The Super Incredible Adventures of Haley and Bennett--Chapter The Last (For Now)--Going Home

January 4th I looked out the backyard window and this is what I saw.

It was my last view of Idaho for a little while, since it was on this day Bennett and I packed our bags for our journey home to Texas. We left my mom and dad's house around 2:00 in the afternoon after a tearful goodbye from my family. It was sad to leave them, since we had grown very comfortable living there over the last several weeks, but it was time to get home and be an adult once again.

Before we left we finally got a good picture of Bennett with his grandma. It's about time we got one of these! Our entire five week vacation we never took one good picture of these two together. Better late than never, I guess. They really are a cute pair.

My dad drove us to Salt Lake that afternoon and we spent the night there with my grandma and grandpa. The next morning my alarm went off at 4:30am, and we were up and moving. By 7:10am we took off on our first flight of the day, heading to Chicago, Illinois. Bennett had his own seat (something I said a prayer of thanks for at least fifteen times over the course of our two-hour, fifty-minute flight) and Bennett thought he was pretty big sitting in a seat all by himself. This is a little clip of us right after we boarded the plane. Bennett's joy at being on an airplane was so complete it was almost comical.

It is still a mystery to me why we flew through such an indirect route as Chicago, but I am sure glad we did. I have never seen Chicago before or Lake Michigan, and it was fun to fly in a giant circle over the entire city. And not only was seeing Chicago great, but the O'Hare International Airport is amazing. If Bennett were to die right now, he would be back at this airport, pushing buttons, watching planes take off and land, and chasing down fuel trucks. He was in literal paradise.

It really is a pretty grand airport.

There was a three hour layover between our two flights, so right after we ate lunch I went in search of the USO. If you don't remember, Bennett and I visited the USO in Denver, Colorado in the past and loved it. It's basically a big, nice room with comfy couches, free food, flat screen TVs, beds, games, a toy room, etc. for members of the military and their families who are traveling. If the O'Hare International Airport is Bennett's paradise, then the USO is mine.

But we never found it. We were on our way in the right direction when I saw a sign that said "Children's Museum" and an arrow. Curiosity got the better of me, and then next thing I knew we had spent the majority of our layover playing in a gated wonderland of fun and education. I believe that if all airports had accommodations like this one, people would fly more often.

Captain Bennett, flying his helicopter.

Refueling the airplane in his tank truck.

Finally it was time to board our last flight home, (which they tried changing gates on me again, but I figured it out a bit sooner this time than last time. Seriously, hasn't American Airlines ever heard of a thing called "intercom announcements"? It would really cut back on the confusion...) Bennett hadn't slept for eleven hours at this point, so I thought surely he would pass out on the plane. No way. Flying is way too exciting for that. So after another two-hour fifty-minute flight, I was thoroughly exhausted, out of ideas of things to do with Bennett's toys in his diaper bag, and I felt like I had a rash on both my legs from the number of times Bennett climbed onto them and then slid off again. Luckily Bruce, the sweet young man sitting next to us, thought Bennett was hilarious, and he was OK with the amount of movement going on six inches from his face. Needless to say, landing in San Antonio was a relief for me.

Bekah picked us up from the airport in our gorgeous car (we asked Wayne if he could drop it off to have it detailed and tinted for us while we were away and he did a great job) and we drove straight to Mary and Wayne's.

I feel bad that the camera was so buried in all of our luggage I couldn't take any pictures while at their house, but just know it was so fun. We had a great dinner, got a good night's sleep, and a fun, relaxing morning catching up on all the Bell/Hargrave Christmas activities. Bennett loved playing in "Maimie's Park" and with all of her and Pop's toys under their stairs. I enjoyed one last shower where I didn't have to think of what to do with Bennett. Then we loaded the car one last time and drove HOME.

And we hit the ground running. The minute we pulled into our driveway we have been going, going, going with unpacking, church callings, grocery shopping, dinners at friends' houses, phone calls and calendar updates, and just catching up on everything we've missed in the last month. Matt is coming home for his R&R break soon (insert squeal of delight) so we are also preparing for that.

So that's it. In the end I have decided that we lead a very blessed life. Everywhere we go we feel loved and welcomed. Everyone we meet has so much good in them. And every adventure we finish is just the beginning of a new one. And that is how I have chosen to end this last chapter of "The Super Incredible Adventures of Haley and Bennett"...with only the promise of a new one to start soon.

Isn't life fun?