Onward to Ohio, we stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The girls were eager to complete their Junior Ranger books so we worked on those for awhile and did a fun quest to find a hidden treasure. Then we drove over to see Brandywine Falls, which were absolutely beautiful. We settled in for the night at a campground, had our last dinner in the RV together and the girls headed out to play on a trampoline with some other kids. They really do love campgrounds.
This morning we drove to Shanksville, PA to visit the Flight 93 Memorial in memory of those who lost their lives during 9/11. It was very somber and certainly a different experience for the girls. It is beautifully done and very honoring of the victims and heroes of Flight 93.
Leaving PA we headed to VA and shouts of joy erupted as we entered the state. We also played a little Ray Charles "Take me back to Ole' Virginny!" It's good to be in our home state. We took a little ride down the Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive. It was beautiful, but this is certainly a place to visit in the Fall. We will look forward to coming back up later in the year.
So we've reached the end of the trip. We weren't supposed to travel all the way home until tomorrow, but something happens when you are this close. Everyone was ready to go home. Unfortunately we can't snap our fingers or click our heels and instantly be there. It's made for a long day of driving for Joe, but the end result will be a happy family, probably each in their own rooms for some time.
Lots to be thankful for, lots to reflect upon. We are so grateful for this time together as a family. We will all take away something different. We had challenges, we had tears, we had lots of giggles and smiles. We had impeccable weather the entire time, literally everywhere we went it was the perfect weather. We saw so many friends who just happened to have the perfect spot in their schedule for us. We really could not have planned this trip any better and much of it was not planned. The destinations were known, but the details were made along the way. Somehow I survived this way of living and even came to appreciate it. Most of the time I didn't know what the next day was going to hold, and I think I handled it pretty well. Praise the Lord for a summer well lived and well loved. We are abundantly grateful for this time and will cherish the memories for a lifetime.
