Utah here we come!

About a month before spring break we decided we would make a trip back to Utah to see our friends and family. We haven't been back since we moved 8 months ago and I did not want to travel this summer being big and pregnant or later in the year with a new baby. So it was now or...in a very long time. It worked out great because we had an entire week and it was over Easter weekend.

We left on Thursday afternoon at 12:30 pm and arrived in Utah on Friday afternoon at 12:00 pm. It was almost exactly 24 hours to drive straight through. I am a believer in this new way of travel for us. I thought it was going to be exhausting switching off drivers and going straight through, but it actually wasn't that bad. With some sunflower seeds, 5 hour energy, Dr. Pepper, and jelly beans we made it through all right.

Around dinner time we kept meaning to stop and kept passing all of the exits with food. So we decided to make it all the way to the Omaha, grab a hot and ready pizza, and stop at the Winter Quarters Temple to change into pajamas. It was about 8:30 pm before the kids ate. They closed at 9:00, so we quickly did a little tour, changed, drove around the temple, and were on our way.

Although the kids were fantastic, our journey wasn't perfect, we did hit a few bumps along the road....

Getting pulled over in Lincoln, NE (for going 5 over) and then not having our current registration with us (oops). Luckily I was the one driving while Shad sat in the back watching a movie with the kids. The cop let me off with a warning. We learned the hard way that you never speed through Lincoln, especially at night when the cops are bored.

Then at 3:00 am, right after we switched drivers, we hit a huge blizzard in Cheyenne. We drove through it, wondering why the roads weren't closed, or if they would be closed ahead of us. We got all the way to Laramie and then the gates were down and we had to stop at a truck stop. It was about 4:00 am, so we decided to wait it out in the car rather than pay for a hotel room. We had breakfast at about 5:00, and by 5:30 the road was back open and the road conditions were WAY better than what we drove through in Cheyenne. Honestly, I am not sure why the gates weren't closed sooner.

Without those two bumps we probably could have made much better time. We really only stopped a total of 4 times each way. Mostly just to eat or fill up with gas and they slept the entire night without any problems. Our kids developed incredible bladder control.

Once we were in Utah (and had a long afternoon nap) we were all ready to go play. Here are a few highlights from our week:

We played with the some of the Anderson cousins. These were only 2 families that were close enough for us to get together. Marc and Jenna came down from Idaho and Brent and Chelsea came up from Spanish Fork. We played all day long with them. I was so happy to see that they remembered each other and were instant friends again. Shad was excited that he got to do a round of golf with his brothers. 

Benny got to meet the Easter Bunny while at the store with grandma buying some new binkis. 

He was thrilled.

Shad, Haken, and I attended the dedication of the Provo City Center temple. It was Haken's second dedication since he turned 8 years old. He was so excited that he got to go with Grandma this time.

That night we played with the Evans and Miller cousins.

Gracie had uncle Steve in the palm of her hand all night.

I have to put this in here, because it was a big anxiety for us during our trip. I thought that I had bed bug bites and that they might have followed us to Utah. We had visited the Wisconsin Dells a week earlier and I started itching about that time. To make a long story short....we had our house checked out before we got home with no signs of bed bugs, and that's when I started to think that this might be something else. I was the only one being bit after all. After talking to my friend Monica and researching a bit I diagnosed it as "prurigo of pregnancy," which is a skin condition that can appear during pregnancy that looks like bug bites and itches like crazy. It has spread terribly since I have gotten home and is all over my arms and legs causing horrible itching, especially at night, but I keep telling myself it could be worse. We are still working to find a solution so I don't itch my skin raw. 

We visited Grandma Glenda in Springville for Family Home Evening.

We headed up to Northern Utah for a few days to visit friends there. I was so into absorbing the moments there that I really didn't take any pictures. We stayed with our friends the Mickelsons in Tremonton. We spent a day in Tremonton and a day in Cache Valley while Shad worked at the institute. It was fun to see what had changed, and what was exactly the same. We met friends at the trampoline park and then had lunch at Chick-Fil-A. They kids loved seeing their friends. We even visited our old house and "the circle" behind it. I miss that little track and the mountains right out my back window just a little bit.

We played at the park with a few of my friends from high school

(photo credit: my talented husband)

Shad kept the kids busy for us while we talked.

We visited Grandpa Guy in Salt Lake City.

We visited the Museum of Church History in Salt Lake and saw the new children's exhibit. 

The kids were pretty obsessed with these foam camels.

Jack learned what it was like to heft blocks of sandstone to build the temple

I attended the General Women's meeting with my mom, sister, grandma, cousins, and aunts. It is always so uplifting to hear the messages meant just for women. It is one of my favorite sessions of General Conference and it was even better watching it with with women that I love so much.

We went to church and celebrated Easter at Grandma's house.

I think Grandma had a hard time seeing us go. I know the kids enjoy every second that they are with her. The distance is hard, but I don't think that their relationship with grandma has changed one bit since we have moved. It's like they started right where they left off. They loved climbing into her bed every morning and cuddling. They also enjoyed the novelty of grandma letting them have whatever they asked for. 

On the way home we stopped in North Platte for dinner. It was the halfway point and everyone was still very happy. After dinner we changed into PJ's and buckled up for the night. It was a much easier and faster trek back home. On the way home we actually did the whole trek in 21 hours. Our kids are such troopers. 

There was something really beautiful about the driving into the sunrise, just about to pull into our home in Illinois. I was worried that this trip would make me homesick. It did in some ways, in that I do miss seeing my family often, but I was glad to know that as we drove into Utah it felt like we were just visiting, and when we drove into Illinois it felt like home. I guess that is the best thing I could have hoped for.