In one month and two days, Brainy Bird and I will pack everything possible into a rental car, and we will hit the road to South Carolina. The anticipation of this trip fills me with excitement, nervousness, and a tiny bit of sadness all at the same time. Brainy Bird is officially leaving the nest!
I spent an entire evening earlier this week charting out our trip. I am anxious for Brainy Bird to get home, so we can look at it together. I can pretty much guarantee what I put together will change once Brainy Bird reviews it. He will inevitably have ideas for optimization. Right now, I am happy with the entire trip, but I would really like to get back on Monday instead of Tuesday. Little Chirp starts eight grade on Tuesday.
Our “move to college” trip begins on Thursday, August 12th. We will drive just over seven hours that first day. Brainy Bird gets to decide whether we stop in Lake Charles, Lafayette, or Baton Rouge that day. We will stop for a couple of hours to have lunch and to break up the drive. We will arrive in Mobile in plenty of time for dinner and to enjoy a walk along the shoreline.
Brainy Bird gets to pick where we go to dinner. I made a list of my top four choices based on my Google search, and ideas on what Brainy Bird likes. I am going to have him make a short list as well. If one on his list overlaps with one on my list, that will the obvious choice.
On Friday morning, we will skip breakfast and hit the road early, stopping off in Montgomery, Alabama for lunch. I again have a list of restaurants, and I will have Brainy Bird make his own list for comparison. We will stop off in Atlanta to stretch our legs and do a bit of site seeing, and then we will head to Augusta. We could make it all the way to Columbia, South Carolina that day, but I want to stay in Augusta. The hotels are nice as it is a capital city, and they are WAY cheaper than the not as nice hotels in Columbia.
The next day, we will hit the road and be in South Carolina in time for breakfast. We will be going to the Soda City market. The Soda City market is held every Saturday in Columbia, SC. The market consists of producer only vendors selling food, seasonal fruits and vegetables, crafts, and vintage items. The Soda City market is a beloved Columbia tradition.
A bit of Columbia history for you: Columbia’s nickname is the Soda City. This comes from “Cola” being short for Columbia. Cola is a type of soda. The nickname has nothing to do with the invention or making of soda.
In the late afternoon, we will do some additional shopping. We intentionally have not bought everything that we need, so that we do not have to pack it all. We will also map out our logistics for move in day. Saturday evening, I am hoping to get us a reservation at what is now my favorite restaurant in Columbia.
On Sunday, we will go to brunch. I get to pick the place because Brainy Bird will be living in South Carolina, and I will be the visitor. Then at 1 PM, he gets to move into his dorm. I plan to help him get everything moved in, and then I plan to give him a long goodbye hug, and he will be officially living on his own. I have not yet decided whether I will spend that afternoon driving or if I will stay another night in South Carolina and head back first thing in the morning. I am not 100% sure that we can get all of our shopping done on Saturday, so I am playing it by hear in case we need to move stuff in, head to the store and then do a second round of moving things.
I am assuming the cafeterias are open starting on Saturday. If not, Brainy Bird has some money saved for meals until the cafeterias are open. When we visited they told us that most kids save their money for eating off campus on the weekends when the cafeterias offer limited service.
This summer is an exciting time for our family, and it ends with the excitement of our big trip to move Brainy Bird to college! I can still hardly believe it. Fly high Brainy Bird!