Marathons

The ward I attend is very athletic. There is a very large runner's group, and they keep convincing others to run to. Not short runs either. LONG marathon runs. 26.2miles... or more... some run 50. Kevin did a 1/2 marathon last year and is going to do the full one this year. He'd also like to do the JFK 50 mile trail run. Not me though. I'm not interested! I'm not into marathons. Which is why Kevin was suprised when I asked him to drive 2000 miles across the country and back with a toddler and an infant in the back seat!
Yes, it was so brutal it has taken me this long to recover and even think about blogging our adventure!
Kevin went to work the day we were leaving. All morning Tage was whiny and kept wanting me to hold her. She laid on the couch a lot. I thought she had to poop. She said she didn't. I thought maybe she was sick. She said she wasn't. Kevin was home by 11:30am and we finished packing up the car. Tage siezed the opportunity to paint her finger/toe nails while we weren't looking. We now have a hot pink toilet!
I should have known the drive would be rough when as we were walking out the door Tage puked. LITERALLY, we were walking out the door. Then, 30 minutes into our drive, she puked again in an empty carton we had grabbed on our way out and made her hold incase she felt sick again.
We drove most of that night and arrived in Nebraska the next morning, May 30th, and stayed with my parents.

Mason and Tage with G & G

After being there a few hours, Tage had diarreah... need I say more? We had a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa though! Oh and Woofer. Can't forget him. We went to church the next day and played some more with G & G and then left for Utah that night around 7:30. Drove all night.

One of MANY naps in the car!
Got to Eagle Mountain, Utah, around 11am. Just prior to that we made a pit stop and Tage got an icecream cone, played on a playground (still feverish) and got to see a "Personal Penguin."
The drive out really wasn't too bad. Tage had a few rough times when she would wake up at night and was disoriented/sick/tired. Mason slept most of the time and didn't cry too much. We would pull over so I could feed him and then he would be happy and go back to sleep.
We stayed with my brother, Chris, and his wife, Trista. Tage and her cousin Jaxton had a great time playing with together, and Mason and Emberlynn just ignored each other.

Tage and Jaxton being silly!

We came at a good time, their community was having "Pony Express Days" and had activities for the kids each week.

Tage was THRILLED that Minnie picked her up!

Trista, Me, and Jami Harward at the petting zoo during Pony Express Days!

Daddy and Tage

We saw some good friends. Played in the mountains. Went to D.I. Good times!

On Friday Morning, we left for St. George. Drove all morning. Arrived at Col. Whicker's home early afternoon and hung out for awhile with the whole Whicker clan until Ali and Perri's wedding reception that evening. It was a beautiful rececption and we had a lot of fun. Tage had fun on the swing set in the backyard, and got a pretty nasty scrape on her chin that she still talks about (even mentioned it this very night!) That night we stayed at Kevin's sister's inlaw's house in St. George (they were out of town). Mason gave us the best laugh of his entire life up to that point... at 11:30pm.

Saturday morning...

ALISON WHICKER MARRIES PERRIS KUSILEK AND BECOMES ALI KUSILEK!!!

Woot Woot!

Perris and Ali.... Gorgeous eh?

I was so glad that we were able to be at their wedding ceremony in the St. George Temple. Ali is one of my bestestest friends of all time... since we were 14. At the temple, I felt a sense of gratitude that I was able to have Ali as a friend through high school and that we kept our standards high and both married in the temple.

After the ceremony, we attended Ali and Perris' wedding luncheon. Afterwards, when getting ready to leave, Ali's sisters Tara and Cami were asking me about our drive home and how long we expected it to take. As I was starting to reply, I shocked myself when I started bawling! I was already sooooooo tired and the thought of the journey we were about to embark on was difficult. As we walked out to our car, I started crying again! I was so surprised at my emotions!

We began our drive at 3:30pm western time, Saturday June 6th. Our marathon ended at 5:30pm eastern time June 8th. Along the way, we tried unsuccessfully to sleep at the summit of a FREEZING mountain in Colorado....I slapped myself to stay awake in Kansas until I could get to the next exit.... Watched a storm in Missouri while we were pulled over at a gas station.... were sad in Illnois when Mason would cry and we would pull over, get him out and he would smile and laugh, only to cry again the second we put him back in his carseat...and laughed in West Virginia at a gas station when we turned around just in time to see Tage, with her pants pulled down to her ankles peeing in the grass where anyone could see (I had JUST taken her to a toilet, but she refused to pee in it because it was a "yucky toilet").

It was a great adventure, well worth it to see so many people we love.... but also a journey we will not be making again anytime in the near future!