13 states in 3 weeks

We just returned from a three week road trip that took us to see family members and friends in Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. We also passed through Arkansas, Virginia, West Virgiania, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and barely dipped our toe across the border into Vermont.

Here are some things that caught my eye along the way.

Day one of travel was on July 4, so we got to watch a driveway fireworks display that maybe didn't live up to all the safety protocols one might hope. The kids loved it. (Insert that teeth-clenching emoji; that's how my face looked the whole time.)

We stopped in to visit my step-grandmother and her sister (both lovely people) in Tennessee, and we got to feed the fish and turtles in their beautiful pond.

Theo took one look at their guest room and said, "Whoa! There's like a thousand flowers in this room!" In the relatively small number of houses he's been inside in his nine years, I don't know if he's ever seen wallpaper before.

I took one look at that incredible light fixture and wondered whether I could DIY it somehow.

This church is just around the corner from my step-grandma. Wow, right?!?! I felt the spirit just standing in the parking lot on a muggy Wednesday morning.

It's a little treacherous sharing the road with semi trucks and other large haulers as you wind your way up and down and through the mountains.

Years ago, when my kids were much younger and always getting into trouble, I made a list of all the things damaged or broken when the cousins gathered for a week at my mom and dad's house. I recently read back through it (spilled nail polish on the carpet, flushed a toy down the toilet, etc.) and felt relief that we are past that stage.

Or are we? About 90 minutes after we pulled into my parents' driveway, one of my kids and one of my sister's kids (both teenagers who definitely knew better) tried some trick shots at the dartboard and accidentally hit a can of spray paint with a dart. It spun around and sprayed black speckles all over the place.

I managed to fit in a little thrifting/antique browsing. I resisted the temptation to add this phone to my collection. Dig those numbers.

And finally, a record album I spotted at a goodwill, and a Dolly Parton picture from a Tennessee rest stop. Somehow the church lady looks absolutely bonkers, yet Dolly has almost the same hair volume and looks amazing and cool.