On the Road Again

So if you know us, you know that we have debating for the past two years about how to arrive in MO for my family's reunion; drive or fly??? And if you know us, you know which one of us wanted to drive. And if you know us, you know who won. And who usually wins when it comes to vacation plans.

Day One: Las Vegas to Albuquerque, NM

We left at about 4am and drove till the sun woke the kids up. It was frustrating to me that all of our stops took so long because I just like to drive. But after the first few I realized that in order to get everyone changed, pottyed, fed, stretched, gassed, and happy it just took about an hour. So I had to just embrace the culture of the road.

 We planned it so we got to our hotel in enough time to swim and eat and go to bed at a decent hour. That was a good plan.

Day Two: NM to Oklahoma City

So Ryan drove us to this small town in NM?TX? I can't remember. We were looking for a Denny's or McDonald's or somewhere to eat breakfast. And NOTHING was open. And there was not a soul in sight. We started talking about how it was like Radiator Springs from Cars. And then we saw this--reminds you of the Cozy Cone does it not?

 We circled the street a few times looking for civilization to no avail. We were about to give up and go back to the interstate when we saw this diner. And the whole town (8 people) were eating breakfast. So we stopped. And ate. And casually asked the waitress, "So, have you seen Cars?"  "Oh yes, she replied. The movie was based on this town." Sweet.

The day kept getting better when we came across this in Grooms, TX. If you remember our epic road trip of years past, you will remember that we sought out the World's Largest Things. We saw a similar cross in IL. But this one in TX is taller by about two feet. (don't google it, there is a debate about which one is actually taller. But now we've seen both, so it doesn't matter.)  It was a Sunday, so it was nice to feel the Spirit a little bit on the road. Rachel kept wanting to look at the statues. They had depictions of everything from the Savior's last week including a Last Supper, Crucifixion scene, and a tomb. I was pretty impressed.

Not our usual chapel, but it worked ok :)

 The end of the day brought us to my brother's house in Edmond, OK. I have to say it was nice to get a home cooked meal and a fresh bed to sleep in and cousins! to play with. I would like to say that for the most part the babies did this:

 

But mostly, they were like this:

Don't let that smile fool you: They screamed plenty!

Day Three: Ok to STL

I can't believe I don't have any pictures! We spent the whole morning playing with cousins and then we hopped in the car for one last drive to Gma's house. I admit I was trying to sleep and crying for most of this ride. But we made it!

Stay Tuned for adventures in STL, Nauvoo, Branson, and our way back!