We are back.

We arrived home a little after midnight last night. The trip was wonderful and did us all a lot of good. I think we all needed it. The drive was long but we passed through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and then reached our final destination in Ohio. The girls, true to form, are EXCELLENT travellers in the car.

Today was spent picking up the various school supplies, plus school shoes because there is nothing like coming off of a truly relaxing vacation than braving the crowds at Wal-Mart and other various shops. I have honestly come to HATE shoe shopping with my kids. Chickie wears a size 10 in women's shoes and has particular taste which lends itself to name brands and what's popular. This generally means I need to pick up a few shifts at Huddle House in order to pay off the debts incurred. Luckily, there was a back-to-school sale, which enabled me to skip my temporary stint as a waitress. I would also like to point out that it is extremely difficult to find shoes in that size at stores that offer discounts.

Meelie No wears a size SEVEN in women's shoes. Might I remind you that she is only 9? I wear an 8. I am doomed. She is difficult to shop for because she hates trying things on. Her tastes are easier to accommodate, but it's difficult to get her to sit still long enough to find a pair of shoes that actually fit. I was finally able to halt her in mid whine by telling her that I was NOT going to pay a lot of money for a pair of shoes that she wouldn't be able to wear.

I honestly am ok with spending money on the "name brand shoes" because they are made better and will last longer. The added bonus is that they are a lot better for the feet. The girls both need that now, and because they are not so rough on their shoes, it's a lot easier to justify adding a second mortgage to the house. Again, we lucked out with the sale, so I can't complain too loudly.

Right now I'm a bit tired. I've got some photos I'll be sharing over the next few days from the trip. We've got Open House for school tomorrow, so it's going to take me a while to get caught up on everything. I hope you all had a fantastic week. I look forward to getting back in the swing of things.