Thanksgiving Roadtrip 2019

Rewinding back to Thanksgiving 2019! 

Day One: Wednesday, November 27th

I have to admit that this post would have been a lot easier to write 3.5 months ago, but the pictures have helped me remember most of the events quite well.  The lead up to the trip was a bit intense.  There were winter storms happening in MN and our journey there looked to possibly be snowy/windy/icy/dangerous.  We prayed a lot and decided to go and take it slow.  

The conditions the first two hours were perfect.  We had no dangerous weather and didn't even see any snow.  After that we did have precipitation, but it wasn't really accumulating on the road or windshield.  

Once we hit the snow, the trees and hills were incredible.  I can't describe how beautiful they were.  I have grown up around snow and seen many many snow covered trees and hills, but these trees had such a thick frost looking snow that it seemed out of this world.  We took several pictures, but they really don't do justice to what we saw.  

Snow-covered Trees. 

The hillsides. 

Wow!

I just kept asking Brandon to take more pics!

Look at those trees!

We did drive through some pretty snowy conditions as we got closer to MN.  Amazingly the storm was moving our direction but we were heading north and it was heading south east and somehow we missed the bulk of it.  More than once we crossed a county line right as a winter storm warning was ending for that county.  We could see God's hand keeping us safe.  We saw several semis and cars in the ditch.

We navigated well through the Twin Cities and then, after we were a bit out of the city, the traffic just stopped.  For the first 20 minutes as we inched along we had no idea why we were going so slow (around 20 miles an hour).  Eventually we were able to see snowplows up ahead.  They were driving two next to each other and going very very slow.  Traffic was backed up for miles.  We came to several roundabouts and they went around multiple times at each one.  That allowed several cars to pass.  Several cars turned off on other roads as well.  Finally after probably over an hour of going 20 miles an hour we were able to get passed them.  The driving after that was not great.  There were more cars in the ditch.  It wasn't easy driving, but I have driven in worse.  

Finally we arrived at my parents house.  My mom had food ready and it felt so good to be out of the car and safely at our destination.  I feel like my mom and I took a short walk before dinner, but I can't remember for sure. 

After dinner my dad took the kids out to his workshop.  He heats it with a wood burning stove so they are able to play out there without coats on.  There are always projects to do, but he also had bean bag toss set up and brought the basketball hoop in.  What a fun place to get out energy away from the snow.

M: I love working out here. 

T: Splitting wood takes concentration.  

Day Two: Thursday, November 28th (Thanksgiving Day!)

We woke up to lovely snow covered trees and a little more freshly fallen snow.  It was beautiful.  

Snow covered pines and cardinals.  Can you feel your blood pressure going down? 

I went for an early morning walk on my own.  Mom was busy getting food stuff ready and Brandon and Dad were entertaining the kids.  My mom had prepped a lot of the food before that day so there wasn't too much to do the day of.  The house was filled with all the good smells!

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner.  My brother and niece and grandma also joined us.  My mom is an excellent cook and we all enjoy (too much) good food.  It was decided by all the cranberry eaters that the kind that looks jelly is far superior to the kind that is more berry like.  

After the noon meal we cleaned up and relaxed.

Good buddies. 

I have no idea why the tape measure was so much fun for both kids on that trip, but they were both constantly measuring everything.  My parents are putting new siding and a front porch addition on their house.  They also got new windows.  Because of this, the windows are missing some trim in places.

M: I don't know why, but it was just so fun to measure things. 

Much time was spent out in the workshop. 

In mid afternoon my mom decided it would be a good time to take some pictures with the snowy background.  We were originally just planning to take my parents with the grandkids, but we decided to take a family pic too.  The family pic ended up being our Christmas card photo.

Our family!

My parents and the grandkids. 

A good looking couple! 

While we were outside the guys carried some roof frames(for the future porch) somewhere.  

Once inside we let the kids have some screen time.  They checked iPads out of the library and were always itching to use them.  It was definitely a one time thing!  They don't hold their charge long so they are huddled under the Christmas Cactus so it can recharge.

Working together on a game. 

After a bit of screen time we sent them outside to play.  I wish I could say that they stayed outside for hours, but in reality they were only out for a little while.  When there isn't an adult helping make things fun and safe and fair it is easy for the fun to go away quickly.

All the gear!

Heading to the sledding spot. 

Stopping to check out the feeder.  

After they came inside they started to gather lots and lots of blankets and pillows.  They were making a nest on the landing of the stairs and they needed every blanket and pillow possible.  I so deeply remember doing this very thing with my cousins Kelly and Lisa at the bottom of our basement stairs (which were not carpeted) so I was fine with letting them do it.  The pile became very deep and they decided to jump onto the blankets.  A was quite cautious, M was mostly cautious and of course T would have jumped from the roof.

Priceless memories!

They wanted action shots but that is very hard to do so this is what you get.

That is M on the landing. 

T flying through the air.  

After all the blankets were put away (which was not as much fun as getting them out) it was time to eat again and the leftovers were just as tasty.  

After dinner T and A decided to decorate plates.  A quickly wanted to stop but asked Bret to take over for her so T and Bret finished the plates together.

T: It was fun to do something with Uncle Bret. 

While T was busy coloring, M decided to brush and fix my dad's hair.  I remember doing this with my grandpa when I was young.  I wonder what it about grandpas that kids want to fix their hair.  My dad was so willing to comply.  These next pictures are so heartwarming to me.  My dad looks like the most relaxed human ever as they are all in his personal space.  Thanks for being such a wonderful Grandpa!

M: I don't know why Grandpa Daryl doesn't wear his hair like this? 

A noticed that M was having fun and went to get the head massager so they could both work on dad's hair.

M: Do you like that Grandpa? 

Both are hard at work. It looks like Bret is the only one coloring now. 

T: I decided to stop coloring so I could measure all the parts of Grandpa. 

T: How do I measure your head with this Grandpa? 

T: Well, I guess I will just measure your arm.  

My parents have a blue Christmas tree in their gazebo.  It is so lovely and always looks magical to me.  I was so happy to see it lit!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Day Three: Friday, November 29th 

The morning started with an early walk for my mom and I and of course more grandpa entertainment and measuring.  The kids LOVE playing Outburst Jr. when we are there.  The categories from the early 90's make things extra tricky but still fun and memorable. 

My dad is protecting his eyes.  

Around midmorning we headed to my grandma's house for the day.  The kids were so excited to meet her new pet cat Lucky.  Lucky had also been abandoned by his mother. My grandma nursed him to health and he took up residence in her home and in her heart.  I am so thankful that Grandma has this cat, especially in a time when visiting isn't recommended.  Lucky is always up to something and provides entertainment and companionship for my grandma.

The Great grandkids with little prince Lucky. 

I didn't know Brandon took this pic, but I love it.  Grandma and I are both cat lovers!

I sure to love this incredible woman!

My grandma made a tasty roast beef lunch that we gobbled up crazy fast.  I make roasts all the time, but they never ever taste like hers.  I can't even describe how amazing they are.  My kids complain about things I make, but they know if Great Grandma makes it, it will be amazing. 

After dinner the girls played in the porch.

I also thankful for their cousin friendship. 

Another photo I didn't know was taken.  Cats are so therapeutic.

After all the clean up was complete I asked about a marble game that I remembered playing as a child.  Grandma still had it.  It is called Aggravation. It is basically like Sorry or Trouble and can go on and on.  It took many rounds of rotating people to play the first game.

We struggled to remember all the rules. 

The adults ended up finishing the game and then were eager to play another. 

Grandma joined in for this game and she remembered more of the rules and it went much faster. 

While the game was being played T got bored and went outside to pet Ginger the dog.  She felt bad for Ginger being out in the cold and worked to get her in the house even though she isn't allowed.  We managed to get her back outside again.

T: Ginger really likes me. 

Being told she could not bother the dog anymore, she moved on to the cat.  I am not sure if the cat loved the buggy rides as much as T thought he did.

So sweet.  I am pretty sure I did the same thing. 

T showed my mom an iPhone feature where you use facial recognition to make a little video about a person choosing several photos.  They all enjoyed watching the videos of each other.

My mom and her favorite kids. 

Then it was time to show Great Grandma how all of this worked.  She was quite impressed. 

No visit to the farm would be complete without a ride on my grandpa's chair.  

We stayed at my grandmas until late afternoon.  Once we got back to my parents we prepped some food and ate and then turned on high school football playoffs.  Most of the family got totally absorbed in an intense game that ended in a very intense way.  M was talking about the players and the last play for days (possibly weeks) after the game.  I think a big part of the fun was getting to stay up late to watch it.  

While the game was on my mom and I with some help from T and M started a very tricky puzzle. The kids both love puzzles once they are started but never want to start a puzzle.  During these weeks of isolation I am trying to convince them to start one.  We will see if I can be successful.

Day 4: Saturday November 30th 

The days went to quickly.  In a blink it was our final full day with family.  We woke up to a fresh layer of snow. My mom and I started the day with a walk.  Meanwhile, M learned how to do Sudoku for real.  He caught on and really enjoyed it. 

M: I actually finally get it.  

Apparently T tired of the tape measure, or someone hid it... because she got out a flashlight and started playing and investigating with it.

T: It was pretty interesting in Grandpa's ears.  

Sometime while my mom and I were walking, Brandon, Dad and the kids went outside.  The snow was perfect snowman snow and there was a lot of it so the kids were eager to make a snowman.

M and T:  This is going to be huge!

T: I just rolled right over with the ball! 

M: It is a lot more fun to shovel with Grandpa than it is at home! 

This was our view when we came home from the walk!

Brandon working on the third ball and determining it was not the right size for a head. 

M: I am almost finished!

You know the snowman is big when the fourth ball is put on with a ladder. 

T with the giant snowman!

The creators with their masterpiece! 

As I am working on this post I decided to text my mom and find out how long the snowman lasted.  She told me it melted on March 9th, just two weeks ago!

I expected Brandon and the kids to come in after the snowman and shoveling, but they had other plans.  Brandon made two snow walls and he and T had a snowball fight.

Impressive!

T: I had to use the shovel for cover!

This was the view from the kitchen! 

As you can see from the photo above, the snowman was not as pretty from the back which is what my mom would see from her sink window.  I asked Brandon to decorate both sides.

Now the backside of the snowman is happy too! 

After all the playing outside there was talk of heading to a sledding hill and we decided to go right away.  Bret and Addy joined us and brought a great variety of sleds.  My coat and snow pants were soaked from the morning walk so I wore one of mom's coats and no snow pants.  I did sled down a couple of times and managed to keep my pants mostly dry.  The rest of the snow clothes were very wet.  The snow hill is called "Rocket Hill," possibly named after the rocket shaped climber in the photo below... or maybe because you fly so fast down he hill it feels like you are in a rocket!

Ready to slide!

Yes, even 70 year old Grandpa Daryl went down face first!

A full sled!!!

We came home and ate lunch and felt totally exhausted.  What an adventure filled morning!

Afternoon cuddling crew.

My parents live just at the edge of town.  The perfect place to be quick to the grocery and walking trails, but still having land and space to play and views to rest your eyes on.  I was overwhelmed with the beauty surrounding us as we sat on the couch and couldn't resist taking a pic of what my eyes saw.   The pics are not great, but I wanted to capture the moment from right where I was.  What a good memory.

The view to the backyard. 

The view to the side yard. 

The Gopher/Badger game was about to come on so there was some interest with the adults.  There was not much interest with the kids.  The kids were allowed to watch some America's Funniest Video marathon in the basement.  There were breaks for pizza and snacks.  My mom and I continued to work on the puzzle.

Knowing we have to finish and it all starts to look the same. 

After the game T went with my dad and possibly others to Bret's house.  Bret's cat was having digestive issues and actually went poo on T.  She was so very deeply repulsed.  When she got home she stripped naked and took a bath haha.  We ended up washing her coat and lots of winter gear that was struggling to dry.  My mom and I stayed up late and got the puzzle done.  

We were planning to head home the next morning, but kept hearing about more snow coming to the area and were trying to decide when the best time to leave would be.  We knew that snow was also coming to our home by the Lake and we wanted to get home before it stormed there.

Day Five: Sunday, November 31st

We woke up to a thick blanket of snow.  My mom and I went for a walk and M got to use the snowblower with my dad.  He looks like he has it down!

M: Now we're talking!

We finished the puzzle!!!!  It was not an easy one, but we really enjoyed it. 

We hit the road about 9:15.  The roads were not great and there was some blowing and drifting.  The first hour I was only able to drive about 45mph.  Eventually we made our way to bigger roads and we were able to go safely at a normal speed through the metro area.  We had several reasonably good hours and then as we got closer to home the roads started to get a little trickier.  It was raining and wet but not really sticking.  We decided to go a much longer route in miles but stay on the biggest roads and the most south route.  This allowed us to drive in rain vs. snow.  It was a very wise choice.  We made it home by dinner time.  We heard from friends who traveled the same road a couple hours after us that conditions got much much worse and there were many accidents and cars in the ditch.  We were so thankful that we got home when we did.  

Our visit to MN was such a treasured time.  I think it was our best time there ever.  We were so thankful for full fun days and many many memories made.  We are blessed indeed.  What a special time it has been for me to look back on these pictures and remember our fun times there.