After a frustrating 24 hours of high teenage drama, I roused the zoo at dawn to drive Samantha to the airport.  Between a sleepless night camping at the end of a runway and parallel parking a 21 foot trailer in an airport lot, my nerves were shot before we entered the building.  This was unfortunate because Samantha became hysterical when she was informed she could not board the plane. With terrorist levels at their peak, unaccompanied minors are not currently being permitted to fly.  I fully understand the reasons for this policy but was seriously annoyed at 1) someone failing to mention this when the tickets were purchased just hours before 2)needlessly waking up a seriously grumpy baby and 3)being at the airport in the first place.  After four emotionally charged hours, Samantha was headed home on a new airline and we were back on the road.

As I departed the airport, I forced myself to take a deep breath and reflect on our trip.  In the last five days we have spent a cramped night baking in a Wal-Mart parking lot, almost been arrested for animal abuse, lost a trailer on the freeway, and hand washed enough poopy pants to last a lifetime.  Now, my navigator and helper had jumped ship 1,500 miles from home leaving me alone with four very disappointed little people.  This isn’t exactly what I had planned on when we set out for an adventure of a lifetime. 

What had I been thinking when this idea possessed me, anyway? I wanted to give my rascals a love for adventure.  I wanted to reward them for two years of diligent study.  I wanted them to have fun and make memories.  I wanted to give them the belief that they can do anything they set their heart and mind to.  Things certainly haven’t gone according to plan but when I stopped and thought about it, I was surprised to realize I have been accomplishing these initial goals. 

Like most everything else in life, this too was simply a matter of perspective.  The mangled awning incident represented an extremely expensive and time consuming catastrophe to me but to Drew, it was a chance to demonstrate his mechanical genius and mastery of Dad’s tools.  He seizes every chance he gets to tell people about how he saved the day.  Our clash with Animal Control has given us all a new appreciation for our faithful pooch.  I am still working on a positive slant to the Potty Blues…  None-the-less, I simply need to shift my perspective and move on.

So what if Samantha jumped ship.  Life goes on!  The boys held conference and decided they are going to pick up the slack.  I admit to being a little skeptical about their declaration but they have followed through with flying colors.  Drew rode shot gun and navigated me through 650 miles of driving today while Kaleb took it upon himself to entertain Nate.  What started out as a dreaded driving day turned into the best day of the trip.  Free of being held to a schedule, the boys decided to add a 150 mile detour to visit Laura Ingalls Wilder’s homestead in DeSmet, S.D.  The stop wasn’t on the schedule but I wouldn’t have traded today for anything.  Though everyone could have had their own seat, my zoo chose to pile into the first two rows so we could visit, sing, and joke.  I got to teach the boys the fine art of hand windsurfing after feasting on Drew’s gourmet lunch of squeeze cheese sandwiches. 

It won’t be long before we are back in the rush of practices and recitals, lessons and chores and this will all be a string of memories.  They probably won’t remember the poop plague but they will never forget how we laughed when Nate tried to eat his cornhusk doll nor the amazement of walking into Laura’s dugout.  Fro this point forward, I am making a conscious choice to cherish this time, from the endless knock-knock jokes to the sleepy prayers for Daddy.  I am choosing to take joy in this journey wherever it make take us.