Our Last Day on the Road

We had planned to split this last day into two days, but we were all getting tired and cranky.  SO...we looked at the map and made some adjustments to our journey and made it to my mom's by the end of the day.

We started out at a reasonable time (no real rush) and made it to our first stop of the day...

We actually made it before the park opened...but we were not sure where to go to see the battlefield.  So we waited for the visitor center to open.  It turned out that we were the only visitors of the morning and the ranger asked if we would like to assist in raising the flag...AWESOME!!!!  Edward was chosen to help and he did a great job!  The rest of the family stood at attention and recited the pledge.

We enjoyed the museum and then walked around the path that led around the museum.  It had buildings arranged around the area, but what interested us the most was the display sharing the importance of prescribed burn.  It was definitely a reminder of all the work we have done with the wildlife project.

We then walked out on the battlefield and were amazed at what once happened here.  It is such a peaceful place but it also felt kind of sad to think so many died here.  Such a terrible time in our country's history...I always stop to think about how our country...based on equal rights...could have been a model of unity...and yet we hurt those who truly protected and cared for this land for generations before our arrival!

Yes there was much rejoicing our children were able to raise their hands to pledge their desire to keep this history available for future generations!  I truly love this program...looking at our two oldest in this picture...it will be sad when these two are no longer accepting the challenge...but I hope they grow to love the parks into their adulthood.  

We were not able to stay long and linger on these thoughts as we were meeting one of my cousins (Rosemary) near Oklahoma City.  We were going to return to one of our favorite restaurants...Pops Diner!  Great food as we have come to expect.  Very crowded as we were greeted by several buses on our way into the parking lot.  That was OK because it was a beautiful day and we could enjoy the outdoor seating in the back...open space for children to run around included!

It was nice to have the time to talk to Rosemary about family and update her family listings with what I know.  I especially enjoyed hearing about our family in Ireland and how it is possible to visit some of the family who stayed in our home lands.  It just makes that desire to take that trip back to Ireland grow even more!  I guess I need to start saving my pennies now!

But, for today...we were just happy to make it back to our current home land of TEXAS!!!!

We continued the drive straight into Texas..then it was a race to see who would be the first into Texas on foot!  We stopped long enough to celebrate with our pop from Pops as we crossed the border.

There was also a war memorial at this rest stop, so we took the time to remember our veterans, past and present.

Then it was back in the van for the last push to make it back to mom's before the end of the day...we were pushing the limits arriving just before midnight!  However, the goal to be at her house for Mother's Day was accomplished and all were happy!