We're HOME!!!

So, I didn't announce on our blog that we were leaving, but yesterday morning [at about 2am] we pulled into our driveway. We had such a great trip - with both highs and lows - but it is nice to be home. We had also made an extra effort to leave for our trip with a clean house. Beds were made, laundry was done, dishes were clean and put away {even the dishwasher was empty!} and we literally mopped our way out of the house. It was a lot of work, but so, so nice to come home to! I will be blogging about our trip in more detail over the next month or so... look forward to a 6-part mini-series!

In summary:
* We logged 2,700+ miles on the Explorer and laid tracks in SEVEN different states!
* Our main stops were 1. Springfield, OR 2. Simi Valley, CA and 3. Provo, UT with an unexpected and unplanned 2-night stay in Yreka, CA - but more on that later.
* Weather ranged from sun, blue skies and flip-flop weather in SoCal to snow, winter coats, hats and gloves in Provo. Temps were high 60s/low 70s and down to NEGATIVE 8 going through the mountains on our way home. Lucky for us, there was no moisture in the air, so the roads were clear.
* We had a blast hanging out with our Southworth family!! Chatting and playing games into the early morning hours, showing off our true rock-star-ness with the Wii Beatles rock band game, doing all of the necessary Christmas Eve/Christmas morning prep-work and just enjoying the company.
* Took almost 250 pictures of our 2-week adventure - aka, I have a lot of editing and careful choosing to do before I post anymore!

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and great New Year!! I'm finishing up the laundry from our trip, organizing Ethan's new toys while he plays with his Geo-Trax train, making some goals for the new year {something I haven't done for a few years!} and getting ready to box up all the Christmas ornaments.

First Family Pic of 2011