Road trip out of Raleigh to visit with family

First leg of our moving road trip out of Raleigh was to DC. There we saw loads of Jeff's family and had a great time at his cousin's wedding. 

After DC, Jeff flew back to SLC and the kids and I began our road trip west. Next stop after DC was Ohio where we met up with my grandpa who is 92 years old.

Some interesting storm clouds. Really only experienced some rain. (Kyle took the pics, I was driving.)

My Aunt Theresa arranged for us to meet up with her and Grandpa for lunch together at Cracker Barrel. It was nice to catch up with them in a small setting since we so rarely get that opportunity and when we do, it's in a much larger group. 

After lunch, we spent the afternoon in Toledo at the Children's Museum which was pretty amazing. And our museum pass got us free entrance. Really a great, unique museum. 

Late afternoon, we headed toward Indy to see Kristin and her family. We had a wonderful day there together playing, walking through some woods, eating ice cream, grilling and just chilling. 

From Indy, we headed toward Chicago. We arrived in time to have lunch with Jeff's Grandma Edith. We had a nice afternoon together by the pool while the kids swam and we got to talk and catch up in person. 

From Grandma Edith's, we headed to Tommy's place to catch up with my family there. Jeff flew in that evening and met up with us for the final leg of our trip (flying to SLC). We had a great time chilling with my sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews and my mom came down from Wisconsin as well.
Emily and some of her girl cousins packed in a jeep. 

Trevor and Kyle were BFFs and always together. Trevor is the same age as Aaron, only a few weeks younger, so it was sweet to see Kyle and so sweetly brotherly with Trevor. 

Kyle's selfie at the pool

Cousin chili and ice cream dinner courtesy of Grandma

Baby Mia. This was our first time meeting our sweet little niece. 

Raleigh in the rearview

So a few weeks after moving out of our house, into a rental (gross AirBnB), many farewells, the kids finishing school it was time to hit the road. First stop was DC for a family wedding. This first leg of the road trip, Jeff drove with us, having flown back from SLC the night before. Goodbye Raleigh. It's been real. 

D.C.

The kid's school had the 5th grade trip up to DC earlier this month. Kyle and Emily did not go on that trip because we could not commit to it back when we had to because we didn't know if we'd still be here. Furthermore, after hearing their itinerary for the trip, it's best they didn't go! (They had to be at school by 5am on a Wednesday to bus up to DC, had what was left in the day to do the tours they had set, went to a hotel outside of DC to sleep and be up by 5am the next day, bus back into the city, tour all day, back to hotel late to sleep, up at 5am to tour for half a day and then bus back home, all in less than 3 days. Surely they covered A LOT of ground in that little time but that is some serious hustling!) 

So we went up as a family and had a leisurely great time and got to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom. We spent time with Jeff's Aunt Barbara, his cousin Rachel and her family. We ate great food - Saku Ramen, had cupcakes, and visited more of DC's sites that we haven't yet seen.

First up was Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Appropriately, it was cold and raining out. Arlington is quite a site to behold. Amazing to see the cost freedom. And the Tomb of the Unknown is beautiful. Growing up, I was terrified of cemeteries. This is different. 

We then went to Saku Ramen to warm up with some delicious ramen that we discovered last time we were in town. It did not disappoint. On our walk to the train from there, we saw a cupcake shop and just had to stop. Because we wanted to. Because we could. 

On to the train (and the only picture I took there) (Jeff: do you have any to add?)

We headed toward the Mint which we had gotten tickets for a tour earlier in the AM. We were actually trying to get tickets to the Holocaust museum, but they were out within 20 minutes of opening and we arrived 25 minutes after opening. So the mint was next door and we were able to get tickets to see how money is printed. Pretty fascinating. Reasonably, no pictures allowed. 

We chilled outside and saw more of the Cherry Blossoms as it was now sunny and very warm out. Deciding where to go next, we went into the Holocaust museum which was next door to see the parts we were able to see without a ticket. While asking a question at the info desk, someone turned in tickets they were unable to use and we were able to see the rest of the museum. I don't really have many words. It stands as an incredible memorial to a horrific time in history. Very moving, very heartbreaking. And a part of history that should never be forgotten or repeated.

We closed the evening with dinner with family at a new restaurant nearby. 

The following day, we had one thing on our docket after our ambitious day before (though it wasn't intended to be so busy, just turned out that way based on where we were and tickets or lack thereof): the Spy Museum. The kids LOVED the Spy Museum. Kyle, Emily & Jeff did the special Spy Experience where they were part of solving a mystery (I think). Aaron and I grabbed some breakfast and went through the spy exhibits during that time. It's a great museum for kids of all ages because they have a scavenger hunt that keeps them engaged in the exhibits, decoding ciphers, looking for clues, etc. When Jeff, Kyle & Em were done with their experience, we went through the museum with them again. Next up was a nice slow lunch at a great Mediterranean restaurant a block away. We headed back to Barbara's house afterwards and played and relaxed. After a delicious Greek dinner with the family, we headed home to North Carolina so we could have Sunday to regroup before the kids went back to school and Jeff to Utah. 

Thanksgiving holiday...

For Thanksgiving, we decided to drive home to Chicago this year. Because we can. Because we live closer. Now it's still a 13 hour drive, but the kids were off school so we thought we'd give it a try... It was an adventure to say the least. Read on... 

Our first real stop (we stayed overnight in Ohio but it was just a sleep, not a real stop and spend time sort of stop) was in Indianapolis with Kristin, David, Ryan & Evan. It was nice to see them again and in their house. The last time we were there was when I was pregnant with Aaron and we were living in Madison, Wisconsin for the quarter. The kids had a blast having a fun cousins sleepover. Aaron was a bit under the weather and slept a lot of the time (like 14 hours at night and 4 hour nap kind of major sleep!), but was quite happy. The kids played, we cooked, we went to see Big Hero 6 (fabulous movie by the way) and had a great time chilling with all. 

Aaron and Uncle David, "Go Bears!"

After leaving Indy, we headed to Chicago. We got to meet Papa & Kari's new puppy, Caper. She is a cute little goldendoodle. Aaron LOVED petting little Caper and did very well around him. 

The kids had a blast playing with all of their cousins and playing in the snow! 

After Chicago, we headed north to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving with my family. More family, food and fun for all. The kids loved sledding down Grandma's hill. 

We also went to the Milwaukee Public Museum to take in the butterfly exhibit. Emily and Grandma LOVED that room. Kyle wasn't feeling great - his legs were bothering him - and Aaron was playing off of Kyle's fears and was a bit skittish around the butterflies. 

Later on, they got to do their most favorite thing at Grandma's: lopping. 

We had fun with the speed mode on the camera videoing Aaron cracking eggs with Grandma.

We also helped Grandma decorate her Christmas tree. 

We also spent one of the evenings with Grandma Sondra and Auntie Judy. They too have a new puppy, Olivia, who is also a goldendoodle. She is 3 weeks younger than Caper. Cute little pup. 

After a one night stop in Chicago, we started the drive back to Raleigh. Our first stop was Columbus, Ohio to see my Uncle John & Aunt Jody. One of my earliest Ohio memories is from when I was probably 3 or 4 years old, maybe 5, and Uncle John came over to our house after my nap to pick me up and take me to the local swimming pool. And I got to ride in his hotrod car. Anyhow, we stopped to get some Tommy's subs and stop over at Uncle John's. Jeff wasn't feeling well at all - he had strep - so he tanked at the hotel. 

Emily & Aaron passed out at the hotel. 

In the middle of the night, Kyle had a splitting headache that was like nothing he had had before. We were a mile down the street from the hospital that my mom worked at and that I was born at so we went to the ER. Kyle even wanted to go to the ER if that tells you how bad it was. So from 2am - 7am, we were in the ER. He got some antibiotics and we went back to the hotel to try to sleep before potentially driving the rest of the way home. The plan was to drive home from there, but given Jeff being sick and me not being rested, it was in question. We slept until about 2pm and decided it was best to just get home. So we hit the road...

About 2.5 hours into the drive, Kyle was beside himself with pain again, screaming for help. The Ohio ER had warned us that he could have meningitis and if he did, it would come on very quickly. We were 30 minutes outside of Charleston, West Virginia so we found the nearest Children's Hospital ER. Long story somewhat short, in WV he had even more tests done and was thankfully negative for meningitis and a host of other awful things, but was still having splitting head and neck pain. He got plenty of IV fluids and antibiotics in case they missed something. It was Friday when we arrived in WV and it wouldn't be until Sunday evening that Kyle would be discharged. Thankfully, Jeff had some antibiotics helping him out so he could function to take care of Emily & Aaron while I stayed with Kyle in the hospital. Em & Aaron were troopers dealing with this all. The hotel was wonderful to the kids there. When I traded with Jeff for a bit so I could shower and nap, the hotel hooked the kids up with a complimentary movie and ice cream because they knew Kyle was in the hospital and we were away from home. 

We left WV at 8pm and had 5 hours of driving to get home. And we were determined to get home finally. And mercifully we did. 

Back in NC, Kyle still wasn't back to 100% and his pediatrician recommended a few more tests to make sure we weren't missing anything. But we had to go to the hospital for them. So we had another ER visit here. This time, Jeff was back to work, Emily couldn't go to school because I didn't have any option for Emily after school if we weren't home (which we weren't - we were at the hospital from 10:30 - 6pm). But we all made it through the day just fine. Kyle had more tests and they all came back negative again for even more worrisome things. Thank goodness! 

I realize this last part wasn't part of our Thanksgiving trip, but in some respect it was just the continuation. We were and are certainly very thankful for a nice holiday and positive outcomes from Kyle's sickness with the awful, life changing things being ruled out. He is now back to being an 8 year old boy and doing just fine. 

Spring Break Day 9: Irvine and home

We woke up this morning, had breakfast and went for another swim. We were in a hotel after all. Around lunch time, we headed over to my friend Wendy's house. Wendy and I both studied abroad together in England in college. We have seen each other a few times since we left England. Last time was in Boston a few years ago when Kyle & Emily were very young and before she had her kids. So it was fun to meet her sweet kids, a 4 year old and a 4 month old. We had a great barbeque together, the kids all got to run around together and we enjoyed catching up. We spent most of our time together in England so it was fun to reflect back on that time and see just how different our lives are now than 15 years ago! 

The kids, minus the baby

After a fun afternoon, we headed back down to San Diego and the end of our spring break, coastal road trip. It was a fantastic trip and was very reminiscent of my childhood road trips with my family. It was fun giving our kids memories of family vacations together. 

Spring Break Day 8: Modesto to Irvine

We stayed with our friends in Modesto for the evening and had the morning to play. The kids went for a nice swim before we headed the 5.5 hours south to Irvine. 

Aaron passed out

All the kids together

The drive was a bit of a challenge once we got to LA and the traffic that goes along with that area. Aaron did not like sitting in traffic. And neither did we. He had a pretty horrible scream fest for 45 minutes while we crawled along. Thankfully, we started to move eventually and made our way down to our hotel in Irvine. 

Happy Hour at Embassy Suites. Nothing like Shirley Temples, cherries in your juice and fake cheese nachos for a pre-dinner dinner. 

Nothing like going for a swim after a long drive

We pretty much arrived at 6pm, went to happy hour, went swimming and then returned to our hotel room to order pizza for a very late dinner. Oh and we got to watch the end of one of the Final Four games. Yes, bedtime was late. The kids were very happy though and we had a lot of fun. 

Spring Break Day 7: Golden Gate Park and Modesto

On our last day in San Francisco, the kids and I visited Golden Gate Park for the morning before leaving for Modesto. Jeff was with Nick and Brian for the start of their festivities. We checked out the botanic gardens to start (after taking the trolley there first, of course, and much to Aaron's delight). Then we headed over to the children's playground and carousel to burn off some energy. Unfortunately, I didn't know just how far apart these two places were within the same "park". About .5 - .75 miles later with a sleeping Aaron on me, we made it to the park. Kyle and Emily spent an hour just climbing on a pretty awesome climbing structure while Aaron continued to sleep. 

We had to have some ice cream since it was lunch time and we needed something to eat (and to make sure the kids would mostly happily walk over to the trolley station which was a few blocks away and up a small hill). This is the San Francisco ice cream treat, It's It. 

Riding the trolley

Around 3pm, we left San Francisco to drive to Modesto to see our friends who used to live in San Diego. Our 1.5 - 2 hour drive according to Google Maps turned out to be 3+. Apparently getting out of downtown San Francisco on a Friday afternoon is particularly slow. After the first hour going about 1 mile to get to the bridge, we were on our way. 

We had a great time visiting with Tricia, Scott, Dax, Rowan and their new little sister, Zara.