Day 5 Nebraska to Kansas

We had the chance to stay with old friends from college/navy days in Nebraska that we have not seem for nearly a decade.  It was so fun to get a chance to see them and introduce the kiddos!  Happily all the kids got along and Sydney discovered my distaste for snakes.  Their oldest son had some plastic snakes and Sydney really enjoyed tossing one on my shoulder and watching me wriggle away.  We headed to Heidi's house after lunch at their house.  We didn't really see much of Omaha,  but it was certainly flat and windy!! Driving outside of the. It's we quickly got back to the rural corn fields we have seen so much of over the last few states! It is beautiful to the the rippling corn but a little surreal! The kids like the trains we have passed by also!  And the massive and unique farming equipment we have been seeing along the road.

I liked the cross road sign labeling system,  road x, road w, road v, etc.  I have not had cell service for the last half hour of driving, which makes me grateful that Karl insisted on getting me a GPS even though I didn't think I would need one, planning to depend on my phone!  

One of the oddest thing we saw in Omaha was, we discovered from our friends, built using the original government stimulus package.  Why anyone needed to spend millions on a giant prickly version of Edward scissor hands meets trash picker neither they nor I understand!

Day 4 Chicago to Nebraska

Karl called me in the morning.  His flight had landed in Chicago and he sweetly offered to join me on the drive to Colorado for the next few days!  I was thrilled!  Meeting up with him was a challenge.  Turns out the night before the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley cup, and the city was in massive parade and celebration mode! My hotel near downtown so our plan to have Karl ride on the subway and meet me there was a disaster.  After a ton of frantic city parade dodging on my part, and frustration on Karl's over the city street names,  we met up and headed out of the city.  I happily turned over the wheel!!  Karl drove most of the way, but I did take over once he needed a nap.  He had planned to sleep on the plane after all!  We were thrilled he got the chance to see our old friends in Nebraska!!

Day 3- Chicago

IAfter getting up,  we headed to Legoland.  It was outside the city, so I had to pull from the valet, and slog through the horrible Chicago traffic to get there.  We had tickets I'd purchased online with a set arrival time so I was quite worried we'd miss our timeslot!  Once we arrived we saw an amazing cityscape of Chicago, including the Ferris wheel we'd ridden the day before. There was even a raised subway line and a subway.  I loved that the people living there were a mixture of lego people and StarWars figures!  Nothing like Jar Jar Banks running amuck in downtown Chicago to make you chuckle.

There were several giant lego sculpture of jungle creatures that were wonderful! Kids did not like the giant spider though! We rode a funny little dragon boat where we shot lasers at the bad guys. We rode several time over our visit!  After that we watched the lego 4d movie, then went to the building area.  We signed up for the Master building class where the kids built a teeny tiny pod racer track, under the direction of a Master builder.  Then we had lunch, and returned to building!  We built monsters, and cars, they raced the cars down tracks and crashed them in to a net, tweaked the models and raced them again!  We also rode one the bat wing track.  

Day 2 - Chicago

We got a decent deal on a fancy shmancy hotel in downtown Chicago!  The kids were a bit awed by our 12th floor room and of course the view of the "L" trains.

I spent the first afternoon exploring downtown Chicago with the Kids.  We went to Millenium Park, played in the neatest splash pad,  where Josh and Sydney got absolutely soaking wet, and then walked to Navy Pier.  We had planned to hop on a bus, but it wasn't on the path I ended up talking.  We finally waited for a free trolley and rode the last half mile.  The kids loved the Pier.  We rode the giant Ferris wheel, sent the girls up on the whirly swings, much to the slightly too short Josh's dismay, and played mini golf.  I bet the kiddos but Emily was the only one to get a hole in one.  Josh hits his golf balls mostly left handed but switched up onon-occasion.

After about 4 hours at the Pier,  we headed home by way of the bus.  We went to a restaurant recommended by our concierge, but didn't get the pizza:(. It took 30 minutes to get a pizza, and it as already 9:20pm:(( we ended up collapsing in bed by about midnight our time!  Yikes!  Josh didn't even complain about bedtime!

Day 1Kirtland Ohio

We drove to Kirtland, Ohio and saw the temple, and the Whitney store.  We took 2 tours. I had fun, but the kids had a harder time!! We did see some neat old church history stuff and did get dumped on by the thunderstorm that rolled in.

We drove a short distance more to the hotel, unloaded or gear, grabbed some dinner and collapsed!  I was wiped,  but the kids had energy!  Everyone finally crashed a little after ten.  In classic Emily fashion, she was asleep first!!

I planned to get a photo at each state border,  but they put those signs right on the road.  How does anyone do that??

Josh update

True to form,  he was asking for chips that afternoon!  He was running around and riding his bike too!  But today,  it seems to have kicked in Painwise.  He is taking his super Tylenol twice a day and that helps.  Otherwise all is well!!

Josh post op. and on his bike that night.