On the road!

Here I go, trying to catch up on the vacation photos and journaling. This was the first time we have attempted the drive to Utah since moving to Missouri almost 4 years ago. We had some great times on the road trip, but I'm thinking that the saying "the journey is half the fun" was something a pioneer mother made up to keep her children happy. I much prefer getting on a plane and being at my destination within a few hours.

We hadn't made it through a whole day of driving when Ryan got pulled over in Nebraska by a policeman. He was going 77 in a 65. Darn cop! Doesn't he understand how difficult it is to drive across the country with 4 kids and a whiny wife?

I took this picture of Brevan and Brynlie when the cop pulled us over. Notice that Brevan found the whole event hilarious, while Brynlie was quite worried. I was annoyed about the $120 ticket, but couldn't stop laughing. Who was the last one at our house to get in an accident? That would be Ryan! And now who was the last one to get a speeding ticket? Ryan again! I love that I'm not longer the "worst driver" in the household!

The kids switched around seats every few hours during the 2-day drive there and the 2-day drive back home. We had DVD screens on the back of mine and Ryan's seats, and we pretty much just kept the movies coming. THANK HEAVEN FOR REDBOX! You can rent movies at any Redbox, in any state, and return it at any Redbox the next day. And each movie only costs $1! My kids have watched every possible kid movie that Redbox carries.

The funniest part of the first day of driving was when the kids watched a movie called "Aquamarine." On the DVD cover it says, "a fairytale that's every thing you've ever FISHED for." It became the motto of the rest of the trip. Anytime one of us liked something (a hamburger, drink, book, etc.) we had to ask each other, "was it everything you ever fished for?"

The kids did AWESOME on the road. I was so incredibly shocked at how happy they were. There was only minimal arguing, and even Logan was happy until the last half-hour of the trip each way. Even then he only started whining, but never once had a real meltdown. I had the car packed full of junk food, toys, books, and workbooks, which were well-worth the money.

We spent the first night in Cheyenne, WY. The UGLIEST place on earth. Ryan and I played a game to keep us awake on the ugly Wyoming drive. The game consisted of driving through remote towns and deciding how much money a job would have to pay Ryan for us to consider moving to each nasty little town. We got up past a million dollars at times!

The next day we made it to my sister, Kara's house in Shelley, Idaho. Which means I get to start a new post now . . .