I made a casual call to my mom last Sunday afternoon, and she mentioned that Ed had decided not to go on the big vacation to Yellowstone and Idaho that they had planned. She wondered if perhaps Hyrum might like to go in his place. Matthew and I discussed it, and felt good about the opportunity, so we committed and made plans to leave for Denver the next day.
I ran to the store for some supplies first thing Monday morning, and then we were on the road a little after 9:00 am. We listened to an audiobook the whole way, stopped for lunch at Sonic in Raton, and arrived at Jennie's house without incident at 3:00 pm. It was a little surreal crossing the state line into Colorado. NM is hyper-aware of Covid and there are signs and warnings everywhere to stay home, mask up, and socially distance. Colorado's signs all reminded drivers to buckle their seat belts and be aware of construction. Two different worlds for sure!
Elementary aged kids get to go to school in person full time in Colorado, so Jennie's three youngest were off to class Tuesday morning. Middle school kids do a hybrid of in person and virtual school, so Warren was at home but had online classes to attend. We did a somewhat pared down version of our homeschool and took breaks when Warren had breaks. October is a truly lovely time to be in Colorado.
In the evening, we went over to my parents house for dinner. Grandma J made shrimp and pasta with sauteed mushrooms to please Abraham, and it was fun to share a meal with them. Grandma gifted Mercy with some Barbie clothes and Abraham with a bucket of 900 assorted Lego's. We visited for a while, then left Hyrum there while we returned to Jennie's.
We did a little bit of school Wednesday morning, Jennie and I went to lunch with her sister Hannah while the kids watched a movie, and then we spent the early afternoon at the park. After school, Mercy and Audrey played at home while Jennie and I dropped Abraham and the boys off at running club. While we ran errands, Grant took Abraham and Luke to soccer practice. Jennie and I picked the boys up and Abraham was pure happiness and smiles. Luke said several times how well Abraham had done and Abraham seemed very pleased with himself and the experience. That evening we ate popcorn and watched American Ninja Warrior.
Jennie's kids had school off for fall break on Thursday, so they were able to spend the entire day playing. Jennie had already agreed to watch her friend's kids, so there were plenty of little boys to keep each other entertained. Jennie and I worked on crossing things off her to do list in preparation for family coming into town. Calvin turns 8 this weekend and all the grandparents are coming for his baptism. I took the kids to the park in the late afternoon while Jennie went to pick up her parents from the train station. The kids watched a movie in the basement while the adults spent the evening visiting. I saw Jennie's dad a few years ago at my bike race in Utah, but haven't seen her mom since Mercy was a wee baby, so it was fun to catch up with them.
After seminary this morning, we had breakfast and then were on the road home. We stopped for Happy Meals at McDonalds in Trinidad because you can go inside and use the bathrooms at fast food places in Colorado, but not in NM. The kids watched Shazam on the laptop during the second leg of the trip and we arrived home without incident at 4:00 pm. Matthew was supposed to leave for Beto's hunt this evening, but he's come down with a stomach bug and didn't think he could manage the nearly three hour drive. We spent the evening watching Youtube videos and he's going to see how he feels in the morning.
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