After 18 months in Texas our active duty commitment ended and we couldn't wait to get back to Idahome. Our boys did great with each move over the past 5 1/2 years.
They learned to be more adaptable and thankfully always made great transitions. I always stressed more than they did, they were my main concern and I wanted them to have the best transitions possible.
They also learned to be more kind and tolerant by not letting difference get in the way of friendships. Quick little insert: One Easter weekend a group of kids that Troy would often hang out with had a discussion/argument about religion. This group of kids were all members of one church and Troy really felt singled out and attacked because his beliefs are different from theirs. It was an excellent learning experience for Troy; we encourage him to take this experience and always be mindful of not only other's beliefs, but other's in the minority. We encouraged him to always look out for others who feel left out or are feeling attacked. Now that he attends a school where the LDS religion is the majority, we're always reminding him to be mindful of others for whatever reason they may feel they are the minority in.
Troy and Brock, especially, have a better appreciation for what's important in life and as a family we had some amazing experiences, and not so great experiences that we grew from.
The beginning of our next chapter and ultimate goal was on it's first page: To plant our roots and spend more time with our extended family at a place we call home.
Our route home: San Angelo for our first stop, we passed through Roswell New Mexico with Albuquerque NM as our second stop. We hit up the Four Corners Monument before our third stop in Monticello, UT.
The timing wasn't ideal and there were other important things that I needed to do, but I was able to slip away before we moved to go through the San Antonio Temple. Definitely the peace I needed during that crazy time.
Just a glance behind me as San Antonio disappeared in my rearview mirror. I remember thinking, "I will NOT miss the San Antonio traffic!"
Jer drove the Pilot with the pack of boys and our U-haul. I followed with our good old Camry and would swap out a boy or two each time we stopped for gas.
When we moved TO Texas, we didn't go through Roswell-Alien Town- so I told Jer we had to put that in our route. I told him to find us a fun alien-y stop for a picture. He took us to McDs. I guess a spaceship counts.
The problem with stopping at the Four Corners Monument was the Fourth of July weekend tourists. We were told the line was way longer than normal because of the holiday. I think it was a two hour wait? We The monument is surrounded by small vendors so the boys and I walked around for a while checking them out, then I swapped with Jer so he could walk around for a while.
Crew had had enough sitting in the car and being held at this point. Plus it was during nap time. Great timing.
When we finally made it to the front of the line, we saw the sign that said no more than three pictures per family, and there was a security guy monitoring. {eye roll} we clicked in a few extra but Jer was feeling rushed.
The first exciting sign we saw the entire drive!
The second exciting sign we saw was at our destination! So happy to be HOME
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