Forays into Rexburg

I told myself it was stupid to visit Idaho in the middle of January, but I missed my sister Rebecca, who was dorming with my sister Sarah while they both attended BYU-I. So, like a chump, I decided to visit them on MLK day since I had a day off from work. Josh decided to work a few hours of overtime so he stayed in Utah. I bundled the kids up and packed extra coats and strollers in our car and we were off by 7:30 that morning. We quickly hit rain, then a torrent, and then snow. It cleared up for a bit and then I crossed into the Idaho border and all bets were off. Guys. SNOW. Snow like you wouldn't believe. Nobody could pass anyone else because the fast lane was completely covered in snow. We all cruised at around 40 mph for an hour or so before a snow plow got onto the freeway and cleared a few dozen miles up for us. We snailed behind the plow until he exited and then the weather loosened up a bit and allowed me to pass some big rigs and pick up speed again. I stopped for gas about 50 miles outside of Rexburg and made it into town by 11:30.

Some tips for traveling without your partner but with young children:
-Pack their coats but don't make them wear them. They'll bake inside the car and it forces you to loosen their seat belt straps, which is never a good thing.
-Bring an electronic toy laptop for your three-year-old. She'll play with it for at least two hours, which will make your trip way easier.
-Keep easily accessible snacks opened and ready to go on the passenger seat beside you. Passing back bottles of water, cheese slices, crackers, and fruit pouches for your toddler will be a breeze. Also, feeding your six-month-old freeze-dried yogurt bites one at a time as you drive is also surprisingly easier than it seems.
-Bring a book on cd. Duh. Driving alone is dull and dangerous. Occupying your mind safely will turn tedium into entertainment.
-Bring plenty of water because you're always thirstier than you think when you drive for long stretches.
-Don't forget to share in some snacks yourself. Next time, though, try to peel the boiled eggs before packing them for the trip.

When we got to the girls' apartment, Scarlet ran right into Becca's arms, she was so excited to see her and play with her. It was really sweet. James surprised me with how much he delighted in seeing Becca. I'd forgotten that they had a relationship before she left two weeks ago. I keep expecting babies to forget people and faces as easily as I do. Apparently they do not.

I fed James and Scarlet some baby food and yogurt when we first got there and changed diapers and took certain potty-training individuals to the bathroom and then I was free a bit to talk and hug my sisters. We all got ready to leave the apartment and head out to campus. I've been to BYU-I a handful of times for EFY and visiting friends, so I was somewhat familiar with the campus but it had been years since I'd last been there. The snow and slush in town was atrocious--far worse than anything I'd seen on the roads leading into town--but we had to drive to campus because the strollers wouldn't have been very effective in all the snow.

Once on campus we packed the kids in the strollers and took them to various buildings via the heated sidewalks. Becca had to document various pieces of art in the buildings for a humanities project so we wandered around several buildings. Sarah and I hit up a vending machine while Becca worked and then the whole experience was a lot more fun. Scarlet enjoyed sharing the snacks, so she was pretty thrilled, and James had completely conked out in his car seat, so we just covered him up against the falling snow and continued our trek around campus.

After Becca had completed her project, we all went to a bayou-themed sandwich shop called Gator Jack's. I treated the girls to lunch and we had a great time. Sarah had served a mission in Georgia/Florida and Becca had served in North Carolina, so the campy decor got them reminiscing about real Spanish moss and the chiggers that hide in them and actual alligators and all kinds of nonsense. They are so cute together.

Scarlet is hiding between Becca and Sarah. You can see her sandwich and cookie in the styrofoam container but she is absent from the photograph.

Next we took off to Wal-mart, which is too far for the girls to walk and they don't have a car. I became their taxi service so they could stock up on cleaning supplies, groceries, and other sundries for their apartment. By this time, Scarlet was so exhausted that she fell asleep in the shopping cart and didn't wake up when we left the store, buckled and unbuckled her in and out of her carseat, or carried her into the apartment. I've never seen her sleep so heavily.

Back at the apartment we placed her at the foot of the bed and covered her in a blanket while I fed James again and we all chatted one more time.

Then it was time to go. I got the kids packed back into their seats and Scarlet and James were both sleeping at this point. We hit the road around 4 p.m. and although it was rainy and wet, it wasn't terrible for the first hour or so. The weather got worse and it got wetter and I couldn't use my cruise control, which disappointed me more than it should considering it was just cruise control. Then the sun set and it was pretty dark and I was so anxious to get home that I didn't dare slow down so we continued driving at 80 mph in the darkness. The weather improved, thank heavens, and instead of the dread black ice, we had drier and drier roads until I hit Kaysville. Then the sky opened up and drowned us all and the traffic exploded and I had to slow back down to 40 mph again because of the sheer number of cars as opposed to any inclement weather,

We rolled up to our apartment at 7:30 and Scarlet and James were ecstatic to be free from their seats. Josh took over changing them and feeding them while I brought in our coats and trash and little things that gather in a car during a trip of any length. I nursed James and ate some leftover chili and salad and felt myself slowly relaxing. The drive was treacherous and I wouldn't recommend anyone being so reckless as to take a day trip in the coldest month of the year, BUT I had a wonderful time with my sisters and I know Scarlet did too. I'm looking forward to a spring thaw that'll allow us to return to Idaho, this time with Josh in tow.