Traveling Alone

There were several families going to a wedding. They were looking for more people to fill the small bus they had hired to take them. When we found out they would be passing close by the community where my parents lived LV suggested I might like to go along and stay for a week and then take the bus back home.

I was excited about the chance to go see them but really wished LV could go too. With our hundreds of various sizes of calves that needed to be cared for that was not an option.

After packing several suitcases we were on our way. Traveling all night we arrived at the place where Mom was waiting to meet us. We transferred everything and were once again on our way. It seemed strange to be visiting my parents in their a new home. Other than a few pieces of furniture nothing seemed like home.

Mom helped me unpack my suitcases in what used to be Mahlon's room. He had left the Amish for good a few months earlier and seeing everything that used to be his was hard. It was great being able to visit and work with Mom again but it wasn't long before I was really ready to go home again. I missed LV horribly. This was the first we had ever been apart for more than a few hours and I realized that as much as I loved my parents I could never feel "at home" with them again.

When the week was finally at an end I was happy to have been able to make arrangements with Mahlon to travel on the bus with me and help take care of the children. With three little ones plus my luggage I knew I needed an extra pair of hands and eyes to help keep track of everything.

The trip home was more of an adventure than I had bargained for. We left a trail of things behind us as we went and every bus station had something that belonged to us after we left. From one of Sunbeam's blankets to Rosy's favorite doll. But worst of all was at the St. Louis bus station. Everything was super crowded there and for a few desperate minutes Rosy had wandered off as we were getting in line to board the bus. Thankfully we were able to spot her before long and managed to all return home safely.

This had been a trip different from any I had ever taken and I was so very happy to get back home to where LV was waiting for us. That was the start of having our new home actually start feeling like home and my homesickness for Pennsylvania started to lessen.