The Long Awaited Road Trip

Here we are almost in the middle of October and I have been having so much fun that I haven't had a chance to post anything on my Blog. That is only half true. I have done and seen much; it's just that I forgot to take my camera to document them---again! I do have a few pictures taken with my cellphone that I was able to access once I got back home.

To start my travels following my summer in Richfield, at the end of August I took a short trip to celebrate with Shane and Sonia for Taylor's first birthday, our first visit there since they moved into a more comfortable house. I am so excited for them!

I think Taylor was only 10 1/2 months old in this picture but that's close enough. Isn't she a cutie?!

September 10th I began my long awaited road trip to see Anson, Andrew and Teresa's families. I planned my travel so that my visiting wouldn't interfere with my work so Saturday was chosen as my travel day. So that I never had a long, long drive, I broke up the trip into three segments. I would spend a week with each of the three kids, and then move on to the next house. The hardest part was not logistical, just emotional. It became very difficult to pack up and leave at the end of the week. I so wanted to spend more time at each house, but I was afraid that I would be caught in an early snow storm upon my return home so I stuck to my plan as closely as possible.

On September 10th, I packed my bags, and gathered up the things I would need for the next three weeks...my laptop of course, my trusty GPS, my violin and music, tennis racquet, tennis balls, my scriptures and temple bag, some books on tape and some munchies and headed to Vegas that afternoon. I stayed two nights with Teresa and Brian before heading to California. Thanks to the Hardy family for their hospitality while Brian and Teresa were in between houses and were just moving into their new home this weekend.

Saturday I headed for Irvine and arrived without incident--almost. I forgot to set my Garmin to avoid toll roads so at the end of the trip I ended up on two toll roads that delayed me a little bit as I tried to avoid them at first and Garmin would not let me so I finally gave in and followed directions. I thought once I got off the toll road it would "recalcuate" a different route, but it kept wanting me to get back on the toll road. Garmin must have some kind of arrangement with the California Dept. of Transportation.

I enjoyed the mild Irvine weather. I took my morning walks to the park that I discovered last fall when I was there and we went to the beach one afternoon






Parker and Carter showed me one of their favorite hangouts also--Yogurt Land (it probably takes second place to Disneyland). That was my first experience with a "build it yourself" yogurt parlor where you pay by the ounce. I quite enjoyed it.

Too soon my visit with Andrew and Melissa was over, but I was anxious to see Anson and Lora's family. The first couple hours the traffic was probably the worst I experienced the whole trip, but once I got passed L.A. it improved and I had a nice drive the rest of the way to Tracy. I received a warm welcome and Sydney and Camden seemed excited to see the other grandma that they don't get to see very often. Anson set me up with a route for my morning walks, and I soon learned my way around Tracy with a little help from the GPS. Anson and Lora are pretty busy parents but they included me in their activities and I was able to see where both Camden and Sydney go to school and helped pick up Camden from school a couple times. I also got to go see what Sydney did at her school and meet her teachers. They both enjoy school and are so happy to go every day. They both took time to read to me and we got to have a little one-on-one time during the week. I played tennis with Camden one morning so I spent some time taking Sydney to the store and helping her with a sewing project so we would have some together time also.



One evening we went out for frozen yogurt, also the build it yourself kind. Camden and Sydney were very creative. They kind of reminded me of the "suicide drinks" that my kids used to make at the soda fountain at Harts. Camden offered me a taste of his. Well, they looked like they enjoyed them and that's what counts.

They also treated me to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, in spite of Sydney's protests that La Villa Mexican Restaurant would be better because Texas Roadhouse is so noisy and so messy. She especially expressed her dislike that there were peanuts all over the floor. I am glad that Lora has offered their family such a neat and orderly home environment for her family to enjoy. They really are neat kids.

We went bowling my last night there. It has been four or five years since I bowled, and it showed.




Anson was a good coach, because Camden gave me a run for the money, and Sydney out bowled me. I think she had high game for the evening.

Saturday before I left I was able to watch Camden play soccer. He waited anxiously for it all week long and was so excited about his new soccer clothes.




It reminded me of Alex's early soccer games, all the kids following the ball around the field. At this point the coach didn't even try to explain about positions on the field.

Once again, the week ended too soon, and I packed my bags with mixed emotions so I could make the trip to Vegas before it got too late. Originally I had planned to drive back down to Irvine and spend another week with Andrew since the distance from Tracy to Irvine is a couple hours shorter than from Tracy to Vegas, but I chose not to spend another week in Irvine and opted instead to see Andrew and Melissa's family for a couple days when they drove to Utah for General Conference weekend.

The drive to Vegas was pleasant though the temperatures in Tracy and Vegas were quite a bit warmer than in Irvine. Thankfully I drive an air conditioned car now!

It was fun to see Teresa and Brian and Brigham and their new home. It is fun to see that my children have home decorating skills in spite of the fact that they grew up in an essentially bare-walled home.

I still managed to get in a morning walk most days in Vegas but didn't get to play tennis again. I was able to go to the Newport Temple when I was in Irvine, which I had attended about three years ago with Verlin, Andrew and Melissa and Brian and Teresa, but I didn't go to the temple while I was in Tracy because I didn't find a time for the hour drive to Oakland. I was excited that Brian and Teresa wanted to go to the Las Vegas Temple while I was there because I had not seen that temple before. After we started driving there I realized why. It is quite a ways from Metropolitan Las Vegas and was actually almost as long a drive as it would have been to go to Oakland, but it wasn't so much the miles but the traffic that made it so. Anyway, it is a beautiful temple and I am glad that I got to go.





I enjoyed the time spent with Brigham. He is getting big and learning so much. I sure do have a bunch of smart grandkids!!




I regretfully left Brian and Teresa's on Friday afternoon, October 2, so that I could get home in time to listen to General Conference on Saturday. I put 2215 miles on my car in this most wonderful journey. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! This from someone who felt she had really overextended herself in driving the 220 miles from North Platte, Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming during the trip when Verlin and I drove to Detroit, Michigan, down to Carthage and Nauvoo, Illinois and back to Utah by way of my great, great grandparents graves in Iowa.

I enjoyed having Andrew and Melissa stay with us for a few days Conference weekend. The time I spent with the kids that I don't get to see very often really made me think about how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family. Thank you all for your goodness and love! I wish we lived closer together, but now I know that I can make a long trip by myself and will hopefully be able to visit you more.