
We stopped many times on the way home. Whatever the girls wanted, I tried to deliver.
I had to laugh when I came out of the bathroom and walked to the car during one stop. Here’s what I saw…
Who knows what search prompted the girls to pull out their bags. And then to leave them out? Someone could have easily walked off with them. But still, it was funny.
We finally pulled into town around 7:30pm, dropped off Soccer Teammate, picked up Rooster from church, and pulled into the driveway…
It was another weekend of traveling. I know I’m going to miss these days when Chicky is out of college.
Filed under: children, Knitting, soccer | Tagged: goasis, harbison, hilton garden inn, soccer, south carolina | Leave a comment »
AuburnChick's Adventures 