The Road Home and a Playlist (Road Trip 2014)

Dear friends,

All good things must come to an end, so on Thursday, we loaded up the mini van for our return trip to Florida. We had extra boxes and bins since my dad wanted us to take a lot of my mom's things home with us. I picked out a lot of vintage glassware to share with my daughters, as well as several very old Emilie Loring novels. My sweet sister Barb also sent a bin of books and other stuff home with us.

The kids wanted a last fling on the swings in my dad's backyard, as well as a few last photos with him.

We left a bit after noon and drove to Raleigh, North Carolina to stay with my second cousin Jean again. She served huge pieces of New York pizza. After dinner, Jean and I took a long walk (and talk) at the lake near her apartment. I always appreciate her insight and encouragement.

On Friday, we left Jean's around 3 PM and drove as far as Hardeeville, South Carolina. The next morning, after a breakfast buffet and swim at the hotel, we started out for Orlando. Around noon, heavy rain pelted the highway and a lot of people were pulling over, so we decided to take a really long lunch at Cracker Barrel instead of getting fast food. The kids were more than thrilled to have a real sit down meal, and of course they loved the gift shop, where I let them buy a few small things. Everyone was in fine spirits when we left.

We arrived home at 6 PM on Saturday, completely exhausted.  It's a wonder I stayed awake those last three days of our trip.  To keep my brainwaves going, we sang a lot (even Christmas songs!) and listened to the radio and my iPod. Here are some of my favorite songs from my road trip playlist - a mix of Christian, country, and Brit & American pop.

• "The Broken Beautiful" by Ellie Holcomb
• "Pompeii" by Bastille
• "All of Me" by John Legend
• "Brave" by Sarah Bareilles
• "Soldier" by Gavin DeGraw
• "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman
• "The Best Song Ever" by Chris Rice
• "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
• "Smile" by Uncle Kracker
• "Starts With Me" by Tim Timmons
• "Wake Me Up" by Avicii
• "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
• "Less Like Scars" by Sara Groves

Looking back, I must say it was a splendid trip. Other than a little whining and squabbling, the kids were amazing, and they kept telling me how much they appreciated all we were doing.  They helped out a lot, too. What a difference that makes!

It will take me some time to get everything unpacked and to readjust to being at home and working out a new schedule for the rest of the summer. I miss my "up home" relatives but I'm glad to be back in my own home with my own family.

Embroidery by my sister
Barbara Dell

This is the last post in my Road Trip 2014 series.  Here are links to all of them!

• Santee State Park
• A Raleigh Good Time
• My Maryland Home Away from Home
• A Day in D.C. at Air & Space and American Indian Museums
• Soft Molasses Cookies and Crunchy Jumble Cookies
• Coal Miner’s Great-Great-Granddaughter
• Memoir of Heinrich Hess, My German Immigrant Ancestor
• Hess Family Memorial Reunion
• A Sweet Time at Hershey Park - And Then We Got Lost
• The Road Home and a Playlist

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com