Well, the trip had to come to an end eventually. We got to spend six wonderfully satisfying weeks away, five of which we spent with Steve and Brenna and the babies, which were incredibly precious.  Four of which we also got to spend with Tylie, our Chrysler Town and Country/moving fortress/home away from home.  It’s funny how you can get attached to inanimate things.  She was super comfy and just ate up the miles on our trek around the US west coast.  Laugh USA was one of things we associated with Tylie, as we found ourselves listening to it regularly on the radio as we drove.  It was with great reluctance that we bid farewell to Tylie at LAX before we flew home.

And while, theme parks aside, we weren’t particularly impressed with LA, we did really enjoy one particular pizza place in Hacienda Heights.  Pizza Co had super-delicous pizzas in a family sports bar (?!) kind of environment.  The people were really nice, and the pizzas were he-yuge. The games arcade in the shop kept the kids occupied, and their accents ensured they went home with extra prizes.  (And no, this wasn’t a paid presentation – but you should go there 🙂  )

After restoring our holiday home to its original glory, all that remained between us and our flight home were several hours.  We passed a couple of them in a quaint old movie theatre in Whittier (it even had an old-fashioned box office!), watching ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’, which turned out to be better than expected.  We also visited the iconic Randy’s Donuts on the way to the airport.

They were incredibly delicious – and cheap.  I went with a bear claw (huge) and only just made my way through it.  The rest of the family, however, easily achieved a round two.

Such a bitter-sweet feeling, heading home.  Lamenting the distance that was about to come between us and the Mays again, but so looking forward to the crisp air (after LA!!), clean colours, and dear family and friends of home.

On the flight home, Andy and Erin were called upon by the flight attendants to hand out lollies to the whole plane.  This they did, and were rewarded with an announcement over the PA, and a plane-wide round of applause.  That was fun.  Totally made up for the fact that one particular child (who shall remain nameless), left items on the plane FOR THE SECOND TIME, that we had to race back and retrieve.

Oh, this felt good.  I love Australia.

And we’ve come the full circle.  Mum and Dad, who were there to see us off, were there to welcome us home.  Thank you, God, for the privilege of taking our family overseas, for making it all possible, for watching over all that we got to see and do, for every moment we spent with Steve and Brenna and the children, and for bringing us safely home.  Amen.