A New Adventure: Car Trippin' to Utah

We're home from our Utah trip spent over the 4th of July weekend, and lemme' tell ya, our baby girlie was such a trooper! Really, I'm not kidding! She was such a guhoood lil' traveler, both the way up there and all the way home, and for the duration as well. Of course, it was not possible without the truly invaluable help of her loving big brother, our angel boy-O! He was totally rockin' awesome! He kept her well entertained, also sweetly helping her fall asleep whenever she needed some gentle coaxing, and he fed nearly every 'in-the-car-on-the-go' milk bottles to her. Yup, I'm pretty sure it was because of the cheery and persistent efforts of the angel boy-O, that our drive to and from UT was a success! Not until we took the exit ramp that leads to our home, for the very last 5 minutes of our trip, did our baby sweet potato girl ever squawk even once during the entire 6.5 hour long drive back to Vegas!!! oh and yes, we did, indeed, make excellent time! We only had to stop twice; once for lunch via a Carls Jr. drive-thru pick up window and the other time to gas up in Beaver... Although I did have to monitor my honey-man's speeding --he thinks he's racing in the Indy 500!

Anyhow, I've gotta say that although the next time may be different, it's quite encouraging for us that our first drive to UT with the wee one went so well, as once this month of July comes to an end, the angel boy-O will be returning to live with his mommie again, but not to California this time... instead, it'll be Ogden, UT. We'll have greater reason than ever to head north!

Yup, Utah. I think I real briefly touched upon this news a few weeks ago... *deep inhale* And here it goes, reality: This move will not only finally bring the boy-O sooo much closer to his mom's family --literally within blocks!-- but it will, we hope, also provide him a more active lifestyle with greater exposure to his own peer-group and awesome recreational opportunity [TRANSLATION OF "AWESOME RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITY": Hiking, rock climbing, camping, mountain biking, fishing, all kinds of water sports, the general great outdoors and SKIING! --grrreat emphasis on the SKIING!!! (and we're soooo jealous!)]. Such aspects of this move will be invaluable for his personal and psychological growth and his physical development. Consequently, we're THRILLED about the potential UT holds for him!

At the same time, however, this move will certainly make it more difficult for us to see him. Yeah, no matter how I try to work it out in my mind and my heart, it just will. Whether our baby girlie is an angel in the car or not --and honestly, she might not be so swell next time around, traveling without her big brother beside her in the backseat-- we just won't be able to make the frequent 2 and 3-day weekend trips to UT like those we'd made to Los Angeles so often before with relative ease. The greater driving distance to UT amounts to just enough of a time difference that it will no longer be possible for us to hop in the car after a full day's work on a Friday, and still make it to our destination well before midnight, especially come the winter months when there will be snow and ice to contend with. Flights will be more expensive too, as unaccompanied minor fees apply. Plus, a flight will now require greater effort and significantly more time to coordinate, as Ogden's over an hour away from the SLC Int'l Airport when one considers the probable after-school/late afternoon traffic they'll encounter on the interstate drive down to SLC. Getting the boy-O to the Burbank Airport had involved a mere 10 minute drive... those days are over.

I know we'll all work hard to make it work out somehow, just like we did when my honey-man made the move away from L.A. to Vegas, but these simple to-and-from UT logistics are already daunting... Makes me cry and I can't blame the new-mommie hormones this time. I don't want the end of this month to ever come, and I know my honey-man feels the same, ten-fold.