The Kimbles: Quick 5 - The Road Trip Part I

The apples on our trees are turning red!

1. The Most Massive Road Trip has come and gone. That drive is no joke, folks. A big shout out to our dear friends, the Gilletts, for letting us borrow the dual screen DVD player. We've never used one before, and it totally saved our bacon. The 12 hour drive days were the toughest, but we survived. I estimate that we drove a total of about 2800 miles on this trip, and for the most part it went smoothly. We only had one incident just outside of Lansing, where a semi ran us off the road. Literally. There was construction and lanes veering off in different directions, and the semi driver decided he wanted to be in our lane. We had three options: a) get hit by the semi, b) slam on our brakes and get rear ended by the people behind us, or c) drive between the construction barrels down into the grassy median. Lee elected for option c. It was unnerving, to say the least. But God's protection was so clear, and we were able to get back on the road and finish the last 40 minutes of our drive.

2. We stopped in Omaha on the way out for a day. We were able to see some dear old friends the Swanbergs for dinner. I highly recommend ordering Becky's carnitas next time you are at their house. Then we spent the day at the zoo with Aunt Mindy, Uncle Josh, Gramma and Grampa. We walked every single hill of that place and had a wonderful time. We were joined there by our friends the Smeltzers, and it was so good to catch up with them and meet their six children.

3. The house in Michigan was a great fit for the whole Marsh clan. Lee had a blast rowing the girls in the row boat, and getting in some fishing. Next week I hope to have more pics of the house for you. My sister Carolyn had the nice camera and the superb photography skills, and she said I could steal the pics to show you as soon as she loads them. Her trip was MUCH longer than ours, since she was driving from Vancouver, BC and all.

4. We were so fortunate to get to see Lee's Grandpa and Grandma Swift while we were in Michigan. They live about an hour and a half from where we were staying, so our first order of business was driving to see them. We hadn't seen them in about five years, and they had never met Bria. The visit was lovely, capped off by a lunch with Grandpa at the famous Big Boy. We also were delighted to see Aunt Marlene and Uncle Bob, who arrived at Grandma's rehab center just before we left. We didn't know we were going to get to see them too.

5. And now for a skip in the timeline. Next week you'll get more than your fill of the wedding details. But for today I would be remiss to mention that Alaina and Joya have started school. They started the day after we got back, which was the third day for everyone else. Joya was a champ. We met her teacher and showed her where to go. On the second day of school she insisted on being dropped off in the carpool lane, rather than having me walk her in. And by the third day, she insisted that Alaina NOT walk her to class. She could do it herself, thank you! So begins Joya's formal schooling. Her teacher is Mrs. Board, and she is so nice. Alaina has Mrs. Hillan this year, who is also great. It's going to be a good school year, I think. The only thing that hurts my self-esteem is how loudly Bria cries when we drop them off each day, lamenting that she doesn't WANT to hang out with Mom all day! Whatever, kid.