Before I write anything else, I thought it'd be appropriate to give a quick update:

My parents and I made it back to Minnesota safely Tuesday night after a full two days of packing, driving, and unpacking. Actually, the unpacking isn't quite finished yet, though at least I can find what I need to get by for a bit. Anyway, thanks for your prayers and encouragements. It was a long drive, and it gave me the chance to think about what I'm leaving behind (at least geographically) in New Jersey. You will be missed.

Some highlights from the trip:

- Tech. Before we left the Garden State, my parents and I had bounced around the idea of getting walkie-talkies (we had to drive two cars to take all of my stuff back). We ended up getting a real cheap ($11) pair from Best Buy, and they were awesome, if a bit short-ranged.

- We were so tired after spending all morning finishing up packing my stuff and carrying it down three flights of stairs and into our rental SUVan. We had to stop at the King of Prussia rest stop (not to be confused with America's 2nd biggest mall) and take a short nap.

- The Pennsylvania Turnpike. I've always been in favor of taking I-76 over I-80. The vistas are superior.

- Rest stops in Ohio. On the Ohio Turnpike they've upgraded their rest stops into these circular mini-malls. A soup and sandwich dinner at Au Bon Pain our first night was a nice break from McDonald's, etc. We ended up spending the night in Ohio, just west of Toledo. All told, we spent about 12 hours travelling (including breaks for dinner, lunch, etc).

- Rest stops in Chicago. After my parents got their semi-daily workout in at the hotel, we hit the road once again, making it to Chicago by lunch time (and filling up on some Korean groceries). The rest stops in Chicago were so nice, however, that we had to stop at the last one. They've got these skyway rest stops that sit on bridges over the interstate, which is cool enough in itself. Our family always used to stop at these during previous road trips. They just finished remodeling them, however, and they've done a really nice job. I can imagine that their novelty alone brings in tons of extra income.

- Tomah. Although we weren't that hungry, we stopped in Tomah, Wisconsin, another one of our family's favorite places to stop. It's about 3 hours from our house, making it a good place for anyone heading back to the Cities to take one final break before finishing the trip. This time, however, I think we just wanted to spend a little more time together, especially since we were seperated into two cars the whole trip (there's only so much small talk you can make over walkie-talkie).

- Home. Last, but definitely not least: after unloading the cars, my parents suggested trying to get a refund by taking the rental back a day early (I had the car rented until the next day). They were right. I saved $160!

Well, there are pics and other things to come. Please stay tuned.