Fall Break Adventure Days 13 -14 and Thought on Coming Home

Day 13:

Today we had to do another New England fall family tradition and go apple picking.

I love apple picking. I love the memories of having so many apples you don't know what to do with them and then making everything apple for the next two weeks. The kids were obsessed for some reason with finding golden delicious apples (when there are so many other amazing apples that only grow there) so Wendy and I ended up picking most of the apples. But they still had a great time and took time to stop for a traditional apple picking pose.

Monday afternoon the kids all played while I edited some photos I took for Wendy's sister-in-law Quin. She has an adorable new baby and two very sweet girls.

Monday night we just spent at home, savoring the last few moments together as family.

Day 14:

Our flight didn't leave until the afternoon so in the morning I took the kids to look for Red Sox's shirts. John Mark has become obsessed with the Red Sox since being up here. Unfortunately we could not find one in his size in the time we had. He settled on a Webkinz instead. Man that kid loves animals. Add another one to the collection!

The flight was relatively uneventful minus the challenge of trying to keep track of two active kids in the busy airports. Visiting the potty was the worst part! And for all you moms out there, my new best friend for travel is chewable Dramamine. Works like a charm. Both kids slept on the plane (and all of our multiple car trips!). And according to John Mark it tastes like orange Pez!

Final Thoughts:

This was a great trip. It was more than just a vacation for me, it was a chance to reconnect. Reconnect with family, friends, the autumn weather, the place where I grew up, the place that I love. I asked JP multiple times while I was there if we could move back. I know that is not an option, but I just had to throw it out there. After much soul searching and thinking about things I came to the conclusion that what is so difficult for me is that New England is MY home, but not my family's. JP, John Mark and Riley look at Tennessee as home. But part of me, part of who I am, will always look at New England as home. So there has been some grieving about coming back to Tennessee. Yes, I do love it here. I love our life, our house, our friends, our church, our school....so much about it. But I don't think it will ever be 100% home. But really, is this earth 100% home? Certainly not!! So instead of yearning for home in New England, I am going to concentrate on yearning for my eternal home, with my Savior. And that makes it all okay.