One year later: Midwest Road Trip 2014

Just about exactly one year ago, Adele and I set off on an epic cross-country road trip.  I was desperately in need of an adventure, and that fit the bill.  I started working on the blog post soon thereafter, but neglected to finish it.  I will do so now.  So, without further ado, here it is:


In my day-to-day life, I rarely find myself being bored as a stay-at-home mom.  But, when I consider the overarching scheme of my life, I do (or, I should say "did") get depressed to realize how boring I had become.  When last March came and went and I realized I hadn't left the state in over a year, it was very, very hard on me.  What happened to the fun girl who went on an international vacation every year?  Or at least the slightly less fun girl who put 20,000 miles on her car the first four months she owned it?

Then one day, out of the blue, it hit me!  Adele and I really ought to drive to Michigan to visit my family, making stops along the way to visit various loved one.  In hindsight, I realize it was a risky idea, being as how Adele had never been in her car seat for more than an hour, but in my heart I felt like it would be okay, and (spoiler alert) it totally was. 

Matt couldn't get away from school, so it was just me and the offspring on our big adventure. 

Adele helping clean out the car the day before we left. 
You can tell she is excited to spend hours on end there.  

Matt carrying Adele to the car at 6am the day she and I left.  

Adele was a trooper in the car!  We developed a communication system pretty quickly.  If she got fussy, I would hand back a toy or a food item from the bags I kept in the passenger seat.  She quickly realized that if she heard the crinkling of a plastic bag, food would be coming her way soon, so she would stick her arm up to receive it.  Not long after that, she would stick her arm up to signal me that she needed food.  It was a good system. 

Before we knew it, 9hours/582 miles had passed and we were at my aunt Kathleen's house in northeastern Colorado.  She was an excellent host and we had a super good time, except I was pretty out of it having only slept two hours the night before.  Sadly, the only picture I took of our lovely time there was this one of Adele in the swing at the park.  It was fun to take her there because I remember going to that park as a little girl visiting Aunt Kathleen.  The photo does not capture her excitement.  We couldn't stay at the park long because I was sleep-deprived loopy and then my breasts started leaking profusely, being as how I hadn't nursed all day.   

We went home and had a yummy dinner and attempted to watch a movie, but I was too tired.  Adele and I slept on what was absolutely the most comfortable air mattress I have ever experienced (it didn't deflate AT ALL during the night) and in the morning we were ready for the next leg of our adventure, sad only that we didn't get to spend more time with my beloved and favorite auntie.  But, as the poet Frost said, we had miles to go before we slept. 

Day 2 was an even more ambitious agenda with the plan of covering 778 miles in 12 hours, arriving in St. Louis at the home of my dear childhood friend Jamie.  The day ended up being even longer than anticipated because I realized, at the last possible moment, the Liberty Jail (the only major LDS historic site of the Midwest that I had never seen) was only a short distance off our path.  I got Jamie's blessing to arrive later than planned, and we were off. 

While Liberty Jail didn't end up being quite as exciting, insightful, or uplifting as I had hoped I did provide a better understanding of the basic logistics of the situation and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights of having been, so I am glad I took the time to go.  Of course, I could have also been distracted by the fact that the old mammary glands were leaking like fire hydrants, and Adele refused to eat because she kept getting squirted in the face.  I had no breast pads with me, so it was a total mess.  (I am aware that I have crossed the TMI threshold, but this is also my personal history and I want to remember that detail, so you'll have to deal with it.)

It was around 9:30pm when we arrived at Jamie's home in St. Louis, and that's when the fun really started!  First off, blessed, blessed Jamie had breast pads and pump waiting for me.  Being on maternity leave with her second baby, she was no stranger to this sort of emergency.  What a woman!!

I got to meet Jamie's new little man that night, and he was just too, too precious for words.  I honestly don't know when I've had that strong of a reaction to a baby.   

(this photo is from later in the trip when I was looking a little better)

I also got to meet her older daughter Marina, although, sadly, I see we did not get a photo together.  It was shocking to me to realize that in her more than two years of life, we'd never actually met.  I felt like I knew her already.  We have, after all, spoken on the phone several times.

Adele and Marina became best friends pretty much right away.  I do believe I am bias at all in declaring it absolutely the cutest thing ever. (although in the grand tradition of photographing children, we couldn't get them both to look at the camera at the same time).

Adele definitely became a social creature on this trip, and it all started with Marina.  Ever since then, she LOVES to play with other kids of any age.  

Jamie's house was 2.5 days of nonstop fun and adventure.  Our first morning we headed to the famous, totally awesome St. Louis zoo.  It was a highlight of my 2009 visit, back when we were both single ladies, so we were excited to return with our posterity.

We ate lunch on a patio overlooking the flamingos, which was super great for me because I LOVE flamingos (you can sort of see them in the background).  And after lunch, we even fed the birds (and maybe koi, I can't remember) which is always a favorite activity of mine.  The kids liked it too.

Adele enjoyed her first carousel ride.  She rode twice strapped to me in the carrier while I accompanied Marina, and then we all sat on a bench together (pictured here).  Super fun!

By the time we got to the car, everyone was tuckered out.  At least Jamie's kids were, I think mine was probably still wide awake.

That night we all walked to a super delicious Italian restaurant for dinner.

(this might be one of my very favorite pictures ever)

And then Jamie had a very nice birthday party for Adele.  Seriously, it was WAY nicer than the one Matt and I had for her on her actual birthday.

 fancy birthday cake from the same bakery that did Jamie's wedding cake

 BFFs celebrating together

 YUM!!!!

(Adele modeling her new purse--one of her many birthday gifts from Jamie.

She's also enjoying the many super cool toys at their house.)

The next day was the 4th of July.  Adele celebrated her independence by starting to walk.  I'm just so tickled that this milestone happened at Jamie's house (although sad, of course, that Matt missed it).

She had been "almost walking" since she was about 9 months, but just never quite seemed motivated to switching from crawling then standing, which was working for her pretty well.  But at Jamie's house, they had dolls, which Adele LOVED!!  (up to that point, I had neglected to get her one of her own.)  As soon as she realized that she couldn't crawl while holding a doll, she just started walking.  Never had a stumbling or falling stage.

(Adele discovering her love of dolls)

The kids all had patriotic outfits for the occasion

(AND they were all looking at the camera!!!!)

We went to the butterfly house

(too bad you can't see the butterflies in the photo.  They were awesome.)

And the St. Louis Carousel.  

(Jamie got her a pony in a purse to commemorate the visit.)

Our high school friend Mitch came over for dinner.  St Louis style pizza!  Yum!! It was fun to meet his family.

The girls had matching Independence Day pajamas, which they wore that night.

The next morning after another delicious homemade breakfast by the man of the house (it's really too bad I wasn't able to devote more blog space to the incredible food we enjoyed in St. Louise), we bade a fond farewell to our dear friends, and were on the road again.  Next stop, my mom's place in Michigan.

En route, I realized we would drive right by Benton Harbor (exciting for any "Freaks and Geeks" fans out there).  Obviously, a detour was in order.

The road to the beach was super dreamy.

And we got a photo of us.

Adele loved it.  And I loved the bragging rights of having been there, even if only for ten minutes.

Lake Michigan is SOOOO beautiful!!! (And while I was there, I got a random text from Matt, "How are you enjoying Lake Michigan?"  He had been stalking us on Google+ and happened to see we were there.  I thought that was neat.)


We arrived at Mom and Sara's house in Saginaw, and of course they had a welcome sign for us.

Highlights of being there included:

59 cent pancake day at IHOP

Driving Mom and Sara to the temple in Detroit.  Adele and I had a pizza picnic while they were doing their thing.

Free slurpie day on 7/11!!!!

Adele's first trip to nursery.  She was 6 months too young, but Nana worked there, so they let us in.  She LOVED it!

Visiting Dad/Grandpa in the nursing home.

Then after about a week of fun in Michigan, Mom, Adele and I took off back to Utah.  We decided to end our first day in Omaha, so we could go to the Winter Quarters Visitor's Center, which was neat.  I'd never been there before.

We spent the night at a hotel

(Adele adorably asleep in our hotel room in her
new PJs from BFF Marina and with her new doll from Marina.)

The next morning, we started from Omaha, just like the Mormon Pioneers leaving Winter Quarters. But we made it to Salt Lake City in one day.  And we had air conditioning.  And no casualties crossing the Platte River.  Technology is grand!  

I made it home to my sweetie husband, glad to have had a little adventure and feeling much more like myself.  I'm so, so glad we decided to go!