The next day we called around to find a repair shop that was open on a Saturday. We found one, so I dropped the van off for a diagnosis. I found out that the air conditioning compressor was bad, so it would have to be replaced, which would cost a cool $1600. Yikes. Before they had diagnosed it, they flushed the system and charged it. So even though my problem wasn't solved, I still had to pay $230 to get my van back. That was frustrating.
We went to the discount movies that afternoon and watched Rio 2. All of the kids loved it.
Since California was having a heat wave, and I couldn't bear the thought of driving through the heat again, Port and I decided that we would drive through the night. So we packed up the van, picked up some caffeinated sodas, said our sad goodbyes and headed north. We left at about 9 pm. (Spoiler alert: The next morning I realized that I had accidentally bought Caffeine free Coke for myself! No wonder it didn't help!)
I drove for the first few hours. By about eleven, I was already starting to feel exhausted. I didn't know how I was going to make it for twelve more hours! My phone rang just as I was starting to question my sanity, and it was my sister Carolyn. She and her family were in Portland for the holiday weekend. We would be traveling through Portland on our way to my parents' house. She offered to meet us in Portland in the morning and help us make it home the last two hours. It was just the news I need to get us through the night! I only needed to make it ten more hours, then she would drive us the rest of the way! Tears!
Porter always has lots of energy. But Porter on Mountain Dew has mega energy. So he drove for most of the night. I never actually relaxed enough to sleep, but I did get to relax a bit.
When the sun rose, somewhere in Central Oregon, we were so excited to see silhouettes of trees! We were going to make it! Tears.
Porter was driving with Landon as his co-pilot to make sure he didn't get drowsy. I sat in the back and tried to relax.
Totally fake smile, can you tell? I really just wanted to cry.
And this is how I look going for so long without sleep. This is an ad for sleep. Get enough sleep, you will look younger. Oy.
We made it! We rolled into the Portland temple at about 8 am. The grounds were glorious, the temple was magnificent and WE MADE IT! The relief that swept over me when we reached the temple was powerful. More tears. (Can you tell I cry a lot when I'm tired?)
We waited at the temple for about 20 minutes. My kids didn't know that their cousins would be there momentarily. They thought we just stopped there for a regularly scheduled potty break (without potties because the visitor's center was closed).
Turner touching a temple.
What a glorious morning!
Finally, they showed up! Turner was watching as a car pulled into a parking lot, and then the door popped open and he saw his cousins! He yelled, "WHAT THE HECK?" And we all just started laughing and talking and hugging. What a wonderful reunion! And to sweeten the deal, they brought a box of donuts! Probably two, but I was too tired to notice details!
Regan and Porter rode in Dave's car with Dave, Lacy and Uriah. The rest of us rode in my van while Carolyn drove us home. I didn't last long past this awesome photo before I conked out!
Homeward Bound! We arrived at the Abersolds at about 11:30 in the morning. I said hello to everyone, gave hugs, then found a blanket and laid it in the grass in the backyard.
This was my view:
Man, I've missed those trees!
While I was sleeping, Carolyn took the girls over to her house and took care of her chickens, and brought back some salmon. Dinner that night was salmon, baked beans, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and salad. It was so delicious!
After my nap, we took the kids on a little walk in the woods behind my parents' house. After being away for two years, it was hard to believe how gloriously green everything was!
We had a fun visit with the family that was there: my parents, Dale, Dave, Carolyn and the kids. We will be seeing the rest of the family in the next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment