Brad's graduation was on Friday the 6th of June, the next day the movers came, the day after that we finished cleaning the house and went down to Tucson. We were supposed to leave Monday but ended up sticking around to tie up some loose ends (most of which were caused by the terrible movers - we don't recommend them by the way!) and to rest a bit from the hectic life we'd been living the past month. My sister drove down from Utah to make the trip with us. So, Tuesday June 10th we were off!
Day 1: Tucson to Santa Fe, NM. We were supposed to make it all the way to Kansas, but got a late start. After an 8 hour drive, we'd had it (and it was only the first day!). Really though, we were impressed with how well Eli did on the trip as he hadn't been on one since he was about 11 months old. The DVD player we splurged on helped, but we didn't even use it until the end of the day. There was a lot of ugliness on the drive though - just dry, dusty, non-scenic
scenery. Santa Fe was cute. We stayed in a motel and ate dinner at a Mexican/Southwestern place. The next morning we went to the historic downtown plaza to look around. The plaza is over 300 years old, and we saw an old adobe church, as well as two other very old Catholic churches.
Day 2: Santa Fe to Elkhart, KS. After our tour of Santa Fe, we headed to Kansas, our shortest drive of the week at about six hours. Where in the heck is Elkhart you ask? It is a tiny little town just over the border from Oklahoma, and I have family there. We stayed the night with Aunt Joanie and Uncle Chris, and got to see my cousin Heather and her 10 month old daughter, who is DARLING. She took a liking to Eli a
nd kept tackling him, which really freaked him out. It was funny to see. It was really windy that night, and there were tornadoes in other parts of the state, which made me a little nervous. Luckily none touched down near where we were. It was great to see these guys again as it's been a few years! Day 3: Elkhart to Columbia, MO. This was a really long drive - about 11 hours total. And a lot of it was BORING! I'm so sorry, but a lot of southern Kansas, though not ugly, is just boring to drive through. It is F-L-A-T and grassy, dotted here and there by a silo or cows. Once we went through Wichita, things got a little more interesting with trees. We stayed at a motel in Columbia, which took forever to find because there was some kind of conve
ntion in town and things were booked up and expensive. We were all very tired that night but were discouraged that there were only double beds (me, Brad and Eli all in a double is tight!). So we pushed the beds together and all slept together, lol. Brad on one end, then Eli, then me, then Aubrey. One big happy fam! We hoped to see more of the town since we will be moving there next summer for the rest of Brad's residency, but there wasn't time.
ntion in town and things were booked up and expensive. We were all very tired that night but were discouraged that there were only double beds (me, Brad and Eli all in a double is tight!). So we pushed the beds together and all slept together, lol. Brad on one end, then Eli, then me, then Aubrey. One big happy fam! We hoped to see more of the town since we will be moving there next summer for the rest of Brad's residency, but there wasn't time. During the night in Columbia, it started to rain. And I mean RAIN. We had one of these roof bags on our car in order to fit everything for the trip. since our car does not have a rack, the straps that hold the bag on actually thread through the doors, inside the car. It's a good design - nice and sturdy. BUT, the straps themselves soaked with water from the rain and transferred it to the inside of our car!
Day 4: Columbia to Columbus, OH. So day 4 was the worst drive of the trip. It was a long one as well - another 11 or so hours. We had a soggy drive from the straps leaking. Eli's carseat was so wet, that he was soaked up to his armpits when we took him out at our first gas stop. We changed him and lined his seat with some dry clothes, meanwhile water just flowed in from the straps and dripped on our arms whenever we'd come to a stop! It POURED the entire drive through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and into Ohio. And I mean, torrential rain that tempted us to stop every time. Also, the cruise control on the car went out, and the DVD player stopped working (after Eli had gotten attached the last few days). Brad had to sit in the back to keep Eli entertained (I get carsick) so I ended doing most of the white knuckle driving. And since the cruise was broken and I had to maintain one position the whole time, I ended up with pretty swollen ankles that night. I was one CRANKY pregnant woman. I think Brad and Aubrey were ready to let me out to walk, lol. By the last hour I had lost my mind and was cackling uncontrollably - not a good thing when you are pregnant, stuck in the car, with a full bladder! At one point, we called my mom and had Eli talk to his ga-ma and he let her have it! He must have talked to her for 20 minutes, just jabbering on. Apparently he'd had enough of the trip that day too =). Luckily, we got to spend the night with our good friends the Demills in Ohio. It cheered us all up to have a home cooked meal, and Eli had a good time running around with the kids. For some reason I didn't get any pictures on my camera, but if I get some from my sister I'll post one! I will say of the midwest - I have never seen so many trees in my life!!!!!!!!!!! I was feeling claustrophobic even from being so surrounded!
Day 5: Columbus to Kirtland, OH to Buffalo, NY. This turned out to be an interesting day. We drove a few hours to Kirtland, OH and made a stop to see the old Kirtland Temple - the first Temple built by the early saints. It is now owned by th
e Community of Christ - a group that splintered off from the church when Joseph Smith was killed back 1844. We were able to take a tour of the Temple, and then we went to see some of the original town buildings, including the Whitney store where in the upper room Joseph 
Smith received many sections of the Doctrine and Covenants by revelation including the Word of Wisdom (Section 89). I was also reminded of how often the early saints had to move from place to place - with carts and horses, no internet or GPS, and no way but letters to stay in touch with family left behind. It left me feeling less sorry for myself and the stress of moving across country. Also, it was really neat to see some of these places we have studied about. However I will say that Eli is not too fond of touring historic buildings full of antiques that he is not allowed to touch. After our full afternoon of tours, we drove up through Pennsylvania, into New York and through Buffalo, NY. We stayed in a motel just outside of Niagara Falls, NY. It was by far, the seediest, yuckiest place we stayed. It was late though, and Buffalo was too big a city to be wandering around in at that hour to find a place. Luckily we at least found something cheap that was close to the falls. But that was all that was good about it. There was an odd moldy/smokey smell, there was mold on the shower curtain which was missing several rings, tiles were missing, and the cold water nozzle came of when you turned it. Yippee, we were glad to get out of there the next morning!
Day 6: Niagara Falls to Palmyra, NY to Pitssfield! Day 6 was a special day - June 15th to be exact. Father's day, and my and Brad's SIXTH ANNIVERSARY! We both admit it was probably the least romantic anniversary we've ever had, but probably the most interesting so far! We got up and went to Niagara Falls
in the morning. 
What a beautiful sight! My sister and I had always wanted to see it since we were kids. Eli was fascinated. He kept pointing to the boats below and saying "There!" He got pretty mad when we wouldn't let him climb over the railing =).
After the falls, we headed East an
d stopped in Palmyra. We were able to see the Hill Cumorah (where the gold plates w
ere hidden for centuries until they were shown to Joseph Smith which he translated into the Book of Mormon) as well as the Sacred Grove (where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith following his prayer as a 14 year old boy about which church he should join). We didn't have time to tour the Smith farm, but the Grove was breathtaking. It was much bigger than I had imagined - more of a forest than a grove in my mind! But so beautiful and peaceful I can im
agine why Heavenly Father would choose to appear there. We spent some time in the car trying to appease a cranky Eli who had skipped a nap after the falls, so it was a short trip, but very worth it. I'm glad we got to stop and see this sacred and beautiful place in person. The only draw back? My sister seems to be allergic to New 
York and couldn't stop sneezing the entire day! =) Finally, at 9:30pm we arrived at our new home in Pittsfield, MA! So here's to the longest and most ultimate road trip ever! Seriously, Eli outgrew his shoes on the trip. They fit when we left, and when we got here I couldn't get them on his feet. We had to buy new ones the next day. And this is the longest blog post I will ever make!!!!
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