back to life.....

back to re-al-ity!! I have been singing that song a lot today and yesterday!! The kids and I left mom and dad's in NC at about 9:30 yest morning. We stopped once in Beckley, WV (about 2 1/2 hrs into the trip) to eat lunch at Bob Evans and stretch our legs. The last hour and a half went by pretty fast after that. I had been nervous about making the trip without Brad, having never drove it myself without following someone who knew where we were going. It turned out to be pretty easy and I am looking forward to making the trip again soon! I don't ever remember feeling like I had been gone soooooo long! (not because we didn't have a good time in NC) I also never remember feeling such relief and calm about being back "home". I have never really considered WV my home. I wasn't born here, didn't come here till I was 13. And I was angry when we had to come here. None of my family lives here anymore. But now I feel like this is my home. I belong here. I couldn't really see myself living anywhere else. Except in the house that Brad and I are going to build out in the country on some property when we are older--but that is another blog in itself!! Anyway, so I was never so happy to be back in WV! It was about 2:30 pm when we got home. The kids didn't sleep at all on the drive so they were pretty grouchy the rest of the afternoon. I couldn't believe how clean the house was! I know i didn't leave it that clean! The sweeper was out, there were no dishes in the sink, there was not one piece of dirty laundry in the hampers. It was amazing! Brad even washed our sheets because "I knew you would be excited to be in your bed" He is so wonderful! After he got home from work we just hung out for the evening. He was on call so we couldn't go anywhere. We jumped on the trampoline with the kids. Brad's mom wanted us to call when we got back so we made plans for her to keep them during the day today. They went to bed around 7:30pm and I heard Ryan out in the livingroom at about 6:50 this morning. Brad and I got to go out to lunch together, went shopping at the mall for almost3 hours (that has never happened with brad and I) and got some groceries at Walmart. Then we got the kids just in time for a bath and bed time! And I am headed to bed after I close this out!