to Oz and back

‎"Home, the spot on earth supremely blest, 

A dear, sweeter spot than the rest." 

~Robert Montgomery

I have been to "Oz" and back.   It has been wonderful and taxing, fulfilling and stretching. It has been a blast.

I loved going back. Seeing how things have changed and what's stayed the same.  Hugging people dear to me and introducing my kids to them.  I  thoroughly enjoyed visiting the old haunts.  There is so much more I would have liked to see and do, but there just wasn't time for everything.  Even so, we packed a lot into those three weeks. For the most part I think we made good choices with our time.  We certainly did our best.

This trip was empowering.  After accomplishing (and enjoying!) this feat, nothing seems impossible to me now.  Outings which used to intimidate me, taking the kids out, seem like nothing now.  If we survived, even thrived, during three weeks of living like a nomad family, we can deal with much more than I thought.

I will always treasure this time with my husband and children: the memories made. What we did, where we went.  I am so glad that we did it.

And I am so glad to get home.  

Bringing this traveling series to a close, I leave you with this thought: 

the heart & soul of this operation

We would never have done this thing apart from my husband. His enthusiasm, his excitement, and his faith that it could in fact be done...they have been the driving force behind our Big Trip from the very beginning.

When Jeff suggested this venture last summer, I told him it was crazy.  I put him off, saying "Let's wait and make sure that the baby is born healthy, and isn't too colicky..." Part of me thought he would forget about it. I mostly hoped he would.  The very idea made my stomach churn.

A family of seven? On the road for three weeks? With a baby in tow?

Insanity.

I joked that we would need to budget a massage or two into our financial planning. Probably a few sessions with a therapist. I told my friends that I expected to come home with a new twitch. Time after time, he told me,"Think positive! Focus on the exciting things about all this." And I tried, I really did.  But my heart quailed within me, and my knees were like Jell-O.

He was right. With a lot of prayer and the grace of God, it has been a phenomenal trip.

My husband excels at the practical things as well.  It was his idea to pack "hotel suitcases." Genius.  And when it comes to loading our vehicle, he has an amazing gift.  Spatial organization it not my strong suit; it is most definitely his.

He brings bags into our lodgings each night. He hauls the cooler full of lunch goods to our rest stop picnic table.  His servant heart blesses me each and every day.

He is the brains and the brawn; he is the heart and soul of this adventure. We never, ever could have done this without his self-sacrifice and vision.

I am blessed to call this man my husband!  Even with the cow-tipping t-shirt.

friends, dear friends.