Finally Home

Yesterday morning (Sunday)
we said good-bye to Adam and Emily
and Chaska, Minnesota ...

We'd had a fun 36 hours with them!
We drove past the airport on our way out of town ...
Northwest's hub is in the Twin Cities.
It had been raining off and on as we traveled
throughout the morning ...
I'm afraid I did a lot of sleeping on this leg
of our journey, but Mr. Jones woke me up
when we were just a little north of Chicago with this
very encouraging and familiar sight - a Meijer store!
We had elected to take the Dan Ryan X-way through
Chicago instead of the 294 ...
it was late Sunday afternoon by the time
we were in the Chicago area and we figured
we would just kind of mosey on through ...
The Chicago skyline
But it ended up taking us more than two hours
to traverse 30-40 miles through Chicago ...
This is the stadium where the Sox play
and where they lost to the Tigers (!) yesterday
(last game of the season)

I was pretty stir crazy in the van yesterday ...
Mr. Jones was exhausted, I was really really tired
and we both just wanted to get home.
We finally arrived at 10:30, safe and sound
and so glad to be home.

It's Monday night now.
This is really the first day I have felt "retired."
This past month has been a really
really long vacation ...
it feels wierd to be on this side of it now
after all of the anticipation of seeing all of you.
I'm going to be honest and say that
I'm glad to be home, but not happy to be away from you!

We had such a nice time with all of you ...

Nicolas, Nathan, Rachel, baby Nia in Houston
(& Valencia)
Andrew, Sabrina, Olivia, Jackson & Karis in Austin
Diana, Emma, Christopher and Matthew in El Paso
(Sammie & Mitzie too)
Adam & Emily in Chaska
(and Pixie)

Thanks to all of you for your hospitality,
your love and the good time you showed us!
Thanks, too, for putting up with the
wierd stuff about us ...
We are just thankful that we could come
and visit all of you and make some memories together!

"Your unfailing love, O LORD,
is as vast as the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.
Your justice like the ocean depths."

PSALM 36:5-6

Thanks, Lord, for Your immense love (unfailing and vast!)
Your incredible faithfulness (it reaches beyond the clouds!)
Your strong and solid integrity and righteousness (like the mighty mountains)

and the assurance of Your justice ...

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You can take care of each single
person in this family, whether they are grown up
or just a little person,
whether they are married or single ...
whether they have a great job or are looking for one ...
whether they are in Minnesota, Michigan,
Texas or Iraq ...