Exodus from Texas

FeedTheFish
Stephen is truly sad that we are packing up the van to go on our six-week summer tour. But, in Ella’s opinion, it was good that somebody stayed behind to take care of our fish. Before we left, Ella put a note on Stephen’s bed that said the following:

Daddy, I miss you already. Please feed Blueberry. I will write you a lot and I hope you write me back. Please don’t forget to feed Blueberry. Love, Ella.

Then, she posted a note on the fridge that said: Feed Blueberry.

I really hope that Blueberry is alive when we get back to Texas. She would probably blame her Dad forever. Note: We did receive a text the next day from Stephen with a message: “I almost forgot to feed Blueberry. Thank heavens for Ella’s note.”

Early on Monday morning, we piled into our van with Grandma Lewis in the driver’s seat, Grandpa in the passenger seat, Lauren and Olena in the back and the three girls in the middle. Then we began the long exodus to New Mexico with a stop point at Carlsbad Caverns at about 3:30 pm. The girls were amazed to see stalactites and stalagmites and the various formations in the Caverns. We read the history of the cave’s discovery and talked about the importance of looking but not touching. Apparently, scout troops used to be allowed to camp in the caves until there were too many formations damaged. The kids were enthralled with the caves, particularly the depth of some of the drops. Grandma was nervous the whole time that one of the girls might just fall over the edge. I was more nervous that Olena might start to cry and all of the tour guides were really intense about staying quiet. Apparently, the sound can travel for a mile. After our visit, we finished the day by staying the night at the Fairfield Inn in El Paso. We all piled into one room and between Olena waking up to eat and Grandpa snoring, it was a relief to pile back in the car for the rest of the drive to AZ. By the way, it is a LONG drive to Arizona. I thought the kiddos were particularly well-behaved. Thank goodness for dvd players, leapsters, books and coloring books. The highlight of our Tuesday drive was getting a surprise call from Jennie who was leaving the MTC and getting ready to report to Alabama. Her enthusiasm was contagious! We arrived in Gilbert mid-afternoon. Sister Lewis arrived safely in Birmingham about the same time.