A Retrospective of my August Vacation

So I am going to start with the stats of our latest adventure-

• 20 days and 19 nights
• 5,041 miles of driving, not counting any of the driving we did in Illinois, except for the 2 day trip to Nauvoo
• 4 nights in hotels
• 14 states visited (7 of which were new states for Ellie)
• 12 new temples (We are up to 50 and will be staying there until my mom takes us to Hawaii)
• 1 house that we brought the plague to - Sorry Ben and Kristi
• More cousins seen that I care to count
• 1 square ice cream cone
• 1 dozen of the best donuts ever - Thanks Kristi
• 1 view from 103 stories up
• 2 days of experiences that strengthened my testimony of the Gospel

Obviously it is impossible to truly sum up this trip via statistics. I am not sure which trip I liked better - this one or the one to D.C. last month. Either way they were both a lot of fun and I will always remember these experiences. Thank goodness for digital cameras and shutterfly so I can show Ellie as she gets older.


I was thinking about it the other day and I have subjected my 2 year old to over 10,000 miles in the car this summer. Who does that?

• Trip to Sacramento - 1,205 miles
• Trip to Utah - 2,808 miles
  
• Trip Back East - 4,144 miles
  
• Pacific Northwest Circle - 3,631 miles
  
• Nauvoo Circle - 1,410 miles
  
• Total - 13,198 miles
  

Maybe that is why she was so happy to see Kim on Friday. :) Her Mom doesn't punish her by having her drive for thousands of miles in a car. Having said that, I really feel like Ellie and I both a great time on all of these trips. Even though we drove a lot more than I ever expected to drive, we were able to spend a lot of good time together. I also have learned who Swiper is, when Ellie would say, "Stop swiping Swiper." I have the most amazing little girl in the world. I am so glad we have been able to spend all of this time together and I am glad she has been able to meet so much of her family this summer. She has more cousins than she knows what to do with.

We don't have anything big coming up, but we do have a few little things that are in the works. We get to go to Sacramento at the end of September for Cody's wedding. The following week we are going up to St. George, as I am running in the St. George marathon. I am also thinking of going to the BYU-UNLV football game the following week.

There have also been a couple of other things that have happened this summer that I still need to write about. For example our trip to Sacramento for Memorial Day, the Dodger game, the Angels game, trip to the zoo, and beach trip. So I am going to try and write about those in the coming weeks. Until then, wish me luck as I go back to school tomorrow!

Home at last!!!

So Ellie and I made it home. We woke-up around 9:00 and were out of Kari's by 9:30. We stopped in Vegas for breakfast, and in Redlands to get lunch and a better picture of the temple, and then it was on to Pasadena. The closer we got to Pasadena, the more realized it was more than just hot there. It is on fire... literally. Apparently we are having fires earlier this year than last year. The hills north of Pasadena are full of flames, and there is a lot of smoke in the air. It smells like a campfire. Maybe I won't be going for my 18 mile run tomorrow. :)

Anyway, I am going to write a bit more when I have some time and kind of summarize my thoughts and feelings about our epic adventure. It was a lot of fun, it was very tiring, but it is nice to be back home.

Almost home...

Well there aren't pictures for today, and I am kicking myself because I should have taken a couple, but what can you do? Nothing terribly exciting happened. I woke-up, Ellie was helping Mom can beans or tomatoes or some other vegetable, and so I went running. It was a difficult run and so I cut it short. It felt like there was concrete in my shoes.

I went back to Mom's, got a haircut, finished packing and then we hung out for a little while before going to Carabba's for lunch. I had some chicken Parmesan, said goodbye to Mom and the Ellie got in the trusty Xterra and drove the 260 miles to St. George, which is where we ended the night.

Apparently St. George has some really good ice cream made by a company called Blue Bunny, so I went and had some of that, and afterwards I hung out with Kari and Lonnie for awhile and now it is time to go to bed.

We are about 400 miles from home, and should be getting in late tomorrow afternoon. I am dreading go back to SoCal because it is blazing hot there right now. Aarrghh.

Starting the trip back home...

Today was our last day in Illinois and I am kind of sad. I was telling Mom that many of the days have lasted a long time, but the week has gone by so fast. We have done so many fun things here, ride 4-wheelers, gone golfing, hung out with Hank and Linda, drove a Corvette like a sissy, eaten a couple pork loin sandwiches, seen 4 temples, gone to 5 new states, ridden 4-wheelers, gone on a spur of the moment 1,410 mile roadtrip, seen 4 of my first cousins and their families, gone to a Journey concert, run to Wisconsin, gone to an air show, and ridden 4 wheelers. J It was busy and that doesn’t even take into account today.

I was going to go running this morning, but that didn’t happen because it was pouring rain, and I didn’t feel like doing a speed work-out in a downpour. So I finshed packing, helped Mom clean up the house, and then loaded up the car and we went and picked up Linda. Then we got Beth and took 2 cars into Rockford where we picked up Hank. Then we drove into Chicago.


By the time we rolled into Chicago it was lunch time and Hank took us all to Harry Caray’s. I got a Kansas City Strip medium-rare with garlic mashed potatoes. It was really good. It was better than any steak I have ever had at Outback, but I don’t think it was so much better to warrant the million dollar price tag. Having said that I would definitely go back for a special occasion. Linda let me try some of her sausage and peppers and that was really good. That may have been the best sausage I have ever had.

With lunch completed and enjoyed it was off to the Sears Tower (I refuse to acknowledge its new name). Today was another rainy day, and so there was a lot of cloud cover. Hank and Linda didn’t want to go up, so they hung out at a Starbucks. When we got there they told us there was zero visibility, so Mom decided she didn’t want to go. However, I didn’t care. I wanted to go, especially with their new skydeck where you walk into these little glass booths that actually hang out from the side of the building 103 stories up.

So Ellie and I paid for our ticket (She is still free, since she is only 2). Then we watched a movie about the history of the building, and took the 1 minute elevator ride to the 103rd floor. Once we got up there I was a little worried because the view from to the East was all cloud cover. However, as we walked to the West side, which is where these new viewing areas are, the cloud cover was less and we were able to see quite a bit. Ellie and I were able to go into these observation decks and it was a little strange to be able to look 103 stories straight down. However it wasn’t as freaky as I had expected. We took a bunch of pictures and then we met up with Hank and Mom.

Our final stop before the airport was the Navy Pier. It is kind of like the Santa Monica pier only cleaner and today it was way less crowded. There wasn’t a lot to do, so we just walked up and down it. We took a picture of us at the anchor of the USS Chicago, and then we got into the car and went to the airport.

Now I am back in Orem getting ready to go to bed. Tomorrow we are going to drive to St. George and on Friday we will drive the rest of the way home. It was a good trip but went by way too fast. Hopefully I can get to Illinois before another 16 years pass by.

A Side Note about Winter Quarters and Nauvoo

One of the things I was most excited about for on this trip was the opportunity to go to Nauvoo, Illinois. However, on this trip I also had the opportunity to go to Winter Quarters.

As I wrote earlier, my visit to the visitors center in Winter Quarters was a little hectic. This is due to the fact that I have a precocious two year old daughter. However I truly enjoyed the spirit that is at that building. It is the same spirit I have felt as I have visited 50 different temples with Ellie. It is the same spirit I felt during my two year mission to the West Indies. It is the same spirit I have felt as I have gone throughout life.

One of the things that jumped into my mind is the sacrifice these people made, some of whom were my relatives. In the winter of 1846, they were essentially forced from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, where over the next several months they trudged 300 miles from Nauvoo to what is now Omaha. They did this and experienced the harsh winter of the Midwest and then some insane mud when the snow melted. Once there they built houses, lived there for about a year, and then walked 1,000 miles from Omaha to Salt Lake City, where there was nothing. I love Utah, but if you have been there imagine leaving lush, beautiful, green Illinois and then stopping at the dry, barren land of the Salt Lake Valley. I think I would just want to turn around and go back to Illinois.

Going to Nauvoo I felt the same thing. It was amazing how strong the Spirit was as we drove into the city limits of Nauvoo. It is truly a sacred place. Then to feel the same Spirit at Carthage Jail.

I bring this all up, because I am grateful for these people. I am grateful for the sacrifices they made. Without these sacrifices, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't have the great blessings in my life, that I have. The last 18 months have been difficult to say the least, but it pales in comparison to what the Mormon Pioneers went through. I can't imagine having to choose between death or walking 1,000 miles across this country. I can't imagine losing 1 member of my family, let alone several. I can't imagine showing up in the middle of the desert with the expectation that it be turned into a thriving oasis. Yes, the last several months have been hard, but it could be so much more difficult. So I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for the examples of my pioneer ancestors. I am thankful for my family and for the sacrifices they have made for me. I guess what I am trying to say is I am thankful for the many blessings in my life.

A Beautiful Plantation

Today was the day I was looking forward to most on this trip. It was the day we went to Nauvoo. We ended up sleeping in for awhile, and didn’t get out of Iowa City until around 9:00, which was nice. The drive to Nauvoo wasn’t anything special, but it was fun to cross the Mississippi River. A short drive after that, we were in Nauvoo.

It was amazing as we were pulling into the city limits, how there was a different feeling. I think it is because Nauvoo is a special place, even a sacred place. Granted this maybe wanting to feel something because of my Mormon Heritage, but I truly felt something different while I was there. More on that later…

Our first stop was the temple. It is a beautiful temple, probably in my top 5 (Portland, San Diego, Salt Lake, Idaho Falls). We got a couple pictures, but the time of day wasn’t best for pictures from the angle we were taking them at, so we decided to go see the sites of Nauvoo.

We went to the Nauvoo Visitors Center, and after a couple attempts to get Ellie from knocking everything down in the place, we watched a movie on the history of Nauvoo. While the movie was showing, I again felt that strong spirit of the town. (On a its a small world note - the sister missionary who showed us the movie is from Payson, Utah and dated one of the Meservys. Lydia (Meservy) Glod was one of my best friends in high school, who lived about half a mile from me)

Next we went to the Living History Center. This was a place where Ellie could actually play around and not get into too much trouble. We went into the main building and Ellie dressed up like a pioneer, learned how the pioneers made bread, got a candle, and played with dolls. Then we went over to the old bakery, learned how the old bakery worked and ate some gingerbread cookies.

The next stop was Ellie’s favorite. It was a place designed with children in mind. I don’t remember the name of it, but they had toys, and a mini log cabin with a kitchen, and a mini-schoolhouse. Ellie loved the kitchen portion. She dressed up like a pioneer and played with everything in the kitchen. She even “made” me a chocolate pie. Once she finally noticed the schoolhouse, she loved the little bell in it that she could ring. We let her play for quite awhile, before we drove 20 miles to Carthage.

In Carthage we got lunch first, and then I went over to the old Carthage jail by myself, while Mom watched Ellie. I didn’t think Ellie would hold still to watch a movie and go on a tour. So I went alone. It was pretty quiet there. I looked at some of the things in the visitors center and then I saw a short movie on the history of the jail, and Joseph Smith’s final days. Once that was complete, I was taken on a tour of the jail by a sister missionary from North Hollywood with 2 other women. It was interesting to learn that the jailer lived in the jail with his wife and 7 kids, and that the prisoners stayed in one of two cells in the house. I don’t know that I would want my family to live in a jail. Anyway, we went upstairs to where Joseph was shot, and the Spirit was there so strong. I know I am a bit biased since I have grown up LDS (Mormon), but I will never understand why people could have so much hate for a man that taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. How could people have so much hate that they felt the need to murder him. It is truly baffling. What I do know for sure is that I am extremely grateful for him, and for the early Saints.

Once the tour was over I went outside and Ellie and mom were there. We took some pictures, loaded up in the car, and drove 200 miles to Freeport. The drive home wasn’t too bad. The only downer was when Mom told me to ignore the GPS and we took a turn that made us go 25 miles out of our way. However, the GPS ended up re-routing us through the middle of nowhere (i.e. Northern Illinois farmland) and we bypassed virtually every little town until just before Freeport, so we didn’t lose that much time in the long run. I was hoping to see a deer, but we didn’t. On the Brightside, we did experience some thunder and lightning and that was nice.

We got into Freeport, filled the car up with gas, washed the car, and grabbed some dinner. As we were driving from Freeport to Hank’s, the rains came. It was a great heavy rain, complete with more thunder and lightning. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long, and by the time we were pulling into the house, the rain had all but ended.

Once we were home, we ate dinner, packed for tomorrow’s flight, and spent an hour looking for the keys to the Denali we had been driving all week. In case you were wondering they were under the little chair in the living room.

All in all it was a great day, even if it was another long day. We were out and about for about 12 hours, we drove 383 miles, saw 1 temple, had 1 really good thunderstorm, lost 1 car key, and found 1 car key. It’s too bad tomorrow is our last day, but at the same time I am ready to start the next chapter of my life.

Too much driving...

So I am finishing up today after getting about 4-1/2 hours of sleep yesterday. I didn't go to bed until 2:00 and I woke-up around 6:30. I can't believe I am still functioning. Anyway... here's today's recap.

After waking-up, we all got ready for the day, and then it was off to temple 48 - St. Paul, Minnesota. Ellie was in a fine mood, and then something upset her while we were there. I am still unsure as to what happened, but it was kind of funny looking back on it. She was fine getting pictures by herself and with me, but she lost it when I tried to take pictures of her and grandma. Once we got those pictures, it was the beginning of a very long day.

Last night, Mom and I decided to add an extra 45 minutes to the day's trip and go to South Dakota. That way Ellie and I would have one less state to visit. So we drove straight south from St. Paul, almost to the Minnesota-Iowa border and then we hung a right and went straight west for awhile, before getting into South Dakota. Minnesota was nothing special to look at. It was a lot of corn and soybeans, and that was about it. Well, there was that and a ton of windmills. South Dakota wasn't much different, except for the fact that the speed limit is 75 mph!

Anyway we had lunch in Sioux Falls, and then drove another couple hours to Omaha, Nebraska - home of Winter Quarters. We took a bunch of pictures and walked around the temple grounds. I was a little bummed because the grounds were closed. I know that temples are closed on Mondays, but I thought this one would be open because it has the visitors center. Then we noticed that the gates didn't have locks. So we opened them and were able to get some pictures inside the gates.

Before leaving, we went inside the visitors center at Winter Quarters. Other than the sister missionaries there, it was empty. So we took the tour, and for most of the time I was trying to keep Ellie under control. By this time she was pretty wound up, and with good reason - we had been on the road for quite awhile by the time we got to Omaha. She enjoyed dressing up like a pioneer, playing with the toy wagons, and pressing the buttons that turned display lights on. After doing that, we spent some time at a park, and then we drove to Iowa City, with a stop in Des Moines for dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Once we got to the hotel in Iowa City, I went running while doing some laundry at a local laundromat. We have a car-seat cover that had to be cleaned today. Ellie loves Dora, and gets so involved in the movie she is watching that she forgets to do other things. Anyway, today was a little bit of a tough day for Ellie, but we managed to get through it.

Today's stats - 716 miles, 3 states, 2 temples, 14 hours of traveling, which equals 1 long day of travel. Tomorrow we go to Nauvoo and then back to Freeport. I can't wait.

Was this a smart idea?

So we are spending the night in St. Paul, Minnesota, and I wonder was this a smart decision? But before I get there, let's go over what got us to this point. This morning, Mom, Ellie and I went to church at the Freeport Ward - aka Mom's Old Stomping Grounds. We stayed for sacrament meeting only, and the Ellie and I hung around while Mom talked to several of the old members who are still around from when she was a kid.

Then it was off to Rockford, where we had lunch with Hank and Linda at this Indian place. The food was pretty good, but I was dying for Chicken Tikka Masala and they didn't have any in their buffet. However they had lots of naan, so that almost made up for it. After lunch I went with Linda, because she had to get some stuff for dinner. Before we did that, we had to stop at Starbucks for a cold beverage. We went to the grocery store and got stuff for dinner. As we were leaving the grocery store, Linda told me to get in the driver's seat and drive the Corvette home. It was a lot of fun, but I was pretty timid and Linda made sure to make fun of me for it.

Once we got back to the cabin, my cousin Timmy and his 5 kids were already there hanging out with Mom and Ellie. Apparently my arriving home was the signal to start the 4 wheeling. So I took Ellie out for about 45 minutes and had a blast. I don't know what Ellie thought, because somehow she fell asleep while we were driving around. Seriously, how does a person fall asleep to the sound of a 4 wheeler? Once she did that, I took her back to the cabin, and then I rode around for awhile. For the last little while I road in the dune buggy and got really muddy.

When dinner was ready, we all came in and ate. Beth and her family were there as well, so it was nice that I could get a picture of her boys. Anyway, we all hung out for awhile, and then we cleaned up and I finished packing for our 2 day trip. Everyone left, we took pictures, said our goodbyes and then it was off to St. Paul.

The drive to St. Paul to was nice, but it took a bit longer than I expected. This resulted in us getting in around 1:00 in the morning, but I was expecting to get in around 12:15. Having said that, the drive was nice. Mom and I talked for awhile, played the alphabet game, and just had a nice time. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as nice. Speaking of tomorrow, it is a little daunting. We are going to drive 650-700 miles. It depends on whether or not we drive through South Dakota. We will see 2 temples though, so that will be nice. It will be interesting to see how the three of us are doing at the end of tomorrow.

Today's stats - 4-1/2 hours of driving, 2 states, 311 miles and 1 really late check-in.

Hovering aircraft

Well we have come to the last weekend of our 3-week adventure. This morning I woke-up around 8:30 and was out the door by 9:00 for a run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go, but I decided to do my 16 mile run. So I got on the jogging trail and ran to the Illinois-Wisconsin border. I had to stop and walk a couple times, but despite that I was still able to run at a 8:20 pace. It was a beautiful day for a run, and I really enjoyed it. Once I got back I went over to Hank's as Mom and Ellie were over there visiting Linda, and a couple of their grandkids - Delaney and James-Patrick. I took them out on Hank and Linda's mule (4-wheeler, not animal) and then I did some 4-wheeling myself. We grabbed some lunch and then Mom, Ellie, Hank, Linda and myself headed off to the Rockford Air Show.

The air show was pretty cool. We missed the first half, but I was okay with that. I have been to a couple before and they are so long. The best part of the air show was seeing the Ospry fly vertically and backwards. Although it was pretty cool to see the F-22 Osprey. That thing can do just about anything it wants. Unfortunately they had to cut their flight short, because something broke. So we went home. Once we got back to the house I took Ellie 4-wheeling and we were able to see 5 deer running around Hank's property. Then it was back to the house where we watched the NASCAR race. Ellie fell asleep while that was going on, so once the race was over, I brought her back to the house where I did some laundry while Ellie slept and Mom stayed over at Hank and Linda's to watch some movie with Linda.

Tomorrow we are going to have dinner with Hank, Linda, my cousin Tim and his kids, before heading off to Minneapolis for the night. It should be fun!

Going back to work

Today was back to work day for me. By back to work I mean the day I got to hang out with Hank. I woke-up, got ready and spent most of the day with Hank while Ellie hung out with Mom, Linda and James-Patrick and Delaney. My first stop with Hank was to his company Millers, where I got to sit in on a production meeting and then he took me on a tour of the place. Then it was off to a small town called Rock Falls, where one of his other companies - Loescher's just opened a 2nd office. In Rock Falls, we went out to lunch with Sean, before heading over to the middle of nowhere to look at a car he is having restored. If I am remembering correctly it is a 1940 Ford. There is a lot of work left to be done on this thing. So far about the only thing that has been done is to cut 2 inches of the top off. I am sure it will look good, but I maybe 40 by the time it is done, since the guy they are having work on it, is slower than mud.

Then it was back to Freeport. On the way back home it started to run, and so Hank didn't want to just go home and hang out in the house, so he took me on a tour of the other side of Freeport. Then we got home, and got decided to bring the the kids over to the cabin, because all of the toys are here. We made mac and cheese for the kids, and we went and got carry-out from some Italian place. After dinner and a couple games of euchre, Hank and Linda left with the kids. Now it is time for bed.

Jumping by herself...

So today was a very relaxing day. Last night I fell asleep in the chair I was watching the movie in, and around 6:00 I woke-up to Ellie calling me. So I went upstairs and she was laying on the floor waiting for me to come upstairs. I took her back to the bed she is sleeping in, and we slept for another couple of hours. We woke-up, ate some breakfast and couldn't do a whole lot because it was raining outside. So I didn't think I was going to get to go golfing. However I did go ride the 4 wheeler for a little while, and then I went and rode Hank's new dirt bike for a few minutes. This was my first time on a motorcycle and I am sure it showed. I manged to fall twice. I would love to blame the wet conditions, but I think it was user error more than anything. It was fun, but I am definitely more comfortable on the 4-wheeler.

After I had my fun doing that, I hung out for awhile. Around 10:30, Mom, Ellie and I drove into town, so we could some stuff at the store. While we were out, Mom got a text saying I was going golfing at noon. So we finished up our shopping and Mom took me to Beth and Sean's house. While I was golfing, Mom and Ellie went back to Linda's house to go swimming with my cousin Angie and her kids.

I went golfing and had a terrible round. However, I also had a lot of fun. Sean hadn't been golfing in a couple years, but it didn't show. He even holed one out of the bunker on the 2nd hole, so he knew it was going to be a good day. Ryan on the other hand looked like he wanted to be doing anything but be golfing. Apparently this is only his 3rd or 4th time golfing and it frustrates him because he is very good at every other sport he plays, but he hasn't figured out golf yet. Like I said though, this is only his 3rd or 4th time going.

When I got back from golfing, I went over to Linda's and went swimming with Ellie and the rest of the kids. I think I can officially say Ellie is no longer scared of the water. She wouldn't hesitate to jump to me. Then she made the bold move of jumping in when I wasn't in the water. I was standing right behind her, talking to my Mom, when I noticed Ellie standing on the edge, staring at the water. Then all of the sudden she just jumped in. A couple seconds later, she floated back to the top, and I pulled her out. I think she was a little surprised, but she kept swimming. She jumped in on her own again, but I was ready for her this time. We swam for awhle, and then I took her and Brett out on the 4-wheeler. I also rode the dirtbike for a little while which was fun.

Hank came home from work, and we all went out to dinner at this Mexican place. I was a little bit skeptical but the chile verde was really good. Ellie ate most of her quesadilla, refried beans and rice. So we had a nice dinner with everyone. Now we are at home watching the Little League World Series and just relaxing. I am probably going to bed in the next few minutes, because I am really tired, and I am going to hang out with Hank and Sean all day tommorrow. I am also contemplating on going running tomorrow morning before I go out with Hank. So we shall see how that all works out.

One other thing... my Mom and I are obviously of the same mold, as we are probably going to be driving from Freeport to St. Paul on Sunday night. On Monday morning we will go see the St. Paul temple, before driving down to Omaha to see the Winter Quarters Temple. Then we will drive to Iowa City to spend the night, before waking up to drive to Nauvoo, where we will spend most of the day, before driving back to Freeport on Tuesday night. This will put Ellie at 50 temples, and to think I was hoping to get to half that many by the end of the year. Anyway... I am done for tonight.

Name that tune

So today was our first full day in Illinois. I woke-up around 8:30 and went for a 7 mile run. I am really lucky, because their is a jogging/bike trail that runs along a creek right next to where we are staying. It goes about 7 miles north of here to the Wisconsin border. I am thinking later in the week I will run to the border, because I am supposed to get a 16 mile run in for my marathon training. I was supposed to do it last Saturday but that didn't happen, so I am hoping to get it done on Friday. We shall see...

After I got back from my run, I went 4-wheeling for a little while and then I took Ellie outside to look at the 4-wheeler. I asked Ellie if she wanted to ride it, and to my surprise she said yes. So I put a helmet on her and we rode around the yard for a few minutes. She absolutely loved it. Then while Ellie played my mom and I decided to start playing name that tune, with our computers. We would take turns playing a song from our individual Itunes, and see if the other one could name it. It sounds completely lame. but we had a lot of fun with it.

The afternoon was spent over at Hank and Linda's. While we were waiting for Hank to get home from work, we played cards with Linda. More specifically we played euchre, which I haven't played in years, but it was a lot of fun. Right before Hank got home, Sean and Beth brought over Colton and Brett. Then Hank came home and we all went out and wandered around out back. Hank showed Mom and I all over his house, the kids fed the fish in the coy pond, and then we decided it was dinner time. We decided on pizza, and Hank and I were nominated to go get the pizza, while Mom and Linda entertained the 3 kids. While we were waiting for the pizza to be ready, Hank took me on his tour of Freeport and where he grew up. Apparently he does this with everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I think Freeport is a nice, small town. Even though I have lived in cities for my whole life, I really think I could live in a small town. What I like about Freeport is that it is small, and has these nice, old neighborhoods that aren't cookie cutter, but it is 90 minutes away from the big city of Chicago.

Anyway, after we had dinner, we came back to the cabin, and have started watching The Bourne Identity. The plan for tomorrow is more relaxing and I may get to go golfing with Sean and Ryan. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

This day started way too early...

We are in Illinois! Today was a great day. At least it was as great of a day that you can have if you have to wake-up at 4:45 in the morning. I am not going to lie the night was rough. Ellie wouldn't go to sleep, and both of us were quite restless while we were trying to sleep, so I am not sure how much sleep either of us got. Anyway we woke-up at 4:45, got ready for the day, and then jumped into the shuttle to go to the airport. We waited at the gate for about an hour, and then we got onto the plane. Unfortunately it was a full flight so we weren't able to get any extra room. However, Ellie fell asleep right away, and so Mom and I were able to shoot the breeze for the 2-1/2 hours we were in the air.

Once we landed, we waited for a little while for my Aunt Linda to pick us up. As always she was fashionably late, but that was fine. We weren't in a big rush. She picked us up, and within 90 seconds she was pulled over for speeding by a cop. She was doing 62 in a 45, and got nailed in this speed trap. There were 3 other cars that were pulled over about the same time. Somehow she managed to get out of the ticket, and we were on our way. Even though Linda isn't a member she wanted to take us by the Chicago temple, so we went there and got plenty of pictures with Mom, Ellie and me. The Chicago temple looks like the Boise temple, but I think it is prettier. I was also able to get better pictures at the Chicago temple, which was nice. I am still trying to figure out this photography thing. Once we were done at the temple, it was off to Rockford for lunch with Hank and James-Neil.

We went to a nice Thai place for dinner where I had some good red curry. Unfortunately I told them too much spice, and so I didn't enjoy it as much as I think I would have. This the second time in a row I have been to a Thai restaurant and I have had them make it too spicy. Hopefully I will be able to do better the next time. After lunch, we went to the grocery store, and Ellie had a blast using the little kids cart. This is the first time she has wanted to use one, and she had a lot of fun. She also tipped the thing over, which wasn't that funny at the time, but now as I think about it I wish I would have taken a picture. She felt so bad. Once the grocery shopping was done, it was off to Hank and Linda's cabin where we will be staying for the week. Mom and Ellie played around for a little while, and while they were doing that, I took the 4-wheeler out for a spin. It has been like 16 years since I have been on, which was the last time I was here, but I had a blast. They have made a bunch of trails out here, and so there are lots of places to ride. I am sure I will be doing more of this throughout the course of the week.

After that, it was time to take Ellie over to my cousin Beth's house. Beth was going to be watching Ellie while Hank & Linda, James-Neil & Donna, Mom and I went to a concert in Rockford. Beth has 3 boys at home, and almost immediately Ellie was having a blast playing with her two youngest - Colton, and Brett. We left to the sounds of Ellie giggling in delight while Colton rolled down the grassy hill by his house. I was pretty sure she was going to have a blast. As for the rest of us, the concert was a lot of fun. This was only the 2nd concert I have ever been to, and it was great. Hank got us front row tickets, and the performances were great. I didn't realize all of the songs that Heart sang. Journey was as good, and I was amazed at how much their new lead singer sounds like Steve Perry. Anyway, like I said, I had a blast and hope to go to another concert in the near future. Although I hope that one day my ears will stop ringing. as it was quite loud.

On the way home, Hank and I both mentioned we were hungry, so we decided to stop a local tavern for a burger. So we did, and while we were there we texted Beth about Ellie. She had already sent us a picture of a sleeping Ellie, and so we asked if she could spend the night, since it was after midnight and we didn't want to wake her up. Beth said yes, and we will pick her sometime tomorrow morning. That about sums up our day. Tomorrow should be a pretty chill day, as we have no plans. I am sure I will go running and do some 4-wheeling, but other than that, I have no idea what lies in store. Maybe a good thunderstorm.

A Vist to Scottys

So Ellie, Mom and I are settling in for our night before waking up at 5:00 in the morning to get to the airport for our 7:00 flight. We made the decision last week to stay in a hotel instead of going all the way to Orem, so we wouldn’t have to wake-up at 3:30 in the morning.

Today was an okay day. For some reason Ellie had a tough day for whatever reason, and she has spent quite a bit of time in time-out. Maybe she got too much sleep last night. Anyway… the day started with me going for a 7 mile run while Ellie wsa still sleeping. Then I came back, finished packing and Ellie and I went out for the rest of the morning with Grandpa.

The first stop of the day was Scotty’s. Scotty’s is the best place in Idaho Falls to get a burger As I told my grandpa, the place isn’t much to look at, but they make pretty good food. So we had burgers and fries, and I got a fresh raspberry shake that was heavenly. Then it was off to the Idaho Falls Zoo.

Not surprisingly the Idaho Falls zoo is quite small. It took us about 90 minutes to walk around it. We saw some monkeys, lions, flamingos and an alligator among other things. Our souvieniers consisted of a few postcards, and that is off to the final stop of the afternoon… the river.

We went to the Snake River just across from the temple, so Ellie and I could feed the ducks, geese and all the other birds that were there. We didn’t have any bread, but Grandpa had a ton of Sun Chips, so we fed the birds sun chips. Ellie liked feeding the birds but at the same time she didn’t like it when they got too close. At one point a goose got in between Ellie and me. Ellie was not happy to say the least. After spending about 15 minutes feeding the geese, we got in the van with Grandpa and went back to his house.

Once we got back to the house, we ate an early dinner, talked for awhile, and Ellie sang songs to Grandma and Grandpa. I was hoping my aunt Eva was going to be able to come over, but she wasn’t feeling well. So we stopped at her house on the way out . Before we did that, I got some pictures of Ellie with Grandma and Grandpa.

Then it was off to Salt Lake for our night at the hotel. The drive was pretty uneventful. However we drove through Preston, home of Napolean Dynamite, on our way to Logan. I wanted to get a better picture of Ellie and the temple since it was raining the last time we went. Thankfully we pulled in at just the right time. They were closing the gates for the evening, but they let us in for a couple minutes to get some pictures. Then it was off to the hotel, where we met Grandma Debbi.

It was great to see my grandparents. I enjoyed the time Ellie and I were able to spend there. The highlight of the stay may have been the 2 hour conversation I had with my grandma last night. We started talking about our pioneer ancestors, and it just went from there. I have never doing something like that with my grandma, but it was really nice to spend that kind of time with her last night. I am so lucky I have the most wonderful grandmother in the world. Grandpa isn’t too bad himself.

So there you have it. Tomorrow we are off to Illinois. Today’s stats – 250 miles 3 hours driving, 1 pizza eaten, 1 zoo, 1 upset goose and lots of time in time-out for Ellie. Hopefully she does better on the plane tomorrow. I am sure she will.

Square Ice Cream Cones

So today has been a really nice day. I had planned on waking up around 6:00 and going for an easy 16 mile run. However when my alarm went off, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity I had to sleep in. So Ellie and I slept in until just after 9:00. We got ready for church, and then ate some breakfast before heading off to church. While we were eating breakfast I was talking to Grandma about the two things I wanted to do before we left - go to the Rexburg temple and get a square ice cream cone in Swan Valley. Grandma let me know that she could only go to Swan Valley today, so we made the decision to go to Swan Valley today after church.

Church was nice. The talks were all on the temples. It was a continuation of the talks I heard last week, and the testimonies that were born the week before that. Ellie on the other hand was a handful to say the least. However, we managed to get through sacrament meeting without too much fanfare. After that it was back to the grandparents house, where we all changed our clothes, ate some lunch and then we piled back into my grandparents mini-van. First stop, the Rexburg temple.


Grandpa for whatever reason doesn't think the Rexburg temple is particularly nice, but I really like it. I think it is similar to Twin Falls, but there is a lot more stained glass work, which isn't my favorite thing. However the center portion of the stained glass has an image of wheat, as a tribute to the wheat industry in the area, which I thought was neat. Anyway, Ellie, Grandma and I wandered around the grounds and took a bunch of pictures. Grandpa was a stick in the mud and sat in the car for the entire 20 minutes we were there. Hopefully he got high score on his Yahtzee game. :)

After that, we were off to Swan Valley. While we were driving, Grandma told us if we wanted to drive a little longer we could drive to Jackson, Wyoming. I figured it was better to enjoy a nice drive with my grandparents, than watch Tiger choke in the PGA Championship today, so I agreed. The drive to Jackson took about an hour, and it was beautiful. I am not sure I have ever been to Jackson, but it is beautiful. The drive over the Teton Pass was incredible. The only bad thing, was it was cloudy, and so we didn't get any good views of the mountain peaks, but the valley Jackson is in, was beautiful. Ellie slept most of the way to Jackson, so I was unable to get any pictures of her in Jackson, but she has been to another state!


We stopped in Jackson for a quick bathroom break, and to get some pictures. Then it was another 50 miles to Swan Valley. Instead of taking the faster way, we took the back way,which follows the Snake River around the hills. On the way into Swan Valley, we drove by the Palisades Reservoir, where Grandma and Grandpa used to bring me when I was a kid. I even recognized the spot we always camped out, which was kind of neat. We eventually made it to Swan Valley, where we stopped at the local store for their world-famous ice cream cones that are square-shaped. The cones aren't square shaped, but the ice cream scoops are. The ice cream isn't anything special, in fact it leaves something to be desired as it is grainy, but I don't know of another place in the world where you can get square ice cream cones. I got a double scoop - Chocolate and Cookie Dough. Ellie got a scoop of chocolate. I think she can now say she has officially been to Southeastern Idaho.

After that, we drove home, Grandma made a great dinner of steak and homemade fries with fresh tomatoes. I am loving the fresh tomatoes. Now we are getting ready to enjoy the rest of our evening.

Today's stats - 1 state, 1 temple, 4 hour drive, 210 miles and square ice cream cones for everyone!

Back to a Place Near and Dear to My Heart...

So I have learned that I will only wireless Internet access for 1 or 2 days over the next two weeks. That sucks because I won't be able to upload pictures from my camera to this thing or facebook. I will also be hard pressed to upload any videos (Sorry Kim). However, for the next couple of days I will be able to update the blog, even though there won't be any pictures. I am hoping to upload the pictures Monday night when I am spending the night in a hotel. This will only happen if they have wireless Internet. So everyone keep their fingers crossed.

Today started out with us waking up crazy early at Vickie and Dan's. I actually woke-up at 5:30 in the morning, only to notice that Ellie was not in bed next to me. Talk about a sheer moment of panic. I soon realized she had either fallen out of, or had gotten out of bed and was sleeping next to the bed. So I went from sheer panic to utter relief in about 30 seconds.

Once we woke-up, I packed the car, and then Ellie woke-up. I was hoping this wouldn't happen so she would sleep most of the way to Boise. However, she didn't. So we stayed for a few minutes so we could get some breakfast. All Ellie wanted was some baby tomatoes from Vickie's garden for breakfast. Vickie picked and washed a bunch of tomatoes, put them in a tupperware for us, and then we hit the road.

We took about 4 hours to get to Boise. About halfway there, the scenery changed from this arid emptiness to beautiful forest. The best part of getting out of Oregon, and into Idaho was the fact that the speed limit changed from 65 to 75. This meant I went from 71 to 82!

Once we got to Boise, we stopped at the temple which is right off of the freeway, and took our pictures. Boise is prettier than any pictures I have seen of it, but it isn't anywhere near my top 10 of prettiest temples. I also learned it is difficult to get a good picture of that temple. Honestly I was not happy with any of the pictures we got from there, but I felt like my hands were tied. I bet if Dad were there he would have figured something out.

Anyway... we left the temple and ran over to Idaho's largest mall for lunch and some shopping. The shopping consisted of me getting a pair of pants and a shirt for church. I brought a pair, but I left them in Portland at the dry cleaner. I had been unable to pick them up Thursday, so I am hoping my mom will be able to, and bring them back. Even if she doesn't I will have clothes to wear for the next couple Sundays. Once that was all done, it was off to Twin Falls, which was about 90 minutes away.

The Twin Falls temple is gorgeous. We were able to get some good pictures and it was a beautiful day, so that was great. The only bad thing was that it was a very windy day in Idaho, so Ellie and I don't have the greatest hair in the world, but I don't know that I have ever had great hair. After that it was off to Iona!

It took us about 2 hours to get to Iona, and since it was such a beautiful day, I decided to stop by the Idaho Falls temple and get some pictures. We had to go about 0.27 miles out of our way to stop there, so I thought it would be worth it. Unlike Boise, I think Idaho Falls is one of my favorite temples. Granted my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all sealed there, so I am a little biased, but I think it quite beautiful.

After that, we drove into Iona, had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, and I visited with my grandparents for the rest of the evening. It has been nearly 8 years since I have last been here, which is at least 7 years to long. This part of Idaho isn't necessarily anything special to look at. However, the great thing is this is where half of my family is from. Just thinking about coming here, and then being here has brought back so many wonderful memories (Ben running around the house barefoot in the snow, playing at the Dennings, the Christmas parties, going to Great-Grandma's house, the trips to Palisades). I am so grateful that I can bring Ellie here to a place that is so special to me. Hopefully one day, she will be able to come back and experience things that she will remember for the rest of her life.

So there you have it. Ellie's first night in Iona. Tomorrow is church and the Rexburg temple. Monday is Swan Valley and square ice cream cones! Today's stats 604 miles, 9 hours, 3 temples, 2 grandparents, 1 new state and the start of a fun weekend.

On the Road Again...

So Ellie and I are at the end of Day 1 of 2 of a lot of driving. Today we woke-up at 6:30 in the morning and were on the road by 6:45. The itinerary was pretty simple - Richland, Spokane, Richland. Originally the plan was to go to Seattle, Spokane, Richland, but I decided against that earlier in the week.

Anyway it took us just over 3 hours to get to Richland the first time. Driving along Interstate 80 was really nice. The Columbia River is amazing and the scenery is incredible... until you get through the Columbia River Gorge. Once you get on the other side of the gorge, it seems as if you go from a beautiful forest to a desolate desert. I agree with my friend Megan Haslam, who calls Eastern Washington/Oregon "Ugly Washington." I accept her opinion as she is originally from this part of the world. Although after thinking about it, I would like to think of it as different and not ugly.

Getting back to our drive, we show up in Richland, grab some breakfast at a Starbucks and wander around the temple grounds. This temple isn't called the Richland Temple, or even the Tri-Cities Temple, but the Columbia River temple. I was excited when I saw it and realized that it doesn't look like most of the other new temples. It is similar but it is definitely distinct. The grounds were fairly large, and they had a beautiful water feature on one side where we were able to get some pretty good pictures. I was also very happy to see the parking lot packed on a Friday morning. These buildings are incredibly important, and so it is nice to see them being utilized. If only I could say the same thing about the Los Angeles Temple, but alas that is another story for another day.

After the photo shoot was complete, it was back in the car for the hour and forty-five minute drive to Spokane. The drive went by quickly, and Ellie fell asleep almost immediately. She slept for nearly the entire time. The drive up to Spokane was great. About halfway up there, the scenery completely changed. It went from the ugly desert to the beautiful pine forest near Spokane. I couldn't believe how quickly changed. It was rather surprising. Anyway, we got to the Spokane Temple and it was packed, just like the Columbia River Temple. Unfortunately the Spokane Temple, looks just like the Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, and Fresno Temples, among others. We took a bunch of pictures and then it was off to our "University of the Day," lunch and then back to Richland.

Our university of the day was Gonzaga University. We got there, bought a couple t-shirts, took a couple pictures in the heavy wind that Spokane was experiencing today. I was actually a little surprised at the campus. I was expecting overwhelming beautiful like the University of San Diego and Duke University. It wasn't ugly or anything like that, but it wasn't amazingly beautiful like the other two. However, there is a gorgeous chapel on campus that we took some pictures of. You can't tell, but Ellie is wearing a Gonzaga t-shirt in the picture. That may be a tough pill to swallow for the Pace Clan, as Gonzaga is the mortal enemy of the University of San Diego basketball team. :)

Anyway once the pictures were taken, we grabbed a lunch of a quesadilla and black beans, which was Ellie's lunch request, and drove the hour forty-five back to Richland to Vickie and Dan's house.

We got to Vickie's and visited with them for awhile, trying to catch up. This wasn't the easiest thing to do, as it may have been 20 years since I last saw Vickie, but I am not really sure. The last time I remember seeing her is in 1989. Anyway, we visited, then they took Ellie and I out to dinner, and we saw some ducks on the Columbia River. Now Vickie is chasing Ellie all over the place, and reading books to Ellie, while I get my blog caught up. :) I am such a good father.


Today's stats of the day - 550 miles driving, 2 temples, 1 university, and 2 visits to Richland, and 1 attempt at herding geese and ducks. :)

Elephant Ears and Llamas

Today was another lazy day, but it started out crazy early. Ben and I went golfing with 3 of Kristi's cousins. That was great. Unfortunately we had to get up just after 5:00 since we had a 6:00 tee time. That wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but we had played basketball the night before, and then played PS3 until 1:00ish in the morning. However, I shot my best round ever - 86, including driving a par 4 in one. So it was all good.

Anyway I get home, and Ellie, Nicole and I decide to go get doughnuts. We went to this great place in Vancouver called Dot Doughnuts. They have amazing flavors like coconut cream, smores and passion fruit. So we brought the doughnuts back to everyone and we all partook.

After that, Mom played with all the kids for awhile, before I put Ellie down for a nap. While she was napping, I went for a run, which was great fun. I ran on the jogging path next to Lake Vancouver. When I got back, Ben was home, and we got all the kids ready and we went to the Clark County Fair.

As we were rolling into the fair, the rains came. So I was worried we were going to get there, only to have to run around and go home. Thankfully about the time we parked, the rain essentially stopped and we were able to go to the fair.

You can't go to the fair without having some good, old-fashioned fair food. So we got Elephant Ears and corn dogs. I wasn't feeling like eating too much fried food, so I only ate a little bit of an Elephant Ear (fried bread dough with sugar, cinnamon, and butter). Ellie loved them. Of course who wouldn't love something like that?

Once that mission was completed, it was time for the rides. The first ride was a roller coaster for Nicole, Mom and Tyler. Ellie didn't want to go, because she doesn't like roller coasters. For some reason she thought I was going to force her to go on it, so she had a mini-meltdown, but we worked through that, and we were able to get Ellie onto her first ride - the swings. She rode with Nicole and absolutely loved it. After that she was ready to ride in the cars. This time she rode with Tyler and had an absolute blast as well. So it made for a great time.

Since we had just spent $25 for those rides, we decided that was enough money spent on the rides, so we wandered around and saw the show animals. The kids got a kick out seeing the cows, llamas, and goats (they aren't sheep). Then it was almost bedtime, so we went back home and got the kids ready for bed. I packed everything up to get ready for the drive to Richland and Idaho Falls. The night was ended up by watching Anchorman and playing PS3 with Ben.

This week so far has been a lot of fun, but unfortunately it went by way too fast... but doesn't it always. I wish we lived closer to Ben and his family, but it dawned on me I have seen him 5 times in the past 15 or 16 months, so it isn't too bad, and we will see each other next month for Cody's wedding.

So there you go. Today's stats - 550 miles, 1 dozen gourmet doughnuts, 1 amazing golf round, 1 trip to the fair, and 0 sheep.

A Lazy Day...

Today was pretty chill. I woke-up, got dressed and took the 3 kids to go get Grandma Debbi from the airport. Ellie still wasn't quite to being her normal self, so she was a little bit of a grump. However that all changed once Grandma got into the car.

Unfortunately the bug that Ellie had is making its rounds around the Davis household. Tori got sick last night, and Nicole got sick today. I think I have the same thing, as I have had an upset stomach most of the day, but thankfully I have not had to throw up. I am going on 17 years, 6 months and 7 days since the last time I threw up. Anyway... I mention this because I took it easy today, while Ellie was feeling better.

Since I wasn't feeling up to a whole lot, I relaxed on the couch, and Mom took the 3 oldest grandkids for a walk to the park and Target. I watched the US lose to Mexico in soccer. (Why do we choke? Mexico is terrible these days.) Then I took a nap with Ellie, before waking up and making dinner - chicken picatta. Its an old favorite that is easy to make. Ever since eating dinner I feel better, so that is a bonus. Plus Ellie is nearly back to her very energetic, lovable self. While is a wonderful thing.

Anyway I played Wii for a little while with Mom, Ben and Tyler, while Ellie played with Nicole. Now she is down for bed, and I am actually going to play basketball with Ben tonight, before waking-up at some insane time to go golfing at 6:00 in the morning tomorrow.

Unfortunately there are no pictures for today, but there will be tomorrow as we are going to the County Fair!

Roping Cattle

Today was a pretty nice day. Of course I am exhausted, but what can you expect when I went to bed at 3:30 in the morning. It didn't help things that Ellie woke-up around 5:30 to go the bathroom or decided to wake-up at 7:30 in the morning, but she was feeling better and that was the important thing.

Around 9:00 this morning I asked Ellie wanted she wanted to do. She told me she wanted to go see a temple. I suggested Portland and she told me that she had already seen that one. The next closest one is the Seattle temple, which is about 170 miles away. I told her we could go, but we would have to drive for awhile. She told me that she wanted to go. So I told Kristi I would take her two oldest for the day. Kristi told me that would be great, but that the kids had a Primary activity in an hour.

So I got Ellie ready and we went over to the activity with Kristi and the kids. They had set-up a carnival type thing with a bunch of different activities for the kids. Plus the kids were able to play on the playground since it was at the park. Ellie only tried one thing - the bull lasso. Someone had made a sawhorse and put a bulls head on it. The object was to try and lasso it. Ellie tried it once, and that was more than enough for her. Then it was off to the playground for the next 30 minutes or so.


We got back from the park, and ate lunch. Kristi made some pizza dough and then fried it up, and seasoned it. I thought it was quite lovely. Anyway, I asked Ellie what she wanted to do, and she told me she wanted to go for a ride to the temple with Nicole. Nicole said she wanted to go, and we asked Tyler but he said no.

I loaded the two girls up and we drove to the Seattle. Ellie fell asleep almost immediately, so Nicole watched Monsters Inc. and we drove a little over 2 hours to the temple. Just before we got there, Ellie woke-up and struck up a conversation with Nicole about Monsters Inc. She explained that Sully and Mike are nice monsters and that Randall is a mean monster. Anyway, we got to the temple and spent about half an hour walking around and getting pictures. It was a little strange, since they were doing some sort of construction on the temple while it was open. Ellie and Nicole were really cute as they walked almost everywhere holding hands.

After that, we got into the car and drove back home. It took us a little longer to get home than it took us to get there. Traffic was a little heavier, plus Ellie threw up right after we left. I think it was because she drank a huge cup of Gatorade right after we left the temple, and her stomach wasn't ready to handle that. She was fine the rest of the drive home, and has been for the rest of the night.

The last thing happened was Family Home Evening. Kristi gave a great lesson on the song "I am a Child of God." Then she helped the kids make mobiles talking about Heavenly Father and families. Since I believe this was one of Ellie's first Family Home Evenings, she wasn't all that into it. She was more into playing with the toys. However she eventually came around and fun using scissors for the first time while cutting things out for the mobile.

And that in a nutshell is my day. Ellie is in bed and I am watching Anchorman with Ben & Kristi, and I am sure there is some NCAA 10 in my future tonight as well. Tomorrow my mom shows up and I will be picking her up with Ellie and Nicole. Then tomorrow night I get to play hoops with Ben. Other than that, there isn't a lot on the schedule.

Today's stats... 360 miles, 1 almost better child, and 1 temple. Fun times...

Ducks, Beavers and a Sick Child...

Ellie and I decided to wake-up at the break of dawn today. Okay, I am the one that decided it, and Ellie went along with it. For the most part she along with it willingly. :) Anyway we quickly got ready, grabbed some of the complimentary breakfast from the hotel, and headed out of the door to drive to the Medford Temple.

The 2 mile drive was surprisingly uneventful. We got out and wandered around the temple for awhile and took a bunch of pictures. As you can tell it was quite bright, since the sun was still very low in the horizon. The Medford Temple looks like most of the other temples we have seen recently, but there will only be 1 or 2 other temples we see on this trip that look this way. Anyway, the grounds were very pretty and seemed to be quite large for a temple of this size.

After our little detour there, we started the approximately 300 mile drive to Vancouver. The plan was to make 3 stops on the way. The first stop was going to be halfway to Eugene to get gas and for a potty break, the 2nd was at the University of Oregon, and the final stop was Oregon State University. So off we went. 70 miles later we stopped at a gas station in the lovely town of Roseburg, Oregon. In case you don't know Oregon is one of those states where it is illegal to pump your own gas. So Ellie and I ran inside and used the potty while the gas was filling up. Since the guy who pumped my gas had also washed my very dirty windshield I felt obligated to tip him. Although I am not sure it really warranted it. The big question is how much do you a tip a guy who pumps your gas and washes your windshield? A dollar, two dollars, ten dollars? I personally think it somewhere around 50 cents, but I caved and gave him 2 bucks. Although I must say that my windshield hasn't look so good in a long time.

We only had 70 miles to Eugene and it would have gone by really quick, except for the fact that the Oregon hippie lawmakers have made a law that says all people in Oregon must drive slowly so they can take in all that is in our great state. By this I mean the speed limit is 65 mph. Now I don't have a problem with a 65 mph speed limit... if you are in a city, but when you are in between Roseburg and Eugene, there is nothing there except a bunch of trees. So what would be the harm in upping the limit to 70? Seriously?


Anyway we made it to Eugene, wandered around campus, grabbed a couple souvenirs and then we said our farewells. I have been to Eugene twice now, and I don't think I will ever go back unless it is for the USA Track and Field Championships and/or Olympic Trials. Other than that, there isn't anything there worth seeing. However, Ellie left with a duck and so all was well.

I think Ellie was very excited about the fact that we only had a 50 mile drive to Corvallis... home of the Beavers. Corvallis definitely felt like a college town. It seemed like a small town and everything revolved around the university. The first thing I saw when driving into Corvallis was Reser Stadium, kind of like when I rolled into Columbia, South Carolina. Anyway, we ran into the bookstore, got a beaver for Ellie, and t-shirts for Tyler, Nicole and Tori, since their grandfather is a Ducks fan... Yes I am obnoxious. Anyway, we took a few pictures, grabbed Arby's for lunch and drove to Ben and Kristi's.

The drive to Portland was okay... other than the fact that the hippie lawmakers in Oregon have decided... Oh yeah, I already talked about that. Anyway, Ben was still at work, so Kristi and I hung out for awhile, and I played the Wii with Tyler, while Ellie played with Nicole. I went running, came back and ate dinner with everyone and planned on playing basketball with Ben. Then...

Ellie decided to start throwing up. Obviously by deciding, I meant she just started. She is acting like she ate something bad, but we can't think of anything she ate, that no one else ate. So right now she is laying on a towel on the family room floor. As I am sure all parents can relate, it is really hard to see your child sick and there isn't a whole lot you can do. I am hoping that this is a one night thing and that she will be back to normal tomorrow.

Today's stats... 317 miles driving, 5 hours of driving, a 4 mile run, and 1 sick child... :(

Another adventure begins

So Ellie and I are on yet another long adventure. Today we started our 19 day vacation that will take us through the Pacific Northwest and Chicago. The first 8 days will be spent traveling around California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah. The next 8 days will be spent in Illinois with my Mom and her family. The last two days will be spent driving home from Utah. Originally we were going to leave Tuesday, but since I am still unemployed and Ellie is out of school, we decided to leave today after church, and that we did.

Today was pretty uneventful. We woke up, got ready for church, I packed the car and then we went to church. We stayed for sacrament meeting and then we got some lunch, changed our clothes and drove to Medford, Oregon. We drove 667 miles and it took us about 9-1/2 hours. The second half of the drive was a lot easier than the first half. At least it felt like it was easier. I actually think Ellie would have been fine if we had driven the remaining 4 hours to Ben and Kristi's. All day long, she was talking about seeing Tyler and Nicole. I on the other hand don't think I could have made it. I am not tired or anything like that, I just don't feel like driving 1,000 miles in one day.

Anyway, we rolled into Medford, swung by the temple so Ellie could see it. We are actually going back in the morning so we can get pictures and then we checked into the hotel. Ellie proceeded to jump on the bed, and now we are getting ready to go to bed, so we can get on with tomorrow, where the plan is to go to the temple, Track Town USA, Oregon State and eventually get to Ben and Kristi's. So that's all I have for now...