Day 9.

Homeward bound.

Most of today was spent getting to the airport, getting through security, boarding our plane, flying home, getting our Prius and picking up E.

Not too exciting. 

Kinda hectic.

            

We did get in one last early morning walk.

And we discovered that on the Sunday morning before Labor day the streets of San Francisco are relatively deserted.

Except for Starbucks.

And the line for riding this Cable car.

(I had to go all the way to San Francisco to have my name spelled right on my cinnamon chai cup. Just sayin'.)

And...well,

(awkward shrug)

...um, that's all folks...

I know. Kinda of anticlimactic, right? But you know what, the end of a vacation is always anticlimactic. It's just empty fridges, dirty clothes and a suitcase you really never want to re-pack again. 

And the thing is, we were ready for anticlimactic. 

For our routine. For math homework and soccer practice, chasing the cat off the counter and grocery shopping, bedtime drama and crazy work schedules.

It was amazing to get away. And reconnect.
Don't get me wrong.

Soooo amazing.

And yet somehow it was even more amazing to look at each other and realize, without saying it, how much we both missed home.

Like, you know what? We have roots now. Obligations. Responsibilities. A life that is built on more than excitement.

And we are okay with that.

The biggest part was being away from E for so long.

"Just the 2 of us" no longer feels fulfilling. Something is missing and it makes the adventure a little less than completely thrilling. It makes our attention a little less than 100% devoted to one another. Whether she is with us or not.

Someday it will be "just the 2 of us". So getting away and learning again what that feels like is so important. 

But we're not there yet.

Now.

How was a vacation spent almost entirely in a state of complete 'winging it'?

A little "aaarrghhh..." at moments. If I'm honest. 

(Being bounced around so much, inside of a jam packed, standing room only, Seattle public transport bus, that I came away with bruises was one of those moments. Speeding down a winding California Hwy. late at night, dead tired and starving all while watching for Elk and wondering just where exactly all the cities were, was another.)

But all in all we saw and did things we never would have planned into an itinerary. 

We would never have scheduled a stop at the Weyerhaeuser museum. Or planned a stay on Long Beach Washington. Or figured on trying to hit the Redwoods at near Sunset. Or set our hearts on wandering through Chinatown.

But I can't imagine not doing each of those things.

They made the trip.

So.

Here's to another 10 years. To 8 states in 8 days. And to 'winging it' more often.