Iowa or Bust!

After months of orchestrating the move, hard goodbyes, and our week as homeless wanderers, we were feeling very ready to get going. Iowa is an 18 hour drive from Utah and we were tackling it with our van, a giant moving truck, a bearded dragon, an injured dog, nine people (including one nursing baby), and everything we own in the world. Whew! The secret to success? Good attitudes and lots of snacks. 

I drove the van with the dog and all the kids except Eliza. Hazel was my awesome backup driver. We packed up and left super early Friday morning. Lionel isn't a big fan of the car, especially in the evenings, so our goal was to get as far as possible between each stop before he was too grumpy and needed a break. I have no doubt the Lord rained down tender mercies on our trip, because he did great! One of those tender mercies came in the form of freeze dried peaches from Angie. Any time Lionel got fussy, we'd give him a peach to suck on. Those peaches saved us! 

We had some fun stops that day including ice cream for breakfast at Little America.

Then while driving through Cheyenne we caught a practice of the Thunderbirds! They flew right be the window as we were pulling off the highway for a planned stop. They must have just started, because we watched them fly for a good 45 minutes. We couldn't have timed it better if we tried! Day 1 was a success, and we made it through 10 hours of driving. 

Day two the kids and I drove the last 8 hours from Nebraska to Iowa, while Michael and Eliza got started from Provo. Eliza was finishing up FSY, so Michael picked her up from BYU and they headed out in the moving truck with the lizard. 

It was slow going for the truck, but they had a good day and made it over halfway. The kids and I got in to Iowa City in time for a quick run to the grocery store before making it to our new home!!! 

Of course we had to hunt for fireflies first thing. Luckily, we caught the last few of the season. 

Day 3 Michael and Eliza finished the last of their drive. It was a long haul in that big truck, and they didn't make it in until after dark, but they made it! 

Meanwhile, the kids and I attended our new ward for the first time. We then spent the day exploring the house and killing time. Our new home was built in 1900, so it was fun to discover some of its character and stories. Like this plaque on the front porch...

... or these amazing hand-carved trim accents. 

The kid's favorite find was this mini furniture set from the 70s that we found in the attic!

It was a LONG summer and a LONG journey getting here,  but we made it!

And Iowa is still the beautiful,  wonderful place we remember! Here's to an incredible new chapter