Back East

We pictured our trip back East, similar to that of when we first came out to Bend.  We pictured the same emotions of excitement to see something new and driving on never ending roads. We pictured the kids happily watching movies in the back sit while we talked about everything and anything up front.  We thought it would be the same, but it wasn't.  It was actually a lot harder this time around.  Autumn wanted a snack about every 5 minutes.  Someone had to stop and pee almost every 45 minutes, myself included.  We just never seemed to be making any head way.

On the road again..

Autumn finding time for a nap..

We decided to drive as far south as possible to avoid any and all winter storms.  After leaving Bend we drove all the way to Tonopah, Nevada. It was the only hotel we could find between Reno and Vegas.  We probably pushed it a little too much the first day with driving.  We basically rolled into he hotel with a screaming 3 year old, a restless 7 year old and two very, very over exhausted parents.  Needless to say we hit the pillows hard that night.  Next stop ended up being only about 4 hours away when Josslyn started to feel car sick. VEGAS BABY! We found a reasonable hotel for the night and spent the day at the pool so the kids had a break from driving.  We couldn't do another crazy day like the one prior.  And in the Southwest all the stops seem so far apart.  After spending a night in crazy Vegas, we started getting serious about driving.  We decided to make our next big stop, New Orleans.  It took about 2 long days of travel to final reach one of my favorite cities in this country.  

N'awlins!!!!!  Cheers!!

Josslyn enjoying her first meal in the Big Easy.  

Oysters, gumbo and bbq shrimp.  What a meal!!

Love the cemeteries in New Orleans.  Mysterious and macabre, yet lovely and peaceful at the same time.

Joss collecting flowers she found on the ground along the way.

Loving the crocodiles in N'awlins

Autumn trying to steal one, but getting caught by the cashier.  She is always up to no good this one.

The biggest beads ever!

Filming NCIS New Orleans.  Josslyn was thrilled to watch this.  She so wants to be on TV.  

A rare family photo.

Precious moments.

Erik giving them a little Sunday School lesson.

Dancing in the streets to some jazz music

Cafe du Monde..  Best coffee ever and I am not even a coffee drinker..

Autumn seems to have loved the beignets.  Ha ha

After we left New Orleans we started heading North.  I couldn't believe we were already this far East to be able to head North to NJ, which is where we were going to see family for a couple of weeks.  As the scenery changed to that of what we once knew, it all became so surreal to actually be back East again.  Even though we were only gone for two years, the feelings I felt were as if I hadn't been back for 10 years or more.  It felt so exciting and fresh again.  I started seeing things with new eyes and was thrilled to be apart of it all again.  I wished at that moment I would always see things as if I were seeing them for the first time and would never take it for granted as I did before I had left.  I made a vow to be awe-inspired by the scenery no matter where I lived and to be grateful every day.