We are home!

Home sweet home!

After November 1st it was very tricky to find an open campgrounds. We decided that we had spent enough money and it was time to come home. If money wernt a factor we could have spent at least another month in that area exploring. But I left feeling very happy. I cant thank my family enough for making this trip everything it was.

I leave Thursday for D.C. for a breech confrence and I'm looking forward to that. Then in Feb we will head South visiting lots of people on the way.

We spent the day yesterday cleaning out the motorhome and putting everything away. Today we got back to school. I can't believe how much we got done on the road. From painting Devil's Tower, Sophie finished her 1st grade math and Lola's letters are really coming along.

Sophie has lots of questions today and we are googleing everything we can- Mom can bears smell?

Bears have an incredible sense of smell because the area of their brain that manages the sense of smell, called the olefactory bulb, is at least 5 times larger than the same area in human brains even though a bear's brain is one third the size.

And what dinosaur had two brains?
When Stegosaurus was first discovered, in 1877, experts weren't used to the idea of elephant-sized lizards with bird-sized brains. That's why, in the late 19th century, the famous paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh broached the idea that a second brain resided in Stegosaurus' rump, which presumably helped to control the rear part of its body. Today, no one believes that Stegosaurus (or any dinosaur) had two brains, but it may well turn out that the cavity in this stegosaur's tail was used to store extra food (in the form of glycogen).

Badlands

So what was suppose to be a sunny day in the 70s turned out to be a day covered in fog and in the 30s. Needless to say it was very hard to see the Badlands in the fog. We waited until 10 and then drove over the Wall Drug. Which is a fancy way of saying tourist giant store.

 We left for the badlands and just prayed the fog would let up a little. We could see bits of it at first. But about half way through the fog lifted. We didn't get any amazing pictures but at least we could see it. We drove through it, stopped at the Rangers station and watched a great video.

Ryan wanted to see the cold war missiles so he took the girls over to that exhibit while I napped. Then we started the long drive home. Yes, its that time. We have spent a lot of money, and I'm heading to D.C. for a breech conference next week so we are going to get home and settled before I leave again :) Then its time for Thanksgiving, Amy's Wedding, Christmas, my sweet friend Steph's birth, and then we will be on our way to Florida. We plan on seeing Aunt Sherrie in South Carolina, The Zarankos in Kentucky, Julie in North Carolina, Kalli and family in Alabama, my family at their time share, Ryan's mom in Dunedin, and of course Paula in Savannah, and if Heather is still in Georgia we want to stop in and visit her too! So as you can see lots more miles to put on our motor home.

I have learned several things on this trip:
1. We do not need a microwave. Ha! to all you naysayers out there.
1/2. We do not need fast food on a road trip. Besides one moment of weakness on Ryan's end at a gas station taco bell we have at all homemade meals in the camper- saving a ton of money.
2. We do not need a TV. Yup this trip has been TV free and I cant count how many magical moments we wouldn't have had if the girls (and the hubby) would have lost out on if they were sitting in here glued to the TV.
3. That lovely couple we meet at Devil's Tower- when we said we were homeschooling he didn't give me the socializing bullshit and more talk- he sincerely smiled and said "good for you there are lots of way to live this life and why not live it big?" I appreciate that so much.
4. We can learn from every moment in every situation, we can do school on the road, my girls are not behind or lacking- they are blossoming before our very eyes.
5. My husband is on my side. On our family's side. He has done alot to make this trip possible and help me heal from a very hard year. He agreed to no TV, he helped me search for the motor home, he saved money, he agreed not to eat fast food, he sacrificed to take this once in a lifetime trip as a family. I love him so much.
6. At the horse ranch- I learned that I can feel things again. That I can feel happiness in the big sense. The high of happiness. Its been months... its been since I saw the pregnancy test positive. I put up walls and this trip helped me take a few of them down. I have no clarity about getting pregnant again, but I am starting to feel safe again.
7. With our next motor home- we need a bigger bed- I need to be able to stretch my feet out all the way while sleeping.