The Long Road Home

We left Dartmouth on Sunday morning December 12, 2012 and began our journey home.  We spent the first night in Moncton, New Brunswick and attended church there the next morning.  It gave us a chance to say a few more goodbyes to the elders assigned to that area..

 Our car is really PACKED in!!!

 Moncton Ward

 Elders Loussier-Houle, Dubyk, Foley and Morin

Last time to officially wear the badges

We headed down the Bay of Fundy through beautiful New Brunswick and stopped in St. Andrews by the Sea for lunch.  

 By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea

 Colorful buildings

 and great food

 Lobster stew

Shrimp salad

After being treated to a beautiful sunset we stopped for the night in Ellsworth, Maine.  The next morning we headed for a Verizon store so we could be in phone contact with the world once more.  We purchased our first"smart phone". 

 We woke up to some pretty cold weather but packed up and were on our way again.

Ellsworth, Maine

After crossing the bridge at Dover, New Hampshire we headed toward Boston. For some strange reason our GPS stopped working and we got hopelessly lost in the streets of Boston. In desperation we finally called our son Sean, who had once lived in Boston and knew the area well. With phone in hand he steered us back to the Interstate.  

We spent our second night in Warwick, Rhode Island.  The next day we drove along the Long Island Sound to New York City to see our grandson Ryan, who was serving a mission there.  His mission president gave us permission to have lunch with him and his companion, Elder Blonquist. It was so fun to chat with him about his mission and hear him order our lunch in Mandarin.  We didn't however try the spicy rabbit stew he was so excited about.

 

 

 

Waiting for the train from Tarrytown into New York City

Arrival at Grand Central Station

 And THERE HE COMES!!

The younger Elder Foley's favorite Chinese restaurant

 

Spicy Rabbit Stew??

And then after getting a little treat to take home, they were off to do the Lord's work

 Goodbye Elder Blonquist and Elder Foley!

After leaving New York we drove through Pennsylvania. Somehow our attention wandered and we left the turnpike and ended up on a hilly back country road.  It was on a dark, windy night and suddenly without any warning we hit a deer. So very sad.  In spite of the damage to the car we could still continue traveling.  We spent the night in Bedford, Pennsylvania. 

Two days later we arrived in Liberty, MO. where our grandson Brock had just arrived home from his mission to Boise, ID.  Heather flew out from California and Shannon and Kenya drove up from Oklahoma to make it a great reunion. We were all there for his homecoming talk and for a ward Christmas party.  It was fun to be together in Sean and Vivian's beautiful home.

 

 Good to see our boy Sean

 And his boy, the returned missionary

   

 Saturday we had a mandatory visit to the ever famous Oklahoma Joe's

 

 The gang waiting patiently for a table?  The queue is always very long to get in and taste the goods

And it was well worth the wait

After leaving Oklahoma Joe's we split up and part of the group went on a tour of the Federal Reserve Bank where Sean works. The other half went to Costco to do some shopping.

 Sean showing off the latest technology

 We are glad Heather brought her camera to record this wonderful weekend

 View from Sean's office window

We then met up and had to run by the Children's Mercy Hospital where Heather and Julia spent the first five weeks of their lives

 

 Heather by her first stomping ground

Saturday afternoon Heather got busy and did photo shoots with Sean's family and with Shannon and Kenya.  Here is just a sample.

 Branden and Brock

 Sage and Emily

 

 The Sean Foley family minus Ryan

 Kenya

 Kenya and Shannon

Sunday was a wonderful day.  We attended Brock's homecoming and were so proud of the fine young man he is and the great mission he served.

 The handsome RM

 And his handsome dad and brother

 Love that Em girl!

 And our Heddie

 Those good looking Foley men

 And more of the family

 The proud parents with their son

After Church we headed home to a great dinner and lots of visiting, fun and games

 Kenya and her loving mom

 So fun to see these two

Heddie and her papa

And a great game of Ticket to Ride

The next morning we left Missouri and headed home. It was wonderful to arrive home and to bring so many great memories with us.