Home!

Our epic journey ended today around 1pm, just as we were listening to the conclusion of The Hobbit. It was interesting to hear the description of Bilbo Baggins returning home after his adventure; all of us were glad to be nearly home ourselves. We share with you this last entry on our blog...

From The Hobbit, chapter one: ...I have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!

Well, sometimes adventure is uncomfortable, and when on an adventure you might not get your dinner. But despite some of the "hardships" of travel, we are truly thankful to have been able to take this trip. From the beginning, we have felt God's hand on this trip and it continued until the end. The blessings have been big, like safety in our travels, and small, like being handed a coupon in a parking lot by a stranger.

Suzy and Carey: Driving through Colorado, we decided to pass the time by making up a Big Trip Alphabet. Enjoy!

A: we visited friends in ARKANSAS--so much fun!
B: suzy enjoyed spotting BUNNIES along the way
C: COUSINS, COUSINS, and more COUSINS! first, second, once-removed...
D: met lots of sweet DOGS! pets of people we visited
E: leaving EARLY in the morning-not everybody's favorite!
F: FRIENDS, FAMILY, FUN, and FOOD-all at once, too!
G: GREAT smoky mountains--wonderful place to be!
H: HUNTSVILLE, alabama u.s. space and rocket center--loved it!
I: ICE cream!!! yummy!!!
J: JOYOUS JOURNEY of 7,338 miles (the real total!)
K: KITTYHAWK, where the wright brothers were the first to fly--inspiring!
L: LOTS of LOVE surrounded us on our vacation
M: week at the farm in MT. airy-a big hit
N: NATIONAL park passport stamps-almost as fun as a 'paid in full' :)
O: O say can you see fort mchenry-where our national anthem was written
P: PRESIDENT'S homes: mt vernon, monticello, white house
Q: QUICK, frequent weather changes--never could get used to it
R: RIDING horses--only fell off once! (maybe more...)
S: SMITHSONIAN: air and space museum, national portrait gallery-wish we had more time
T: rode the metro TRAIN-we were experts by the end of our rendezvous in dc
U: UNDERGROUND lake, largest in the country
V: VANSACROSSAMERICA.blogspot.com--you are here
W: WASHINGTON dc, our national capitol
X: XCITED for home!!!
Y: YOU ever tried a peasant-style lunch? we had sooo many...
Z: good night's ZZZ at friends' home in colorado

And there you have it. Our whole trip from A-Z. Oh wait, there are a few unreported statistics:

1 speeding ticket (our lips are sealed!)
50 states seen on license plates (and 2 Canadian provinces)
22 states visited outside our own
25 nights away from home
430 gallons of gasoline (!)

Thank you for following along with us. Knowing that our blog might be read kept us encouraged to post, even late at night after long days, so you all had a part in helping us keep this travel journal. We also appreciate the kind comments and prayers lifted up on our behalf. Blessings to you, and good night.