Sent Off and the Pennsylvania Turnpike

After enjoying Audrey's and Allie's supercool blogs, I feel a compelling need to chronicle the familiglia's (to be said using a 'Godfather-esque' like voice) journey to Texas. As many of you know, we are test-driving Texas for the summer. To celebrate my departure =), some friends and I went out to dinner. It was a perfect late night out to prepare me for an unholy road trip with just me, my kids, the dog, and a sketchy dvd player. So! I left ahead of Jon so that I could visit my parents on their mini-mission outside Kirtland, Ohio http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1834-1-1-1,00.html. Mapquest says it will take 5 1/2 hours. So, me, the three kids, and the dog...I'm figuring 6 hours (I'm pretty hard-core [in my head] about potty-breaks). Yeah, no. Slow, tearful start followed by cool-mom stop at McDonald's (total bribery food as far as I'm concerned). Then, and this is my favorite part, a 2 1/2 hour STOP on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Total parking lot. People got out of their cars to walk their children, dogs, and ferrets. So, I did, too. Can you say 'clown car'? People kept looking to see who/what was going to come out of my car next. Imagine my phshtnk stopped on the freeway, me holding Calvin with one arm (no small feat), walking the Berkeley dog, and helping Lucy and Mackey out of the car. (I apologize to anyone who called me during this leg of the ride - I'm sure my words were choice.)
But the absolute crown jewel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike experience would have been my new freeway neighbors. They were very nice, but a pretty rough looking crew. The thing that made me a bit nervous (as they were parked next to us) was when I heard the mom (?) screaming out of the window to one of the kids (no kidding): "Would you put that *&^%$ thing away? You could shoot a person with that thang."
If it weren't for my friends from PA, I would write off the entire state.