Back In Nac

So, we didn't get to leave St. Robert until about 12:20 this morning. We had everything all packed in the car, so all we had to do was get Marley out of bed and put her in. She woke up, but by the time we got to base she was back asleep. Asa had to sign out and get a leave form he needed and then we were on the road. Asa and I never really took road trips together before we were married. We went on two trips to Inks Lake, but that was pretty much it. It was so fun to have that quiet time together to talk about our family's vacations and the ones we planned for our family in the future. My mom says that some of her favorite times with us were spent in the car on a trip together. Everyone safely in the car, driving somewhere exciting, and singing along to Kenny Chesney. I know exactly how she feels. It was a fantastic feeling to have our little family all in the car together.

The first three hours went great. Asa drove, Marley slept, and I got to take a little nap in there somewhere. Then we realized we had not planned well and we were about to get on the tollway without any cash or enough coins to pay the toll. So, we exited (which meant we had to pay a toll) and tried to find a gas station. No gas station in sight, so we stopped at a Walmart. Asa ran in and bought a bag of oranges (totally random, huh?) and got cash back for the tollway. Marley woke up in the process of stopping the car, and stayed awake for the next hour or so. But she was so quiet the whole time, just watching the lights out the window. So, we got our money and got back on the tollway (which costs more money). A little while later we spent 20 minutes or so driving around this cute little town at 4 in the morning trying to find a gas station. The Indian Nation Tollway is great, until you need gas and have to spend forever finding it!We eventually did, and we also eventually got back on the highway and got back in the groove of driving. I drove for a little bit while Asa slept and then we traded again. I was exhausted and running on 2 hours of sleep. Asa managed to get some sleep before we left the house that night, so he had gotten about 5 hours total. Marley woke up for good around 7 am when we stopped at Sonic for some caffeine and breakfast. But she didn't complain once. I sat in the back with her and kept her company while she laughed and talked to us. I could not have asked for a better sport on the car trip.
We finally made it to Nacogdoches at about 10:40 am! That was amazing timing, and mostly thanks to our wonderful daughter who did not get out of her car seat for almost 8 hours! I think the main thing that kept her happy was my reminder that we were headed to see Mimi and Papa!

I wanted to get some pictures of her reaction to seeing everyone, but I didn't really have a good position sitting next to Marley. But, boy was she excited! She saw Mimi through the windshield of the truck and got the biggest smile on her face. Two weeks may not seem like that long, but Marley and I were both so happy to be back. And I know Asa is happy to be back "home" also. Marley got passed around all afternoon between Mimi, Papa, and Deedee. She had such a blast, discovering her toys again, swinging, eating, and making all her fans smile! Donna and Lewis even came over at lunch and visited with us for a while. It felt good to be back with everyone.

We spent the afternoon like any normal afternoon, playing and running around the yard. My mom made chicken spaghetti for dinner and we had all of Asa's family over for dinner. I could tell how happy Asa was to have everyone there. He showed his family the videos taken in training, and everyone seemed to have a great time. I love getting our families together like that. Marley had a great time playing with everyone. She is getting so much more comfortable being with people other than me, and that makes me very happy. She is getting so grown-up.

Okay, in the last 36 hours, I have slept for 2 hours. I honestly do not know how I am still going, but I am. I have been such a terrible blogger lately, that I and forcing myself to do at least 30 posts in the month of April. I want to remember everything about this time. It feels so good to be home and have Asa here with us. He is out with his friends right now and I am sitting in the bed. It is very strange to think that he is coming back here later... it seems normal to be alone here now.

Even after only two weeks, I have missed it here. Our families, this house, Nacogdoches, hanging out in the kitchen with my mom, and playing in the backyard with Marley. I will miss it all so much when we leave in a week.