Do you wish you could have been a fly on the van wall during our trip?
Here is your chance. . .
Audio clip since I am driving
Play that 142 times over and you pretty much have Iowa and Illinois.
Play the clip below another 246 times and you have our long miles through Indiana and Ohio.
Lance decided to video a random moment of the day
It may seem that we are taunting Bridger by bringing up or continuing on the subject of Walmart. Let me assure you that our conversations softened the obsession. If we ignored him, the rants would turn into screaming which would turn into full tantrum until he vomits and then some. Well, maybe we had to have a little fun at his expense in the convo just to keep us all sane. By talking about Walmart in 20 different ways we made him feel that his little voice is heard and his desires were acknowledged.
The last couple days of driving got long and, especially with what you just heard as our background noise, we just couldn't keep the pace that we had been going. We crashed into a cushy hotel, closed the room darkening shades and let the troop sleep as long as we needed. We slept past our free breakfast and until we saw a shocking and blissful 9:30am on the clock. The following night was a repeat of the same. What day was it? What time zone were we in? Was it still morning? We had no clue. We just knew we needed to slow it down. We even stopped at a restaurant and had a sit down lunch {insert audible gasp from all the children when that was announced}
Finally, we saw this. . .
Anyone from NoVa recognizes this scene -- it is the bridge crossing from Maryland into Northern Virginia over the Potomac River. It is a sight that makes you start singing. You cross it and are greeted by this beautiful sign. . .
Can you see that blur of a red cardinal? It's the welcome to Virginia sign. Ahhhhhh. HOME!
36 days, 17 states, 7000 miles. It was an adventure. We saw so much. We learned so much. The most important lesson I learned is that I am a Virginian. I love my home. I love the attitude, culture, pace, history, geography, comforts, people and may even love the humidity {just a little} of Virginia.
The most wonderful feeling after such an adventure is to feel, at the end, that you are right where you are supposed to be.
And that, for me, is now on a pile of laundry, a large stack of mail, a overwhelming list of phone calls and calendar of upcoming appointments, in VIRGINIA!