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.