Rexburg, the 4th, Anniversary Trip

Well, things changed a bit on Friday morning when James went to start up the car and it made a horrible grinding noise. I was really upset about that because we just spent a TON of money getting the car fixed up to go cross country. I also felt that it was important to take it on a test trip, so to speak. Well, it failed its stress test and needed a new starter. Thankfully, my in-laws have a guy about a mile away who got it fixed and back to us on Friday. Whew. I'm fairly certain that it will make it across the country now, but I've stressed so much about that trip that I'm not sure I ever want to do it again, and we haven't even left yet.

We had a very busy time in Rexburg. We met at Big Jud's for lunch on Friday with all 4 grandparents. We then went to the Renaissance Fair, which was really cool, and to Sam and Jesse's for a medieval dinner. After putting the kids to bed, we played a game of Cranium Turbo, which was great. (Nobody has the cards memorized for this one!)

Saturday, we woke up early to go to Firth for Anna and Grandpa Lee's concert in the park. There was also a delicious pancake breakfast. We left to get a micro SD card at Best Buy for James's drone and then took a short break at Grandma's house. We then went to another concert (for Joseph R.) in another park (in Rexburg). Our timing was perfect, and the kids got to ride a mechanical bull. We skipped the parade this time since it was more than 2 hours long.

After a few short hours at home, during which I had to make a potato salad, we went to the Lees' house for dinner. It was delicious and fun. We put the two little kids to bed and went to watch the fireworks in Rexburg, not Idaho Falls like we maybe thought. The show was actually pretty good. I think it was a great decision to skip the big ones. We were home and in bed by 11, and all the kids got enough sleep. Katie was still asleep at almost 9, which is very important for everyone's happiness.

Sunday was a bit more relaxing. I slept in a little and then got everyone ready for church. We all gathered to hear the story of how Rex and Melodie met and then went to church at noon with naps afterward. James and I were in charge of dinner, so we made our Sunday tradition of breakfast for dinner with grits, eggs, and bacon for everyone. There were no leftovers!

Monday, we were supposed to go to Victor, but we ended up staying home for multiple reasons. I got caught up on some things and even got some reading done. We took the kids to Emily and Rodolfo's house to play on the slip and slide.

Tuesday after lunch, James and I left for our anniversary trip. We had a great time at the Museum of Idaho (inside out animals exhibit), getting gelato at Manwaring Cheese, a nice dinner at Jaker's, a little shopping, walking along the Snake River and flying the drone, relaxing in the hot tub, and watching some TV before sleeping. The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and left for the mall. The car starting making a weird noise (grinding when braking, a different sound than the starter that just got replaced), but a quick inspection at Grease Monkey revealed nothing wrong with the brakes. We met up with Sam, Jesse, and Anna for lunch at an Indian place, which was delicious. After a little more shopping and a visit to the art museum, we headed back to Rexburg to go to D.I. and get ice cream at G's Dairy. By this point, I felt really anxious about our stupid car, so it really put a damper on my mood for the rest of the day.

We made it home safely by 4:30 yesterday, so today's been a catchup day. It hasn't been too bad, except that our next trip is monstrously long, coming up really soon, and our car is still making a grinding noise. I felt okay about driving the car home yesterday (well, James was driving), but the grinding never did go away. When I drove the car to get groceries today, I knew that we'd probably need to take it in to the shop. I hate that I don't know what's wrong with it. We have to wait till Monday to take it in. This trip has been SO stressful to plan (lodging, food, etc.) for months now. I wish I could fast forward to August when it's over and just enjoy looking at the pictures. Until then, I'm going to spend as much time as possible reading, relaxing, and trying to keep everyone clean, happy, and entertained. That's hard enough to do at home, much less in a cramped car for 60+ hours and across the country.