Final Day

A bittersweet day! Paul and I have had such a good time together visiting family and seeing so much of the United States that we’ve not seen before. We’ve had lots of adventures and good times together! We’ve laughed a lot, especially doing the “feet” shots! (I’ll explain those in a minute.) We’ve traveled through 17 states, some more than once. I had to get key chains from every state to add to my collection of places we’ve been. We traveled all four directions in Arizona, north, south, east, and west. What a beautiful state, and it is so diverse in its characteristics! We visited the Sonora desert, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona, all very different but beautiful in their own ways! Every where we went people were as diverse as the land. One thing so many of them had in common, however, was their friendliness. We spent more time in Arizona than in any other state, so Arizona was, by far, the friendliest state. So many of the other states we just rode through. Albuquerque and Branson were also beautiful and friendly. People all over our land are so much like one another but can be so different at the same time. I am so thankful that Paul and I had this opportunity, not only to spend some time with our children and grandchildren, but to be together to explore our country.

As you can see from the picture of the odometer, we put about 7, 250 miles on the van. Not once did it let us down! It was very comfortable, and it was our own little place day after day. It needs a good washing, though! A lot of different states’ dirt and bugs are on it! Maybe tomorrow we’ll reward it by taking it through the car wash!

We didn’t see much of the North Carolina Mountains today because of the route we took home. I was a little disappointed about that, but I’d seen the Virginia Mountains and they look a lot alike. By this time, I was ready to be home, so I didn’t complain about it. We soon were very familiar with our surroundings. I wondered, though, what first timers in our state thought about it. I hope they thought it was as beautiful as I did. Each landmark brought us closer and closer to home. We traveled past the exit for Chapel Hill Hospital, the exit we had taken so many times during Timmy’s ordeal. We traveled past the exits that we took when Timmy lived in Morrisville and Cary. Another bittersweet emotion, since Timmy and his family are there no longer. We stopped at our usual pit stop in Zebulon for a bathroom break. We even remembered the rough dip in the road we had to take just right or we’d bump the bottom of the van. On and on toward home.

We called Brandon when we got closer to Rocky Mount to arrange to meet him if we could when we came through. He wasn’t able to meet for lunch, but we did stop and visit with him for awhile. It was so good to see him, especially in his uniform, looking so handsome! It was coincidental, I guess, that we met him right beside the Veteran’s Memorial with all the flags from the different branches of service waving in the breeze on the Fourth of July. How fitting is that?! I’m so proud of him and all my boys!

We pulled off in Tarboro, another usual exit, for a quick sandwich from Wendy’s. We didn’t want to take too much time to eat. We were ready to see home! Finally, the Martin County line, then the Williamston exit! We were in the short rows! We came to the end of Roberson Chapel Road where we could see the house across the field. Lastly, we turned into our driveway! Our house and yard looked so good to me!

Autumn, Kirsten, and Grace were at the house to meet us! We were so glad to see them! Then Charity, Craig, and Carter came in a little while to welcome us home as well. We all visited and we shared some funny stories and exciting stories about our trip with them. (After unloading the van, that it!) Seal did her usually meowing to let us know she was glad we were home, too. We all had a good time just being together at home! I’m so appreciative of our family!

Okay, about the “feet”! It started off with Paul aggravating me by taking pictures of my feet. So, the next time I had the camera, I took pictures of his feet to get back at him. We were just messing around, having a good time. Then he started concocting different poses for our feet, like the cooler and the elevator. It became a game to see what he would come up with next. It was just a lot of fun! Then, when we saw Brandon, we had to include him in the “circle of feet”. When we got home and Autumn and the girls were here, it was a little bit bigger circle. Then later, with Charity, another circle was formed. (We had to get a little more of Carter than just his feet.) Our final “feet” shot was of Paul and me at home relaxing with our feet propped up. Appropriate after all the miles we put on them, huh? So, now you know the meaning of the feet!

Home! Family! The Lord has been so good to allow us to do all the things we’ve done sine we left more than three weeks ago. Every day we prayed for safety for us and the rest of our family, wherever they were. The ones we left in Arizona and the ones back in North Carolina. The Lord was so gracious to answer our prayers. He has been and continues to be so good to us. This family may not be close together in a physical sense, some living so far away, but this family is very close in love and concern for each other. The Lord has truly blessed us with children and grandchildren that we love with all our hearts. We are so thankful that they love us in return and want us to be part of their lives as much as possible.

Father, thank You for blessing Paul and me with the trip we have desired to take for so long. Thank you for our loving children that You gave us to enrich our lives. Help us to be the parents and grandparents You would have us be to them. You have blessed us beyond measure. We love You, Lord. Thank You for allowing us to travel to see Your beautiful creations and to return home safely. We love You.