Tripzilla!

[revanne]

Great news -I have to admit that I'm not altogether sure what an RV is, but as it sounds way too big to go through a portal I'm glad that you can get back on the road. 

[Evie]

Great news -I have to admit that I'm not altogether sure what an RV is, but as it sounds way too big to go through a portal I'm glad that you can get back on the road. 

An "RV" is a recreational vehicle; I think on your side of The Pond you call it a "caravan."

Aerlys, that's great news!  I hope the rest of your trip is without incident.   

[Jerusha]

Woo hoo indeed!  Happy travelling!

[Laurna]

Yah  the road home.  Enjoy it as much as the road out and you will be home in no time.

[Aerlys]

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
    This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd,
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd,
    From wandering on a foreign strand!

Sir Walter Scott, from 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel', Canto sixth


Heh, just noticed that I forgot to log out before we hit the road. Easy to do when DH says that we're all loaded up and its time to HEAD HOME!!!

We arrived home safe and sound last night, bittersweet as we welcomed the familiarity and comfort of home, and bid farewell to a precious chapter in our lives, perhaps the last trip all nine of us will ever make together.

It was nice to sleep in my own bed again, though I still had the three youngest scrunching in with me. A few days ago we were in 110 degree weather. Last night, it was half that temperature, and this morning it was 47 degrees. Gee, Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. Welcome home to Washington!

The three littles (my youngest kids, not action figures  ) have some sort of virus, running fevers and nursing headaches. DH went back to work today, since he's self employed and that's the only way to pay the bills. I've weeded though all my unread e-mails, made phone calls, skimmed most of the posts on the forum that I missed (still recovering from the shocking sight of Camber's head in a pan), and generally avoided unpacking the RV all morning.

Overall, it was an amazing trip, with memories to cherish for years to come.  As time allows, I'll try to share some more of them with you. For now, it's back to reality, except for that writing I promised Revanne so our stories might match up. (Haven't forgotten, Revanne! It's all in my head, since I became too carsick when tried to type on the road.)

Glad to be back, folks. More later.

[revanne]

Deo Gratias that you're all home safe and reasonably well.

We had a holiday about 8 years ago that I thought would be our last as a family and as you say bittersweet. The good thing is that we've had at least another three since then...

I've been stuck for ages on chapter 4 (irritatingly chapter 5 wrote itself ages ago and keeps grinning out of my notebook at me) - manic busy and too tired to think and trying to get Ansel and Joram to have a meaningful conversation as a follow up to chapter 3 and then they finally deigned to tell me that they're not ready to open up that much to each other. Do they not realise how much paper and ink they've made me waste on meaningless scribbles!

Then, and this is Jerusha's fault, Brendan stuck his oar in and told me a story about him and Briony. It's light relief after Joram but rather doing my head in. And speaking of heads

(still recovering from the shocking sight of Camber's head in a pan)

- as long as it's not Joram's head!

[Jerusha]

Then, and this is Jerusha's fault, Brendan stuck his oar in and told me a story about him and Briony. It's light relief after Joram but rather doing my head in.
[

I'm happy to have been so helpful! 

Hope your littles are feeling better soon, Aerlys.

[Evie]

Glad you're back, safe, and mostly sound.  I hope your wee ones get over their bug soon, and that Camber's disembodied head wasn't too severe a shock on your system.     (And yes, Revanne, Joram's disembodied head is sitting on top of my crafts cabinet, but only until I can find a suitable body for him and figure out how to alter his neck to fit it.  Warning: this will probably require a fair bit of plastic surgery.  Literally.) 

[revanne]

  (And yes, Revanne, Joram's disembodied head is sitting on top of my crafts cabinet, but only until I can find a suitable body for him and figure out how to alter his neck to fit it.  Warning: this will probably require a fair bit of plastic surgery.  Literally.) 

That's why he's not speaking to me any more LOL

[Evie]

  (And yes, Revanne, Joram's disembodied head is sitting on top of my crafts cabinet, but only until I can find a suitable body for him and figure out how to alter his neck to fit it.  Warning: this will probably require a fair bit of plastic surgery.  Literally.) 

That's why he's not speaking to me any more LOL

His mouth works just as well as it ever has, and since you weren't after him for his body, that should suffice, right?   

[DesertRose]

Aerlys, I'm glad y'all enjoyed your trip and made it home! 

[revanne]

His mouth works just as well as it ever has, and since you weren't after him for his body, that should suffice, right?   

Given his known disapproval of shape changing and other such goings on I should imagine the poor man is in a state of total shock. One disembodied head is more than enough for any family 

[Aerlys]

Hmm, I always saw Joram as someone who could keep his head in the midst of adversity.  What a blow to his reputation!

[Aerlys]

Wait a minute.  Seven stitches for DS2 are not a big deal compared to his brother's misadventures???  What happened??? Spill, woman! 

I nearly forgot to answer this. Sorry about that.

Four years this December, DS1 was constructing the competition field for his robotics team at the local junior high school. He was using the table saw when the blade hit a knot in the wood. It kicked back, and threw DS's hand into the saw blade. He lost his index finger, and his thumb and middle finger were badly mangled. The attempt to reattach his finger was unsuccessful. He had a total of 14 hours of surgery, was in the hospital a week, and spent months in PT. Yes, it was his dominant hand.

But, this turned my painfully self-conscious kid into a more confident young man, who can now easily talk about his accident, and freely jokes about his missing digit ("High four, guys!") Every time he gets discouraged about something, I remind him that he's been through worse, and can overcome hardship better than he thinks. And he does.

So, yeah, seven stitches seems kinda minor. 

[Laurna]

"Misadventures!"  Aack! The term seems a bit mild for that turn of events.

Your reminding me to use extra caution when we brake out the miter saw to cut crown molding. It's a good thing there are no knots in that wood.