We made it!

To Kansas that is. After 3 days on the road, we have made it to my parents' house in Buhler, Kansas. We lifted the kids out of their beds and into the van at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning and took off. Unfortunately, we weren't even off the 41 before Violet asked, "Are we at Grandma's yet?" The concepts of time and distance are yet to be mastered by our youngest child. Audrey was very excited when we finally crossed into Arizona. We pulled over to let her take a picture with Randy in front of the Arizona sign. After a dinner stop in Flagstaff for some great pizza (thanks for the info, Jaime), we crossed the New Mexico border and slept in Gallup for the night. Sunday took us through New Mexico, the panhandle of Texas, and all the way to Elk City, Oklahoma. As is true with most of our family road trips, I had mapped out lots of possible sites and parks to stop and see along the way. And, as is true with most trips, we stopped so many times for potty breaks, snack breaks, and McDonald playplace breaks, that we didn't feel like stopping again for a site-see, or we got there too late (as was true for the Texas musical in Palo Duro Canyon). Not that I am complaining...our kids are great travelers! And armed with new books in hand (thanks Kristen for the big box), lots of music, coloring/activity books, and Ice Age figurines from all our McDonald stops, we kept busy. Monday, after a swim in our hotel pool, we drove to Oklahoma City for our last lunch stop (at a McDonald's playplace, of course). Then we navigated our way into downtown to visit the National Memorial of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In front of the original fence that surrounded the Murrah Building after the bombing, still filled with tokens of memory, love and hope, both old and recent. Although not a part of the Memorial itself, there is a poignant statue of Jesus just outside the West gate that reads, "Jesus wept. John 11:35" From the Survivor's Tree, overlooking the Reflecting Pool and the Field of Empty Chairs, one representing each person killed in the bombing. There are 168 chairs total, 19 of them are smaller chairs representing the children.

There were many other meaningful sections of the memorial, yet a part of me felt guilty trivializing the experience by snapping pictures as we walked through. So I didn't. Although our time there was short (it was a sweltering afternoon of 108 degrees), I am glad that our family chose to stop and remember the lives lost in the building, and those who gave of their lives in service during the rescue, the rebuilding, and the healing process.

After our stop it was a quick 3 1/2 hour drive to my parents' house. We enjoyed a yummy dinner made by my mom and an evening walk to watch fireflies (and even catch a few). Our plan today is to relax, stay indoors (out of the 105 degree heat and coming thunderstorms), and maybe get out to a BBQ dinner! We'll keep you posted...thanks for checking in.