Road trips with babies can be a little crazy. I know that, so
does Joseph, but with a brother-bonding hunting trip on the line I only had a
few options. Stay in Omaha with Hyrum, which is mostly boring and also
husbandless, or venture onto the unknown 15 hr trip where the odds of a
screaming baby are pretty high. After much deliberation, we decided the risk
was worth the reward and we all loaded in the car for an adventure.
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| This is pretty much the path we traveled |
On our cross country voyage, Robert Jordan was the
narrator. We started listening to the first book of The Wheel of Time series.
Ironically, much of the novel centers around travel as the main characters run, gallop,
and walk hither and thither trying desperately to get to their destination
safely. I had a tendency to drive faster when we…I mean the characters…were being
chased by trollocs or dark things (which happened frequently), and it's also hard to drive slowly when Hyrum is acting fussy... so we
pretty much sped all the way to Idaho:)
We made several stops along the way to visit people we love
and to keep Hyrum (and ourselves) from going crazy.
On Tuesday, we left after school in our usual haphazard way,
throwing this and that into the nooks and crannies of our car, vowing to be
more organized on our next trip, you know the drill. We drove to Denver, CO and
stayed with my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Nathan, Cousin Michelle, and much to Hyrum's
delight, their dog, Jenna. He was enamored with her. As kindred four-legged movers I
think Hyrum felt a special bond with Jenna. He enjoyed crawling after her while she
tried to run away. The two-legged movers also had a good visit with each other and then in the morning
we left for Manti, UT.
Joseph and I were married in Manti, which makes it one of
the most romantic places in the world. It was so fun to bring Hyrum there. Our
little family together in the place where it all began.
My grandparents live quite happily in a little house in
Manti. I was excited to introduce them to Hyrum. Both were impressed
with his solid chunky build. Grandma said, “Oh those chubby cheeks and bright
blue eyes!”
My grandpa has been
struggling with some health problems, but he eagerly entertained us, and walked
everywhere. When it was clear that his breathing was becoming more labored, I
urged him to take it easy, a suggestion he ignored because “life is worth living to its fullest.” I admire the life my grandparents have lived. They are such
good examples, and put the most important things first.
It is well known that my grandma and grandpa are madly in
love. My grandpa is a hopeless romantic and adores my grandma more than anything.
Love notes litter their scrapbooks and in his art studio he has painted,
sketch, and sculpted her likeness over and over again. My grandmother is the most
important thing in the world.
My grandpa
was a dentist, but he loved art. In his retirement, he took art classes at the
college near their home. Recently he stopped going to classes and instead works in his studio at home so my grandma wouldn't be lonely
while he was gone.
During our visit, my grandma was anxious about some of
Grandpa's lab results, and she was encouraging him to go to the hospital. My
grandpa wasn't too keen on the idea. Speaking about a doctor my grandpa said, “I
don’t like him. He always puts me in the hospital!” They did go to the hospital
later, and Grandpa is now on kidney dialysis 3 days a week, but feeling better. It is a comfort to
know that despite their failing health my grandparents still have each other.
We left Manti and headed to Provo to have dinner with my
brothers, Jacob and Andrew, and my sweet sister-in-law, Alexa. She is expecting
a baby girl soon and I am so excited to meet the little lady. We did not have nearly enough
time with these sweet siblings of mine, but we talked and laughed and ate and
then I blinked and it was time to go, even though so many things were still
unsaid. Being with them is so easy and fun. It's like we've known each other our whole lives;) I've truly been blessed with amazing family members.
We spent the night at the Bradshaws family house; we adore
them. Then we headed to Pocatello and had lunch with my friend Jennie and her
darling baby, Clara.
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| Making friends |
On the way to Idaho Falls we stopped at a rest area. It was
such a beautiful day. There were dandelions on the ground and Hyrum and I both
made a wish and blew. Okay, I blew, and Hyrum squished and then ate them. It doesn't get any better than that.
To be continued...
