Home.

So we're home! Tucker, Steven and Tally have all blogged about our adventures already. As usual, I'm sort of late to the party.

We had a great time. An exhaustingly great time. Nothing went as planned (Nothing. Time line? Ha! Schedule? Gone.), but I was amazed by how well people just rolled with it. Our children did well, slept well, and traveled well! The students? Did well, slept little and ate all the junk food we could shove at them! I'm not going to give you a run-down of everything we did since the men listed above already did that, but I am going to list all of the things that meant something to me this past week.

-I'm so proud of my husband. He put his whole heart into every decision that was made, encouraged the students, planned things out, and still made time to be Daddy during the trip. The man changed as many diapers as I did, and put the kids to bed quite a few nights. I loved being with my best friend for this experience. I really do encourage families to do missions work together. It's tough, and seems overwhelming, but it's so worth it!

We got along famously.

Although. Don't talk to Chelsea and Rachel. They may tell you we bickered a good amount on the way home. And that I may have forced Tucker to eat a granola bar (He was tired. He was hungry. I felt that he needed to eat.). Anyway. All's good now.

- I'm very encouraged by the pastors at Focal Point Church. These men have an amazing vision (shhhh...one I'd love to be a part of...), and such a passion for the people in their area. Their church may be small, but it's going to be powerful one day in their community. With leaders like they have, there's no way it won't. Tally has a great message to share, and their church family fed us, housed us, and entertained us all week long. They worked together to serve us. I'm overwhelmed by all that they did. Thank you!

- I'm so grateful for the couple that took my little family in. They handed us a key, and let us come and go at all hours. They were wonderful to us, even when Tucker tackled their hall shelf at 2 am and destroyed some glass objects (Champagne flutes, I think? I'm not sure. It was dark, and they were shattered.). They let us have a pool party. One they knew about and planned, and one we sprung on them at midnight. They are good people!

- I want to thank Tally's wife, Kristy, for opening up her home to us. She gave Jen, Maya, my kids and myself a place to crash on days we couldn't be with the students. I know it's not easy to hand your house over and allow it to be overrun with people for a week. I know I would freak (I love people. I love visitors. I just like my quiet, you know?), but she was wonderful. She's also the mother to, quite possibly, the cutest kid I've ever seen. (My own excluded, of course.) It's a toss up between him and John and Amber's son. They make 'em cute in VA!

-We got to wear some rocking T-Shirts. See?

- I learned that it's hot in VA. And it's even hotter when you're sitting in a van with 11 people, and sitting on vinyl seats. You sweat in places you didn't think could sweat. Even worse? You're stuck in traffic, almost out of gas, and have to turn the air off. The cool part? The students in your van keep the spirits up, and your kids cooled off with a water bottle. I love 'em. Can't say it enough. I love our students. We have the best, the most passionate, and the most caring group of students ever.
- I have no desire to go to Washington DC ever again. EVER.

Weeeell, maybe once more. But not with 50 people in tow, and a bad storm and terrible communication all around. Although, all that craziness was kind of fun...

- A huge part of making this trip amazing was our students. They did everything we asked them to do, and quite a few of them were babysitters for the many small children running around. Thanks!

And Amanda? Could make that kid be quiet already?! Yeah. Thanks.

- Texans are super polite people. They are also hard working, wonderful lovers of our God. I'm honored to have met them and worked alongside of them. Focal Point Corpus Christi is blessed to have that group of people! We do miss y'all. A special nod to Dee who made all of our food, and Ken, who kept us awake on the longest van ride ever.

- Tucker likes to find a soapbox and climb up on it. Especially after 6 hours in a van. Apparently, he doesn't care for Ark churches... (That one's just for Sammi and Becca!)

-My baby girl Rory rode the log flume ride at Busch Garden's with her Daddy. Scared me to death, but she loved her "boat ride"!

- Oh hey. Those stain pen thingys? Totally work. I used it more than you could ever know! Thanks!

All in all, we had a successful trip. God worked on our student's hearts, as well as our own. He used us and pushed us, and we were dead to our own selves. I've never been more touched by the attitudes of people, and the love they showed. Good job, guys. Looking forward to next year!