Home Sweet Home

Well, we are in the U.P. I can't believe we are here. I don't think it has sunk in yet. I have anticipated and wondered for so long if I would make it here and here I am. It was quite a drive. Not only did we have to drive through the WHOLE state of Mississippi, but through a bit of Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. That was day one, which went pretty smoothly. We ended our day on the border of Missouri and Illinois. I was surprised how well the baby did on the drive. I need to admit that I have started kneeling on the seat still buckled in, leaning over G's seat so I can nurse him. It beat stopping every time he wanted me. I nurse him on demand so I wasn't sure how it would go. I did buy him some baby food to eat, but he wasn't too keen on it. He likes 'big people food', but not really baby food (can I blame him). It was nice to get out and stretch our legs for a few hours and catch some zzzzzz's.

Friday we woke up and drove through Illinois...wow that was just as long as Mississippi. After awhile I got pretty tired of seeing farms and I wondered if I were heading back to North Dakota! Then we hit Chicago. We got pretty ripped off and ticked off about the stinkin' tolls we had to pay. We never left the one road we were on (I-94/I-294) and we had to pay at 5 or 6 toll booths. We had JUST enough change! It was unreal. The thing that really bothered us was that the roads were crap. They were so bumpy and full of holes. Made us wonder where on earth the money is going that we are throwing into their machines. Chicago seemed like a whole state in and of itself, what with the time it took to get through it. At least it wasn't rush hour! Then we hailed into Green Bay and Z was excited as a little boy. He hoped we could swing by Lambeau Field, but there was no way. We just wanted to arrive home!

You never realize all the little differences between the U.P. and anywhere else until you are back near the U.P. Back to a two-lane road. So much for an interstate or a four-lane highway. We saw some slow drivers and felt like we were crawling as we drove 63 mph trying to obey the 55 mph speed limit. You know you are in the U.P. when you see some dude with his chic in his big ol' loud truck with its big ol' wheels. You know you are in the U.P. when everybody is wearing pants and you have been wearing shorts for the past 3+ months. You know you are in the U.P. when you can't drive faster than 55 mph and when the deer run out into the road in front of cars. You know you are in the U.P. when it is 10:30 pm and you can still see the sunshine! It is a different way of life, but I am so glad to be here for awhile. It is so nice to see family again.

To top off our drive as we drove down one of the hills to get to my parent's house Lake Superior looked like glass or a diamond, it was so clear and calm. The sun was setting behind the trees across the lake and was reflecting on the water. It was God's way of telling me, "Welcome home, dear daughter. Enjoy your time." I said a quick prayer of thanks for that breathtaking view.

The kids were pretty excited to see their Nanny and Papa. We stayed up late just burning off some energy from 2 days of driving. Today Z and J are gone to visit with his dad and H is enjoying time with Nanny. I am enjoying some quiet time with my mom and on the computer while G explores his new surroundings. The weather is actually nice. It is a perfect way to start a vacation. We may get to visit with my cousin and her family later tonight and that will end the day perfectly.

I will be sad to see Z fly out tomorrow. I know the kids and I will really miss him. He will be pretty lonely all alone. Hopefully he can catch up on some sleep and some time to himself to do all those things he wants to do that he never gets to do. I can't wait for him to come back up in July so we will all be able to visit people together as a family. I certainly hope that even though he has to say good-bye to us tomorrow and won't see us for a month that he has a blessed Father's Day!