So our hodge podge of a little family just survived our first major road-trip vacation! 20 hours total in the car together.... and we lived to tell about it! This is a picture from the hotel in Paducah, KY - the Quilt Capital of the World. Woo hoo!

We were actually on our way to spend a couple days with friends who live just outside of Nashville. For some reason,though, Lyric is fascinated by hotels and it just wouldn't have been a vacation without one ( in her mind anyway) so Pat and I obliged. I'm not sure if it's the novelty of having a swimming pool in your "house" or the fact that you can order food to your room....or have breakfast in the lobby but she would choose a night at the local Holiday Inn any day over a full day at Disney World!

If you've ever known a child with high functioning autism, you will find that they almost always love to play with children younger than themselves. Lyric is no exception. Once we arrived at my girlfriend's house, Lyric was in heaven. Three little girls - all younger than her - were ready to treat her like a Queen. No teasing, no one calling her weird or asking why she sings so much....just old-fashioned fun like making smores in the firepit, swimming til exhaustion and hiding out in Tinkerbell tent.

The girls are well-behaved and quiet. The house is cozy and warm. During bedtime prayers each night, Lyric surprised us all by joining in and thanking God for the great time she was having there.

And when it was time to go she cried. "I wanna move here, mama." We drove away and I made a mental note to try and capture as much of my friend's family life as I possibly can - to recreate the calmness. To give Lyric peace. To give her a sanctuary from a world that will be very harsh at times. To eliminate some of the rush-rush-rush that has become so commonplace in our own home. And to give Lyric time to be Lyric.