We apologize for the delinquent blog post, but we were busy generating material to write about. As you can imagine, such time is crucial to providing you (the reader) with top quality blog material. Without adequate time to generate material, we are forced to just put up absurd dogs pictures like the one below.
(That is what we call a Mo'stache)
We could also provide clippings out of the newspaper that we think you (the reader) might find interesting or amusing.
(If you are on our Xmas/Hanukkah list and have a particular commitment to hygiene, please forget you saw this.)
Instead of lowering ourselves to that level, we grabbed this blog by the horns and drove halfway across the country for you (the reader) and for us (the writers). With the car loaded up, we headed for Sparta.
After a few wrong turns and a few curse words at our GPS we were on our way. Since moving to DC, our highway time has been cut down dramatically. We were excited to get out on the road and seek out the type of amazing gas station/truck stop that is not found in cities.
The dogs were also excited to get to ride in the car and enjoy all the sights.
(This is not our car, but just a little piece of the Americana you can see on our nation's highways.)
The dogs were also excited to get to ride in the car and enjoy all the sights.
(Mo's future is so bright that she wears sunglasses at night - though this picture was taken during the day.)
(To really experience this video, you need volume.)
The drive wasn’t terrible and 13 hours later, we arrived in Sparta a little before 2:00am.
Kelly was so excited to see her niece and nephew that she woke up just 3 hours later to stalk them at their house. They had grown soooo much and are at such a fun age.
Their smiles and giggles are addicting and the anticipation of their first crawl kept us on our toes.
After Ben finished a reasonable nights sleep, he too was excited to see the babies.
We travelled with them and much of the family to the county courthouse to get our marriage license. The probability that the days prior to the wedding will be hectic motivated us to check as many things off the list as possible on this trip. The babies created a great deal of excitement and chaos wherever we went. Being Ben’s first time to Chester IL, we made sure to give him a tour of the sights including the Popeye statue and the Menard State Penitentiary.
Kelly was so excited to see her niece and nephew that she woke up just 3 hours later to stalk them at their house. They had grown soooo much and are at such a fun age.
(How could you be more fun than this?)
Their smiles and giggles are addicting and the anticipation of their first crawl kept us on our toes.
(Kelly judging Mo and Layla's staring contest.)
We travelled with them and much of the family to the county courthouse to get our marriage license. The probability that the days prior to the wedding will be hectic motivated us to check as many things off the list as possible on this trip. The babies created a great deal of excitement and chaos wherever we went. Being Ben’s first time to Chester IL, we made sure to give him a tour of the sights including the Popeye statue and the Menard State Penitentiary.
(Popeye was serving 3-5 years for possessing unlicensed firearms - check out that gun show.)
Back in Sparta, we went up to the high school to see some of the volleyball team’s practice. Kelly’s Dad and sister were doing some serious coaching when we arrived and were nice enough to let Kelly participate in one of the serving drills. Unfortunately I was unable to recapture my glory days of the 1996 6th grade v-ball team and in fact she was somewhat embarrassed. Ben tries to pretend volleyball doesn't exist.
After a nice family dinner we all headed up to the high school football game. The heat combined with the lopsided score sent up home in the 2nd quarter. After the game, we headed out to visit some friends and to celebrate Sparta’s lone touchdown in their bid to avoid the shutout. We had a great time catching
up with the going’s on of Sparta, but the highlight for Ben was his new friend Leon.
Mitch & Sarah’s bulldog gave him a run for his money, but Ben couldn’t stay away from Leon’s big ole head.
up with the going’s on of Sparta, but the highlight for Ben was his new friend Leon.
Mitch & Sarah’s bulldog gave him a run for his money, but Ben couldn’t stay away from Leon’s big ole head.
(It is not just Leon's eyes that look crazy.)
On Saturday Ben headed to St. Louis to take care of a few things and visit with his grandpa and his friend Sam.
Kelly stayed at the house and did some wedding stuff, but mostly just hung out with the family. Her friend Sam stopped by for a visit with her daughter Laney. We got to catch up and chase Laney around for the afternoon. For awhile it felt like we didn’t live 1000 miles away. It was a few nice days of old friends and family and enjoying the relaxed pace of the Midwest.
Sunday was Jaxon and Layla’s baptism at the church. They were perfect during the ceremony and didn’t make a peep throughout the service.
Afterwards we had a big lunch for friends and family. The menu was a preview for the wedding and was a big hit. After lunch we stuck around to talk to Pastor Scott, who is officiating our wedding. He asked us why we were getting married, how we resolve fights, future goals etc and then we discussed the order of events for the big day. Once we got his stamp of approval we headed home to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees and turned to fall overnight. The babies stayed at the house all day and late into the evening before we helped get them ready for bed. Kelly got to “supervise” Jaxon and Lalya’s bath for the first time and give them their bottle before bed time. It was fun to see how much they have grown and how much their routine has changed since we saw them last.
Afterwards we had a big lunch for friends and family. The menu was a preview for the wedding and was a big hit. After lunch we stuck around to talk to Pastor Scott, who is officiating our wedding. He asked us why we were getting married, how we resolve fights, future goals etc and then we discussed the order of events for the big day. Once we got his stamp of approval we headed home to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees and turned to fall overnight. The babies stayed at the house all day and late into the evening before we helped get them ready for bed. Kelly got to “supervise” Jaxon and Lalya’s bath for the first time and give them their bottle before bed time. It was fun to see how much they have grown and how much their routine has changed since we saw them last.
(This was last time.)
Monday we had a big labor day BBQ and celebrated the holiday in style. Lots of eating, napping and throwing the football around. Kelly, Abbey and Katie outlined the reception area of the backyard and mapped out where the tables, band and dance floor will be. There are several wedding skeptics in the family that doubt the yard can host a wedding, however Kelly thinks that the charming atmosphere will overcome any deficiencies it might have. If not, everyone will be distracted by the mosquitoes anyway. Hopefully we will prove them wrong, but nonetheless it will be an adventure. The day was fading and the daunting task of driving back to D.C. in the morning was settling in. We started packing the car so we could depart promptly at 6am the next morning.
We were on the road at 6am CST, but only made it 45 minutes before stopping at McDonald's for coffee and breakfast. Of course because of the coffee stop, we subsequently had to stop an hour later to take a bathroom break. Not a good start. We then foolishly grabbed a couple of fountain sodas for the road. It was a vicious cycle of beverages and bathroom breaks. Our next stop was in Kentucky for the dogs to get a break from the car.
We all stretched our legs and then committed to getting near Charleston, WV before breaking for a late lunch. We tracked down a Chick-fil-a and enjoyed a chicken sandwich before getting back on the road again.
This is where the fun stopped. We were about to make the biggest error in GPS history. In order to preserve the privacy of the offender, we will not name names. And really, there is plenty of blame to go around - that includes Mo and Dexter.
The individual in the passenger seat was re-calculating the GPS to DC. In doing so, said person answered yes to the question “avoid toll roads?”. This action took us off of I-64 and diverted into what is
kindly referred to as “Banjo Country” in West Virginia.
At first it was annoying to be on a one lane road but at least it was a very scenic road. It quickly escalated to a collection of hairpin turns, 20 mph zones, and roads that had no paint on them and resembled driveways.
We continued to faithfully follow the GPS from back road to back road. After approximately 2 hours and 6 miles later, we found our way back to I-64. Some of you may ask, Ben and Kelly weren’t you on I-64? The answer is Yes. To make matters worse, we ran into a severe storm system that followed us the remaining 200 miles to DC. We finally arrived at our apartment at 10:15 EST, a mere 15 hrs 15 min after leaving Sparta.
This is where the fun stopped. We were about to make the biggest error in GPS history. In order to preserve the privacy of the offender, we will not name names. And really, there is plenty of blame to go around - that includes Mo and Dexter.
(Just because they look cute, doesn't mean they know how to get back to DC.)
The individual in the passenger seat was re-calculating the GPS to DC. In doing so, said person answered yes to the question “avoid toll roads?”. This action took us off of I-64 and diverted into what is
kindly referred to as “Banjo Country” in West Virginia.
(Where is that music coming from?)
At first it was annoying to be on a one lane road but at least it was a very scenic road. It quickly escalated to a collection of hairpin turns, 20 mph zones, and roads that had no paint on them and resembled driveways.
(Is that the Washington Monument just over the hill?)
We continued to faithfully follow the GPS from back road to back road. After approximately 2 hours and 6 miles later, we found our way back to I-64. Some of you may ask, Ben and Kelly weren’t you on I-64? The answer is Yes. To make matters worse, we ran into a severe storm system that followed us the remaining 200 miles to DC. We finally arrived at our apartment at 10:15 EST, a mere 15 hrs 15 min after leaving Sparta.
It was back to reality on Wednesday. We'll tell you about that tomorrow or the next day. If not, well at least put up some more pictures of the dogs.
omg that video! Leon was definitely a fan of Ben! Don't worry - he won't be making any guest appearances at the wedding!
ReplyDeleteOk I'm totally stalking you Kelly - I live in Charleston, WV!! If you're ever in the area again, let me know. I'm always down to hit up a Chick-fil-a!!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteBeth,
ReplyDeleteDang, I didn't know you lived in Charleston. It was a very nice Chick-fil-a! We are huge fans and try to eat there as much as possible. We will have to give you a call sometime we are stopping through! Glad you read the blog:)