October 8, 2018: Well, That's About it Then
Day 30 | 30 Days of Writing
As our trip and my 30 days of writing have come to a close, all I can think about is my mom's famous closing line. She tells this to us when she is ready to finish a conversation. It typically happens when Facetiming and she is done, ready to hang up.
"Well, that's about it then."
We are now home and it's time for a wrap. With a safe and very fulfilling trip behind us, I have to admit I loved sleeping in my own bed again. With my own pillows and the the downy smell of my comforter, bedtime last night was a welcome reprieve from our life on the road.
Before pulling into our driveway, I calculated the key stats of our trip:
4,888 total miles driven (all by Garrett with lots of pointers from me and Larry)
23 stops at different McDonald's
10 states visited
16 travel days
9 different hotels
4 national parks (Zion, Bryce, Death Valley, Yosemite)
3 travelers
1 dog
countless memories (priceless)
When the kids were little I sent a Christmas letter in the form of our key family stats for the year. No narrative, just numbers. It was one of my favorite Christmas cards. Stats included number of trips to the orthodontist, happy meals, car pools, overnighters, flight miles on family trips, etc... All summed up by annual numbers. Oh, how times have changed. Car pools are now a distant memory, replaced by adult (+ a dog) road trips.
Zeke was thrilled to be home. He immediately got into a tussle with the cat and then took excessive time romping around the backyard. Garrett and I were pretty much spent (thus why there was a day delay in my finishing this last blog post), but somehow Larry remained bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He couldn't stop talking about our trip and all the things we saw and experienced.
If I was a student coming back from school break and asked to describe what I did on my vacation, it would go something like this...
Life is short and there are far more excuses not do the wonderful things than reasons to do them. So just do them. Trust me. And load up your favorite retiree to enjoy the experiences with you. You can learn a lot from the old guys. I sure did. I learned that although some things don't get better as you get older (namely...knees, wrinkles, aches), enjoyment of the small wonders in life grows exponentially.
Having a husband to share in life is a huge blessing. Not everyone has the joy of companionship, yet all long for it. Enjoying the beautiful things with someone who equally enjoys them because they are shared with you can't be counted or quantified. Never take this for granted.
And lastly, a furry companion with a huge love of humans and a curiosity of everything life has to offer makes a trip complete. I explored places and met people that never would have happened without Zeke's boundless energy and personality. Definitely worth the extra potty stops and work to find pet-friendly hotels.
My Happiness Planner is now filled out and I started my 100 plan TODAY! There is no better way to gain perspective and think outside-the-box than an epic road trip with hubby, pup, and dad-in-law by my side. With the added great time spent with parents, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins, and friends, I am overflowing with gratefulness.
But with all great things, they must come to an end.
So here we are, back in the saddle. Two pots of chili made last night (meat and white). Halloween decor all up and pumpkins out. Football is on tonight with the aroma of pot roast filling the kitchen. All the smells of fall and a comfortable home life are around us, as though we never left. But we did leave and I am reminded that this is real by the twinkle in Larry's eye and the sporadic comments on pieces of our trip as we enjoy the night together in Nebraska.
Yes, that's about it then. At least for now.
 |
| Gift from my friend, Patty, with my plan completed on road trip |
As our trip and my 30 days of writing have come to a close, all I can think about is my mom's famous closing line. She tells this to us when she is ready to finish a conversation. It typically happens when Facetiming and she is done, ready to hang up.
"Well, that's about it then."
We are now home and it's time for a wrap. With a safe and very fulfilling trip behind us, I have to admit I loved sleeping in my own bed again. With my own pillows and the the downy smell of my comforter, bedtime last night was a welcome reprieve from our life on the road.
Before pulling into our driveway, I calculated the key stats of our trip:
4,888 total miles driven (all by Garrett with lots of pointers from me and Larry)
23 stops at different McDonald's
10 states visited
16 travel days
9 different hotels
4 national parks (Zion, Bryce, Death Valley, Yosemite)
3 travelers
1 dog
countless memories (priceless)
When the kids were little I sent a Christmas letter in the form of our key family stats for the year. No narrative, just numbers. It was one of my favorite Christmas cards. Stats included number of trips to the orthodontist, happy meals, car pools, overnighters, flight miles on family trips, etc... All summed up by annual numbers. Oh, how times have changed. Car pools are now a distant memory, replaced by adult (+ a dog) road trips.
Zeke was thrilled to be home. He immediately got into a tussle with the cat and then took excessive time romping around the backyard. Garrett and I were pretty much spent (thus why there was a day delay in my finishing this last blog post), but somehow Larry remained bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He couldn't stop talking about our trip and all the things we saw and experienced.
If I was a student coming back from school break and asked to describe what I did on my vacation, it would go something like this...
Life is short and there are far more excuses not do the wonderful things than reasons to do them. So just do them. Trust me. And load up your favorite retiree to enjoy the experiences with you. You can learn a lot from the old guys. I sure did. I learned that although some things don't get better as you get older (namely...knees, wrinkles, aches), enjoyment of the small wonders in life grows exponentially.
Having a husband to share in life is a huge blessing. Not everyone has the joy of companionship, yet all long for it. Enjoying the beautiful things with someone who equally enjoys them because they are shared with you can't be counted or quantified. Never take this for granted.
And lastly, a furry companion with a huge love of humans and a curiosity of everything life has to offer makes a trip complete. I explored places and met people that never would have happened without Zeke's boundless energy and personality. Definitely worth the extra potty stops and work to find pet-friendly hotels.
My Happiness Planner is now filled out and I started my 100 plan TODAY! There is no better way to gain perspective and think outside-the-box than an epic road trip with hubby, pup, and dad-in-law by my side. With the added great time spent with parents, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins, and friends, I am overflowing with gratefulness.
But with all great things, they must come to an end.
So here we are, back in the saddle. Two pots of chili made last night (meat and white). Halloween decor all up and pumpkins out. Football is on tonight with the aroma of pot roast filling the kitchen. All the smells of fall and a comfortable home life are around us, as though we never left. But we did leave and I am reminded that this is real by the twinkle in Larry's eye and the sporadic comments on pieces of our trip as we enjoy the night together in Nebraska.
Yes, that's about it then. At least for now.
 |
| Larry loved his McDonald's stops. I was his biggest cheerleader to not deviate. "Senior coffee with two creamers and an apple pie please." (replace apple pie with sausage McMuffin for breakfast stop) |
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| Zeke is SOOOO happy to see Abby |
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| Abby...not so much |
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