On the road again...

Our time in Modesto flew by in one big blur of events. Melissa and her gang took us out for one last run around the town. The annual wine tasting event through Ripon stood up to the high praise and we left full and happy at the end of the night. A little too full in the morning for Sara’s liking….

 Anyways after we recovered it was down to business tying up loose ends while we packed, slept, and worked. (What seemed like the most work we had done since we got here.) A quick trip to mall solidified out need to flee this town, now knowing that we had left our mark when we heard “Peanut butter and Jelly” hollered across the way. Work was brutal, we saw things that should only be seen on TV (if that) but we continued to remind each other that the end was near. We had to leave our mark on the hospital so on the billboard dedicated to all the nurses children’s pictures we posted an entire collage of some of our favorite Modesto events. Some were more normal than others and some will hopefully get a quick giggle and a possible “those girls!” comment every once in awhile. On a more serious note we will miss everyone on the 5^th floor. You all were awesome and taught us so much, and we had a lot of fun along the way too!

After a good days sleep we had to cram out whole life into a 2 door Saturn…we were shocked when everything fit! I think we are getting way too good at packing! With that said we were on the road again for a 2500+ roadtrip back to Ohio broken up into 2 full days of driving, and one overnight stop. The first half was rough getting started but once we got into the groove of things it was a painless 20 hours to Amarillo.  Along the way we ran into some type of meteor shower and saw dozens of shooting stars. Honestly, one of the most entertaining drives trying to look for where the next one would appear., don’t worry someone had at least one eye on the road at all times!

Before we get too deep into our first stop here is a little background on Amarillo: It has become one of our favorite halfway points on our cross country drive. A large part of Jenn’s family lives there and was more willing to have us overnight..who wouldn’t be right?!?!  Recently, one of Jenn’s cousins joined an elite group becoming one the newest hero’s born.  He risked his life to save an older man’s life in a house fire. Casey’s (the hero) version is raw and real and ends with someone getting slapped, but no need to go into detail. In the process he badly injured himself and was life flighted to the nearest hospital. We were bummed he wouldn’t be around the house but it caused us to accelerate our trip so we could visit him! Originally we planned on arriving Saturday but on Thursday when we called Jenn’s uncle and he asked when we would be there we both looked at the GPS and said in 10 hours! Surprise!!! Uncle Don asked us to stall a little so he would at least be home, but other than that he was super excited to see us. Once we got there we also got an awesomely amazing surprise! Casey had made a full recovery and was on his way home! Those doctors must have known two of the best nurses were in town anxiously waiting to take care of Casey! Now we had to be extra careful with this patient because this little nugget was still a falls risk! And boy did we learn a thing or two about falls risks patients in Modesto! 

Having not slept in over 24 hours we thought we put our patient safely to bed and get a little shut eye ourselves, but we were completely wrong! Before you knew it the whole house was filled with cousins, daughters, brothers, sisters, crumbsnatchers, and whatever else you can imagine. The jury is still out as to whether all these people came to see us girls or Casey, but regardless it was an awesome welcome and we had just gotten our 14^th wind for the day! We would like to say we woke up the next morning but that would be false because no one in the house woke up until “evening” approximately 4PM…Whaaaaat our baby eyes were tired! With ample amounts of rest we took showers, ate an awesome meal, and heaed to the “clubs” with some of the cousins. Here we were wined and dined with the local cowboys. We also learned a thing or two about dancing in Texas...moves we now will never forget! 

The next day was set for rest and relaxation so that we could head out early for our next 20 hour drive… However, rumor on the street was that copious amounts of fajitas with all the fixings were on the way over. If you know anything about us it is we don’t turn down food, especially Mexican.  So, we stayed and stuffed ourselves enough to have a little extra padding for the next 20 hour ride home. Delicious!

These people are some of the best family anyone could ask for and we are truly thankful they lets us stay with them for a couple days. We are especially lucky to be in the presence of such a HERO! We left Texas loudly singing....

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

The final 20 hours of our drive was filled with coffee, double shots, and mountain dew slurps. We made a quick pit stop at Sara's uncles house where a birthday party full with cake, pizza, crowns, and presents was waiting for Sara. Had we known we would have cleaned ourselves up a bit and dressed for the occasion...so sneaky those Boeckls are. We still had the hardest 3 hour leg to go so we crammed back in the car and trudged on. The temperature continued to drop and our eyes felt like weights were tied to the lids, but we made it! Being home never felt so good. A bed with fresh sheets, a clean room, and open arms anxiously waiting for the most prized child to be home ;) j/k. 

This year has been a blast but us world travelers are exhausted! With the cold and the snow we will be on a hybernating vacation at home for about a month. Thankfully we have a new job lined up for the new year. Somehow we got a job in the #1 cancer hospital in the US and CANNOT wait to start the next adventure. California has been fun but it is time to overturn yet another state. The only thing left to say is to look out and see you all in the new year in TEXAS, we are coming your way....

HOUSTON YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!