Do not fly with me.  Ever.

At first, it may seem harmless, as the flight boards and takes off early.  We may even soar through the skies uneventfully for the first few hours.

However, the plane may be diverted due to a thunderstorm in Dallas, and then it will land in Oklahoma City and sit on the runway for nearly 4 hours.  (Yes, I know the FDA requires deboarding after 3 hours, but who wants to get off when there are no connecting flights to your destination?)

Eventually, we will be cleared for landing in Dallas, so the plane will take off again and an hour later arrive.

At this point, the last connecting flight left hours ago, and it is too late to route through Atlanta or Detroit because it will be too late to connect there either.

"The 8:45 AM flight has seats available."

That translates into 14 hours overnight at the Dallas airport unless I want to catch a cab and find a hotel.

Next option?

I check all the flights into neighboring cities: Nashville, Indianapolis, St. Louis.  St. Louis has a seat for me, so St. Louis it is.

Of course this flight is delayed another hour, but eventually it does take off.

Upon landing I find the rental car agency at 10:30 PM.  I do not get the deal of the century on a rental car, but now I no longer care.  I started this trek 13 1/2 hours ago.

Then I drive into the night for nearly 3 hours.  I have never been so happy to see my sister's house.

Thus a 7 hour flight plan translates into 16.5 hours.

So.  Do not fly with me.  Ever.

2,513

The road home always tends to be longer, as the miles stretch into the horizon, but we had one more stop that helped make the trip easier.

Home.

The familiar gravel roads where I learned to drive.  Grandpa took Kiahra out for a drive on those same roads, but she got to drive his new truck.  Enough said.

That familiar country makes my heart sing.

The sun set gloriously across the lake.

The only place that has stayed the same in my kids' world--never living in a place more than 4 years.

The hours slipped away quickly, but we enjoyed every minute to the fullest (well, except for all the laundry).

Cousins + Farm = nonstop adventure

...creating memories that will last a lifetime.





A little tractor time that elicits the reality that mom raked hay as a kid!




And the bittersweet moment when we pull out of the driveway back to California.

Our oldest daughter quietly acknowledging that as she prepares for the next steps of her journey she may not be back soon.

Looking back is not where I want to live, but sometimes looking ahead is hard, so it is a reminder to enjoy the present.  It is the one lesson my kids have learned in their journey--to sieze the moment.  They don't take moments shared with family and friends for granted.

We made it!

Several hours after we left Memphis, we arrived in Indiana, but not without a wrong turn.  I thought the GPS was wrong somewhere in Kentucky, but I got a good look at the road...twice and lost a few miles in the meantime only to discover I was wrong!

The kids were giddy about this destination.  They excitedly anticipated meeting their new cousin and the rapidly growing bug that visited us last year!

The newest addition charmed his cousins quickly, and he didn't argue about all the lovin' and totin' he got!

In the warm Indiana evening, we roasted marshmallows with little k.  We discovered she has an affinity for the chocolate bar in the smore :)  As the light waned into night, the fireflies emerged for catching and then a game of hide and seek ensued.  I think she liked her first "taste" of camping.

Jaxon chilled by the campfire with Kade.  He loved being outside!

Most of the kids...and all looking at the camera!!

It was hard to capture this bug, as she moves quickly these days!

Generally she is a blur--like in this photo, but this moment was charming to watch with the smiles and squeals of delight!

Kade wanted one more photo with his buddy--love those smiles!

Uncle Kevin also took the gang to the lake.  The day was perfect as the water sparkled in the warm sunshine.  The boat entertained the older kids (yes, even the big boys too), as they embraced the tubing challenges!  On shore the water was warm and shallow--perfect for little girls!  It was a great day!

Then...it was time to go again...this time back towards home.

A quietness settled over the Suburban for a couple hours, as good-byes settled heavily on our hearts.

Little did we know that a few days later a a pretty home on a wooded corner lot with a small lake in the backyard would catch our eye via the internet!

The Blues Street

Evening brought us to Beale street--”The Home of the Blues” in Memphis, Tennessee.  

A young Elvis Presley even frequented the high fashion Lansky Brothers Clothing store for musicians on Beale street.  Evidently, early in his career Elvis asked for credit for a fancy suit of clothes before an television appearance and they granted it...and he was forever a loyal customer.

Memphis is renowned for visits to Graceland, but instead we enjoyed the crazy sights on Beale street.

Silky O’Sullivan's Pub allowed us to dine with all the kids, and shortly after we arrived the music started and the Irish diving goat kept us entertained.

Barely home from her adventures in Portugal, Nikela relaxed in the warm, muggy evening with us!

As the sun set on the the warm Tennessee evening, the fried catfish was a favorite.  

I am glowing green in the lights, and my sister remarked, “No wonder she likes green people!”  She was referencing my rant that it didn’t matter if someone was brown, black, yellow, red or green...but that it was the content of their character.  Vacation was filled with these moments that brought laughter and wonderful memories.

In the morning we were rolling down the road again, but first a cleverly crafted boat set sail!

On the road again...

As we rolled out of New Mexico and into the Texas Panhandle we were greeted by the wide open land where the grass waved in the heat.

A small Texas town was our destination for lunch.  Roosters offered Mexican food--and I loved the guacomole!  The cook even came out to chat and ensure we were satisfied with our meal.  I miss small town America.

Evening found us in Oklahoma City, so we stopped for the night.  The humid heat almost melted us when we stepped out of the air conditioning.  Nonetheless, we ventured back into the city to dine at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar.  The fried catfish was great!

Posed on the tailgate

Later that evening we returned to the campground and a cacophony of cicadas greeted us.  The trees were buzzing so loudly that Kade was certain he could get a glimpse of the noisy bugs with his flashlight, but alas, he could not.

Then at 2 AM the thunder started rolling and later the rain began to pour...and pour...and pour.

A few hours later we were on the road again towards Arkansas.  Soon the rolling prairie hills gave way to Ozark hills.

Nearly 1000 miles later in the mid afternoon, we reached our destination on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Here the Tom Sawyer RV park welcomed us, and we could watch the boats move up and down the river.

Four great kids with four different personalities

Mom and Dad ready for dinner!

I managed to capture a great moment with the kids and their dad next to that Mighty Mississippi.

All those hours of bonding on the road...and everyone is still smiling!

Another Day

At Albuquerque, we took the left that Bugs Bunny lamented missing.  Left at Albuquerque takes you to Santa Fe where the adobe homes disappear into the hillsides behind the pinyon trees.  On one of the these hillsides,  we camped.

Kade found a cozy spot for his hammock for the night--and with treats even tried to convince Duke to join him!

In the morning, north of Santa Fe we found the scenic gravel road to the Rio Grande River Gorge Bridge which wound along the river and gave us the freedom to stop along the way.

 The Rio Grande River was sleepy on this hot summer day...and a bit mucky just like the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon.

We shared vacation smiles, and looking at the photos now, I wonder--where oh where have the years gone?

The bridge over the Rio Grande River Gorge is the 7th highest bridge in America.  The river becomes a small ribbon at the bottom from this vantage point!

Beneath the sunny blue afternoon sky, we meandered through the largest surviving multistoried Pueblo.  We sought solace from the warm summer sun in the cool rooms of the Pueblo where local artisans shared their goods.  They were generous with their stories and hospitality.

A new restaurant had just opened and we were enticed by the roasting local corn.  The girls were waiting patiently for their lunch, as we were all famished!

We also visited the streets of historic Santa Fe and enjoyed the architecture--especially the cathedral, but here in Taos we found the spirit and history of New Mexico...and a day we will never forget.

Vacation

15 days.  6,020 miles.  130 hours on the road.  4 kids.  2 dogs.

As we pulled away from the house on Friday afternoon, the temperatures rapidly increased as we rolled through California.  In the valley it was 102-104 degrees.

At 7 PM we greeted the Mojave desert.

"106," my husband commented.

"More miles tonight?" I reluctantly asked.

"No, that is the temperature."

Suddenly I was glad it was not the middle of the day, as I could only imagine how hot it would be then with the heat radiating from the highway.

The limited and unique vegetation intrigued me--especially the funky trees, but not enough to stop the car and get out and take pictures in the desert heat.

Our first real stop was at the Grand Canyon. 

I had only seen pictures of my dad and mom's honeymoon destination.

It was great to have Nikela back "home" again.

Each pose sports a different personality--that I love!

The rugged beauty of the canyon enchanted me.  The sight was more majestic than I had anticipated.

A dramatic thinker posed on the edge.

Then the thunderstorm rolled in across the North rim.  A night I will never forget--watching the lightning over the Grand Canyon.

It was here, several miles down the road from the main canyon viewing point where the traffic disappeared that I finally got to see the Colorado River winding through the bottom of the canyon.  The forest hugged the canyon at some points--which suprised me.  I was anticipating a desert setting.

 The sight of Arizona elk made my husband happy.  They watched me closely as I stepped out with my zoom lens.  Then they slowly moved into the trees.

As the sun set, we discovered the beginning of the canyon, a deep break in the prairie.

Then in the dark we rolled into the first town, and stopped for dinner.  We hungrily gobbled down the variety of Navajo food we ordered with the warm fry bread.

Then as we started our 80 mile trek back to the campground, the kids asked us to turn off the radio.  In the darkness and quietness of the suburban we could hear the thundering and crackling of the impending rain storm.  

The familiar sound of "home".  

In the silence I realized that it is never the expensive or amazing things we miss...it is the simple moments...like a thunderstorm rolling through...because thunderstorms don't roll through and it never rains in the summer where we live now.

Then the rain started to pour down, and flooded me with childhood memories of prairie rainstorms when I would snuggle next to my mother as she would read to us.  And here I was visiting the place where my parents started their life together nearly 46 years ago.

The road less travelled turned out to be the highlight of our first day of vacation.