Super-Duper Travel Discovery

One of the better discoveries we made on our recent month-long school-on-the-road trip was that of audio books. On one of our many Cracker Barrel stops we discovered they carry a wide selection of audio books. What made this discovery even better was learning that once you purchase the audio book, you may return it to any Cracker Barrel store and receive a refund of the balance of the book less $3 per week.

On Sunday (in Virginia) we purchased "The Wide Window", the third book in the Unfortuante Series of Events stories by Lemony Snicket. We took two driving days to listen to the three cassettes and returned it back home at our own local Cracker Barrel, receiving the promised refund.

The other nice thing that makes this such a great find is that Cracker Barrel stores can be found in most of the 48 contiguous states. On our trip we found one in nearly every substantial city along the interstate.

Audio books make the time on the road pass so much more quickly and pleasantly, plus they provide plenty of material for discussion afterward. We had a great time with The Wide Window and look forward to making this a family tradition on future road trips.

There's No Place Like Home!

Yes, it is true... We are home again!--and so happy to be here!

I have much to write about to put some closure on the trip, but it is late and I am tired from another day of traveling today, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have already been formulating some assignments for our children, however, to help them process our month-long trip:

First, we will trace our journey on a U.S. map with a highlighter. (This will be especially good for our 3rd grader who is still learning the states and where they are.) I will also print thumbnail photos of each location and have Jenna put them on the map where they belong.

Second, they will be instructed to put a closing entry in their road trip journal, writing about those experiences that impacted them the most.

And finally, we will work on a family scrapbook together, complete with their comments and artwork. (That one may take some time!)

My husband has suggested I write a short book about our road trip experience. I will have to give that some thought...!

Our last morning just before leaving for home

Posted by The Teacher at 11:33 PM | Your Comments (2)

Road Trip - Day 31: Going Home!

The past couple of days have been spent driving...west...toward home! Yesterday morning we left Durham, NC, heading south and west to Knoxville, TN where we spent last night. (The Appalachian Mountains were beautiful!) This morning we left Knoxville, crossing Tennessee and half of Arkansas. Tomorrow we will be home, Lord willing!

We decided to cut our trip a little short. We have all grown incredibly weary of the road and have been longing for home.

We had initially planned to stop in both Nashville and Memphis as there is so much to see in those cities. But the only stops we made were necessary ones.

Tonight, we drove west of Little Rock, and found restaurants and a hotel in Conway, Arkansas. Tomorrow we will complete our journey as we travel back toward central Oklahoma.

Last night was one of our worst nights on the road. We stopped at yet another Red Roof Inn where we asked for a non-smoking room as usual. (I'm very sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke, and it usually gives me a really bad headache.) Anyway, late in the evening we began to smell smoke in our room. Joel called the front desk and was told our room was right next door to a smoking room. I took some sudafed and melatonin hoping that would help me to sleep. But at around 2:20 a.m. I finally gave in. I wasn't sleeping and wasn't going to. I took the blanket off our bed and went to the van to sleep. But I couldn't sleep out there either. I came back in a while later and Joel went to the front desk to get another room away from the smoke. We didn't want to wake the kids, so I went up there by myself.

Thankfully, the staff at the Red Roof understood and not only did they not charge us for the second room, they gave us a discount on the first room. Both Joel and I were really tired today due to the lack of sleep, but at least the financial end of it turned out okay.

It was a long day of driving, but we passed the time by listening to another of the Myst audio books, and the kids played Nintendo and watched SpongeBob on the DvD player.

It's been a great trip. We've seen some incredible things--inspiring things, beautiful things, things that increased our patriotism, and things that will continue to impact our lives for years to come. It may take a while for us to process all the things we saw, but as Joel told the kids tonight, this trip will be one of those things that will be a topic of conversation even as their lives continue to unfold.

As for school, the kids did their usual schoolwork yesterday morning, and they did today's schoolwork last night to so we could get on the road quicker. I told them in celebration of our last day of traveling we would take a day off of school tomorrow. (That got a jubilant rise out of them!)

I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity we've had on this trip. Not only for the impact upon our lives through the things we saw and experienced, but for the time we had together. Before the trip we were a bit concerned about being together 24/7 for a month, but I can honestly say we had very few truly tense moments, and much less irritability than I expected! (Just goes to show you the power of prayer! We've had a lot of people praying for us.)

So, that's the update for now. Lord willing I will be writing my next blog entry from home tomorrow night! :-)

Road Trip - Day 29: Kings Dominion

We all woke up early this morning, after a fitful night of sleeplessness. Jenna was cold, I'm not sure what Zach's problem was, Joel complained that the dog kept him awake, and I was "the princess and the pea" incarnate. The mattress pad on our bed kept getting bunched up because the sheets wouldn't stay tucked. Every little lump woke me up. (Add to that Joel's snoring and breathing in my face, and well, you've got a night of tossing and turning and very little sleep!) Needless to say, we were all tired today.

The kids and I went to breakfast while Joel packed us up and loaded the van. He opted to skip breakfast 'cause pancakes make him sleepy, and we were on our way to the theme park.

Kings Dominion was just a few miles down the road. We put Socrates in the kennel. (He was not a happy puppy watching his "pack" walk away while he was incarcerated in a strange cage....) Poor baby. :-(

We made it into the park just after 10 o'clock, I think. It was the last day of the season today, so we expected there to be quite a crowd, but it actually wasn't bad.

The first thing we did was the SpongeBob 3-D show. I sat in the stationary seating because the simulator rides wreak havoc with my neck. Joel and the kids sat in the simulator seats for what turned out to be a pretty wild ride. It was really loud and there was lots of screaming going on. As we left the theater, Zach let us know how much he did not enjoy it. Jenna loved it, however. (...Opposite ends of the spectrum...) To each his own.

After that, mostly because I think he was so tired from not sleeping last night, Zach opted out of the rides. With my neck problems I knew I wouldn't be riding rides, so Joel and Jenna were the coaster kids today. For the first time Jenna got to go on some really big coasters, even some that did loopty-loops and corksrews! (She is so brave!) She screamed, of course, --I could hear her from where we were waiting!--but she wanted more! So for the next four hours or so, Joel and Jenna rode rides while Zach and I waited.

It probably would have been more enjoyable, too, had it not been so hot today! It was in the 80's with no breeze, so it got pretty warm.

Anyway, we left around 2 o'clock, stopping down the road at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. It was 3:30 or so by the time we got our food, so we called it dinner. (The kids had a snack before bed.)

Because we are pretty much spent, we decided that perhaps we should shave a couple days off our trip and try to make it home a little sooner. Zach is really getting homesick and we are all weary of motel rooms and museums and historic sights, etc.... Bottom line: I think we're just ready to be home.

So tonight, we are sleeping in Durham, North Carolina at another Red Roof motel, and tomorrow we will begin our jaunt across Tennessee. Lord willing we will be home before the weekend! :-)

Road Trip - Day 28: Carmel Church, VA

Carmel what? Yup. It's Carmel Church (near Doswell). (Joel calls it "church on a stick." Isn't he cute?)

We left Arlington, VA this afternoon. Joel was headed for the Interstate when I reminded him we hadn't been to Arlington Cemetery yet. On the way to the cemetery we stumbled upon the Iwo Jima Monument. We had to stop there!

While we were there, an older gentleman walked up to us holding some pamphlets, maps etc. As it turned out, he was a volunteer at the park and he was actually at Iwo Jima when the flag was raised on the highest peak of the island! He served 12 years with the Marines and was part of the ground troops that invaded and captured the island. We talked to him for a while. He told us lots of interesting things about that time and about the raising of the flag there. It was really awesome hearing his stories. (I don't know that I've ever met a veteran of WWII before, and I was so proud I wanted to hug him!)

Arlington National Cemetery was just south of the monument, so he gave us a map and showed us where to find JFK's grave. We didn't realize how far it was going to be or I don't think we would've made the trek. The temperature this afternoon was a hot 80 degrees, and we walked probably close to a mile just to get to JFK's memorial--most of it uphill. I didn't know if poor Socrates was going to make it or not. His tongue was hanging out so far I thought he might trip on it! (Well, not really, but it was really hanging out there!)

The kids and I were complaining too. Joel was the only one who packed shorts for this trip, so he fared better than the rest of us!

Anyway, we finally reached JFK's memorial, took a photo or two, and started the long walk back to the car.

After we rehydrated ourselves and Socrates, we jumped on the Interstate and headed south toward Richmond. We stopped a little while later when we saw a sign for On The Border--Joel's favorite restaurant! We stuffed ourselves like we'd been stranded on a desert island! It was just so good to have a taste of home!

We had a hankerin' for ice cream after the spicey Mexican food, and there just happened to be a frozen custard place around the corner. We enjoyed our ice cream, then Joel walked to one end of the strip mall to a software place, and I went next door to PetSmart to pick up a new toy and some treats for Socrates. (Yes, he's incredibly spoiled! I felt he deserved a little something extra after the long hot walk earlier this afternoon...)

By this time it was 4 o'clock and we still had 50 miles or so to go before arriving at our next destination. We are planning to go to Kings Dominion (theme park) tomorrow, which is just a few miles down the road from Carmel Church.

Joel asked me this morning if I would be willing to give blood tomorrow in order to get in Kings Dominion free.... The Red Cross is doing a blood drive for the last day of the park's season tomorrow, so they're offering free tickets to those willing to donate a pint of blood. (I told Joel I would get some good mileage out of that on the blog....!) Of course he said he wouldn't make me give blood, but he asserted that it would save us $35 each.... (You do the math!)

We got settled in our 5th or 6th Red Roof Inn, Jenna read aloud to me, then a little while later we played the Scrambled States game again. The kids are really learning a lot about where the states are on the map, their capitals, and nicknames. (What a great way to learn geography!)

We'll only be here one night before moving on. Currently we're not sure if we will stick with the schedule and go to Lynchburg, or if we will try to shave some travel time off our return. We are really road-weary, hotel weary, etc. and ready to be home! Even Zach said today he is ready to go home.... This has been a great trip, but we are ready for a rest!

The funniest moment of the day was watching Socrates "Who's the boss?!" the kids. What a hoot!!!

The second funniest moment was when an older man at the park asked if we had dyed Socrates' head! What?

Road Trip - Day 27: Neewollah* in D.C.

Oh, the inhumanity!

I wish I was teasing, but sadly, I am not. Today we visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. I had seen many pictures and movies, etc. on the Holocaust, but the exhibit at this museum was beyond anything I had seen before. While the content was extremely graphic, it was, amazingly enough, tastefully done. The most graphic footage was situated such that one had to actively peer over a chest-high wall to see it. While I had become somewhat de-sensitized to the pictures of the living human skeletons that were rescued in 1945, and even the photos of the naked dead bodies piled high, some of the other footage was so much worse I almost could not watch.

As one quote from the period following the liberation stated, "...exaggeration would be nearly impossible." That's how horrific it was.

But as I said, it was truly tastefully done. In a situation like this one, where the atrocities are so shocking and inconceivable, it would be easy to play upon those most horrible scenes to escalate the natural feelings of empathy and outrage of the viewer. But those who designed this museum did not go down that road.

One of the most moving exhibits was a room full of shoes. Shoes that had been taken from the men, women, and children who were victimized, traumatized, and killed. Another startlingly moving exhibit was an actual train car that had been used to transport the Jews and others to the camps. It was situated such that we were able to walk through it to continue our tour of the museum.

Another exhibit had shelves filled with their belongings. Many of them, apparently having been fooled into thinking they were merely being moved from one location to another, had packed their bags with those things most precious to them, along with other items used in everyday life, like hair brushes and tableware and umbrellas.

And no, in case you're wondering, we did not take the kids into the main part of the museum. I think they could've gone through it, but we opted to spare them the experience at this young age. Once again, however, the museum council had covered this very important "base", having prepared two sections for younger children outside the main exhibit area. The first was "Daniel's Story", the first-person account of a teenaged boy as told through his journal. This exhibit started out showing how Daniel was a boy just like all the other boys, he had a family, a home, games, toys, a school, and friends just like everyone else. Then room by room we were shown how his world began to change, from the beginning where the Jews were labeled with the Star of David and segregated from the rest of society, then on through the end, finally, when he and his family were moved to the ghetto, then put on trains and sent to concentration camps.

Daniel's story had somewhat of a happy ending. He was reunited with his father after the war. But tragically, his mother and sister were killed.

The second age-appropriate area was an exhibit dedicated to the life and story of Anne Frank. Also very well done.

When we arrived, Joel took the kids through the Daniel and Anne exhibits while I went through the main exhibit. Then when I finished, the kids took me through those exhibits while Joel went through the main exhibit. Zach and Jenna both thoroughly enjoyed playing tour guide, taking Mom through the exhibits they had already seen. :-)

Anyway, it was a moving experience, and one none of us will soon forget.

Later in the day, after we had lunch at the food court in the Ronald Reagan Building, we walked over to the Ford's Theater. We arrived in time to hear the last few minutes of a presentation by the park ranger. She told us about how the theater had been sold to the government following the assassination of President Lincoln because the public was outraged at the thought of it being re-opened for business-as-usual. The government then gutted the place--can you imagine?--and turned it into an office building. Sometime later, after the roof caved in, the government decided that perhaps they should rebuild the theater as it had been at the time of the assassination.

After the presentation we walked up the stairs and saw the re-constructed balcony box where President and Mrs. Lincoln sat that fateful night with two of their friends, peacefully watching a play.

Since we had just read all about that, the kids were really excited to see where he had sat.

Across the street was the house where they had taken the President that night. Knowing they would be unable to save his life, they at least wanted to make him as comfortable as possible, instead of carrying him over the rough unpaved streets of the city to get him back to the White House. We didn't go in that house, however. Too many people had flocked over there the moment the presentation was finished.

Following that, we hopped the Metro (subway) back to the hotel to rest for awhile before driving the kids to Alexandria, Virginia. It took a considerable amount of time yesterday, but Joel finally tracked down a harvest celebration at a Christian school there. Zach was dashing in his Anakin Skywalker costume we put together, complete with braid and light saber. Jenna was pretty as a picture in her medieval princess dress. We forgot to pick up some ballet shoes to complete her ensemble, so she had to wear her sneakers. No matter, even ballet shoes could not have made her more beautiful tonight!

Both the kids had lots of fun playing all the games at the festival. The church/school was similar to other bible churches we've attended. The most obvious difference was the ethnic diversity. At least half those in attendance were African Americans, though there were plenty of white people there as well. But we also saw a number of middle-eastern Indians, too. We decided the mix was probably representative of the population in this area.

Although no one went out of their way to make us feel "at home", no one treated us as outcasts, either. The most fun part for Joel and me was the cake walk--even though we didn't win. (Like we needed a cake!)

Anyway, it was a full day, and ended up being a long one too. It was after 9 p.m. by the time we got back to our neck of the woods and found a place to eat dinner. We ended up eating next door at the Holiday Inn's top floor restaurant, The Vantage Point, where we got a birdseye view of the city while we ate.

Tomorrow we head for Lynchburg where we will spend a couple of nights. We are planning to stop at Arlington Cemetery and Monticello on our way out of town since we haven't had time to see them yet.

BTW: "Neewollah" is "Halloween" backwards. Our church in Texas celebrated this holiday by "turning Halloween around for Jesus." We liked that so much, we've adopted it in our family.

Second, today is Joel's re-birthday! He is 15 years old in Jesus today. So Happy Re-Birthday, Joel!

Road Trip - Day 26: D.C. (DisConnected!)

We've been having some Internet problems these past couple of days. Apparently it works fine while Joel is blogging, but the minute I pick up the computer to blog the connection goes weak. There must be something about late nights here that makes the connection bad. I don't know.

Anyway, for updates on what we did yesterday and today go to Joel's blog. He is actually quite good at giving details---on his blog. (When I ask him for details, that's usually a different story!) ;-)

The kids are doing school "light" this week since we're seeing and learning so much here in D.C. We leave early, get back late, and see lots in between. (It's poor Socrates that's having no fun! Poor little guy has spent all day every day in his crate.)

There is something else I've learned on this trip (besides the obvious). For starters, I've learned that even as much research as I did in preparing for this trip, I didn't do enough. There have been certain stops on the trip that we should have scheduled more time at--like Gettysburg and D.C. for example.

Second, I've learned that my "brilliant" packing strategy was not so brilliant after all! (No surprise there!) But I gave it a shot and did the best I could with no real point of reference with this sort of thing. However, if I had to do it over again, I would have a medium-sized rolley bag for each person. The schlepping has been a real drag. (No pun intended!) I think each of us having a suitcase of our own would have made a big difference. Oh well. Live and learn.

Well, I'm having Internet connection problems, so I'm going to sign-off for now. I will throw one photo in for good measure, though, if I can get connected one more time....

Road Trip - Day 24: Gettysburg

Today was an awesome day! Unfortunately we didn't get started with it until after noon. We got up and went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then stopped at Target to pick up a few things. We went back to the room to shower, pack up and check out, and ended up getting snagged on a school project with Zach.

Zach has been given the assignment of completing a Civil War notebook, and a pretty comprehensive one at that, and he was having a hard time dealing with it. So we gave him our usual pep talk about getting older and doing more difficult projects, building character, etc., then we were on the road again headed for Gettysburg by 12:30 or so., leaving Harrisburg behind.

We arrived in Gettysburg around 1:30, made our way to the visitor's center, then participated in a tour of the National Cemetery where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. There was a memorial--the only one of its kind--to the speech itself, complete with a bust of Lincoln. Then there was a much larger monument to Lincoln in the center of the semi-circle of graves of the several thousand Union soldiers who died during the three-day battle. It was very moving.

Following the cemetery tour we went on a self-guided driving tour of the battlefields where the battles of Gettysburg were fought. Joel bought a CD that told us where to drive. The CD also had a narrator who told us about the fields and the battles, the generals, the setbacks and victories. There were also dramatizations of the battles to emphasize more vividly what it was really like. We were amazed both by how vast the battlefields were and how many monuments there were throughout the 7-mile or so driving tour. There were countless monuments along the route, some small and simple, some enormous and grandiose. We saw monuments from just about every state that sent soldiers to Gettysburg to fight. The end of the tour and the CD was marked by a dramatization of the Gettysburg Address. Again it was very moving.

By the end Jenna told us that war was horrible and she didn't know why people fought them. We agreed with her about how awful war is, and talked again about why this particular war was fought. I'm not sure, but I think she was actually beginning to grasp a little what the Civil War was about.

Joel stopped to get gas so the kids and I walked across the street to a souvenir shop to pick up some postcards, etc. Then we went to dinner at Friendly's before heading for Washington, D.C. It started raining on us en route, and continued doing so till long after we arrived. We found the Best Western Key Bridge in Arlington, Virginia just across the Potomac from D.C.

Now we have the difficult task of deciding what to do in our short four days here. There is simply too much to see and do and not nearly enough time, so we must pick and choose--then move on. D.C. will in itself be quite an education for the kids!

Road Trip - Day 23: Harrisburg, PA

On The Road Again...

We got an early start this morning, checking out of the Conwell Inn before 10 a.m. (That's pretty good for us!) It was raining as we left Philly, and rained off and on all day.

As we were driving out of the city, Joel had to stop by the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the infamous steps are that were in the first Rocky movie. Of course the statue was not there, as in the movie. Apparently that was a Hollywood "trick", as it resides somewhere else in the city. Joel was very disappointed that we didn't get a photo of him at the top of the steps with his arms raised triumphantly in true "Rocky Balboa" form. (I suppose we'll just have to use our imaginations on that one!) ;-)

Anyway, the drive to Hershey, PA, our first stop of the day, was uneventful except for the rain. At times it was pouring pretty hard. The trees along the highway were beautiful, and would have been more so had they not been rain drenched.

The Pennsylvania countryside was completely charming. There were numerous dairy farms along the road. Each one sat perfectly groomed on a sprawling acreage complete with rolling hills and barns and silos. The farmhouses themselves were wonderful old homes, with peeked roofs and large porches and lots of windows. Each farm looked as though its photo belonged on a wall calendar. (I caught myself wishing we had more time to explore the area and maybe do some antiquing....)

Hershey's Chocolate World

On the way through Hershey (the town) we stopped at Applebee's for lunch. We figured it would be wise to feed the kids before taking them to chocolate world....

Hershey's Chocolate World was reminiscent of Disney World, though on a much smaller scale. They have an amusement park on the grounds, but it wasn't open. Chocolate World was enough however! When we entered the building we were immediately met with the unmistakable aroma of chocolate. The kids were so excited I thought their eyes were going to pop! We took a Disney-esque "ride" through a virtual tour of the chocolate-making process. The tour started with a little history about Milton Hershey, the founder of Hershey's Chocolate, then told the story of making chocolate, starting with the rainforests where the cocoa beans are harvested. It was very informative. I never realized how much was involved in making a chocolate bar from "scratch"! Upon exiting the ride we make a b-line for the food court where they had all kinds of cookies, snacks, bakery treats, and ice cream--plus regular food as well. Joel spotted a chocolate cake of which he had to have a piece. Jenna, Zach, and I went for the ice cream. The ice cream was okay, but of course the toppings were first-rate Hershey: their version of M&M's for Zach, and Heath Bar for Jenna and me. Meanwhile Joel was in heaven with his mammoth piece of "real" chocolate cake!

While we were eating our ice cream, Zach mentioned his best friend, Ryan, so I handed him my cell phone and let him give Ryan a call. (Hey, if you can't share special moments like "Hershey's Chocolate World" with your best friend, what's the point?)

By the time we finished our desserts we were all pretty wired on chocolate. We did a little souvenir shopping while we waited for the 3-D movie to start. We got some postcards, Jenna and I each got some mini-playing cards, and I bought a water bowl for Socrates. (The bowl we brought for him is way too small.)

The 3-D movie was loads of fun. I would actually call it a 4-D movie: when they squirted water in the film, we got squirted. We also got "snowed" on, and later they dropped bubbles and streamers on us, all in sync with the movie.

We didn't have time to linger at Hershey since the National Civil War Museum (our second stop for the day) would be closing at 5 p.m. Fortunately, the museum was located just a few minutes away in the city of Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania.

The National Civil War Museum

Joel and I were pretty excited about the National Civil War Museum. It is hailed as the most comprehensive museum on the subject, and one that prides itself in being neutral where the sensitive issues of that war are concerned. And we were not disappointed.

Each area of the museum was devoted to a specific time of the war, beginning with the slave trade, then moving on to the event at Fort Sumter where the first shots were fired. Then section by section details of the war were explained, such as the military equipment, strategies, commanders, etc. of both sides, and so on. Within each area there was a television screen (or series of them) upon which were dramatized the lives of two fictional families and how their lives were affected by the war. For example, in one family there were three brothers: one fought for the north, another for the south, and the third chose to remain neutral, moving to California for the duration of the war. As we moved through the museum, we were able to follow these characters from before they actually left home to the aftermath of the war. One brother was injured, another killed, and the one that went to California returned home only to be treated as a coward and was disowned even by some in his family. The dramatization drove home to us the impact this "civil" war had on real families of the time. As we watched the re-enactment of the battle at Gettysburg, we talked about how brothers fighting on opposite sides might actually have fought in that battle over those three days. A very sobering though indeed.

The first exhibits focused on slavery were completely fascinating, as were all the others. They had actual artifacts of the period, such as neck and leg shackles, a cat-of-nine tails, and clothes worn by slaves. In this area, they also had wax figures of slaves carrying on a conversation. One of them spoke of how his wife had been sold the day before, and how he feared he would never see her again. It was all very moving.

A later exhibit displayed Ulysses S. Grant's own personal trunk, and there was an exhibit in the Lincoln area containing a swatch of the dress Mary Lincoln wore to the theater the night her husband was shot. They also had an actual bronzed face-mask of Lincoln (see note below), reportedly cast just a few weeks before he was assassinated. (Sadly, the eyes had been left untouched, so that important feature distracted from the rest.) It was an incredible feeling, however, to stand there in front of an almost exact replica of his face and head. The inscription below it mentioned one person's view of the mask, saying it clearly showed the "peace that passeth all understanding..."

(Note re: face mask of Lincoln: The photo I found online (above) was a plaster cast of the original bronze one done prior to Lincoln's death. However there is some confusion about the date the cast was taken. According to the National Civil War Museum --to the best of my memory-- the cast was done just a few weeks prior to his death. The web site showing the photo above said it was done in 1860 before the war, which would make sense as he is not very weathered and he has no beard. There is a different mask shown on that same site that was said to have been done just a couple of months before his death. It shows a marked change in his features, plus it shows him with a beard, so I'm thinking the website is correct and the museum is mistaken.)

Gratitude and Grace

Joel and I had just been talking this morning about how to help our children come to grips with liberty and all its benefits, to truly understand it, and to appreciate it. I'm not sure this museum achieved that, but if it didn't, it just isn't going to happen at this young age. Our hope, however, is that they will remember some of the things they saw and experienced today (and throughout this trip), and that in time, they will come to be truly grateful for the freedom they have and for the lives that were lost to attain it and to preserve this great country with all its freedoms.

As we continue on this month-long trip, the significance of our history becomes increasingly more poignant and meaningful to us. I, personally, have gained a deeper appreciation for my freedom and for those brave and daring souls who have gone before us to form, to protect, and to preserve this great United States of America. What a precious and unexpected gift...! Truly, God has laid His hand upon this nation. May He continue to "shed His grace on thee...from sea to shining sea."

Tomorrow we are planning to visit Gettysburg on our way to Washington, D.C. I'm hoping the rain will subside so we can experience it more fully.

Road Trip - Day 22: Sunday in Philly

Today we started with a quick parasail over the Delaware River, scaling a high-rise in the center of town, hiking through the slums---well, not exactly! Actually we had a very s-l-o-w day, lounging around until early afternoon--with a few brief interruptions required in order to take care of the laundry. Joel has struck up quite a relationship with the staff of the hotel, (in true Joel fashion), so they allowed us to do our laundry in their washer and dryer today. (It's not what you know....)

After finishing the laundry, we decided to drive to a "better" part of town to get some lunch and maybe find a park we could take the kids (and Socrates) to so they could burn off a little steam. Unfortunately, the directions Joel got were rather bad--of course it wasn't that he didn't follow them properly!--so it ended up taking us quite a while to locate a decent area in which to eat. Zach was the star of the day for spotting an Olive Garden restaurant. Of course, by the time he spotted it we had driven past it and even though we were able to turn around, we still ended up in the wrong lane of traffic and couldn't get to it. What's that saying, Ro? You can't get there from here.... So after driving around for another fifteen minutes or so, we did eventually find our way into the parking lot of the Olive Garden. Even though it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, there was a 25 minute wait... (Never mind that we hadn't had food since 7 o'clock this morning!!!) Go figure. It must've been the only decent restaurant in a 10 mile radius.

By the time we got seated, got served (which took another 45 minutes or so...Yikes!), ate, and paid, it was time to head back to the hotel. Since we have a really full day tomorrow we decided to get a jump on packing, loading, and our schoolwork. We actually found the express route back to the hotel (yay!) and got busy. We caught up on our reading, finishing the Lincoln Photobiography book, and almost catching up on Across Five Aprils. Jenna did some work on her journal and spelling, and Zach and Joel worked on his math, assessing and correcting his work from last week.

Then once all the work was done, we played a few rounds of The Scrambled States of America, a very fun card game to help us learn about these great United States of America, the state capitals, locations, and nicknames. Zach won the first two rounds, and yours truly won the final round. I think this will be a great way to help Jenna learn about the 50 states.

By the time we wrapped up the last round it was time for the kids to go to bed. The younger kids, that is. Joel spent the next couple of hours playing his interactive Star Wars game while I planned some schoolwork for the week and channel surfed. (Television really stinks these days!)

Anyway, that brings us up to date. Tomorrow we head for Hershey, PA and the chocolate factory to make Willy Wonka turn green. Then the plan is to end up in Harrisburg, PA, the capital of Pennsylvania.

Hopefully we can get there from here... ;-)

Road Trip - Day 21: We The People

Three little words: We the people. That was the theme for today.

We got a late start, not leaving the hotel until after noon. Joel had scheduled the rest of the day for us: Independence Hall first, then the National Constitution Center, dinner, then last, the Lights of Liberty tour.

We took a cab back to the historic part of the city where we picked up our tickets for Independence Hall (pictured left). We got through security pretty quickly, so we had some extra time to look through the buildings surrounding Independence Hall before the tour. We were interested by the documents and exhibits we found in one of the buildings. Several of the exhibits had been donated and/or compiled by such historic figures as Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark.

The tour of Independence Hall was fascinating in its own right. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the smallest details regarding the men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. For instance, while Benjamin Franklin was a quick wit when it came to one-liners, when longer speeches were required he would rabbit-trail to the point of distraction. And George Washington was terribly shy when it came to speaking in public or attracting public attention. Those are the kinds of details that make these historic figures more real, more human. Very fascinating, indeed!

It was also quite moving to be able to stand in the place where these men who founded our country stood and walked and debated and argued and finally agreed. We stood in the very room where these courageous men painstakingly hammered out the foundations of this country, offering up their very lives that this country might be free; the room where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.

And interestingly enough, it was also the room where President Lincoln was laid out for public viewing following his assassination. We were told over 300,000 people lined up to see the body of one of our greatest presidents, in a line that measured about three miles long. Independence Hall was one of the stops his body made before ending up in the Old State Capitol in Springfield, IL that we visited a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing how history is woven together in so many ways.

After Independence Hall, we walked over to the National Constitution Center (see photo below, right) for probably our favorite stop for the day. The experience started with a brief dramatization of our history, complete with the significant voices, pictures, sounds, and music of key moments in history meant to stir our sense of patriotism. I can't speak for everyone else, but it certainly succeeded where I was concerned. By the end, I was moved to tears.

We then walked through one of the best museums I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. The entire museum was one brilliant exhibit after another, weaving together through drawings, paintings, quotes, audio, video, narration, and mock settings the threads of our history giving us a thorough understanding of so many events from the first colonies to modern day issues and occurances. They had even made it such that the kids were completely engaged. Both Zach and Jenna tried on a robe patterned after the ones the Supreme Court Justices wear. And both were able to take a sample test similar to the one taken by those who wish to become citizens of this great country. Joel got in the spirit of things as well, posing behind a podium copied after the one the President stands behind. (See photo below.)

I wish we had had more time to go through this particular museum. There was just too much to see and listen to and read through. We could have easily spent an entire day there. But closing time approached, so we made a stop in the souvenir shop before leaving to locate a place to have dinner.

The food court/mall in the area closed at 6 p.m., and it was then that we left the museum, so we walked a few blocks looking for some food. The first place we went in served rabbit for a hefty price of $24 a serving. (The cloth napkins and wine glasses on the tables should have clued us in!) So needless to say, we kept walking. We eventually found a Philly cheese steak place called Sonny's that also served hamburgers and chicken fingers. While the food was completely mediocre, the price tag was not. It cost us about $28 for the four of us to eat there. (It would've been nice if they had given us water off the tap, but the bottled water alone cost $6 for the four of us. Stick 'em up!)

We ate rather quickly and made our way over to the last event of the day, the Lights of Liberty tour. We got there a few minutes early, got our headphones, and were ready for the tour at 7:10 p.m. Our tour guides were fashionably dressed in period costumes from the Revolutionary War era. Ricky was our main guide, a spry young fellow sporting a British accent and a sharp wit. He gave us the "drill" then we were on our way walking through the historic district of downtown Philly with about 30 other folks.

We started in Franklin Court, the place where Ben Franklin's home had once stood. At each stop along the way, there was a light show that dramatized pictorally the events leading up to and including the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We each wore headphones (the kids hearing a more simplified version) through which the stories were told by actors, complete with sound effects and music. The tour culminated at Independence Hall, of course, and the finale was a dramatic rendition of "God Bless America." It was the second time today I was moved to tears.

We were all tired after the events of the day, and our feet were hurting. Even though we will be gaining an hour through daylight savings time later tonight, we got the kids in bed pretty much on time. Joel enjoyed one last treat on the way home however. We took a cab back to the room, and he thoroughly enjoyed talking with the driver--our third in two days. The first was from Tunisia, the second was from the Ukrain, and the third one tonight, was from Viet Nam. Joel had lively conversations with each of them, even getting a picture of the first one yesterday while showing off all the stuff his digital camera could do. I have to admit, it was fun to watch and listen!

Tomorrow is Sunday, and as of this time, we haven't found a place to worship yet. Since this area is so b-a-d, I'm not sure we will find anything close.... We'll just have to wait and see. ("President Joel Comm" pictured at left.)

Road Trip - Day 20: Historic Philadelphia

We didn't do much yesterday--just traveled from NYC to Philladelphia and got settled in our new hotel room. The room is great, by the way. We have a two-room suite on the campus of Temple University. Unfortunately, the parking situation is not so good. Joel had to park the van a few blocks away. And although the area right around the university is good, it is surrounded by ghetto.... (Not so good!)

However, the restaurant situation is very convenient here on campus, so food is not a problem at all.

We went exploring Philadelphia today. We got a late start 'cause I've still not been feeling well. (If I didn't know better I'd think I was pregnant! Feels much like morning sickness...blech.) Anyway, it was noon before we walked to the bus stop to catch a city bus into historic Philadelphia. We had heard public transportation here was really good, so we were a bit surprised first of all to have to wait 20 minutes or more to catch the bus, and second, to be crammed in the bus like a can of sardines. Fortunately, people here have been really nice so far, with the exception of one older gentleman on the bus today that chastised Jenna for sitting in the handicap seat. (She didn't know!, and Joel and I weren't paying attention to where she was sitting. We were just happy she had a seat and didn't have to stand up and hold on.) So I guess that whole "City of Brotherly Love" stuff is for real!

Philly is drenched with history, as we had expected, though the city itself is not as nicely kept as Boston was. The first thing we did was grab some lunch when we arrived in the historic section. (We had to have a Philly cheese/steak sandwich, of course!) Then we walked around the corner to see the Liberty Bell. Because of threats received on the Bell a couple of years ago, tight security has been maintained for both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. So it took probably 45 minutes or so to get through the security check before seeing the bell. There was lots of information in the exhibit about the bell and those for whom it has been a symbol of freedom throughout history. We were surprised to learn that after the Civil War the bell was taken through the country as a way to reunify the country and to inspire patriotism in America again. It was also a significant symbol for the women's suffrage movement and the civil rights movement of the '60's. And it has even become an important symbol of freedom around the world.

We were also surprised to learn how fragile the bell is. We were told if it were to be rung even one more time it would split in two and possibly shatter.

We had planned to go through Independence Hall after seeing the bell, but we were too late. Because of the security process being so long, they had already stopped giving out tickets for today. So the plan is to go back there to do that tomorrow.

We spent the next couple of hours walking through the historic district seeing the first bank of America, Betsy Ross' house, Benjamin Franklin's grave, the Delaware River, a statue dedicated to the suffering of the Irish immigrants, and several other historic buildings. It was pretty chilly still this afternoon, so we were thrilled to spot a Starbucks where the kids and Joel had a hot chocolate and I enjoyed a white chocolate mocha... (Ro turned me onto those the day we took the Freedom Tour in Boston! Very yummy!)

Because we were going to see so much history today, the kids had a lighter load of schoolwork. But they will be expected to write about the things they saw today. We are a little behind in our reading, but hopefully we'll get caught up over the next few days.

Left: Zach and Jenna at Penn's Landing alongside the Delaware River

Road Trip - Day 18: Long Island Friends

Today was a "let's not do a whole lot" day. We slept in as long as we could, then Joel tracked down a McDonald's and brought breakfast to us. (Can you believe there's not a McD's "just down the road" here?) Then we got caught up on some of our schoolwork.

In our reading today, we came to the end of the Civil War in the Lincoln Photobiography book, and we learned about the stress the war put on families (especially in the border states) when sons chose to fight on opposing sides in Across Five Aprils.

It was almost 1:00 p.m. before we left for lunch. Joel made a quick stop at Best Buy then we went back to Mill Creek Mall (where we shopped last night) to have lunch in their food court. (I'm not sure, but that may have been a big mistake.... I've had an upset stomach for hours....)

By the time we finished there it was time to go back to the room, shower, and get ready to drive out to Long Island to see our friends, Victor and Judy Picone. (Joel and Victor go waaaaay back to their days of selling Encyclopedia Britannica in Dallas, Texas.) The drive out there took longer than we figured--between the traffic being backed up and us getting a little lost.... But we arrived around 5:30 with Victor driving up right behind us.

It was great having the time to get caught up with Victor and Judy, and getting acquainted with the newest addition to their family, Christian, their 9-month old son. (He was such a cutie! and a really good baby.) Jenna, especially, had a good time playing with Christian. It was her first time to get to play with a little baby like that. (...Good experience with her cousin, Kari, expecting a new baby in a few months!)

Judy had made a very tasty dinner for us, then we watched some of their home videos from Halloween a couple of years ago.

The Picones are great people--real people. They're the kind of friends you know you'll have for a lifetime. No matter how much time passes between visits or emails or phone calls, we always pick up right where we left off.

Our time with them passed all too quickly, and before we knew it we were on our way back to New Jersey and our last night in the Red Roof Inn, Secaucus. Socrates was really happy to see us, as always! He is such a good dog and a great little traveler.

Tomorrow we pack up again and head for Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love--and some more new adventures!

Note: It was a little strange not going to the Empire State Building or even seeing the Statue of Liberty on this trip. We did visit those sights a few years ago when we were here, but still, it seems like we should have gone to those places again.... I'm not sure how much Jenna remembers from our previous trip. It would've been good to give her another look.

Road Trip - Day 17: Guggen-what?

Art Appreciation/History Day

After a horrible night's sleep (mostly due to the strong smell of cigarette smoke in our non-smoking room) we arose early and decided to check out of the not-so-Quality Inn. We went to get some breakfast first at a very ethnic bagel place. The proprietors behind the counter spoke as though they had just gotten off the boat from Italy five minutes before we arrived for breakfast! Joel and the kids got a kick out of hearing me attempt an Italian/New Jersey accent. (Ok, ok, I know I'm no good at doing accents. I'm a southern girl through and through. Whatya expect?)

Anyway, Joel called around looking for another motel room, and finally found one in Secaucus at another Red Roof Inn. (They have been very good to us on this trip!) So once again we loaded everything back in the van, and set out for the Red Roof. Fortunately they had a room ready for us and they let us go ahead and check in. The woman at the reception desk was very nice, and went out of her way to help us with whatever we needed--especially when it came to getting the low-down on seeing the sights in New York City.

After we had emptied the van, Joel called a taxi to take us to the bus stop so we could catch a bus into New York City, as we had been advised. The Guggenheim Museum was on our "to do" list today, and was our first destination.

Once we got into the city we took the subway to the Times Square area and walked the few blocks to the Guggenheim. We had failed to do our homework, however, and the exhibits at the museum were not exactly what we had hoped for. Instead, almost the entire museum was filled with James Rosenquist's paintings. For those of you, like us, who are unfamiliar with Mr. Rosenquist's work, it is rather abstract and nostalgic in some ways. I'm sure it "speaks" to a great many people. We, however, "heard" nothing but utter confusion from this particular artist!

There was one permanent exhibit, however, that had artwork from a variety of artists, from Manet to Picasso--and a host of others--that we enjoyed very much.

When we had our fill of artwork, we took a stroll through Central Park. It was a beautiful day without a drop of rain, so we enjoyed our walk very much. Once on the other side of the park we took another subway train to Lower Manhattan to visit Ground Zero. We spoke with an electrician there who was overseeing the construction of the first building to be rebuilt in the area. When he learned that we were from the OKC area there was an immediate "bond." He knew we knew.... We spoke with him a few minutes, then he directed us to an area from which we could best view the "footprint" of the World Trade Center's collapse.

En route we came across a young man, Edwin Class, making WTC skyline pictures out of matchbooks. We spoke with him for a while as well. Apparently he had worked with the Red Cross following the attack of September 11 and this was his way of contributing to the memorial. With each matchbook he gives away, all he asks (besides a meager donation to cover the cost of the matchbooks) is that we email a photo to him of the matchbook in another place, such as our home town. This is his way of artistically measuring the effects of 9-11 across our nation and around the world.

We continued on our walk to the viewing area and stood for awhile just looking at the enormous hole in the ground where the twin towers once stood. It was hard to get a grasp on the tragedy with everything cleaned up, much less to describe it here in a worthy manner. It just isn't possible.

As we continued on, we stumbled across an exhibit in the World Financial Center across the street, showing the intended memorial to be built in honor of those who lost their lives that day. Although it wasn't the design we would've chosen, I'm certain it will be quite significant once it's completed.

By this time it was getting late in the day, and we knew poor Socrates was probably crossing his legs in his crate back at the Red Roof. So we took the subway back to the Port Authority bus station and headed back toward Secaucus.

We were really tired by this time, and food was the only thing that sounded good--besides a foot rub! So we took Socrates out for a potty break, then went to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner. On our way back to the room once again we came across a mall and Joel wanted to shop, so we put our feet back in motion again (oy vey!) and walked around the mall for awhile.

Both Zach and Jenna found some "treasures"--an out-of-production Bionicle for Zach, and a watch for Jenna she had been looking for for weeks. I bought some shoes and Joel, well, he got a cookie. :-) (Along with the satisfaction of having made his family happy.)

Now the kids are neatly tucked in their beds, and Joel and I are doing our duel blogs.... And I am sensing the time for those footrubs is very near!

So with that, I'm outta heee. ;-)

Road Trip - Day 16: New York/New Jersey

Today was a driving day. We left the Boston area around noon, driving west and south for the first time on this trip. In essence I suppose we are on our way home, although it will take us three weeks to meet that destination.

Yesterday was our two-week mark. It was an uneventful day as we were still so exhausted from our walking tour of Boston the day before. We went to breakfast, then to Barnes & Noble to pick up some books. Zach is plowing through the books we brought, and even Jenna is getting the "reading bug."

Anyway, after running a couple of errands yesterday morning, we rested for most of the rest of the day, leaving again only to do laundry. Ro had warned us that there's a standard reply about finding things in the Massachusetts area. The saying is, "You can't get there from here." We certainly found that to be true as we followed the very simple driving directions to the laundromat. We could see it from the highway, but for the longest time we could not figure out how to get to it! (We persevered, however, so now we have fresh, clean clothes for the week!)

Today, we did some schoolwork, packed up again, loaded the van and hit the road, traveling southwest out of Boston, across Connecticut, through southeastern New York state, and into New Jersey. It was a relatively quick drive, made quicker by listening to the book, The Giver, on CD. (It turned out to be quite a fascinating story, and one we would all highly recommend.) We had started the story a week or so ago and would listen to it anytime we had an extended driving day. We listened to the last CD (fourth of four) today, so now we're back to listening to music.

We arrived in Jersey in time for rush hour, though it wasn't too bad the direction we were going. Joel called our friend, "Victa", (Victor, for those in the mid-south who don't have an east-coast accent). Joel and Victor became friends "a thousand years ago" in Dallas. (Actually, it was around the time Joel and I got married, so we've known Victor for almost 15 years!) He's one of those friends we always just pick up with, no matter how much time has passed between contact. We will try to see Victor, his beautiful wife, Judy, and their new baby, Christian, tomorrow night. (Stay tuned...)

While Joel went out to track down some food for dinner tonight, I read our read-alouds to the kids. Then Jenna finished reading one of her readers aloud to me. (That's the second book she's completed on this trip so far.)

I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. It's supposed to be rainy and chilly. Zach may be coming down with a cold--oy vey!--but Joel says we will carry on.... We've got places to go, things to do, sights to see. In the infamous words of Scarlett O'Hara, tomorrow is another day.... (Above is a photo of my guys and our room for the next three nights.)

(For those of you praying for us, please pray for Zach's health, and for continued protection for us all.)

Road Trip - Day 14: The Freedom Trail

Well, today was a FULL day, and we are all exhausted. It started with catching the train around 10:30 this morning, and we weren't done until well after 5:00 p.m. As I write this it is already late, there are too many details to rehash, and since Joel has done such a beautiful job of detailing everything we saw and did today, I'm just going to point you to his site.

Suffice it to say we got a crash-course in our early American history--such that we won't soon forget the high cost paid for our freedom.

As it turned out, Ro and Kyle did get to join us today--hooray!--and Ro acted as our tour guide along the Freedom Trail. (Good job, Ro!) And to think we forgot to tip her! ;-) Here's a picture of the whole gang lined up on the red brick trail that led us through Boston today: Jenna, Zach, Kyle, Ro, me (Mary), and Joel.

Tomorrow is our day for "down-time" and rest.... We certainly need it after today!

Be sure to go to Joel's site for the details of all we saw and did today. It's well worth your time.

Road Trip - Day 13: JFK Museum & Harvard

We got a really late start today. We had some reading (for school) to catch up on. But, thanks to the nice telephone repairman, our connection is now much better, so at least we are able to update our blogs quicker and more completely. :-)

We decided to visit the JFK Museum today on the campus of the University of Massachusetts. It was a huge building and the exhibits were very nicely done. We started with a brief movie about JFK in the years prior to his running for president. Almost all the narration was done by JFK himself through the use of audio taken from interviews, speeches, etc. over the years.

The most moving part of the entire museum, for me, was the speech JFK gave on television about the race issue. His speech was followed by a portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. (It gave me chills! Especially when JFK mentioned Lincoln and the emancipation of the slaves, since that is what we've been studying. Now that's what I call perfect timing!)

Another fun part for both Jenna and me was the First Lady's wedding dress which is on display through the end of this month, I believe. Jenna didn't like the style of it very much, but I thought it was quite beautiful, and we were both amazed at how tiny her waist was!

Upon leaving the museum we drove over to Cambridge and the campus of Harvard University. It was already late in the day and it was getting dark by the time we arrived in the area, so we didn't get very many pictures. This one is of the founder of the school, John Harvard.

The ironic thing about Harvard is in the beginning it was a seminary--an institution set up to train men to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of fantastic quotes etched in the stone walls and gateways bearing witness to a time when the learning that was done on this campus was primarily for the purposes of furthering both the gospel and the spiritual growth of the students and others. Now, as I understand it, Harvard is a school of "higher thought"--one which, for all intents and purposes, denounces the importance, the significance, and even the truth of Scripture. Very ironic indeed... And quite sad....


We managed to see some of the history in the area, however, visiting an old church where George and Martha Washington had worshipped, and Teddy Roosevelt had taught a Sunday School class. In the churchyard was a cemetery, as was customary in those days. Many of the headstones were unreadable or nearly so, but there were some we could read that dated back to the early 1700's. There is something historical around nearly every corner in this "neck of the woods."

Tomorrow we are planning to take the Freedom Tour in historic downtown Boston. Ro and Kyle were going to meet us, but Kyle is not feeling well (running a temperature of 101.7), so I doubt they will make it. We will be disappointed if that is the case, but we understand.

Socrates didn't have a very fun day today. We took him with us on our adventures, but he ended up staying in his crate in the car most of the afternoon and evening. As I write this, however, he is stretched out at my feet snoozing happily. (What a sweet little guy and a great little traveler!)

Road Trip - Day 11: Berna'dston-Concord-Boston

We had another really good day today. It started with coffee with Ro! :-) It was a little hard to say goodbye to her today, but the plans we made for Saturday made it a little easier. (She and Kyle are planning to meet us in Boston Saturday morning.) Ro is one of those rare people... Her love for the Lord and her desire to follow Him is so evident. I am truly blessed to be able to call her friend.

We did some school work, then we were on our way again with the van loaded by 11:30 or so. We stopped for lunch, then as we were driving through Concord, we realized what a wealth of history was nestled in this crisp, beautifully preserved old town. We stopped at the information center, then promptly headed for the North Bridge--where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired--the infamous "shot heard 'round the world."

(Thankfully it didn't rain today like they had predicted, but the wind was certainly blowing quite strong, which made it very chilly outside. So we were really glad to have our heavier coats along on today!)

After the bridge, we located Louisa May Alcott's home and Emerson's home, then we went through the Concord Museum, which had some fascinating exhibits. Originally we were going to go to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to see the graves of Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau--all of which were from the Concord area, but due to time constraints we opted to forgo the cemetery and get back on the road to Boston.

We arrived in Boston around 5 p.m., located our hotel and got settled in for a five-night stay! (Hooray!!!) I can't tell you how tiresome it is hopping from place to place, so we are really happy to be staying put for the next few days.

(We're having some Internet connection difficulties tonight, so I must keep this short, plus I won't be able to download any photos tonight. You can go to Joel's blog to see some of our pictures from today.)

Road Trip - Day 10: Vermont to Massachusetts

We had a greeeaaat day today! We started off with a couple hours of lounging and school in the room at the Knotty Pine, then we headed out for our day of adventure in Bennington, Vermont. And it was all I had hoped it would be, and then some!

Our first stop was Wal-Mart, a block down the road, for some more essentials--plus Tuesday is DVD release day, so Joel stocked up on some newly released movies. After that, we tracked down the three covered bridges in the area--very cool! Next we stopped at the Bennington Battlefield, the site of one of the most important battles in the Revolutionary War. Story has it that the British had been sent to Bennington to obtain supplies that were essential to their survival and success, but when they arrived in Bennington they were met with resistance from the American army that was beyond their ability to defeat! So this battle became a turning point in the war and the Americans who fought there became heroes. There is a huge monument in the center of a beautifully preserved park area, flanked on both ends with statues of some of the heroes from the day. The stone monument is over 300' tall, with an elevator that took us to 200-something feet to an observation deck. Up there we could see not only the beautiful fall foliage of Bennington, but we could also see into New York and Massachusets.

We then went to the oldest congregational church in the area, a beautiful white chapel-type church with a steeple. It had been beautifully restored to it's original design from the early 1800's. In the churchyard was a cemetary filled with graves/headstones dating from the 1700's. Robert Frost, the famous poet, is buried there, so of course we got a picture of his gravestone. Our tour-guide through the church happened to be the minister. (The usual tour guide didn't show up.) Scott, the minister, was fairly knowledgeable about the history of the church and we chatted with him for a while. His belief system was, how shall I say?, interesting....

As we were getting ready to leave for lunch, we stopped to let the kids and Socrates play in the leaves. As it turns out, we arrived here in Bennington just in time for the peak of the fall colors!

After lunch, on our way out of town, we stopped at the Apple Barn Country Market. While I shopped through the plethora of goodies, Joel and the kids walked through the enormous maize maze in the field behind the store. It took them a solid half-hour to get through it, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. (Meanwhile I had a wonderful half-hour of uninterrupted shopping without anyone hurrying me or asking me a hundred questions!)

We made one other unscheduled stop, a quaint little antique store. We had passed so many of them, we just couldn't pass another one! So we made a quick run-through then headed for Bernardston, (pronounced "BERNadston" with the accent on the "Bern") MA, and Ro and Kyle's place.

The drive between Bennington and Bernardston was incredible. The mountains were covered with countless shades of gold and yellow and red. Every curve through the mountains presented another photo op. Joel put one of our HHBC choir worship cd's on and we worshipped to scenery that in itself inspires worship. I have to say it was one of those times when I wouldn't dream of closing my eyes while worshiping! We pulled over at one scenic overlook that was indeed breathtaking. Between the words of the worship song and the scenery, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.... I am so grateful for my Savior and that I belong to Him!

Thanks to the perfect directions Ro had given Joel, we drove right to their place, a charming house nestled in the woods. Ro and Kyle were there to greet us and we got right down to the "business" of catching up and sharing our lives.

The kids hit it off beautifully, of course, and just before dinner we took a short walk down the road to see if Norbert and Dagmar (the local beavers) were working in the roadside creek. They had taken the night off, but we enjoyed the walk nonetheless.

Ro made a delicious meal for us--chicken, fresh green beans and butternut squash (from her sister's farm), German noodles and gravy. (Yum!) For dessert she had made an apple pie, served with ice cream and German coffee. (Yum again!) It was the best meal we've had so far on this trip.

Ro and Kyle have been the ultimate hosts. They graciously invited us to spend the night, so were were happy to take them up on the offer. It will certainly be hard to leave them tomorrow....

So much beauty, history, and friendship rolled up in one day... It just doesn't get better than this!

Road Trip - Day 9: New York to Vermont!

We got a little later start this morning than we had planned, and it was after 11:00 before we finally got on our way across New York. It took a while to get packed and loaded, then it took longer to get across the border back to the States.

Once we finally got underway we made good time. We had planned to stop in Auburn at the Harriet Tubman house, then make Albany our end-stop for the day. But the Harriett Tubman house was closed today, so we got a couple of pictures then hit the road again. Joel just happened to spot a historical marker in front of a beautiful old house, the Fuller Manor in Skaneateles, NY, on the main road that had been a "station" for the underground railroad that Harriet Tubman had organized. We stopped to see if we could get a tour only to discover it was owned by an individual, and merely a residence now.... (Jenna thought that was just wrong! and wanted to know if they knew it was an important historical place! --How cute!)

Anyway, we were making such good time we decided to skip the two little historical stops in Albany, and drove straight through to Bennington, Vermont. I'm so glad we did too! There are lots of things to see in this beautiful old town--covered bridges, beautiful fall leaves on the trees, a historic battlefield, plus lots more.

We arrived in town just in time for dinner at Friendly's--a friendly little ice cream parlor disguised as a restaurant. ;-) Of course they gave the kids *free* sundaes with their meals, so Joel and I had to join in the fun....

While at the restaurant, Joel tracked down a room for the night, so we made a b-line for the Knotty Pine Motel. We tried to bring in only the necessities tonight, but then ended up making umpteen trips back to the van to get things we needed.... But Socrates is happy, and in the end, isn't that all that matters?

Anyway, we're all tired from a long day in the car, but we're happy to be in beautiful Vermont!

Road Trip - Day 8: Sunday in Niagara

We slept in a bit this morning before having breakfast in the room. Then we went to the church Joel located that sounded like a good fit for us. Redeemer Bible Church was a small church of probably a couple hundred people or so. They put a lot of emphasis on praise and worship, so the music portion of the service lasted nearly an hour. After that we heard a message on Baalam and his talking donkey. It was quite interesting and very well done.

We went to lunch after the service at a really good rotisserie (sp?) chicken place. The food was great, the service was lousy. Then it was back to the room for nap time for me, Nintento time for the kids, and Star Wars time for Joel.

After I got up we took the laundry to the laundromat, which was very clean, by the way. Joel and I took turns shopping in the dollar store next door, which was awesome because the US dollar is worth $1.30 Canadian! That means a $1 item in Canadian currency only cost us about 70 cents. (Woo-hoo!)

After that we headed for the Skylon Tower. Inside we found an arcade which the kids were really excited about, so we let them play for awhile. Joel ended up with the prize, however. Of the 300 tickets they had, Joel spent 200 on a Marvin the Martian doll. After that we paid the arm and leg it cost to ride the elevator to the top of the tower. The view was magnificent, though. I'm so glad we went. The sky was mostly clear, so viisibility was about 60 miles or so.

The next thing on the list was to go to the IMAX movie about Niagara Falls. We spent another arm and a leg there for tickets, not to mention the $30 (Canadian) it cost to buy dinner at Pizza Hut for the four of us. The movie was okay, but not as good as I had hoped. We actually learned a lot more about the falls from the Internet site I found yesterday.

By then it was dark outside and we all wanted to see the falls at night with the colored lights shining on them. We drove down there, hoping to get a parking spot so we wouldn't have to walk, but no such luck. It took us about 20 minutes to drive the mile or two down to the falls (due to the long line of traffic backed up), then they wanted $12 to park our car. (No thank you!) So we drove back to the hotel and Joel and Jenna walked the two blocks down to the falls. They were both really disappointed that we didn't get to stop and look at the falls. Frankly I was satisfied just seeing them as we drove by....

Anyway, that was our day. A lot of worship, a little work, a little rest, and more touristy stuff. Tomorrow we head back across the river to the states as we continue on our adventure.

A ground-level view of Skylon Tower

Road Trip - Day 7: Niagara Falls

We saw the falls today, and they were not disappointing. Both the American Falls (below) and Canada's Horseshoe Falls (left) were visible from this side of the river. It is amazing to think that billions of gallons of water flow over these falls every day. We've had lots of questions about the falls, but so far we've not found any books here on the subject. I had to go online to find the information we needed.

After viewing the falls, we did a little souvenir shopping, then walked down to the touristy part of town (Clifton Hill) to look around. They have a few blocks that are just cram-packed with one attraction after another, plus restaurants, shops, and ice cream parlors.

By the time we finished lunch and walked through town we were all pretty beat, so we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

The weather today was beautiful, although it was quite a bit warmer than we expected. We have run out of short sleeve shirts, so I guess the next order of business is to do laundry.

Tomorrow morning we are planning to attend church. There are several in the phone book, so I'm sure we'll find something. However it will probably only make us appreciate our own home-church more....!

This is me and my sweet son, Zach.

Road Trip - Day 6: Adventure!

First, before anything else, I have to say a great big THANK YOU! to those of you (family and friends) who are praying for us. We had a little adventure today. As we were leaving Cleveland for Niagara Falls this afternoon, Joel noticed an unusual sound coming from the car. I encouraged him to pull over and check it out, but all the gauges were showing normal and the car was driving fine, so he kept driving. An hour or so later, in Pennsylvania, a car pulled alongside us with a note in the driver's window saying we had a "Low rear tire." We pulled off at the next exit.

We didn't see a gas station anywhere, but I commented to Joel that if we had a leaky tire, we would need more than just an ordinary gas station. We drove for a mile or two down this mostly residential road, wondering if we would be able to find the assistance we needed when we happened upon a full service station! The guy running the station was really busy--it was 5 o'clock and lots of cars were pulling in for gas and he was there all alone. But he apologized and said he would get to it as soon as he could. Within 20 minutes or so, he had jacked up the van, pulled off the leaky tire, patched it, and put it back on. He only charged us $5, but Joel gave him a little more. We saw the whole event as Providential--from the people that let us know the tire was low, to finding a full service station so quickly that was still open, and with a garage capable of fixing our tire. So thanks for praying for us! God is good!

As for our activities today, Joel wanted to go to the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland, but he had been told parts of it were not appropriate for young children. So he tracked down a library close to the museum, dropped us off so we could work on schoolwork, and he went on without us.

The Cleveland Public Library in the downtown area was enormous! We walked in this huge building and I asked for directions to the children's section. The guy at the information desk directed me to a building next door, which was equally huge. We went up to the fourth floor of the second building and found a very charming children's library. We located a table, and did our schoolwork for the next two hours. We had just finished and I was starting to assess their work when Joel called to say he was on his way to pick us up.

It was almost 2:30 by that time and we hadn't had lunch yet. We stumbled across a Hard Rock Cafe on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown, had a small lunch then got underway to a new city in a new state, once again.

We're really enjoying this trip. It's flying by and Joel and I are really tired, but we're doing great!

For the next three nights we will be staying in the Niagara Falls area.When we called to verify our hotel reservation, we learned that the hotel is on the Canadian side of the border.We were a little concerned there might be some delay getting across the border because of heightened security, but it took all of about 10 seconds. (That was a relief! They didn't even ask for identification!)

Also, since we will be staying in Canada for the next three nights, we may have difficulty keeping up with our blogs. Joel doesn't have Internet access in Canada. (Actually, he can get connected, but it probably costs a fortune, so we will be using the Internet as little as possible.)

Please don't stop praying for us! We love and miss you all!

Road Trip - Day 5: Wright Brothers/Ohio

We've established our morning routine: the kids and I have breakfast in the room while Joel goes for a walk. The kids work on their schoolwork, then we reorganize our packing and load the car. This morning, however, we really seemed to streamline things quite a bit. (We'll really have this down to an art form by the time we get home!) Then we reloaded the van and were on our way once again.

We drove into the city of Dayton to the Aviation Museum at the air base. As it turns out, the Wright brothers lived and worked in this area, taking some of their first flights just a few miles from where the museum stands.

Zach was pretty fascinated by all the planes inside the museum. They have quite a collection of them at this location, beginning with one of the original planes built by the Wright brothers. They also had a stealth bomber there--and just about everything in between. In the photo above, we got to go inside one of the planes they use to transport vehicles and soldiers. A little earlier, Joel and Jenna went on a simulator, which she thoroughly enjoyed of course.

After going through most of the museum, we did a little shopping in the souvenir shop, then drove over to the Wright brothers monument at a pretty little park overlooking a valley. Socrates had a wonderful time marking everything he could lift his little leg on. :-) By this time it was after 2 pm and we were all pretty hungry. We looked for a decent restaurant, but didn't see anything until we were well outside of Dayton.

We were headed for Cleveland, our end-stop for the day. We made a quick pass through Columbus, stopping only for "necessary" breaks.

The drive between Columbus and Cleveland was quite pretty...lots of rolling hills covered with hosts of multicolored trees. The further north we go, the more color we are seeing.

The weather has been perfect; high temperatures in the 70's and 80's (yesterday) and not a drop of rain--so far--even though today has been mostly overcast.

Joel did our read-alouds while I drove this afternoon. School on the road isn't so bad! The kids do a little work in the room in the morning, we do our field trips during the day, and on long drives we accomplish our reading aloud. Today we read more about Abraham Lincoln, we started Across Five Aprils, and began learning The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

We passed the 1,200 mile mark today, and we marked off over 24 hours of driving time. So far this trip has gone incredibly fast. We are just about to complete our fourth state (not counting Oklahoma). At this rate we'll be home before we know it!

Tonight, we're just a street away from Lake Erie. It was dark when we drove in, so we'll see it tomorrow. We're all looking forward to taking a walk on the beach!

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(A note to my Mom...I'm feeling much better, and Jenna is surviving her cold pretty well with all the vitamin C and other supplements... No need to worry.) :-)

Road Trip - Day 4: University of Illinois

I woke up this morning after 9:00 o'clock. The kids had already been up for a while, but Joel and I were beat. It was after 1:00 a.m. before we got to bed last night. So even at 9 a.m. I wasn't ready to get up! But got up I did, threw on some clothes and took the kids downstairs for breakfast. Joel went for his usual walk.

By the time we got a little schoolwork done and Joel got his e-newsletter out, it was already getting late. So we schlepped everything down to the van again and barely made our check-out time of noon.

Joel was in charge of our schedule today since we were in Champaign--his Alma Mater. Our first stop however, was at a health food store to buy more stuff for me--and now for Jenna. (She woke up with a sore throat this morning and it sounds just like the way my URI started... Wouldn'tcha know...)

After stocking up on a variety of immune system boosters we headed for the U of I campus. We took Socrates with us as Joel started the walking tour of the campus, starting with the Quad. It was really warm today, around 80 degrees, so it got hot walking, but nothing would deter Joel. He was walking down memory lane and he was very excited about sharing that with the kids.

The kids got a U of I souvenir out of the deal though. Since it was so hot, and since we have already run out of short sleeved shirts, they needed something cooler to wear than what they were wearing.

After that Joel drove us over to his fraternity house. It was just as disgusting as I had remembered it being fourteen years or so ago when he took me on this tour the first time. I asked Zach if he wanted to live in a house like that one day. His answer was a very emphatic, "No!" Now if it is disgusting to an 11 yr. old boy, it must be pretty disgusting!

The interesting thing about that stop was, as we were leaving, some college kids walked up to the house, and as Joel told them what chapter of TEP he had pledged, one of the guys asked him if he knew "Boog." As it turns out, Boog (Jay) was Joel's best friend in college and he's back at U of I this year finishing his degree. They even had Jay's phone number, so Joel called and arranged to meet him after lunch. What a small world!

So we grabbed a quick bite to eat then went over to meet Jay. It was the first time they had seen each other in about 14 years. The kids and I played with Socrates while the guys caught up, then we were on the road again.

We crossed the entire state of Indiana this afternoon, passing right by the Indianapolis 500 Speedway, arriving in Dayton, OH around 8 p.m. tonight. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner, then checked in to our fourth motel in four nights....

Tomorrow we are scheduled to visit some Wright Brothers historical sights in Dayton. Hopefully we'll have a little more of a leisurely day tomorrow....

Road Trip - Day 3: Land of Lincoln

Today was another full day. We got up around 8 a.m., I showered, and the kids and I ate breakfast in the lobby while Joel walked. He came back and showered, then we went through the rather arduous ordeal of schlepping all our stuff back to the car. (This is getting old already!)

We were on our way to Beardstown to visit the Simmert family by 11:00 o'clock. It was a pretty drive to Beardstown.... This part of Illinois is "corn country", with mile after mile of corn fields, most of which are covered with dead stalks ready to be cut down. It's actually quite pretty there, and there were some very quaint pumpkin stands along the way, as well as lots of tall trees primed for fall with some beautiful colors already showing up.

The Simmerts were in the middle of their school day when we drove up--but they were more than happy to take a break for a visit with us. They live in a beautiful old two-story house with a large front porch and lots of character. It suited them quite well. Carla and her husband, Rick, are incredible people--warm, friendly, and they love the Lord deeply and serve Him with their lives. Their younger children are the same age as Zach and Jenna, and their older one is a young teen--so the kids had lots in common.

Carla took us on a tour of their home, then we chatted in the kitchen for while before driving over to Pizza Hut for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised to meet another longtime SafeHaven volunteer there, Mary Upp, a good friend of Carla's and faithful volunteer with SafeHaven. We had a great time talking and getting to know each other better. I was not ready to leave when the time came for us to resume our driving....

We said our goodbyes and exchanged hugs with vows to keep in touch more closely in the future. Friends like these don't come along every day..... (It wasn't until we were a few miles down the road that I realized we hadn't gotten a picture of the Simmerts... I was very disappointed!)

We stopped in Wal-Mart again for more "essentials" before heading southeast to Springfield, IL. Besides the road construction that slowed us up a bit, we had an uneventful drive and made it to Springfield in good time. We made our way to the Lincoln home--the only house he ever owned--took the brief half-hour tour, and marveled at the idea that this great man who made such an impact on our country had actually lived and slept and entertained in this house. It was very well preserved and full of furniture and artifacts from that era, some of which were actually Mr. Lincoln's. My favorite was his writing desk. Abraham Lincoln stood a full 6'4" tall, yet this desk was so small. It was said that this was where he wrote many of his speeches.

Upon leaving his house, we made our way to the old capital building where we persuaded one of the ladies there to give us a tour. She was very friendly and knowledgeable, and was from Alva, Oklahoma of all places! The entire tour was fascinating, but the part that grabbed our attention the most was the end where she told about Lincoln's death and about the 100,000 people who came to see his body laid out--over two weeks after his death. Twenty-five thousand of those actually never got in to the capital building to see his body. There just wasn't time. The sheer magnitude of how loved he was by so many during that time was startling.

To top all that off, we then went over to his tomb. We made it just in time to go through before they closed for the day. The enormity of the tomb and monument was another testimony to the greatness of this humble man. I think having just heard about his death and funeral made it even more poignant.

Considering we have been reading about Mr. Lincoln's life the past couple of days, the timing of this leg of the trip couldn't be more perfect. The things we saw today really brought extra meaning to the character of this man and the importance and impact he had upon so many lives merely because he was willing to see his convictions through to the end--even though it made him so unpopular with so many.

Having run out of time to see any more museums, etc. in Springfield, we made our way to Champaign-Urbana, home of the Fighting Illini--Joel's alma mater--the University of Illinios. It was nearly dark by the time we arrived, so we made a quick run through the university area. Joel showed the kids the TEP house where he lived for a time during his college days. Then he took us by "George the house" where he lived the remainder of the time, only "George" had been leveled to make room for an apartment complex. (Joel was quite disappointed by this, as you would imagine.)

We then tracked down a restaurant, had some dinner, Joel called some motels in the area, and here we are once again in a new motel room. Only tonight, my wonderful husband got us a suite at the La Quinta. Two full rooms--one for the kids, and one for us! This is only night number three, but I can't tell you how nice it is to have this little bit of extra space!!! I told Joel I was ready to stay here a week! Alas, tomorrow we are off to more sights, another new state, and another motel room....

This has already been quite an experience. It seems we've been gone much longer than just three days... But so far it's been great! Hopefully in a few days we'll be able to slow our pace down a bit and catch our breath. By the weekend we're really going to need that "down-time" I scheduled for us!

Road Trip - Day 2: St. Louis Gateway Arch

Today was full of surprises! First, we were surprised to find that the Ozarks go all the way across the state of Missouri. Second, we were surprised how l-o-n-g the drive from Springfield, Mo to St. Louis was! (Well, Joel wasn't surprised. But it sure did seem extra long to me!) Third, we were surprised by all the colors in the trees in the St. Louis area. I mean, we were just a few hours from home and already the trees there are showing definite signs of fall!

There were other surprises, too, but I'll get to those in a minute....

We started the day off slowly. We got up when we were ready--well, everyone else was ready to get up. I just got up because they made me. ;-) We had breakfast in the room while Joel went for a walk. He located the nearest Wal-Mart, so we made a list of things we needed and made a b-line as soon as we were dressed, packed, and checked-out of the Red Roof Inn.

By the time we finished our business at Wal-Mart it was almost noon, but there was no delaying Joel any longer. I took the driver's seat so he could read the read-aloud book to the kids. (I thought it was quite fascinating. It was the first few pages of the Abraham Lincoln Photobiography.)

A little later, as we entered what appeared to be some semblence of civilization (there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant!) we stopped for lunch. Joel, being in the hurry he is most always in, wanted to go through the drive-through. All I had to do was mention they had a buffet and that was enough to convince him to allow us to enjoy a sit-down lunch. After we ate, I helped Jenna with one of her reading assignments while Joel reorganized the car for the fourth time. (You try packing for a month-long road trip and see if you don't have space and organization issues!)

Anyway, we were back on the road again within the hour and on our way to St. Louis. The St. Louis area (going into the city) was quite pretty and charming--unlike the northern exit out of the city we took. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We went straight to the St. Louis Gateway Arch--which absolutely terrified Jenna! She was in full melodrama mode from the moment she saw it up close to the moment we stepped back on Tara Firma after the tour. The Arch, an impressive 600'+ high monument is nestled in a most beautiful city park on the Mississippi River. Once again, we were in for a surprise--we were surprised how much there was to see and do at the Arch! They have a museum there that one could spend quite a long time going through, plus there's a movie, and a gift shop. (Of course we hit the gift shop, made a quick sweep through the museum, and skipped the movie altogether.) We would've spent more time there except that the Arch closed at 6 p.m. and it was almost 5 by the time we arrived. (See what happens when we stop for a sit-down lunch!)

The ride up to the top of the Arch was quite interesting. We stepped into this small, round "capsule" that was totally enclosed. (Not only was it really close in there, but we had to bend over to get into it.) The doors were closed automatically and we were off on a ferris wheel-type ride, only we couldn't see anything but the 1,000-step stairs leading from top to bottom of the Arch. Jenna was still horrified, regardless of how we tried to calm her. But she was smiling in spite of her fear, so we knew she was okay. (The other surprise was how amazingly calm and fearless Zach was! He really is growing up!)

We spent a few minutes looking out over St. Louis and the Mississippi, we asked another tourist to take our picture, then we made our way back to the tiny capsule that would take us back down again.

By the time we got back to the car it was 6:00 p.m. and we decided, instead of spending the night in St. Louis, we would get a jump on our day tomorrow and head for Beardstown, our next stop on the trip. That's when we were in for our next surprise of the day....

Did you ever see National Lampoon's Vacation, the one where the Griswold's are driving across-country to Wally World? There was a scene in the movie where Clark falls asleep at the wheel in St. Louis and they end up in a really bad part of town and have to ask directions from people that appear to be of the "gangsta" type... I'll bet you know where I'm going with this if you saw the movie...! Well, Joel didn't fall asleep at the wheel, but the map we had could not have been more vague about how to get where we needed to go from where we were. Joel pulled out the GPS system boldly exclaiming, "We don't need a map. We have the GPS!" Well, at some point in Alton the GPS totally gave up on us. We had spent what seemed like an hour getting out of St. Louis and to the northern side of Alton---all of which, shall I say, was one seedy neighborhood after another!

At one point we were headed out into the country, the GPS was telling us we were getting farther away from our target, and we had run out of pavement when I finally convinced Joel to turn around and ask some guy grilling in his front yard how to find the highway. You should've seen the look on these folks' faces when we stopped in the middle of the road, in the dark, in our white over-stuffed minivan to ask directions! The guy had gone back in the house by the time we got turned around, but Joel being the person he is, walked right up to the front door and knocked.... Well, we weren't sure the guy even knew what he was talking about, but we offered up a quick prayer to the Ultimate GPS (!) and within minutes we were on the right road. (Funny how we didn't think about asking Him for directions sooner... I think we were too busy asking for protection!) ;-)

Anyway, we finally made it as far as Jacksonville, a decent-sized town in the middle of nowhere. By the time we pulled into town, it was almost 9:00 o'clock. Everyone was hungry, and even Socrates was getting antsy. So we stopped at Nic's for some pizza and spaghetti before tracking down a motel for the night. Needless to say we're all dawg tired (sorry, Socrates!). It didn't take long for the kids to fall asleep once they finally got horizontal.

Joel just finished his first radio interiew on the Online Tonight with David Lawrence program--all about our little month-long home schooling excursion. I think it went well. :-)

Anyway, tomorrow we are scheduled to visit the Simmert's in Beardstown, (some really great people who took over SafeHaven a couple of years ago for me), and then on to Champaign, IL. Joel wants to show the kids where he went to college, yada, yada, yada.

That's the schedule... Who knows what surprises will be in store for us tomorrow!

Road Trip - Day 1: Leaving Early!

Being the spontaneous people we are, we left on our road trip a day early! That's right. We decide