Beginning of a long story

We left West Lafayette, Indiana early the in the morning on May 15 and made a pleasant, yet long drive through, the rest of Indiana, Illinois, and most of Nebraska. We drove highway 74 to highway 80 west so as to avoid going through Chicago. Adelynne and Amy were great passengers, playing well with new trinkets set aside specifically for this trip, eating snacks, singing and talking. We made plenty of stops at grassy and shady rest stops for potty breaks and a chance to stretch our legs. We made it all the way to North Platte, Nebraska on our first night-which I might add, some say was a long shot for one day of driving. But we made it with energy to spare as we all went for a swim in the hotel swimming pool. We went to bed late and got up early again in preparation for another long day of driving. The second day in the car was not as fun, and for me, just slightly torturous. We spent most of the day driving through Wyoming, which wasn't much fun since the rest stops were not grassy nor shady, but rather windy and weedy instead. We didn't have luck finding a McDonald's with a playplace either. The girls were sick and tired of the car, Dustin and I were tired of the drab scenery and of listening to whiny background music, but we pushed on.

We decided to make our first visit with family in Laramy, Wyoming. Dustin's grandmother lives in a tiny, old home right on the main street of the little town. We hadn't seen Grandma Spann since August of 2006. Little Amy had never met Grandma Spann, and Adelynne certainly didn't remember her. Grandma Spann was expecting us and greeted us with open arms and a wonderful sweet smile that only a grandma can give. Little Amy seemed to know that this was a "kindred spirit" and went right into the arms with a huge smile on her face, and no misgivings whatsoever. I was glad to see Grandma Spann receive such a greeting from Amy. But if she expected one from the older, more mature child, she was sadly disappointed. Adelynne would have nothing to do with her great-grandmother.

But Adelynne, and the rest of us enjoyed a short, sweet visit with Grandma Spann, as well as with Aunt Marie (Grandma's oldest daughter). The girls enjoyed the big backyard, which did have grass, as well as a swing and a trampoline. The trampoline was the favorite, even I joined the girls in some good bouncing. We didn't stay very long, or long enough, as we wanted to end our day down in Happy Valley, Utah with my sister. So after a short time we loaded back into the car and finished the marathon drive in Orem at my sister, Amy's apartment.

I do want to put in a little side note here, that throughout the driving journey, little Amy insisted on using the potty every time we made a stop. She continued to wear a diaper throughout the journey, but she would use the toilet every time we stopped. Neither Dustin or I changed one poopy diaper for four days, since she continued to use the toilet when we stopped in Utah. Our excitement for the possibility of her being potty trained was unfortunately, short-lived. But it was a nice while it lasted!