13 Lessons I Learned on Our Trip

1. Watching Josiah and David run to greet Grandma Fisher at the airport and smother her with hugs and kisses never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
I expected Josiah to joyfully and affectionately greet her when we picked her up, but I wasn't sure if David remembered her enough to do the same. Apparently, he did! I always hang back a little bit and enjoy the reunion as the boys greet her, then Jeff hugs her, and then it's my turn...and usually by then, I've blinked away my tears and can act like everything is normal. :)

2. If you're trying to avoid sickness, traveling doesn't help.
Before our trip, both Josiah and David had been bothered by sniffles and coughs; but I had managed to avoid it and stay healthy. However, something about traveling to different climates, being in the same minivan with sick people for hours on end, sleeping less than usual, and not taking enough vitamins all combines to ensure that everyone gets sick. We're a sharing bunch around here!

3. Riding in a car for 6 or 7 hours straight (with one 10 minute break in the middle) is not exactly conducive to pregnancy comfort.
That's what we did last Thursday on our way from my brother's home in Pennsylvania to Niagara Falls. And, well, there's not much more to say about that...

4. The vast majority of New York state is NOTHING like New York City.
This was the big eye-opener for my mother-in-law on this trip. As we traveled through hours and hours (and hours and hours) of beautiful, rolling hills, and fertile farmlands, with very few occupants and even fewer Taco Bells, she could hardly believe we were actually in New York. It was fun to show her on the map how big the state of New York is and how small NYC is. Although to judge from the media's portrayal and the world's perception, NYC is all there really is in that state. Kind of like all of California is Los Angeles, right? Oh, you mean, it's not???

5. The Canadian side truly is better.
Everyone that we talked to that had previously been to Niagara Falls spoke passionately about the fact that you've got to go into Canada and view it from that side because it's SO MUCH BETTER. Well, they're right. Our hotel was in Canada; and we stayed on the 22nd floor and had a mind-boggling view of the falls--much better than we could have had on the American side. Before we got there, I didn't understand how it could make that much difference which side of the Falls you stood on...but because of the geography, it really does. See pics below...

~ view from our hotel room
~ also from the Canadian side

6. It's always nice to see familiar faces.

We were fortunate to be able to stay with my brother and his family for two nights of our trip, the night after Jeff's mom arrived and the night we were heading south to Virginia. It's so much nicer to stay in a home with friends or relatives, rather than just a hotel room somewhere. We enjoyed very much their warm hospitality, and the boys loved time with their cousins. They just can't get enough of it!

The other familiar faces we saw on our trip were our good friends Tim and Jeanne from San Diego who "happened" to be vacationing in New York while we were. Despite a little miscommunication about where we were actually staying (I'm still sorry, Tim!), they managed to find us; and what fun it was to see their shining faces walking towards us in our hotel. Although our time together went too fast, it was delightful to see the Falls with them and be able to catch up a little in person. They are faithful friends, and we are very grateful for them!

7. Sometimes little splurges are good.

The night we stayed in Canada, I was craving a mint hot chocolate from Starbucks (there was one in the lobby of our hotel), but I knew it was really not worth the money to buy one since EVERYTHING in that area of town seemed outrageously expensive. I told Jeff about my craving, but also told him that I didn't really NEED one and it was OK if I didn't have one. Still...I was thrilled when he walked in later that evening carrying one for me. The drink warmed my body, and the love warmed my soul.

8. There's at least one good restaurant in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, if you look long enough.

Trust me on this one: thanks to Jeff's insistence that he wanted to sit down and eat in a real restaurant, we got to drive down nearly every street in the city, I believe; but after our long search, we finally found a delicious restaurant--Italian, my favorite. And it was worth the wait. But I've forgotten the name of it, and I hope no one asks me exactly where it is because I'm sure I could never find it again!

9. Grandma is more successful than Mommy at feeding David.

When David is having a hard time eating, whether because he's distracted or he doesn't like the food he's been given, Grandma simply turns on the charm and plays all kinds of games to get the food in his mouth, the most popular game being "your food will magically become one of the characters from Thomas the Train and will drive into your mouth!" I have no success with that game, probably because my attitude is much more practical: "here's your food; now eat it." But Grandma's talent came in handy on our trip!

10. It's impossible to get out of Hershey's Chocolate World without buying chocolate.

The smell of cocoa that they blow in your face at the end of the tour does nothing to help you resist temptation, and the tiny little free bag of chocolate they give you as you finish the ride only increases your greedy appetite. (Although I was so fortunate as to be given two bags: one for me and one for baby. Ah, yes, it's nice to be pregnant!) After wandering through the factory store, we came away with $40 of chocolate. Yikes! What in the world do we need $40 of chocolate for???

11. If you're going to sleep in the minivan at all during the trip, it's got to be when the boys are sleeping.

Jeff had done all the driving on the trip, so for the last leg of the journey, I thought I'd be a nice girl and offer to drive so he could rest. The only problem was that the boys just happened to be waking up from their naps, and they found it impossible to pass the final hour and a half of our trip in peaceful, quiet, unassisted play. Poor Jeff! I know how frustrating that can be. Fortunately, he was a good sport about it and we made it home in one piece. Next time I'll try to time my offer of help better so it actually is a useful thing!

12. Molly, our dog, ALWAYS gets out of the pasture when we're gone.

This time was no exception. Not only did Molly get out, a dog belonging to our neighbor a few houses up the road also got out; and he apparently decided to be the official greeter for my dad's office for the day. He even got into some people's cars as if he intended to go home with them. What friendliness!

Since chasing dogs is fairly low on my mother's preferred list of exercise, I know she was somewhat less-than-thrilled about all this commotion. Somehow Molly must sense when we're gone, because that's always the time she picks to make her escape.

13. Last, but not least...it's good to be home!

There is simply no place like home...no bed like our own...no water like ours...no home like this one. It's wonderful to go away on various adventures; but oh, how sweet, to come home at the end!