Packing, packing, & more packing

Packing is a lot harder than I thought it would be but we had a lot of help. Auntie Dolly, Sajidah, Auntie Noorchaya, Auntie Samira, and Auntie Imtiaz all came to help us pack. It was because of this help that the china cabinet, pots and pans, dishes, and our bedrooms were packed in time. Auntie Meherunisa brought us delicious home cooked food. You ladies said this help was nothing but to us it was so much. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We might still be in Florida trying to finish pack if we did not have all that help. The morning of our flight we were still packing and, yes, we had help. We not only had help packing but we had help with everything else and I mean everything. Everywhere from my beloved Florida to our new home in Egypt.

Home Alone 7

Staying home without Dad was harder than I expected. At one point I realized that if we did not take out the trash and recycling then no one would. If we did not check all the locks and windows no one would. When the generator turned on I had to turn it off. Twice. If we did not get gas for the cars then no one would. Getting gas is something I do not like to do even for my beautiful car. Well, it used to be mine anyways. Thank God we don’t have to live like this all the time.

It's Official, Sham is Leaving!

We have Sham's ticket and he is leaving on Shezena's birthday. He will be in Egypt by July 23rd and we will follow about a week after, Inshallah.

I can't believe it, it is really happening. It seems that we really are going to Egypt.

Seventeen States, 7,242 miles, 9 state parks and hundreds of cities...

I woke up this morning and was surprised (and a little confused) to see our community's sign. We're back. 

Dad drove all through the night and we reached home safe and sound this morning around 8:30, alhumduillah. We faced heavy traffic, bad drivers, tight spaces, cold weather, hot temperatures, chapped lips, chapped everything, park rangers, freezing waters, narrow roads, high winds, sand, snow, dust, rivers, canyons, mountains, monster sized bugs, ostriches, cactus, rattlesnakes, aliens, family, truck stops, no phone signals, the search for wi fi, smog, heights, Ayoub's Law, ridiculously steep roads, sharp turns, showering while driving, difficult trails, laundry, the law, escaped prisoners, swarms of porcupines, okay just kidding on the last three, but rocks in the crocs, Area 51, masses of foreigners, checkers opponents, sleep depravation, motion sickness, altitude sickness, bad water, drive thru windows, and most of all, each other on this trip. It was amazing and it stretched us to grow.  

We came inside, took a deep breath, and knew we were home. It may be the end of our RV Trip, but it's not the end of our adventures. Those, are just about to start. 

Home Sweet Home

Alhumdulilah we made it home safely. We arrived home at 8:30 in the morning. Apparently we packed our entire house into the RV. It took all 8 of us several hours to unload it.

Before we got home we knew that the water had been cut but we did not know that the gas had been cut. No one wanted to come to turn on the water or the gas til Monday because it is the 4th of July. That is 3 days of no water or cooking, we could deal with no cooking but not with no water. Mom was eventually able to convince them to come.

Because it's Friday we get to go to our masjid for Jummah. Dad said that every masjid we went to across America had the warmth and welcome of our masjid.

Our Last Night

We got up nice and early this morning and went out for breakfast. We've been trying to go crazy fast and not miss any driving time but we need a break, and we gotta eat. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel and had a nice, pleasant breakfast. We hung out on the patio for a few minutes and played a game of checkers on the rocking chairs. Mom, Dad and Aisha all played against Shezena, and Shezena won. A lady sitting nearby challenged Ameer to the next game while we chatted with her husband. They were 3rd generation farmers from Tennessee who grew wheat, corn and beans. They were lovely. We meet the nicest people. :) 

We got on the road and kept driving until we got hungry again. We stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee which was just as fun as it's name. We went to the Chattanooga Choo Choo for a southern dinner and then walked acrossed the street for some fried green tomatoes. They were delicious. We're on the road again now. Dad's been driving all night and he was still driving when we all fell asleep. We went to bed tonight bittersweetly (but more bitter) knowing it'll be our last night in the RV.  

Day 29

We're in a race across America now. We have been driving almost nonstop since we left Arches yesterday and we're a little concerned about whether we'll make it back home in time or not. Dad finally let Aisha drive. We need to get in as many miles as we can. Today we passed through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and landed in Illinois for the night, or should I say, morning. We can't believe our trip across America is about to end. We've been trying to savor every last bit of it. 

Arches

We went to Arches National Park today. It was beautiful. It's amazing how these arches formed. Water carved all of this. Just goes to show persistance acomplish anything. Some of them are so huge that it's a wonder how they stay up. We went to one place, Double Arch, where two arches started at the same rock. We climbed up and enjoyed the view. It was stunning, and the unexpected 50 foot cliff on the other side only added to the novelty. 

We were only able to stay for a few hours. The end of our trip is coming near. We have only a few days left and need to be back by Friday. This will be that last park we will be able to come to on this trip, but we're not worried. We have incredible things ahead of us.