Many months ago, Kris (mother-in-law), Katie (sister-in-law) and I had the idea of a road trip to Kentucky to visit Jenny (other sister-in-law) and her husband, Judd, and their new baby Ethan. No one (Joey) thought we’d actually do it….but we did. Oh yes, we did.
The trip got off to a rather rocky start when a cop pulled me over just outside of Evanston. I was not aware that it’s a law to change lanes when there is an “emergency vehicle” pulled off to the side. I just slowed down when I passed him. Several minutes later, there he was pulling me over and yes, giving me a $100 ticket! I was not a happy camper….still not, really. But…the road trip went on.
We drove through Wyoming which was not very impressive and it was very windy. Next, we hit Nebraska, where I first saw the largest statue of Jesus I’ve ever seen….and it was in the middle of a giant field. Very wierd. We made it to Kearney, Nebraska the first night and stayed in a nice hotel for some much needed rest. It was a long day.
The next day we drove through some really heavy (and scary) rain storms through a bit of Ohio and then into Missouri. We got to out hotel early enough for the kids to have a good swim….which they really needed after being cooped up in the car all day.
We stopped in St. Louis on day 3 where we got to go to the top of the “gateway to the west” arch in these little “pod” elevators. If you ever get the chance to do this….don’t. It really wasn’t worth the time that it took. When we got to the top, there were just some tiny windows in a very narrow hallway. Pretty lame. The arch was cool to see though, and they had a cool museum.
We took some back roads through Southern Illinois due to a huge traffic jam that we ran into and visited an Amish village in Indiana where we ate a delicious dinner. It was delicious for everyone except Nate, that is. He absolutely HATED it and had a scowl on his face the whole time.
We finally made it to Kentucky very late at night…but that didn’t stop us from cuddling a bit with cute baby Ethan. Jenny, though very sleepy looking, seemed happy to see us and to show off her beautiful new baby. Eventually, we did get off to bed and rested most of the next day, which was Jenny’s birthday.
One of the funniest moments of the trip was when we were getting up to leave Texas Roadhouse, where we had eaten Jenny’s birthday dinner. Jenny went to grab her purse and much to her surprise, there was a giant rib stuck to it! It was Nate’s. We all had a good laugh about it.
During our exploration of the Kentucky/Ohio area, we got to go to a lot of neato stores. I love love love to look at stores, so it was very fun for me. We hit some outlet stores, a GIANT store called “Jungle Jims”, The Container Store, Crate & Barrel, and Trader Joes. It was a lot of fun to get to go in stores that we don’t have in Utah. We also had a great photo shoot with all four kids which turned out really great.
After all the shopping, we decided to do something the kids might like, so we decided to visit the Cincinatti Zoo. Unfortunately, I had the WORST headache of my life (it lasted nearly 24 hours) so I wasn’t able to enjoy the zoo to the fullest extent….but, it was a really cool zoo. They had a lot of animals that I’ve never seen before….like bonobos….very similar to chimps. Tessa loved petting the snakes and was the only one brave enough to do so. As we walked in to see the Manitees, Nate asked, “Are manitees a species of aligator?” Cute kids.
On our last day in Kentucky, we decided to walk along the “purple people bridge” to say that we walked from Kentucky to Ohio in one day. I thought that the area around the river was really beautiful. I also liked to look at all the cool buildings and places around Cincinatti. After the bridge, we stopped for a light dinner and then off to the Aquarium. If any of you know of the aquarium that we have in Sandy…this aquarium was MUCH better than that one. I was very impressed with it. We got to feed nectar to some birds. Just as one bit Tessa on the finger, another one pooped on my foot. We tried hard not to laugh because Tessa was upset, but come on…pooping is funny, even if it was my foot.
We even got to pet some sharks! Tessa and even Averi both got into it and loved it. A very fun aquarium…so glad we went.
Our stay in Kentucky was so nice. Judd and Jenny made us feel so welcome and were such great hosts. Judd was even nice enough to cook for us and entertain Nate by playing video games with him. I loved his hot wings, they were delicious. He also made some “goeta”..this weird sausage stuff that Kentucky-ans like to eat. It was pretty good. And, best of all, they fed me strawberries. Lots and lots of strawberries. (I usually hate them, but this baby loves them) So, thanks Judd and Jenny! I had such a fun time.
The long 24 hour drive home was basically un-eventful except for the really terrible rain storm that we drove through (again). Only this time, we had lots of lightning and thunder added to the enormous amounts of rain. We stayed in Newton, Iowa and then Laramie, Wyoming.
There were a few things that really saved me on this trip: My iphone, to keep in touch, connect us with the internet, and to help waste time in the car. My navigation system, what did we ever do without it? The DVD system in the car with about 24 kids movies, enough said. And lastly, really great traveling companions…I love my in-laws!
This was the longest I think I’ve ever been away from Joe Joe…and it sure was nice to get home to see him again. The kids especially missed him and I think I learned to better appreciate his company. I think he missed us too.
We spent the weekend up at the cabin and much to my delight, we were able to go kayaking. My in-laws, Kris and Bob recently bought these and were nice enough to let us try it out. 
Oops, I did it again! Okay, I’ve never done this before, but I had to use that line.
I was a bad grand-daughter and completely forgot my Grandma Ge Ge’s birthday until one week later!! I know it’s a terrible excuse, but my mom usually reminds me. I felt really really bad. My grandma ALWAYS remembers my birthday. I
We attended the annual Best Buddies Utah 5K walk/run at Davis High on Saturday. I am proud to say that I can run a mile…and walk the rest. 
We went over to the Gillman’s on Saturday night to play a little poker. I was the biggest loser, only in a bad way and was banished to the other room with the kids. I successfully got them all to fall asleep and then fell asleep myself. I later found this photo on my camera….not sure who took it?
We took a trip to Wendover this weekend to see the “Amazing Jonathan” or as I like to refer to him, “fantastic John”. He is a comedian/ magician that Joey had seen on comedy central. He puts on a show with a crazy lookin blonde named Tanya. He gave me some great ideas for practical jokes which I will soon play on all my co-workers!!
There were a few faculty members at today’s luncheon commenting on what a moron Chris Buttars is. I can’t remember the exact words they were using to describe him, but they were not complimentary. I listened for a bit and then casually added, “He’s my grandpa. Chris Buttars is my grandpa.” 
Hayley and I went to the movies on Friday night. We went to the Tower Theatres and we both commented on the “different” people that attend that theatre. They are not your “normal” Utah crowd, and we kind of liked it.
Joey and I decided that we’d like to find ourselves a nice sectional for our living room to make more use of the space. That was about the only thing we agreed on, however. You see, Joey would really like a “comfortable” couch with all sorts of poof , built in recliners, and cup holders. The kind of thing that you might see in a rich person’s “home theatre”. Me, on the other hand, I would definitely sacrifice the comfortable part as long as it looks cute and matches my living room. I do not care for the unsightly sectionals that Joey falls in love with. 
Traditionally, for the last five years, we have gone over to Ann Allred’s house for a Sequence tournament on New Year’s Eve. Ann Allred invites about eight couples and all their children over for appetizers and some healthy competition. There is always a little trash talk. The winner of the tournament gets a giant glass “cup” filled with treats and things. The winners of past years are written on the side of the cup and we are proud to have our name written there twice.
My sister and brother inlaws, Jenny and Judd , are in town for Christmas. Joey actually introduced the two of them. Judd had been his long time friend and Jenny is his step-sister. After Judd got rid of his religious ideals, Joey figured that they should meet. They have been living in Kentucky and we don’t get to see them very often. Judd suggested that all the “friends” get together for a little slice and dice at Bennihanas. 
After we finished our aprons at 12:30 am, this is how I found Eric, Becky’s husband. He was very dilligently working on Nicole’s (their daughter) homework assignment. He was learning about Hellinism and drawing all sorts of pictures. I then learned that this isn’t the first time that this has happened. Becky also had done some of her assignments…although she is somewhat offended that her last assignment earned a “C”.
