Treehouse Trails: August 2015

It's taken us far too long to write these posts, but the road trip stories and fun must still be shared! This is the story of our very last travel day...

We loved the pie that we had gotten to celebrate Stephanie's birthday so much that we were thinking about how incredibly delicious it was for the entire next day...
...filled with sweet memories of that great tasting pie, we caved in and went back for a few more, splurging a bit if you will on slice or two, or three, to eat for breakfast and to celebrate our last travel day...and last morning of the road trip.

The brilliant colors of the sun un-tucked themselves from behind the blue-gray clouds and glistened the sky of Chicago with a warm goodbye...and a welcome home to Indiana. But the adventure wasn't over yet...especially for today!

As you might have noticed...we love food.

We love good food.

We especially love Sketchy Chinese Food.

So through the doors of the international grocery store, that happens to be next to an old Pet Store (note the faded away letters), past the rows of Koala cookies & rice noodles, and through the back room of freezers, we found ourselves spending the last few hours of our journey dining on the most delicious Chinese food you will ever experience, and laughing with some of the sweetest people you will ever meet.

"Because I love taking on new adventures/challenges every day. Also, because I usually have to pee..."

"I get up because I'm not tired anymore and ready to take on the day---or at least a cup of coffee."

"Because there are eager-braver students waiting for me!"

"It beats the alternative!"

"I get up to live life and see the world."

"Because God has something for me to do today."

"I hope that this will be a great day and I thank God for each and every one of them. I woke up looking forward to seeing all my friends."

"I get up in the morning to live life to the full...That is to be a saint...for me that means husband and father."

"For my kids :)"

"I wake up each day feeling thankful that I got to wake up and enjoy the day and excited to see what the day will bring!"

"Why I get up? I wake up or my dog attacks me."

"I get up in the morning because I didn't think I had another option! Otherwise my dog wants to potty..."

"I love my life!"

"...To see what adventure awaits."

"Because my alarm goes off!"

"Because my brain revs it's engine as soon as I awake, so I need to just get going because the rest time is over!"

"Because it's good for my mental health. I usually have to fight myself to get up, but I know it's good for me! Even getting out of bed can be a successful day!"

"Because God gave me the ability to! I want to experience all life has to offer."

"I wake up every morning because I still can and choose to. I love my life and what I do so I can't wait to see what each new day brings."

We were so close. Our last few miles. We felt this moment needed some sort of special tribute to those joining us on the road for our last stretch of road trip roadway.