We're Home!

Well, my last week of vacation didn't go exactly as planned. I, unfortunately, had to cancel some visits which I really wanted to keep. I'm sorry about that Aunt Ann!

These are some of our mishaps:
- My truck was back in the shop for a couple of days getting a new auxillary fan for the engine because it was still overheating
- Alexis got sick last Monday night with a full-blown flu bug by Tuesday. Her little nose was just running all over her face (still is actually), her eyes were watery, she was sneezy and she had a fever.
- Both kids were pulling on their ears so I took them both to urgent care only to find out there were no ear infections (thank goodness).
- Logan got sick on Wednesday.
- I got sick on Thursday so we abandoned our visit to Utah (I didn't think Mandee would love me too much if I passed this thing around her house) and headed back up to Bend that afternoon.

The drive back proved that the Durango was finally working like new! What a relief!! When your car is sick, you feel so helpless.

Also, the drive back along the I-5 corridor (for the upteenth time) really drives home (no pun intended) some musings regarding that particular stretch of road:

1. Pilot gas stations have the cheapest gas. At one point I saw it at $2.70.
2. Pilot gas stations and TA centers have really clean bathrooms.
3. Don't get gas in Dorris, CA. They were charging $3.79 a gallon for regular unleaded.
4. The Apricot Tree restaurant is really yummy
5. The Days Inn in Lost Hills, CA is cheap and has nice, clean rooms. It is also adjacent to a Dennys where Alexis and I spent some time in the wee hours of the morning when she couldn't fall asleep.
6. The Shell Station in Weed, CA is clean, well lit, has clean bathrooms and is run by a very nice lady.
7. From Lake Shasta on... it is a beautiful drive.
8. In Klamath Falls right now, be prepared for bugs so thick that it looks like it is sprinkling on your windshield. Yulk
9. Mollie's restaurant & gas station in Klamath Falls has the best food - ever! We only stopped for gas this time, but we have eaten there before.
10. Driving at night is mind-numbing dull. There is NO scenery to look at to make it remotely interesting at all.
11. The central valley is absofreakinlutely HOT.
12. There are a LOT of eighteen wheelers on that road and they like to play hopscotch on that two lane stretch of road.

So now I am trying to get better as this flu bug thingie is hanging on tight. I sat like a lump on my couch all day yesterday just holding Logan (he didn't complain) and downing cold medicine to try and stop my nose from glowing any more red than it already is. I think Santa will be stopping by to offer me a job soon. Luckily, my Zicam Severe Congestion is just a little miracle and it enables me to go longer stretches before I have to blow my nose. I highly recommend it. I have a wicked cough that is developing so I continue to try and avoid contact with my loved ones and put sanitizer on my hands all day.

My house is still a mess, my clothes are still in my suitcases and the kids haven't had a bath yet. I did manage to go to the grocery store and make dinner though (it's in the oven) so I am way ahead of yesterday. But I'm pooped and going to go back to the couch and veg some more.

But man - as much as I love and adore my family in San Diego - there is no place like home.