$581.31 later....

So, thanks to the help of the very nice manager of the very fine Holiday Inn Express in Lincoln, NE, we managed to find a good garage just a few miles from the hotel and get things taken care of by mid-afternoon. The alternator had indeed seized up (tighter than a banker's smile, I like to say) and so we got a new one with a lifetime warranty and headed on our way. I thought perhaps we'd drive faster because my wallet was SO much lighter after picking up the van. 347 dollars just for an alternator? Really? Is it made out of gold or grant wishes or protect unicorns or something?

Also, a hundred dollars an hour for labor? Really? My job enables people to be better, more sophisticated thinkers but I guess that's not as valuable as being able to make a car go. Awesome. Anyway.

The drive back was just really, really long. It was our shortest driving day but it seemed eternal. We stopped in some tiny town called Colfax, IA for dinner and I half expected Sheriff Andy Taylor to sit down next to us with his Aunt Bea and order some apple pie.

We made it back by midnight and then commenced a two-hour unpacking and clean-a-thon. Apparently, Charlie is a filthy, filthy, filthy animal. The entire house was covered in a lush carpet of his shiny black hair so we had to scrape that off so we could have places to sleep.

Charlie the cat was so happy to see us he practically vibrated with excitement. He meowed and head-butted all of us and wouldn't stay out from under our feet. Parker was also thrilled that we'd returned. She power-crawled from room to room yelling at things as her way of celebrating and greeting everything. I don't think I've mentioned this here before but Park loves our Mixmaster. It sits on the bottom shelf in our pantry and she regularly crawls up to it and licks it. Last night, she practically made out with it. She was happy to see Mixie, her old pal.

Anyway, we're back and happily so. My own bed, my own couch, our own food, etc. - it all just seems magic after two weeks away.

Work starts tomorrow. 50 eager faces ready to learn. I'll let you know how it goes.