SoB 2012

Total mileage for the trip!  It felt like I travelled THOUSANDS of miles more than I did last summer, but this summer's trip only beat last summer's by...(doing the math, carry the two)...FIFTY-SEVEN POINT FOUR MILES?!?!  That's crazy.

Drove through 29 states, visited 35 RoadsideAmerica attractions, and added 34 smashed pennies to my collection!

Can I just say how much I love my car?  I had a brief panic attack when I thought I had to pull over IMMEDIATELY and get an oil change, but my mechanic said I would be fine until I got home.  Still, I'm going to drive as little as possible before her scheduled oil change on Tuesday, just in case.  I always think of the end of the chase scene in "The Blues Brothers" when I get home from a big trip.  (Anybody?  They get out of the car at the bank, and the car just falls apart?)  Maybe I'll splurge on an ultimate car wash - one of those inside and out deals.

 Much love to Julie and Chris, who took care of my plants while I was gone - they look AMAZING!  This guy is HUGE.

 And this one?  He was a recent addition, and couldn't stand on his own when I left.

 It's hard to see, but this guy has a whole new...leg?...branch?...climbing up the window!

 Just another one with lots of growth.

 The big picture.  My feelings were a little hurt, because why did they take off with Julie?  It's like they're teenagers, and I'm the nagging mom, always pecking and plucking at them; Julie's the super cool aunt who checks on them once a week to make sure everyone's alive.  I'm sure the greenhouse-like conditions of the apartment didn't hurt, either.

 I'm DETERMINED to get healthier, so I opened a new bottle of vitamins this morning...and they're neon yellow?!  How healthy and natural can neon yellow coloring be?

 Inside of my smashed penny book...

...and OUTSIDE of my smashed penny book!  I ran out of usual spaces, so I had to improvise.  I actually don't want another book, because the second one would only be half filled, and that would drive me crazy.

So, laundry's done, car's unpacked - things are slowly but surely getting back to...normal.  :)