Remember that Time we Drove to Maryland??

My sister MarKey, despite the protests of many, moved to Maryland a few weeks ago. In the planning phase of her moving, she asked if we would consider driving one of their cars and following them there since we were planning a trip East this summer anyway.  We decided to do it, and even after driving across Nebraska, we'd still agree to do it.  Oh, it was wonderful in parts, miserable in parts, unbearable in parts and boring in the whole middle part, but we'd still do it again.

We left on July 31st, a little more than an hour later than planned, but we were ready to drive all the way to Kearney, Nebraska to get the really long day out of the way first. Our first state to travel through was Wyoming.  I kind of can't see why people live in Wyoming, but I hear those who do love it, so who am I to judge?

We stopped to have lunch in Rawlins, Wyoming.  We sat on the lawn of the Fire House and saw some antelope and a squirrel.  Then we left and about 10 minutes later, this happened:

*sigh*

Yup, it's flat.  After about 90 minutes we'd located the spare, put it on, got the kids back in the van and made the decision to drive back to Rawlins.  We didn't know if the tire would hold to Laramie, so we thought going back was the best idea.  When we got to Rawlins, the tire store didn't have the tire we needed.  They suggested that we stay the night there and have the tire delivered from Laramie the next morning.  We asked if we could drive on the spare and they said yes, but the location in Laramie was closing in 30 minutes and we wouldn't make it there. So we decided to drive to Cheyenne, where they also had the right size, stay the night and go from there in the morning.

We ended up at the Comfort Inn Cheyenne.  There must have been something going on in that little town, for most of the hotels were sold out.  We were grateful to find the one we did.  It was pretty nice and came with this awesome view!  I tell you, who wouldn't want to live here.

 We went across the street to Denny's for dinner, where we spotted this sign which made us laugh.

Our room had a pull out chair, which Natalee loved.  I'd never seen one before, but it worked out nicely.

 Shortly after waking up and getting the tire fixed, we were on the road again.  Soon we were in Nebraska.

 We saw a really redneck sign and lots and lots of corn, soybeans, barns and silos.  What we didn't see was trees, which was surprising since according to their sign, they are the birthplace of Arbor Day.

Dallas loved Nebraska.  He did this for most of the trip across the state.  We drove through the town where we were supposed to spend the night the night before and wondered if we were crazy thinking we could make it that far in the first day.

 We drove about 15 miles through Iowa, so we got to tick another state off the list. 

Then we landed in Missouri.  We were set to spend the night in Middle of Nowhere, Missouri (otherwise known as Macon) at another Comfort Inn.  We were really pleased with this hotel.  

 

If you ever find yourself in Middle of Nowhere, Missouri, we highly recommend this property.  They had a really nice breakfast, run by a little grandma woman who was sweet as pie and they had towel animals like you get on a cruise on the counter tops in the bathrooms. It was also at this property that Nathan introduced Bennett and Libby to the fun that is riding on the luggage trolley and something that was repeated at every hotel thereafter.

The next morning we got on the road, just to get off again quickly because Bennett threw up.  Poor little guy, he really suffered through this whole day.  Thankfully, he slept for most of it, but it was so sad.
This day we drove through three states; Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.  Our end goal was Zanesville, OH.  Illinois and Ohio didn't want us to stand by their sign (*boo*).

All of these states look the same, and they all look like this.  Actually, Ohio got a little hilly and woodsy by the time we got to the place where our hotel was, but most of our drive was flat and corn. 

We made it to our hotel where Natalee finally got to swim!  It had been kind of torture for her to be in two places with a pool and not be able to get in the water.  The next morning we got up, very excited because this was the day we were going to get to Maryland!

Before I tell you the bad news, here is an adorable picture of Bennett.  He was feeling much better and we were all so grateful.

Somewhere between here:

 and here:

we got some horrible news.  MarKey and Jon's truck was not going to be waiting for us at their house in Maryland.  In fact, it wouldn't be there until Monday. It was a huge blow to what had been an exciting day.  Suddenly we weren't so excited since now when we got there, we'd have to buy new towels and sheets and clothes for church. However, we pressed on.  We had lunch in the worst Wendy's on the planet and a few minutes after that experience, we were finally in Maryland! 

We made one final stop for gas about an hour away from MarKey's house. They had the following noteworthy things at this truck stop, which since I'm strange, I like to remember.

 

All the toilets?  Well, if you insist.  I was afraid to look in the "Not a Trash Can" to see what they were actually using it for.  

Then HOORAY, we made it to the exit!!!

And a few minutes later, we made it to the house.  It would have been perfect had the truck been waiting there for us to unload, but we made due. The house is beautiful and has lots of space for the kids to run.  There's a charming garden in the back, with veggies, herbs and baby bunnies all growing in it.  We were so happy to be here! 

Our trip was far from over, but I'll get around to telling you about that another day!

Father's Day

Why is my blog so behind?  Well, I did an interview with Natalee for Father's Day and I can't find where I put the paper.  I've tried to do it with her again, but she says, "I've done this already" and walks away.  So I've been trying to find it or waiting for her to be in a more cooperative mood for nearly a month.  It hasn't worked, but I have more things to blog about, and I don't like being out of order, so I'm putting up what I've got and calling it good for now.  There might be an addendum in the future with the interview on it, but for now, we're getting caught up.

For Father's Day we tried to make breakfast in bed for Nathan, but he got in the shower before the eggs were cooked.  He still ate it in bed, but he was wearing most of his church clothes while doing it.  Natalee wanted to give him tickets to see Brave for Father's Day.  She made them and they were so cute!  We also gave him a new blanket and a coin sorter. 

After church we met Jon and MarKey and Mom and Dad for a BBQ.  MarKey had called all the grandkids and did an interview about Grandpa.  It was quite funny.  The best answer came from Madeline who when asked what Grandpa does for a job said, "Walks Poodles."  She knows him so well.

We love the Dads in our lives and were so happy to have this day to honor and celebrate them!!!

Spring Break

We took a trip to Arizona for Spring Break.  We love seeing Sunny, Hayden, Courtney, but this time there was a new little guy to love on, so we were extra motivated.

Meet Mr. Hudson

We had so much fun playing at Sunny's house and sleeping at Sharon's.  Natalee was certain that Abby and Crew were so anxious for her to come back to visit them and sleep with her.  Sure enough, they spent the first night not in their own room, but curled up at her feet. 

We were able to bless Hudson between sessions of General Conference.  We felt so lucky to be able to be there for the occasion.  After Conference my mom had planned an Easter Party for the kids.  They got to run around the yard looking for treats and gifts.  It was quite a lot of fun.

I made these deviled eggs for our Easter party.  I just love cute food.

We went out to dinner at another Food Network place.  This is Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert,which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  We totally recommend it if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

 On Monday we took the kids to paint pottery at As You Wish.  This is a favorite activity of Natalee's and one of the things she requested that we do on our trip.  We made quite the mess, but it was a lot of fun.


Before we left we'd arranged to meet Brett and Kae and their family in Tucson.  We arrived a few hours early so we killed some time at the Reid Park Zoo.  It was a perfect stop and we had a fun time seeing all the animals. 

In the evening we met up with our Harrison cousins at Oregano's.  Wow!  What yummy food!  We were so glad that we were able to visit this place that Brett and Kae have raved about to us for years!

The next morning we got up and headed to Tombstone for a little wild west fun.  We roamed the unpaved streets, walked into the gift shops and watched a shootout.  We went to "Boot Hill" the town's old cemetery for lunch and a little more exploring.  We got to see the final resting places of several who'd met their end in the mean streets of Tombstone.  

 Natalee with the gunslingers.

 We were grateful for part of one more day that we spent playing and digging the the garden.  Before too long, it was time to be back on the road.