Day 6: Hello D-Rock!

As our 5-day sojourn in Jasper came to an end, the Lamps jumped into the old covered wagon, better known as a Chevy Malibu and headed north to Decatur.

The schedule was packed for the days in D-rock…supply run when we got there, 18 holes for Joel on Thursday/pedicure and shopping for Bonnie, Steven's third and final birthday party on Friday night, trip to B'ham for Bonnie to introduce Steven to her college friends/trip to Oxford to see Nate and Allison and meet Palmer, then three days in Decatur to hang out with the family before returning back to Jacksonville.

So where do we begin? How about with lunch.

We left Jasper around 10:30 that morning as Steven was fighting his morning nap and it was a good time to make a run in the car to get him to sleep. So off we went, and Steven was asleep about a block down the road.

With the little one soundly sleeping, we sat back and enjoyed the scenic drive through the back roads of north Alabama. There was the drive by the cock-fighting ranch (didn't know that was legal and I'm pissed I didn't take picture of the sign), the cell phone dead zone near the cell phone tower and the drive over Smith Lake.

Once in Decatur, we quickly unloaded and made a bee line to the home of some of the best, if not the best, barbecue in the country – Big Bob Gibson's.

Another delicious barbecue meal was consumed, with Steven getting in the act and enjoying some barbecue pork with his parents and grandmother.

It was back to the house where Steven got his first gift – a John Deere ATV. He jumped on it immediately and has barely left it alone since his Grandmother rolled it out.

After a few minutes at the house, we made the trip up to see Mimi – Steven's great-grandmother, along with his cousins and great aunt and uncle. Steven was wired by all the people who wanted to watch him and he put on a show, eventually succumbing to a nap with Mimi, who decided to join him in Sleepland.

From there, we all got dinner at Cracker Barrel – where Steven put on a clinic. He ate all of his macaroni and cheese, while gobbling up some his mother's roast beef. He ate and ate and ate. It was the most he had ate since he got sick, so it was great to see him get his appetite back.

What's the best way to work off dinner? Shopping of course – time for the supply run at Target. That got us this epic image that wreaked of Alabama (or Arkansas or Mississippi)…

From there, it was back home and Steven went to sleep quickly, setting up what would become a memorable day.

Day 5: Resting Up

Our last day in Jasper was another day of chillaxation with the family. We enjoyed the day with Bonnie's parents and Steven was his usual rambunctious self, riding around the neighborhood in his cozy coupe late in the afternoon.

Nothing really Earth-shattering or record breaking happened, setting up our next seven days in Decatur.

Next up…Hello D-Rock!

Night 4: Stepping Out

As the birthday party faded into the rearview mirror and Steven's infatuation with his new toys in full swing, Bonnie and I were fortunate enough to get a night out on the town in Jasper as Steven would hang out with Grammy and Paw Paw.

Bonnie and I had decided that we wanted to get some barbecue from dinner. Let me preface this by saying that we don't get to enjoy barbecue in Florida. If you grew up in Jacksonville, then I can understand why you think the barbecue there is good. Growing up in Alabama, where barbecue is a basic food group, it just doesn't measure up.

So the Lamps went off to eat at the new Jim n' Nicks to start the evening. I can say I haven't had barbecue that good in a long time. Bonnie and I ate more than we should have, but had a good time during dinner – wondering why it was so quiet. Then we realized that we didn't have Steven and how much different it is with him (a good thing) and how crazy it is to believe that he's already one-year old.

The next question for us was what to do after dinner? When in Rome, do as the Romans. For us, we do what you do in Jasper – make a trip to the mall to look for Steven some shoes that fit his huge feet.

Alas, after walking throughout the Jasper mall – making stops at Belk's, JC Penney, Shoe Department and the moth-ball smelling K-Mart we came away empty handed. Except for two pictures…

This store look like somebody with a pink marker threw up in it. Bonnie and I couldn't believe that there was a whole store dedicated to pink stuff.

The other is to show all of our friends in Florida that this state is very pro-Bama and that Auburn has slowly become an afterthought thanks to the arrival of Bear Saban. You can buy Bama shirts, shorts, whatever you want. But if you want Auburn stuff, pick what size shorts because this is all we got…

Next up on our Tour de Jasper? The Jasper Bowling Center!

Bonnie and I enjoy bowling and have always had a good time whenever we go. Tonight, we decided we didn't want to hit a movie (because we would probably go to sleep), so we decided to hit the lanes. It's Jasper, it's a Monday night, so hopefully we would be able to get a lane.

Getting a lane wasn't a problem. We were one of seven people (counting the two working) that were in the establishment. The problem was deciding what kind of beer we wanted – bottle or can! Here's a great look at the player's check in desk…

The first game was an epic debacle. I was trying to bowl with spin and look like a pro while Bonnie was just getting her "bowling legs" back under her. She had enough under her to pull out an amazing 100-96 win.

Needless to say, I was a little peeved at the outcome. The second game was much different – I bowled my arse off, putting up a career-high 193 with six strikes during the game. Bonnie put up a career effort as well, carding a 128.

For those who don't believe the scores, enjoy this image…

Next up…A Day to Breathe

Day 3: Let’s PARTY!!!

After our day of chillaxation at Bonnie's parents on Saturday, it was time for the rest of the Borden clan to invade the home for Steven's birthday party (his second of three).

But before everyone got there, Steven got introduced to a new friend by his Paw Paw – the riding lawnmower.

When Paw Paw came riding up to the house to grab Steven, the little one looked at him with a curious look as to why he was on the machine. Steven sat in his lap tentatively as they started their ride around the yard. After getting comfortable, Steven just sat back and relaxed – enjoying the ride like he had never been on a ride before.

They rode around for 30 minutes – and Steven barely budged from his perch on Paw Paw's lap. They cruised around the yard several times and made a lap or two around the neighborhood as well.

That setup the epic meeting of the family and friends – Steven was going to get to run around with all of his cousins for the first time since Christmas. The convergence of kids created quite a stir and our little man had a blast playing with all of the other kids as well as his aunts, uncles and cousins.

Then, it was time for the cake…

INSERT CAKE VIDEO HERE

And once the cake was finished, it was time for the presents. We really want to thank everyone for their gifts. Steven is having a blast playing with them and it means so much to Bonnie and myself that you came.

INSERT PRESENTS VIDEO HERE

It was also Steven's night to wrestle with Granny to bed. It was quite humorous watching Steven put up a small fight to keep from getting rocked to sleep, but not one of his best efforts, succumbing to the easy listening channel again on the cable network.

Next up – a Night Out in Jasper

Day 2: Resting Up

In what may very well be the most uneventful day of the trip, welcome to Day 2.

It was a Saturday unlike many other, seeing that it started exactly at midnight and ended for the first time at 5 a.m. when we finally crashed into bed. Five hours later, we were up and at it, with the vacation truly underway.

Things to do? Nope. Places to go? Nope. People to see? Nope.

It was just a day of rest and relaxation. And Steven got introduced to our good friend Baloo and the Jungle Book…

Day/Night 1: Drive South

The car is packed to the gills. Steven is strapped in to his car seat. Bonnie sneaks into the passenger seat. I suck down a Mountain Dew and away we go. Our theme song for the vacation:

We hit the road – but wait, we must first make a trip to Wal-Mart. What do we need? A small cooler to hold Steven's medicine, a couple of Mountain Dews and our official corporate sponsor of the drive – Red Bull.

After gassing up and enjoying the scene at the Wal Mart in Macclenny, we were now officially on vacation and the road to Alabama.

Alas, that lasted about an hour before we made our first official pit stop at a rest area. At this point, I would like to thank the creators of the Eisenhower Interstate System and the wisdom of creating rest areas. That was a CRUCIAL part of this trip in being able to break up the drive.

So, we get out at our first rest area and Steven wants to get down and run around. There's nothing like running around at rest area. You have no clue what has been going on there previously and there's no telling how many animals have done their business on these hallowed grounds. So, with a careful eye on all the ground around Steven, we let him loose and he terrorized the trees and all the pine needles in the area.

30 minutes later – we loaded up again and resumed our journey.

We hit a McDonald's drive thru in Lake City for dinner and end up making pretty good time by hitting Tallahassee around 9:30 p.m. We're now 33.3 percent of the way to our ancestral homeland.

Fortunately for us, Steven is great a sleeping in the car seat – so once we got going and it got dark, he checked out. The only problem was that he would get startled and wake up screaming since he was still strapped into the car seat. Bonnie used her flexibility for the greater good by rubbing Steven's leg to calm him down.

The first Red Bull came on the western side of Tallahassee. That got me through Troy, where we got gas shortly after midnight. The question in the car was to we get a hotel room or continue or trek? Being the only person awake in the car at the time, I made the executive decision to continue forward.

We pushed on and finally had to stop at a rest area on the north side of Clanton for our final pit stop. It's around 2 a.m. and these guys in an old van have stopped as well and have gotten into a riveting conversation with the rest area attendant about Dungeons & Dragons – as I believe they were on their way to a convention. It was then that I knew we needed to get back on the road quickly before some wizard came jumping out of the woods.

Steven was fantastic the entire time and when we rolled into Bonnie's parents house at 3:30 a.m., it was time to play!

Exhausted, we trudged inside and Steven was hell on wheels for about 90 minutes before I was able to finally call it a night – at 5 a.m.

Hello vacation!

Classic Videos

Some classic Daniel and Alyssa videos from their first trip to Jacksonville...