On June 25th, Brian, I and our two little ones hit the road for our longest road trip yet. Starting point: Marietta, Georgia - Destination: Lindon, Utah. Distance: 1880 miles & 28 hours (according to Mapquest)
The first day we traveled 12 hours and made it to Independence, Missouri where a friend of my mother's lives. We made it in relatively good time, and seeing as we only stopped 3 times for gas, you can see why. Our poor little Ian had a very bad diaper rash, and so every 30 minutes or so I or Brian, the one who wasn't driving preferably, would climb into the back of our van and change him on the back seat while we continued on our way. We also followed this method with feeding the children and keeping them happy. This became quite the show of our talents in acrobatics considering that half the time there was a DVD player rigged up between the front seats and we had to maneuver our way through the 2 foot tall - 1 foot wide opening, sliding like a snake, into the back. It became quite the entertainment to whomever was driving. Nonetheless, we made it through the first day with laughs and minimal damages.
While driving the first day we saw some gorgeous sites, but these in particular are in St. Louis, Missouri.
The next day we left at 3 am to get an early start and hoped that the kids would sleep through a good portion of the driving. Brian and I were fairly tired, but we managed to hit the day off with a good start.
Now, for those of you that have never driven through the plain states, well they are kinda flat and boring. Nebraska and Wyoming were the states for our second day, and there really isn't much there but grass and more grass. There is quite a bit of farmland, but really all you see is grass. At one point in time we were so bored of the flat long roads that I think we were driving in the range of 90-95 MPH. Oops! :)
Some more sites on our trip.
By 7 pm that night (Utah time) we were at Brian's parents house, worn out and ready to crash. What a drive! 17 hours is how long we were on the road that day.
The next day we packed up to head up to Garden City, Utah (3 more hours north) for the Pratt Family Reunion-Summer 2009.
This is our family, minus Grandma & Grandpa Pratt, and 3 missionaries currently serving. There are 90 of us total in the Pratt family, 2 have passed on.
The break down:
Sadly, Grandma was diagnosed with Leukemia in June of 2008 and for this family reunion, doctor's told her she needed to skip it. So grandma and grandpa were unable to physically attend, but we set up internet net chats with them a few times through out our reunion so that they could be involved.
This is a shot of Bear Lake as we came down out of the mountains. What a beautiful site!
This is the house - and what a house it is! We all fit, but there was definitely people EVERYWHERE!
We had three really great days!
Saturday - we checked in and got comfortable
Sunday - Went to church at the local ward. There were so many people at that ward that day! The chairs went all the way back to the stage in the cultural hall and they had about 12 boys passing the sacrament (6 of which came from our group). But it was a fabulous meeting. We also heard from grandpa on Monday and he and grandma had heard from the doctor. The doctor's had said that her Leukemia cell count was up and that there was basically nothing more they could do. Grandma then decided to return home and let nature take it's course.
Monday - Our day at the lake. My uncle Scott is really into boats and wave-runners and so we had a boat and skiing going on, 2 wave-runners to ride on, and of course the water and beach.
Tuesday - We spent the day resting, catching up, and cleaning up the Inn. That evening, several of us headed back to Utah county to prepare for our drive to Arizona on Wednesday.
The next week or so was a little crazy. Between 80 people being in Grandma & Grandpa's small 4 bed house and visits back to grandma's room to see her, it was an adventure. At one point in time grandpa rented a blow up slide and snow cone machine to keep the multitudes of grandchildren at bay.
While Kenya and I were in Arizona, Brian had kept Ian and was in Utah visiting his family. On Sunday the 5th; my dad, sister Elena and hubby Victor, and I drove back to Utah so that I could pick up Ian before Brian flew back to Georgia that evening. The very next day, my sister Brittany, Ian and I drove back to Arizona. (The tally in miles and hours of driving is at this point up to: 64 hours & 4,063 miles.) We staying in Arizona visiting and just hanging out for a few more days.
Side Note: Although the house was over crowded, way too hot (80+ degrees inside, 110+ outside), and noisy, I loved every minute of it. It's like when I was young and we'd all hang out at grandma's and run around and play and it was crazy but life just didn't get better! It was AWESOME!!
On Wednesday or Thursday of that same week, Brittany, Ian and I took off for Las Vegas where a really good friend of ours lives.
Jordan, the daughter of our friends is terrified of little boys. Every time Ian got near her she would scream, "The Boy is Near Me!!!" He was playing in the play room and she screamed that he was in there and when he left, she locked him out. Ian would touch her just to get a reaction. Finally, after a week of this, we got them to play together.
This is the kids playing Yahtzee. They would roll the dice, and almost every time they would get a Yahtzee. It was almost systematic. Within three rolls, they would either have a Yahtzee or another high scoring roll. It was insane!
On Wednesday, July 15th, I got a call from my dad. He told me that my grandma was getting worse and that I should probably head back to Arizona. About 30 minutes later, he called again. Grandma had passes away in the midst of many loved ones. It's sad to think that she is gone from this world.
As long as I can remember, grandma was never sick or unhealthy. She always had this great, big smile on her face and her laugh was contagious. She was the type of grandma who would find fun in anything and everything she did. I remember one summer, she went out into the garden (then just a big dirt area) and she soaked the ground down. The next thing I knew, she was telling all of us to get out swim suits on and jump on in. There she was, my grandma and a woman of her middle ages, waist high in mud with several grandchildren playing in it around her. She never had a lacking of an imagination. Her and grandpa would take us on hikes and point out all the plant life and tell us about them. They would tell us stories and play games, never letting us down as kids. When she was watching us, grandma would make everything an adventure; forts out of pillow cushions, battles in the back yard, hide and seek, cards, you name it and we probably did it. I only remember the TV being on a very few times while we were there. That was life with Grandma!
I headed back to Arizona for the viewing and funeral services. The services were beautiful! Grandma didn't look like grandma, but she was still very lovely indeed.
After grandma's services, my family and I drove back to Utah. I had left my van there way back when and now had to go pick it up to head home. I had been driving my dad's little Escort and decided that I was just too tired to drive the 10 hours back to Utah with the kids. So I jumped in my parents 12 passenger van, my sisters Elena, Brittany and Aubri took the car and we all drove home. About 2 hours outside Lindon, Ian wakes up coughing and blows chunks everywhere! It was awful! I felt bad for the poor kid, but luckily I was able to get the car seat almost completely clean and not smelling too bad.
The next day I got all of our stuff packed up and both Ian's and Kenya's car seats thoroughly cleaned. Thursday July 23rd, I left Utah with the kids and headed for Denver where we picked up Brian from the airport. We decided I wasn't going to drive the entire length of the USA by myself with two small children, so Brian flew into Denver.
Side Note: Colorado is GORGEOUS!!! I mean absolutely beautiful!! I totally want to live there after having driven through it. I wish I could have taken pictures, but since I was driving it was a "no can do" kinda thing. But just to give you an idea: Mountains all around, pretty green but still simple (not over bearing like the Georgia trees make me feel). I had to drive through tunnels and through winding valleys and over beautiful rivers! It was amazing! I just couldn't get enough of it!! I even go to drive through a mountain. You read right! A MOUNTAIN!! There was this tunnel that had to be at least a mile or two long that went straight through a mountain! How cool is that!! God's creations are so amazing!
Anywho, so we got to Denver at about 3 pm after a long 8 hour drive. Brian hopped in the car with us and we headed for our next stop, Kansas City, Missouri. We got there about 12 am or so.
We slept in the next morning till about 8 am, and thank goodness for that, cause we were exhausted. From Kansas City, it was on to Marietta, Georgia. Home at last. We made it in about another 14 hours or so and boy were we ready to be home.
From June 25th to July 24th we drove a total of: 113 hours & 7143 miles. What a trip!
The next day we left at 3 am to get an early start and hoped that the kids would sleep through a good portion of the driving. Brian and I were fairly tired, but we managed to hit the day off with a good start.
Now, for those of you that have never driven through the plain states, well they are kinda flat and boring. Nebraska and Wyoming were the states for our second day, and there really isn't much there but grass and more grass. There is quite a bit of farmland, but really all you see is grass. At one point in time we were so bored of the flat long roads that I think we were driving in the range of 90-95 MPH. Oops! :)
Some more sites on our trip.By 7 pm that night (Utah time) we were at Brian's parents house, worn out and ready to crash. What a drive! 17 hours is how long we were on the road that day.
The next day we packed up to head up to Garden City, Utah (3 more hours north) for the Pratt Family Reunion-Summer 2009.
This is our family, minus Grandma & Grandpa Pratt, and 3 missionaries currently serving. There are 90 of us total in the Pratt family, 2 have passed on.The break down:
Sadly, Grandma was diagnosed with Leukemia in June of 2008 and for this family reunion, doctor's told her she needed to skip it. So grandma and grandpa were unable to physically attend, but we set up internet net chats with them a few times through out our reunion so that they could be involved.
This is a shot of Bear Lake as we came down out of the mountains. What a beautiful site!
This is the house - and what a house it is! We all fit, but there was definitely people EVERYWHERE!We had three really great days!
Saturday - we checked in and got comfortable
Sunday - Went to church at the local ward. There were so many people at that ward that day! The chairs went all the way back to the stage in the cultural hall and they had about 12 boys passing the sacrament (6 of which came from our group). But it was a fabulous meeting. We also heard from grandpa on Monday and he and grandma had heard from the doctor. The doctor's had said that her Leukemia cell count was up and that there was basically nothing more they could do. Grandma then decided to return home and let nature take it's course.
Monday - Our day at the lake. My uncle Scott is really into boats and wave-runners and so we had a boat and skiing going on, 2 wave-runners to ride on, and of course the water and beach.
Tuesday - We spent the day resting, catching up, and cleaning up the Inn. That evening, several of us headed back to Utah county to prepare for our drive to Arizona on Wednesday.The next week or so was a little crazy. Between 80 people being in Grandma & Grandpa's small 4 bed house and visits back to grandma's room to see her, it was an adventure. At one point in time grandpa rented a blow up slide and snow cone machine to keep the multitudes of grandchildren at bay.
While Kenya and I were in Arizona, Brian had kept Ian and was in Utah visiting his family. On Sunday the 5th; my dad, sister Elena and hubby Victor, and I drove back to Utah so that I could pick up Ian before Brian flew back to Georgia that evening. The very next day, my sister Brittany, Ian and I drove back to Arizona. (The tally in miles and hours of driving is at this point up to: 64 hours & 4,063 miles.) We staying in Arizona visiting and just hanging out for a few more days.
Side Note: Although the house was over crowded, way too hot (80+ degrees inside, 110+ outside), and noisy, I loved every minute of it. It's like when I was young and we'd all hang out at grandma's and run around and play and it was crazy but life just didn't get better! It was AWESOME!!
On Wednesday or Thursday of that same week, Brittany, Ian and I took off for Las Vegas where a really good friend of ours lives.
Jordan, the daughter of our friends is terrified of little boys. Every time Ian got near her she would scream, "The Boy is Near Me!!!" He was playing in the play room and she screamed that he was in there and when he left, she locked him out. Ian would touch her just to get a reaction. Finally, after a week of this, we got them to play together.
This is the kids playing Yahtzee. They would roll the dice, and almost every time they would get a Yahtzee. It was almost systematic. Within three rolls, they would either have a Yahtzee or another high scoring roll. It was insane!On Wednesday, July 15th, I got a call from my dad. He told me that my grandma was getting worse and that I should probably head back to Arizona. About 30 minutes later, he called again. Grandma had passes away in the midst of many loved ones. It's sad to think that she is gone from this world.
As long as I can remember, grandma was never sick or unhealthy. She always had this great, big smile on her face and her laugh was contagious. She was the type of grandma who would find fun in anything and everything she did. I remember one summer, she went out into the garden (then just a big dirt area) and she soaked the ground down. The next thing I knew, she was telling all of us to get out swim suits on and jump on in. There she was, my grandma and a woman of her middle ages, waist high in mud with several grandchildren playing in it around her. She never had a lacking of an imagination. Her and grandpa would take us on hikes and point out all the plant life and tell us about them. They would tell us stories and play games, never letting us down as kids. When she was watching us, grandma would make everything an adventure; forts out of pillow cushions, battles in the back yard, hide and seek, cards, you name it and we probably did it. I only remember the TV being on a very few times while we were there. That was life with Grandma!
I headed back to Arizona for the viewing and funeral services. The services were beautiful! Grandma didn't look like grandma, but she was still very lovely indeed.
After grandma's services, my family and I drove back to Utah. I had left my van there way back when and now had to go pick it up to head home. I had been driving my dad's little Escort and decided that I was just too tired to drive the 10 hours back to Utah with the kids. So I jumped in my parents 12 passenger van, my sisters Elena, Brittany and Aubri took the car and we all drove home. About 2 hours outside Lindon, Ian wakes up coughing and blows chunks everywhere! It was awful! I felt bad for the poor kid, but luckily I was able to get the car seat almost completely clean and not smelling too bad.The next day I got all of our stuff packed up and both Ian's and Kenya's car seats thoroughly cleaned. Thursday July 23rd, I left Utah with the kids and headed for Denver where we picked up Brian from the airport. We decided I wasn't going to drive the entire length of the USA by myself with two small children, so Brian flew into Denver.
Side Note: Colorado is GORGEOUS!!! I mean absolutely beautiful!! I totally want to live there after having driven through it. I wish I could have taken pictures, but since I was driving it was a "no can do" kinda thing. But just to give you an idea: Mountains all around, pretty green but still simple (not over bearing like the Georgia trees make me feel). I had to drive through tunnels and through winding valleys and over beautiful rivers! It was amazing! I just couldn't get enough of it!! I even go to drive through a mountain. You read right! A MOUNTAIN!! There was this tunnel that had to be at least a mile or two long that went straight through a mountain! How cool is that!! God's creations are so amazing!
Anywho, so we got to Denver at about 3 pm after a long 8 hour drive. Brian hopped in the car with us and we headed for our next stop, Kansas City, Missouri. We got there about 12 am or so.
We slept in the next morning till about 8 am, and thank goodness for that, cause we were exhausted. From Kansas City, it was on to Marietta, Georgia. Home at last. We made it in about another 14 hours or so and boy were we ready to be home.
From June 25th to July 24th we drove a total of: 113 hours & 7143 miles. What a trip!
1 comment:
That was a LONG trip! But it sure was great to see you!
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