Again, sorry I didn't update yesterday. We were in the car for just about 13 hours yesterday and I was exhausted. There's no place like home! I was so happy to be home, sleep in my own bed, my own pillow and even got to see my ANGELS!! Woohoo!
We had such a nice trip and enjoyed our time in Michigan. We have even begun to plan next year's trip.
I have heard so many nice comments about this blog and even caught some guff when I didn't update in a timely manner. I'm glad that you all got to share in this trip with us, including the pictures and check-ins on Facebook. Until next year, I bid you good night.

We have begun our journey home. We drove from Michigan to Springfield, MO. I was so excited because the route we took home brought us closer to the arches in St. Louis. They're so cool! I took alot of pictures. Other than that there wasn't much to see that we hadn't seen already. LOL I took a nap, read, etc. The kids did pretty well today. They caught up on sleep that I know that they have missed this last week.
We arrived at our hotel in Missouri and we were pleasantly surprised that there was a Cracker Barrel restaurant just across the parking lot. So, Jason chose this as his father's day dinner place. And all I can say is.... OMG! Finally a place that we have heard rave reviews about, lived up to the hype. We might have to go there one more time before we get home. It was so good!!
As I write this entry we are recalculating our route so I am unsure of where I will write you again. See you tomorrow from some place. :-)

Sorry that I didn't update yesterday. It was a long, busy day. We attended Bill's memorial and what a beautiful service it was. It was so nice to meet alot of people that Bill knew and he had touched them all in a special way. What a great man he was. I wish I had the chance to spend more time with him and get to know him much better as everyone else had. In the 13 years I knew Bill, he touched my life and I feel so very blessed to have known such a good man.
After the memorial, we came back to the hotel for some down time and a nap. Then we went to Grandma GG's house for the reception for the family. This was another opportunity to socialize with family that I haven't seen in years. Some I haven't even seen since Jason and I were married in 2002. We stayed at GG's until 1:00am; this is why I didn't update yesterday.
Today was a fun outing day. Sheryl took the family and I to Indiana for my favorite restaurant, Das Essenhaus. This restaurant is in the "Amish Country" of Indiana. We headed down there in the morning so we could have lunch. Before lunch, we stopped by a couple of shops. One of the shops we went into was the Quilt Shop. Over the last 13 years I have developed the desire to own an Amish quilt. And now I can finally say I am the proud owner of a gorgeous quilt! It made my day to say the least. After lunch we headed back to Michigan and stopped  by Constantine where Jason lived and attended high school.
After we rested some back at the hotel room, we went back to Grandma GG's house for one more evening of visiting.
Now we are back in the hotel room, partially packed and ready to hit the road again tomorrow. We will be heading back home in the morning with memories of a wonderful summer visit to Michigan.

Today was another, welcomed, low-key day. We hung around Grandma GG's house. We played outside some and it was a gorgeous day. It's nice, for me, to finally see Michigan in the summer. I have only been here during the snow/winter months and the greenery here is beautiful!
After we had dinner, we had a belated birthday celebration for Jr. After dinner, some more family members arrived in preparation for tomorrow.

Today was a much needed, low key kinda day. We hung out at Grandma GG's house and just plain relaxed. We played some cards, ate lunch and visited. It was nice to catch up and enjoy some family time.
Jason and Jr took a drive to see the school where Jason attended when he was a little boy. They also drove around "the old neighborhood" where Jason grew up.
More family members arrive tomorrow and it will be nice to catch up with them as well.

Today we finished the last portion of the driving. We have arrived in Michigan! After we got settled, we were hungry and wanted real food. We have been "dash board dining" it too much and were in desperate need for a change.
Next to the hotel was an asian buffet so we thought we would give it a shot. It ended up not being too bad. After dinner Grandma GG stopped by the hotel for a quick visit. It was so nice to see her since it had been a year since our last visit.
Tomorrow we will get to see more family members and we cannot wait!

Today was the longest day of driving , so far. We drove from Amarillo to Lebanon, MO. We had so much driving planned for the day that we didn't make any stops other than for potty/stretch breaks and gas or food.
When it came time to find the hotel we had a little bit of confusion and took a wrong turn. Thank goodness for GPS but we did drive thru a backwoods neighborhood. We stumbled upon "old town" and drove by some shops and family stores.
Then we found the hotel we dropped off our things and ventured out to find dinner. So we didn't have a repeat of last night, LOL, we looked on Yelp for suggestions. We made a decision to go to Steak n Shake and OMG was it good! We sooooooooo need one of them back home!
Now as I sit here, writing this blog, I am watching the Kings hockey game. It's no Angels baseball but it will have to do. I am seriously going through some major baseball withdrawals.
Tomorrow is another long driving day but we will be in Michigan by night!!

Today we finished off Arizona, drove all thru New Mexico and ended up in Amarillo, TX. In New Mexico, we stopped at some random Indian outpost. We walked around and found a couple of souvenirs. 
We got back on the road and drove, and drove, and drove! The freeway was pretty much 2 lanes until we hit Albuquerque but it didn't last long.
Once we got to Amarillo, we checked into our hotel . We showered and got changed and headed to dinner. We stopped at The Big Texan, a restaurant that we had seen on various food channel shows including Man Vs. Food. I am sad to report it was quite a let down.
We waited a few minutes for our table, which was to be expected. Once our order was taken it took probably about 20  minutes to get our food and with 2 kids that have been stuck in a car all day it felt like an eternity. Once our food arrived Jason's steak was way overcooked, to the point that it wasn't edible. You guys know how easy going we are and more times than not we would have just eaten it anyways. Well this time we had to send it back. After we waited another 15-20 minutes another steak was prepared and now this one was undercooked!! By this time we all had had enough, and he ate what he could. We paid the bill and left.
Sorry but I just needed to vent that! Rant over. LOL
After we got back to the room, we changed into our swimsuits and went swimming. It was good for the kids to get some energy out.
Tomorrow we will continue on and end up in Missouri. Good nite for now.

Today, was day 1. We left home at about 2:00 this after noon and we arrived  to Holbrook, AZ just before 10pm. The day went a lot smoother than I anticipated. The kids did pretty well. Naomi asked, several times, if we were "Going to Michigan" and "Are we going on our trip, now"
We made a few stops along the way. We stopped for gas in Needles, CA but the gas was $4.89/gallon. So needless to say, we used the restroom and bought gas down the road in Kingman, AZ.
We saw some beautiful mountains and desert scenery. Tomorrow we will be driving through New Mexico and staying the night in Amarillo, TX.

Things are really starting to fall into place. 6 days from now we are going be on the road. All reservations are made, snacks are bought. Laundry to be started today and packing towards the end of the week. It's hard to believe that we are going to be leaving in just a matter of days!