A Complicated Road Trip and the Boy Turns Three

A Complicated Road Trip and the Boy Turns Three

Last weekend we drove to Utah for a quick trip to see my sister graduate with a Masters of Social Work from the University of Utah. Logistically, the whole thing was a bit of a fiasco, but once it unfolded it was quite fun. We’d found a great deal on a rental car, that according to our calculations would actually cost less to rent and drive than to drive our 18-year-old car. (See what a difference fuel efficiency can make?) Then, Noel got unexpected last minute permission to go to a conference which made it so he was unable to drive to Utah with me. My brother was coming to visit right after our trip, so I first tried to switch his flight so he’d fly out before the Utah excursion, drive to Utah, drive back to Colorado, spend a week with us, and then fly back to Utah on his originally scheduled flight. But, he had finals and apartment checkout.  Then, I tried to talk some friends into going on a road trip with me and the kids, but the work schedules of husbands got in the way. So, we bought Noel a ticket to fly to Utah after his presentation at the conference so he could be there for Cooper’s birthday and I wouldn’t have to make the drive back alone. I was all prepared to drive solo to Utah, but my parents took pity on me and purchased a ticket for my Uncle to fly to Colorado so he could lend a hand on the trip to Utah. Then there was a huge snowstorm predicted for the day my uncle was going to fly in, so we changed his flight so he would arrive just as I was picking up the rental car. Are you still following this? No? Well, basically there were a lot of plans made and deserted, and while the end result was a little crazy (and probably more expensive than we’d intended) it worked surprisingly well.

Here’s the brief recap: Thursday my uncle David flew in and took a shuttle to the rental car agency where I was I picking up the car with the help of the children. (Turns out the secret to avoiding all the tricky upsell questions is to bring your kids with you. Cooper and Ellen were running around like hooligans and the desk agent didn’t try to schmooze me at all. I literally got the keys within two minutes of approaching the desk.)  After taking our car back to the house, we made the long, boring journey across Wyoming. Friday morning Hope graduated and Noel flew in that afternoon just in time for her celebration party. Saturday, we had a big family birthday party for Cooper with lots of delicious food my parents made. Sunday morning, we caught the beginning of church before making the long journey back home. Monday morning I returned the rental car with my friend Serin’s help. That evening we had our small family party for Cooper. Then my brother Spencer flew in after the kids were asleep.  Phew. It was just about as exhausting as it sounds, but the fun kind of exhausting. Also, I of course forgot my camera while in Utah, so I mostly have low-quality phone pics. Considering all the things that could have gone wrong though, forgetting the camera seems pretty small.

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