Trek East #7

Church History Day #3- Nauvoo the Beautiful

Mark woke us up this morning at the crack of dawn. We had heard if you're not at the ticket counter at 9 a.m. sharp all of the tickets for the rides and shows are gone. So, we quickly dressed, combed hair, and brushed teeth and ran downstairs for breakfast which we scarffed down. Mark was in a race against the tour bus to see who could get out of the parking lot the fastest- we won!

He quickly drove along the Mississippi and made it to the visitors center before it opened. I got tickets for the carriage ride, Just Plain Anna Amanda,

The Trek East #6

Church History Day #2

We spent the night in Cameron, Missouri. The local Comfort Inn has a few talking points. First, they had laundry facilities and internet access. So, while I was doing laundry, the kids found a 2 story indoor waterslide! It resembled a McDonald's play land. They climbed up the steps and sat down inside the tube that was so big it went outside the building and then back in at the bottom. What a blast!!! Now Brooklynn's new criteria for chosing a hotel is a waterslide. (She doesn't get that it's an anomaly. I hear that a Best Western somewhere along I-80 around Davenport had an indoor waterpark!)

We hit the road late in the morning and drove on the 36 through Missouri. The ride was relaxing and beautiful. White, yellow, and purple wild flowers grew along the roads and in meadows. Corn and hay fields spread out over rolling hills. We broke out and sang 'America the Beautiful'. (Okay, so Mark and I bribed the kids to sing along with us!) Mark recieved the "Safe Driver Clap Award" for swerving to miss a slow moving aardvark while keeping the van and trailer steady!

We caught our first glimpse of the Mississippi River and arrived in Nauvoo in the late afternoon. We saw 'Sunset on the Mississippi' and the 'Nauvoo Pageant' before heading over to the motel.

The Trek East #5

Church History Day #1

This morning we headed north to Omaha. We stopped to see the Winter Quarters Temple and visitor's center.


Jeffrey and Brooklynn got behind a handcart and pulled for a few feet before they lost interest.
We walked through the exibits and had a tour.



Suprise for the day- we bumped into one of my sister, Rachel's, linguistics professors from BYU. What a small world it is!
























The Winter Quarters Temple





Aren't they cute! They're lucky they aren't pioneers

Our next stop was the Kanesville Tabernacle.

followed by Far West (brings new meaning to the phrase 'off the beaten path'), Liberty Jail, and Independence. It was great to finally put a place to the names and pictures we've heard about for so long! At Independence our tour guide told the story of Mary Elizabeth and her sister who save the pages from the Book of Commandments when a mob broke into the printing press and destroyed it. They hid in the corn fields. It all makes sense now, there are sooooooooooo many!

Independence Visitor's Center (Printing Press)

Ride em' cowboy

The Trek East #4

Lincoln Monument

Sunday evening we found ourselves leaving the Salt Lake Valley and heading through Parley's Canyon. Due to road construction, all but one lane was closed. We were going a whopping 30 mph (the poor people behind us.) We drove for about 4.5 hours until we reached Rawlins, WY. We spent the night and were on the road again in the morning. The day was non-eventful besides our stop at Lincoln Monument. That part of WY was less dry and more green.

Malia ready for the day


The Family Fun-mobile

We drove and drove and drove. Nebraska seemed to never end although the views of corn and silos was calming (atleast for me- not the kids.)

We finally made it to Lincoln, NE.

The Trek East #3

Taking a break


Flying High


The Farm Yard


Little Malia





Our Hosts- Jeremy and Bridget





Saturday morning we were beat. Brooklynn slept in until 11! We decided to stay here for a few more days and rest. We had a real slow moving moring and then went to the Training Table for a late lunch with Jeremy and Bridget. (I ordered a burger with a special southwestern sauce- yum yum! )

Grandpa and Malia

We spent the evening with Farmer Grandpa looking at the horses and farm equipment and visiting. My cousin Brad was there for a while and it was fun to catch up. They guys went and got pizza and we had picnic dinner in the backyard facing the Wasatch Front. I do miss these mountains while I'm away.



Showing off for Grandpa!






Last but not least, we went to my aunt and uncle's house to chat. They had just arrived home from camping with the youth in their ward for a few days. We helped them get their gear unloaded and cleaned. We had a brief visit and headed back to Jeremy's. We really appreciate their hospitality and letting us stay longer than planned! And, even with staying the extra time, we weren't able to visit all of the family and friends we had hoped.

We'll be heading east again early in the morning.

The Trek East #2

Friday morning we got up and drove to Price to visit Mark's family. We met up with his dad and Cheryl at Danielle's house.

Jeffrey enjoyed playing video games with Tony and Nathan. Brooklynn ran around chasing kittens with Ashley. She fed the fish in the pond and watched their turtle. Uncle Pedro doctored her toe a little bit and it's looking a lot better.



Next Mark and the guys played cards while Cheryl was my personal giude at my favorite store in the entire world- Super Walmart in Price, UT!!! (Everytime I go their I find fantastic deal and go crazy, this time was no exception!) I found $3 shirts and shorts on clearance for the kids, socks, dvds, batteries, color wonder paper, etc. I loaded up on stuff and hoped it would all fit in the car.

One of the highlights of the Walmart run was bumping into my dad's sister, Becky, who I haven't seen for years!

Next, we went to Grandpa Mike and Grandma Cheryl's house for banana splits. The kids had fun jumping on the trampoline, looking for tadpoles, and blowing bubbles. The views of the open country from their front door were very relaxing.

It made for a long day and we came back to Bridget and Jeremy's. We stayed up and played the Wii with them and Rachel and Skylar until 1 a.m.

The Trek East #1

Jeffrey giving a thumbs up as we pass through Nevada.

Nevada at dusk.


Wednesday afternoon we began our eastward move. With the 6'x12' trailor in tow we got 9 mpg over the Sierras. We averaged 45 mph and at times we were going 35. Mark turned on the hazards and we were being passed by diesel trucks. But, going so slow, this time I noticed for the first time the wild flowers and the different shades of green on the evergreen trees. I can't count how many times I've made the drive and never noticed. Who knew!

Both Jeffrey and Malia got car sick, but we were blessed that they threw up at a gas station and not in the car! What a mess that would have been!

We've made it to UT and spent yesterday with Jeremy's family. Jeffrey played video games with Canyon. Brooklynn met their neighbor girl and she came over to play barbies. Malia spent the day sleeping and Mark and I played cards with Bridget and Jeremy. The ladies won- of course! Congrats to us!!

My sister, Rachel, was able to come up from Provo for lunch. She brought along her "friend" who receives our stamp of approval. He helped Mark unhitch the trailor which was more of a challenge that we thought it would be.

The drama for the day was Brooklynn's blood blister. She got it a few days ago from her roller skates. Yesterday it was swollen and her entire toe was red. Mark was able to get most of it drained while I held her and Bridget got needles, bandaids, salt water, etc. Hopefully it's looking better this morning, or we'll need to get her an antibiotic.

Today we're off to visit with Mark's family!

Catch Up

Brooklynn had her 5th birthday last week and Malia was blessed on Sunday.

The kids had cousin camp last week and had a great time with all their cousins.. It was great to be able to send the kids somewhere a f ew mornings and keep on packing.

The Yard Sale

Neither Mark nor I have ever put together a yard sale before and we're not yard sale shoppers. So, this was an interesting experience. We weren't quite sure what would sell or how to price items or who would stop by. We had all sorts of people come.

One of my favorites was a gentleman (had to be in his late 70s) who had taught school for years and bought some of my out dated and out of print college text books. Not only did the gentleman purchase them, but he was holding them like they had something special inside. Made me feel good to know that books I spent hours pouring over will be loved once again.

Some of my favorite sells (these were all made by Mark- I'm not as business savy):

1.) A man stops his car and asks how much for the tv and dvd player. Mark tells him $75 for the tv and $45 for the dvd player or $150 for both (wait a second, this doesn't add up- Mark enjoys playing with peoples minds sometimes). So they guy says, "How about $125?" DEAL. So he loads the stuff in his truck and drives away. A few minutes later he comes back to ask if they have remotes. Nope (lost somewhere in the jungle of boxes). Off he goes.

2.) A guy picks up a package of sidewalk chalk. It's still in it's original wrapper. You know the ones from the dollar store. One of the pieces is broken. I was thinking $.10 or free. He asks Mark how much. Mark says, "$2." They guys slaps down his money. Takes the chalk and walks away. WOW. That was a shocker.

3.) My other favorite was a guy who bought 1/3 a roll of duct tape for a few bucks.

4.) How about they man who bought a less-than-half full can of aeresol car carpet cleaner for $3. Our the gal who Mark sold a ratty pair of kid's jeans for a buck. (I thought clothing at garage sales was 25 cents standard price. )

Anyways, we had quite a few laughs. We sold lots of partially used things like conditioner, baby oil, ant spray, carpet cleaners, half used cans of paint, etc. I was suprised. Things that I thought would sell, children's clothing and housewares, didn't do so hot.

Our Crazy Life

We decided on Sunday that the most cost-effective thing to do is to sell all of our belongings minus those with sentimental value and start over when we arrive in our new city. This week has been busy with selling things, packing what we're keeping and getting ready for a GIGANTIC yard sale. Jeffrey is excited because Mom and Dad are finally going to let him sell most of his toys for cash, which he values more. He can hardly wait.

So far we have sold our family room furniture, piano, washer and dryer, bed, trampoline, dresser, computer desk and some toys. Oh, and half of our food storage. We've made more than we anticipated so far because I priced things so we could negotiate down to the price we wanted and people been paying asking price.

We're having a hitch installed on the van and we're going to pull a 5' x 10' trailer. Items that have made the "to bring list": wedding china, a few toys, computer, the Wii, some clothes, wall hangings, the stroller, favorite books, photo albums, and my favorite kitchen appliances. That's about it. I feel like a modern-day pioneer.

We have my family in town this week for 'cousin camp' and for Malia's blessing Sunday. Jeffrey and Brooklynn are enjoying playing with the cousins and taking their mind off of the move. By the way, my 2 week old neice, Emma, is a doll!

We're Moving!!!

Last night Mark got a job offer that we like! (The third job offer is the charm!) We're feeling really blessed that it's in the right salary range, with a sign-on bonus, and in a place were our family will be happy! Today is his last day of work at his current job. What a blessing to have something in place, albeit the 11Th hour!

The last few weeks have been a little stressful- lots of interviews, not knowing which job will work out, what state we'll be living in, what their homeschool laws are, do we pack up the house and move or have a HUGE yard sale? My dad told me this piece of wisdom:

"It all works out in the end.
If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end."

I think we're finally nearing the end. Now just to figure out what to do with our stuff. Hhmmm.