A New Chapter : Revisited

Well as I was going through some things I came across a written journal I have of the trip when we moved here. This actually came at a good time because I have been at a loss as to what to write about lately and have just been over-stressed in general. So here is an encounter of our relocation from Omaha NE, to Meridian ID in June of 2006. Gavin was 3 months old, Natalie was a year and a half, Bridget was 4, and Taylor was 5.

6-1-06
Well, it's 5 PM on Thursday and we just left Omaha. Our goal was to leave by 3 PM, so if this is a premonition of what is to come it is going to be a long weekend. Starting off today, I took the car in for an oil change and was told there was a recall and they had to replace some hoses so that initially set us back. Now, at 5:03 PM, Taylor is asking if we are there yet, Bridget and Natalie are sleeping. Yes, I think it will be a long weekend.

6-2-06
We made it to North Platte, NE last night at 10:20 after missing our exit for the hotel and going 10 miles before we could turn around. Our goal today will be to make it to Evanston, WY. Not a lot for scenery, just farms and cows, or "slow elk" as they say out west. Last night we ended up having a McDonalds "family dinner" under a tree. The kids did pretty well but Taylor wouldn't sleep in the car, but then again she never really would. I had to do my share of driving as well. It's 10 AM now and we are about 45 minutes behind schedule. We have about 600 miles to go today.

9:42 AM
We have now reached Mountain Time. We are headed towards WY and Taylor is rockin' out to her Alvin and the Chipmunks CD and belting out "We are the Girls of Rock and Roll". Bridget is already tired and we are finally starting to see some elevation. No more grassland plains! Yoda is doing OK. I think he is a little stressed out but overall seems to be managing. I think Natalie is having the hardest time. She keeps dropping everything and just doesn't have a lot to keep her occupied. So far Gavin has slept most of the way. I have been trying to teach Taylor how to read a map but teaching a 5 year-old to understand distance is nearly impossible. I was thinking last night how it was 6 years ago to the day when Brent and I first went to Omaha from Gillette for his interview and now 6 years later we are leaving Omaha and starting a new chapter in our lives.
5:12 PM
Well our destination is set for Evanston, WY ; 18 miles from the Utah border. We are about 150 miles from there now. Here we are in the middle of the WY wasteland, amongst sagebrush desolation. The weather has been great for traveling. We had another "McDonald's family dinner" for lunch. This is what Bridget calls it when we all sit down together.  Since I work evenings it can be a rare occasion. We did finally see some snow-capped mountains around Cheyenne. It was actually pretty nice around there. The girls saw their first antelope and probably more trees than they had ever seen in their life. I think Taylor might remember the trip but I doubt Bridget will.

6-3-06
9:15 AM
I just filled my coffee up at the Maverick and we are on the road again. We got to the hotel at a decent time last night but by the time we got to the hotel, changed, fed Gavin, and ate dinner, it was 10:30 before the kids were in bed. When I got up in the morning, Brent was in the shower and Natalie woke up screaming! Apparently one of her molars is coming in and she was in a bad mood from the beginning. Brent ate in the room while I took the 3 girls down to eat. After five minutes it was apparent Natalie was not going to eat and all the people down there did not want to hear her screaming. I shuffled all of them back up to the room and let Brent take care of her and we went back down to finish breakfast. Now we are headed to Salt Lake City, UT with about 350 miles to go before we hit Boise. We should have some nice scenery today. Natalie fell back asleep right away and she needed it since she didn't sleep well last night.
Things are still a little surreal. I think until we get to the house and our stuff arrives it just feels like a vacation. It is beautiful here for sure, with the mountains and rivers. I cannot believe I spent 6 years of my life stuck in Nebraska. We just exited off I-80. We have been on the same stretch of interstate for 2 days all the way from Omaha. Taylor asked if I have ever been to Utah and I told her it was my first time. She was pretty tickled and informed me it was her first time too. Well, it is time to stop and look at some scenery!

3:37 PM
This will probably be my last entry of the road trip, but who knows, maybe I will keep it up. I have to say it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Bridget has helped out with Natalie in the back and Taylor helped with Gavin in the middle and he has really been very tolerant with all of it. We just left Shoshone Falls. It is a really pretty waterfall off of the Snake River near Twin Falls, ID.

We have mountains all around in the distance and tons of farmland; mostly hay, beets, and of course potatoes. Well now we are all turned around in Twin Falls, I guess that has to happen a few times on a trip like this. When we crossed the border, Brent took a picture of me posing by the Welcome to Idaho sign. Utah was really beautiful, especially around Ogden. We aren't planning on stopping again until we get to Boise which is about 100 miles away. We will have to stay in Meridian at a hotel for a couple of nights since our stuff won't be here til Monday.

Babies, Books, and Beef

Wow, these last two weeks have been something else! I don't even know where to begin. Last week, my friend from work went into labor. She had previously asked me to be her labor coach of sorts so I was so excited to be able to go with her. She went into labor at night and I was at work so our other friend Vanessa and I left a little early to go help the mama out. She had decided to have him at the birthing center where I had Spencer. Anyone who has heard my story knows how special Spencer's birth was to me. As I was there witnessing this miracle, I was very emotional. It was only 13 months prior that I was there in the same situation having my baby boy. After a relatively short labor, and mama doing the most outstanding job I have ever seen, little Kyler came into this world and I am so honored to have been a part of it.

I have been a little overwhelmed this week, with all the chores that are getting behind, the laundry piling up, lack of sleep from the previous scenario. I had a few moments where I have thought, "What the heck am I doing?". Sometimes I feel like I have taken on too much with the kids, and school and work and my volunteer class, but somehow I always recover, my assignments get turned in on time, I make it to appointments, and there is always something for the kids to eat or wear.

Next week I am putting our order in for a quarter beef. We have a freezer to accomodate it and we got some pieces from the farmer last week and so far I am very impressed. We still have had no fast food with the exception of the deli sandwiches for the last two months, and I refuse to buy the beef from the stores. It felt so good to make a pot roast with grass fed beef and I even seasoned it all on my own with no help from McCormick. I might just learn how to cook after all.

This next week will be chaotic. The older girls are going to audition for a part in the Missoula Children's Theatre production of Pinnocchio. They participated last year in Red Riding Hood and loved it. I hope they both get a part. Bridget is sick with a stomach bug again and Spencer has feverish episodes with teething but all in all we are managing alright.