September 12: There's No Place Like Home

Today's post is dedicated to home. It is where the heart is. It is where you park it. It is where you make it. It is where the dog hair sticks to everything except the dog. It is where the cat sleeps. Home is where they love you. Ben always said that his home was between my boobs. Haha. My home was always in his arms. So coming home is easy and hard at the same time. I know love is waiting for me, but my room and my bed will still be empty. I've made a lot of memories, healed some relationships, renewed some friendships, said goodbye to some others forever. I've learned a lot about myself, the world, human kindness and cruelty, as well as what I need in my life and what I can live without.

"Wild hearts find a home in every place they roam." - www.jaydemahs.com

"Create a beautiful place inside of yourself and then begin to expand and build outward." - homebody club

"Being in your arms was the first time in a long while where I felt at home." - Michael Bliss

"Without forgiveness, our souls are tied to what happened to us in the past. Whatever you do, choose to forgive." Laurie Dieppa

Today was my last on the road. It was nice to have company, Yvette. We only had a short two hour drive, so we decided to make a couple of stops. Our first was at Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, which is a collection of thousands of bottles and lots of junk. (it is in the eye of the beholder.) Elmer has created art out of so many things that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill. It was a fun stop that took us off the main highway and onto Route 66. So our next stop was at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville. There were some interesting exhibits to see and some colorful characters to talk with. They were happy to let the dogs in and wanted to know all about our travels. We were invited back to visit all the Route 66 attractions. I think I'll do this in late fall or early winter.

After the museum we saw the "new" Victorville and got some Starbucks - drove over a couple of curbs - whoops and headed home. We arrived home about 3:00. Cosette was so excited to see me. She was jumping and yelping incessantly. It was great to see Alec, Steph, and the babies. I gave them their souvenirs. Then we watched Nora open her birthday gifts and we ate cake. Sooo good. Steph is such a great baker. The cake was beautiful and it tasted great.

I went to drop off Vicki, Val, Tom, and Blake's gifts. I stayed for a bit, but then it was late and I was tired. I'll see Aaron and his family tomorrow. It is weird to be home and I am pooped.

12 weeks on the road, 84 days, 10,619 miles, and one whole season.

I'm working on my lessons learned post, coming soon. Thank you to everyone who supported me through this journey by reading my blog.