Home Sweet Home

Ahhhhh - it's nice to be home! While we had an incredible vacation, it's always nice to come home, isn't it? We got home late yesterday afternoon and I am back at work today, so you'll have to wait for pictures. There are over 300 on my camera to download, edit, sort, etc. We travelled just under 2,700 miles without an accident, major mechanical problem, illness or injury. That in itself is a great trip! We saw and did so many cool things.

We arrived in Denver on Saturday and had a great time getting together at blog-buddy Kimberly's house for dinner. Sunday we had the Adoption Alliance picnic and while it was the hottest day of the year, it was still fun. Being able to meet "friends" and their families and see all the Kyrgyz cuties who've made it home was heartwarming. We hit the Denver Aquarium in the evening and I would vote it one of the coolest places I've ever been. Monday we went to the Butterfly Pavilion (E's favorite) and The Railroad Museum (Kevin's favorite). We went to the Adoption Alliance office and met some of the staff and then had dinner with Karen, AA Kyrgyzstan coordinator, Tami Snowden and her beautiful daughter, Tabi. Those of you in the Kyrgyz adoption community probably know or know of Tammy and Tabi - remarkable young women!! Tuesday took us to the Denver Zoo and Denver Children's Museum. That zoo is definitely the best one we've ever been to and E had a blast at the Children's Museum. Wednesday we made the drive through the mountains out to Glenwood Springs. We spent the evening and part of the day Thursday there. It is a truly beautiful part of the country. We began the looooong trip home Thursday evening and made it to North Platte, Nebraska...........can't really think of anything to say about North Platte - it's as boring as it sounds! Friday we headed for Lincoln. We checked in to our hotel in the afternoon and just relaxed at the pool. In the evening we went to Lost in Fun which is an incredible indoor play center for kids. It's my goal to find an investor and build/operate one of these! Saturday we visited the Wildlife Safari and Tiny Town in Omaha before heading on to Des Moines to sleep for the night. Sunday we had an uneventful, relaxing ride home.

E did incredibly well considering he's never really travelled (well, except the 6,000 miles home when he was 1). Meltdowns became a little more frequent toward the end of the trip, but nothing worse than any other three year old. He had a lot of fun, loved seeing the animals, the mountains and staying in hotels. He even overcame his fear of the elevator. Now he "likes the alligator" and wants to push the buttons for us.

I promise to post pictures sometime in the next week.