Over the past ten days, I put 3,101 miles on my car and drove through more than a dozen states.

Saturday, July 27, Susan, the kids and I set out in the Ford Flex, headed for Washington DC. That first day, we crossed Oklahoma and Arkansas before stopping in Nashville, Tennessee. The next day, we left Nashville and drove through North Carolina and Virginia before finally arriving in Washington DC.

Monday morning, the four of us visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Morgan is doing research for her Girl Scout Gold project, which is what led us there. The museum was informative and educational, but it would be tough to describe it as enjoyable. They did a good job of showing cause and effect, escalation, and compliance. Frankly, a lot of what I saw scared the hell out of me.

Unfortunately, we were forced to alter our original vacation plans when both Susan and I were asked to report to Washington DC the same week for work. Monday evening, the kids flew back to Oklahoma and left Susan and me in DC. I can’t tell you the last time Susan and I were in DC at the same time for work. It sounds like more fun than it was. We were working in different buildings and hanging out with our own people, which meant we only had dinner together one evening. Isn’t that crazy? The two of us were planning to dine together Thursday evening, but her work plans changed a second time and she was forced to fly back to Oklahoma Thursday evening.

Soon, work ended and my scheduled vacation began. The second leg of my trip took me further north through Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania before I finally reached New York. I spent the entire weekend hanging out with my buddy Sean, his wife, and their three kids. Sean and I spent the weekend hanging out, shopping, podcasting, and eating! We had pizza, burgers, club sandwiches, and lots of ice cream. The couple of pounds I lost walking around DC in the humidity found me in New York!

Monday morning, I departed New York and drove west, cutting through Pennsylvania before crossing Ohio and Indiana and finally reaching Illinois. There, I spent the afternoon and evening chatting with my Aunt Linda. We ordered dinner from a pizza place also known for their pot roast. I had a few slices of pizza, half a pot roast sandwich and a couple of garlic bread knots. Between that and all the food I ate in Buffalo, I felt like I was going to pop.

The last day of my trip was also the longest drive — roughly 800 miles south through Illinois and Missouri before reaching Oklahoma. After driving eight hours on Friday and another eight hours on Sunday, I really wasn’t looking forward to the twelve-hour drive home from Chicago — which, unfortunately, turned into a fourteen-hour drive. Somewhere along the way, the interstate had been closed due to an accident, which left me stopped on the interstate for half an hour and re-routed along Route 66 (at 35 mph) for another hour.

I spent the majority of today unpacking and recuperating. After driving 3,101 miles, the last thing I wanted to do was leave the house today.