A Little Help From My Friends

Day 16: Sunday, April 3, 2016
So, no unnecessary stops, but this one was completely necessary! Some old friends of mine from college happen to live in Topeka, so we stopped for breakfast on our way past. MATT makes a mean waffle! I hadn't seen them since maybe 2009, so this visit was long overdue and not nearly long enough, but I am forever grateful that they opened their home to us and brought a little light to a very dark journey. I had no idea how much I needed a happy, familiar face. And the boys have not stopped talking about all the awesome Transformer toys at their house.  So, you know, there's that!

The "no stop" thing is rough, though. I had to drive past St. Louis without thinking about the Arch there. We bypassed routes to Chicago and so many other historical sites with cruel disregard. The traveler in me mourned their losses, but the wife in me knows there's just no time for any of this. Mike needs us, and we need him. Having my mother around is immensely helpful, and I wouldn't have made it this far without her, but she's just no replacement for Mike. And she's not supposed to replace him on this trip; that's not her job. But his absence is felt daily, and all I can really think about is getting back to him. Explaining all this to children, however, proves difficult. And I know I said I was ready to accept the consequences of kids in the car all day, but I don't think I really knew what that meant. At one point, our gas light was on, the DTE (Distance To Empty) indicator said there were 6 miles to empty, the nearest exit was 7 miles away, and the signs for the gas station were saying it was 2 miles beyond the exit, and none of my kids were wearing any clothes. As it turns out, my DTE indicator likes to scare me needlessly. We rolled in on fumes, but we rolled in just fine. More than half of us had less than half of our clothes on, but we were fine all the same.

Today was another long haul. I really just needed to get to Terre Haute, IN. We are staying at the home of some friends for tonight, and will meet up with some more friends for breakfast in the morning, and I finally feel as though there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  Terre Haute is within striking distance of home. We're almost there!