When I was a child, going to Grandma's house was magical.  I was lucky enough to have two Grandmas; one lived close, the other far away.  Grandma Cummings' house was like a maze, with endless nooks to discover and hide in, stone fireplaces, a huge floral print wallpaper in the kitchen, a treasure trunk of fancy dress-ups, and the yellow red-hot pot in her pantry, always within child's reach.  Grandma Younce's house smelled like her hand lotion; she had baskets of embroidery mid-project, stained glass and wood-worked things Grandpa had made, fascinating old pictures, cream soda in the fridge, and she made the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.

My girls also have a close Grandma and a far Grandma.  Ed's mom comes to see us about once a year, but we go to her house less often than that, so a half day at her house is exciting indeed.  She made the girls French toast for breakfast, then quick went mass shopping for all the food she has to prep for Natalee's Colorado reception this Friday.  The wedding is over, but her work has just begun!

Despite all that, Grandma still made time to fill 33 plastic Easter eggs with notes and candy, hide them all around the yard, make a basket for each girl filled with purple Easter grass, and send them on a hunt, beaming at and laughing with them as they sought high and low.  Some of the notes said to see Grandma for a prize, and she had a prize bag they could choose from, some fun things that wouldn't fit in eggs.

Next she laid a kid-size table with a tablecloth, her plastic tea set, juice, and cookies, and sat with the girls for a tea party.  Tea parties are Grandma Marsha's specialty; I am not invited, though I did get a few quick pics.  I got to overhear just a snippet of conversation - what they wanted to be when they grew up and who all their dolls are.

While they partied downstairs, Ed and I washed and chopped some vegetables for the reception, then folded and packed up our clean laundry and other things back into the car.  After lunch we had to hug and kiss everyone good-bye.  After a quick stop for gas and more bottled water, we were on our way again.

We usually open the surprise bag in the morning, but since we didn't leave until about 2 p.m., we opened it in the car.  Their activity was an easy oragami instruction book and a pack of oragami paper, so that kept them busy most of the afternoon.  We had dinner at Sonic in Colby, Kansas (hello, orange creamslush) and ate outside in the balmy sunshine - Ginger was thrilled to have tater tots, and I couldn't believe I'd been freezing just a week ago without my coat.  We changed the girls into their pajamas before loading back up, and drove on until about 10 p.m., in order to get some miles behind us before stopping in Salina for the night.

Daily Report
Miles: 406
DVD:  An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars
Activity: Easy Origami and origami paper
Poppy:  musical kaleidoscope
Snack:  Lucky Charms
High Point:  Grandma time
Low Point:  Most definitely the uber creepy night clerk at our hotel - my very own Norman Bates.

Today we had to leave Moab and head substantially east.  I was sorry to do it, but easily consoled by the beauty of the drive.  Desert-ish shrubs and plateaus followed by the eastward traverse over the Rockies.  The girls loved the scenery as much as Ed and I did - Hazel often exclaimed, "Nice!"  Ginger, "Awesome!"  Poppy many times repeated her exclamation from Arches, "Look at all these beautiful things!"  My greatest consolation was that "all these beautiful things" no longer seem as far from Virginia as they once did; my perspective has changed, and a few days in the car is no big deal.

Instagram.  My friend Therese asked me to join a long time ago.  Beyond the blog, I am not so tech savvy, so I never figured it out.  I noticed my sister Maren gramming like crazy over Thanksgiving, so I asked her to help me sign up.  Then I promptly forgot my login.

But I've started to find my insta-groove on this trip.  You can follow me, and see other pics from the trip that I haven't posted here; I am disco_mom.

We had lunch in the charming ski town of Frisco; we were the only folks in the Log Cabin Cafe not wearing ear bands and turtlenecks.  But we've gotten sick of fast food; I couldn't eat something fried today.  I had a really good burrito; Hazel tried onion rings for the first time and loved them.

From Frisco we stayed off I-70 and took the back way on smaller roads, through smaller towns, to Colorado Springs.  Towns I knew the names of, and recognized here and there, though I didn't know when or why I'd been through.  My six years in Colorado ended eight years ago now, and it's sad to lose your memory.

But it's very happy to arrive at Grandma's house!  We got to Ed's parents' around 4:30 and had a great time rediscovering the house, especially the toy trunks.  We had dinner, and then the two families of cousins that live nearby came over for dessert.  Eight girls and two boys pretty much destroyed the whole basement, with toy mess overflow into other surprise places we discovered later.  Lots and lots of cousin love.  Especially for Ginger, who has two girl cousins here her exact age.  Meanwhile, I did two loads of laundry, caught up with the aunts and uncles, and after everyone had left, and our girls down to bed in "the room with the fish tank", Ed and I stayed up talking to his parents at the kitchen table.

Daily Report
Miles: 450
DVD:  The Flintstones season 4
Activity:  Junior Mad Libs
Poppy:  stretchy rubber lizards
Snack:  pink and white iced animal cookies
High Point:  Family time
Low Point:  Ed getting pulled over for speeding in Lake George, even after Ginger and I had both told him to watch his speed.

We went to Colorado to visit Grandma and Grandpa.
We went to Colorado and rode our first Ferris wheel.
We went to Colorado and blessed Poppy.
We went to Colorado and saw old friends.
We went to Colorado and showed Hazel where she was born.
We went to Colorado and climbed boulders. In Boulder.
We went to Colorado and got peaches at the Boulder farmers' market... ...and ice cream on Pearl Street.
We went to Colorado and played... ...and played... ...and played with cousins.
We went to Colorado and got French braids.
We went to Colorado and held a tarantula.
We went to Colorado and had some Daddy time.
We went to Colorado and rolled down the hill.
We went to Colorado for 10 of its 300 days a year of sunshine and big blue skies.
We went to Colorado and completely wore ourselves out. And I've got the sandal tan to prove it.

I just had a surprising experience, one I don't have as often as I used to, and I had to write about it. Have you ever heard a song that absolutely makes your soul swoon - you are suddenly elated in a way nothing else could do? I love music for this exact reason, and sadly my chances to enjoy it have drastically diminished with the arrival of the sweeties. But this afternoon I got the chance. Hazel was napping and Ginger was hanging out in the bouncy seat. I dug out the mixes Dave made for my wedding reception, still some of my favorite compilations, and put on "Kari's Love Songs"* while I cleaned the living room. Each one gave me some nostalgic and sentimental feelings, with memories and emotions attached to each song. They also gave me lots of ideas for future Sing Alongs (Motown, duets, etc.) Then Ginger started to fuss so I wrapped her up and rocked her to sleep when "Cowboy Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks came on.

Most of you know I have low twang tolerance but I do have a handful of country songs and singers I like. So as I rocked my girl, staring out the window at the next apartment building 10 feet away, and listened, especially to the lines:

I wanna look at the horizon
And not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one
For miles and miles
Except for maybe you
And your simple smile

that's it, my soul absolutely swooned and I became overwhelmed with a longing for Colorado. At that moment I was willing to walk out, leave everything (except Ed & the girls) behind and return to the most beautiful state in the union, and the home of the happiest years of my life. I couldn't believe how much I missed it. I can't believe that music can do that! It was wonderful and painful at the same time. Now it's on to another song and I've come down a bit but I felt like I would burst, so I just wanted to write about it.

What's the last song that made you feel that way?

*Other songs on the mix are:
Leather and Lace - Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
More - Bobby Daron
Kissing a Fool - George Michael
Treat Her Like a Lady - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
Kiss - Prince
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - the Smiths
Something in the Way She Moves - James Taylor
Your Song - Elton John
Could You Lie and Say You Love Me Just a Little - Alison Krauss
I Want You Back - Jackson 5
Far and Away - Enya
(something by Elliott Smith)
In Your Wildest Dreams - Moody Blues
Forever and Ever Amen - Randy Travis (tolerable twang)
The Fourteenth of February - Billy Bragg
I Will - Alison Krauss
Angel Mine - Cowboy Junkies
It's Alright, Don't Think Twice - Joan Baez with the Indigo Girls
Could I Have This Kiss Forever - Enrique Iglesias with Whitney Houston