Christmas

So, we all went to Missouri for Christmas this year. Steve's parents recently built a home in Gallatin, MO which is very near Adam-Ondi-Aman (no idea if that's remotely close to being spelled right, but I digress).

After a through-the-night 16 hour car ride across Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, we finally made it. The kids did great - being as it was the middle of the night, they just slept the whole way. Steve and I were pretty beat, but managed to catch up (kind of) after a nap or two...or ten.

Steve's brothers Chris (and his family) and Mark were also there. The kids had a great time getting to know new uncles, aunts, and cousins. Since we didn't bring the camera (I know, shame on us) I have no pictures, so you'll have to read through the rest unillustrated.

So, Sam and Jake went with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Christ, Aunt Valerie, and cousins Noah and Charlotte to Liberty, MO. Mom and Dad stayed home with Abby and Will because we were planning to go to Nauvoo the next day. I wasn't feeling totally great and I wasn't sure the little ones would do well with a 90 minute (each way) car ride on Monday followed by a 4+ hour car ride to Nauvoo the next day.

Sam and Jake came home with lots of stories to tell about Liberty. Even as little as they are, I really think they sensed the gravity of what happened there.

Then, about 2:30 the following morning, I woke up with severe chills and 102 degree fever. Steve woke up his parents to find out how to get to the ER, and we drove to the booming metropolis of Cameron (no, it really wasn't) about 30 minutes away. It was dead as a doornail. Upon arrival, it seems that not only did I have a 102 degree fever, but also a racing heartbeat - like 145 or something. Apparently this is not normal. Only small children couple racing heart rates with high temps and most people outgrow it at age 12. Except me. They hooked up an EKG to be sure. They ran lots of tests to rule of everything else that could be causing high fever and lower back pain, only to confirm that I had a severe (raging was the Doc's word) kidney infection and was severely dehydrated. They pumped me full of fluids, painkillers, and antibiotics. They sent me home with scrips for more.

Needless to say, we didn't make it to Nauvoo. Steve's mom generously agreed to help us with th kids. Sam went to Nauvoo and was in Carthage on 12/23 - the prophet's birthday. He came home with lots of new found knowledge, and again, a reverance for where he had been. I was impressed.

So, I stayed down most of the first day everyone was gone. The second, I found out that my stomach hates tramadol - the painkiller. So, I traded pain for nausea and vomit. Fun - HUH!?

Then, everyone returned home and we had Christmas Eve - our kids were in bed asleep by 6:15 - it was beautiful.

During the night on Christmas Eve, Will woke up to find that Santa had come. Since he can readily identify the letter W as belonging to him, he quickly found his stocking, which Santa had filled with candy and took it to his room. There, he proceeded to quietly devour the entire contents. When the rest of the kids got up and Steve and I emerged from the basement, we found will, in a nest of chocolate wrappers and sporting what looked like a black eye but was really a lovely chocolate smear across his face. Happy Christmas to Will.

The kids were really excited about their gifts and since it was like 4:30 or 5:00 when we all got up, Christmas morning ended with naps around.

We left the following day 12/26. After taking nearly 30 minutes to get out of the driveway (snowed a ton Christmas day in MO), we got on the road headed to Lincoln, NE where we would get on I-80 home. When we got there (nearly 4 hours later) we discovered that I-80 had been and would be closed "indefinitely." At which time, we turned back the way we came and drove almost 3 hours back and then more to get on I-70 to go home. We celebrated Abby's 1st birthday at 10:30pm at a Cracker Barrel in Junction City, KS before we all collapsed in our two queens at the Holiday Inn across the street.

The next day we drove all the way across KS, all the way across CO (where we stopped at a Safeway in Vail for dinner that more closely resembled the snow-gear-clad version of LAX - no one spoke English, there was a taxi stand out front, and everyone wanted to know where the cigarettes were), and then through Price all the way to Provo, UT arriving about 15 hours later at about 11:30 pm on 12/27. Long drive does not begin to describe the experience.

After a week recuperating we're all getting back into the swing of things. Sam, Jake, and Steve got back to school on 1/4 and the rest of us are trying to get in a regular schedule too.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!