We're home! After a long day of driving, we pulled into the driveway at 7:40. Matt had pizza and salad waiting for us which was nice since the last time we ate was at noon when we stopped at Cracker Barrel in Kingman, Arizona.
We were all anxious to get home, so except for a few stops for gas and the final Cracker Barrel meal, we drove and drove and drove. Our route was I-40 to I-15 and it was mostly barren desert. When we hit Murrieta, I started pointing out all my work stomping grounds to the boys - the Resource Center, and the Murrieta Academies as well as the exits for the old locations of these two facilities. I also showed them the motel I always stay at when I spend the night up there. They weren't too interested, but it made me realize how very close to home we really were.
Today we finished the third book, Mockingjay, and Zach's playlist of traveling songs. Our trip has come to an end. The boys unloaded the car and gave their dad the gifts we'd picked up for him along the way - a bottle of Dublin Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, Zapp's Potato Chips (Spicy Cajun Crawtators) from New Orleans, and some leftover cinnamon roll from Lulu's Bakery. Our living room is filled with dirty laundry, suitcases, and the rest of the stuff from my little red car. We'll deal with it all tomorrow.
For now, Joe is watching a recording of the All Star Game, Zach and David are upstairs watching an episode of Chuck, and Matt is filling me in on the ant attack and refrigerator issues he experience while we were gone. We've been home about 2 hours and things are already returning to normal.
I, however, want to soak a bit in the experiences of our fantastic road trip. Tomorrow will be busy with laundry, catching up on e-mails, and getting back into work mode. But tonight when I lay down in my bed, it will be with a contented sigh, and as I reflect on our trip in the coming days, I know that the memories will wash over me and flood my heart and soul with gratitude for such a lovely vacation.
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