On the Road

Our journey across America was actually rather pleasant, although admittedly a little slower than anticipated. The Uhaul seemed to max out at 65 mph, and although there were those rare moments when Isaac could get it to go a little faster, our miles per gallon immediately plummeted. Seeing how it was guzzling away all of our money faster than we could count, we decided not to push it and were content to take it a bit slower. All in all, we made it in 3 days, or the equivalent of 28 driving hours. We were sad that we weren't able to be in the same car together, but we chatted away on the walkie-talkies, ate snacks, and got quite caught up in listening to Harry Potter 7.

The first driving day took us through hours and hours of Wyoming plains with no cell phone service or houses to be seen. Eventually the landscape morphed into acres of farmland interspersed with occasional patches of wooded areas and a few more options for food and gas stops. This was our longest day driving and around midnight, we finally pulled up to our Hotel in the not-so-nice side of town, in North Platte, Nebraska. Although we were exhausted, cranky, and eager to get out of the car, the site of the beat down motel that I had so eagerly booked the previous night (it was such a good deal, don't judge me) just about brought me to tears. It no longer seemed so inviting as it had on the website, you see. However, if we canceled we would lose our deposit, so we locked the door (thrice), turned off the light, and climbed into bed before a had a chance to think about what might be lurking outside the door... or in our bed.

We did survive however, with a vow to stay somewhere nicer when we reached Independence, Missouri. Day two went past in a manner similar to the first, and the minutes ticked by in a jumbled blur. Corn fields...Ron...Triscuits...Isaac's changing lanes...another water tower....a sip of water....voldemort just killed someone....more corn....more construction...we are getting passed by another semi....Isaac's static voice says hi over the walkie-talkie, yum, fruit snacks...Harry should stop whining, seriously....I hope I like our new apartment....more construction...more corn.... You get the picture.

We arrived in Independence a little after 4 in the afternoon--just enough time to get checked in and go see some historical sights (to be written about in a later post). We were true to our word, and we booked a room for a good deal at a Marriot Hotel. It didn't even matter to us that they were completely full leaving us with a handicapped room--to us, it seemed like heaven. Heaven complete with shower seats, a toilet phone, and an extra low peep hole. We were able to go swimming and watch a little TV that night before settling in for a deep, deep nights sleep. We slept so well, in fact, that we didn't stir until 9, causing us to miss the delicious continental breakfast. Luckily, the nice cook felt bad for us and kept out some yummy fruit and biscuits and gravy and she let us stay and eat while she cleaned up.

By day three, we were so done with driving. It seemed as though we would never arrive, and even Harry Potter started to lose my attention. We finally pulled up to our new place as the golden sun slipped behind the fields of corn. I thought that I wanted nothing more than to get out of the car, go upstairs, and sleep, but the excitement of finally making it to our new home gave me a second wind-- we unloaded half of the Uhaul by ourselves that very same night. Yep, you heard me right. We love our new place, Isaac did such a good job of picking it out. Although it is lacking somewhat in furniture, it is comfortable, inviting, and feels like home.

Up Next: Church History Stops, Sneak Peak of our new pad, Explore the town with us, and Isaac's first day of school all coming up.