Hi Nancy -
Sorry I missed your email earlier - I haven't been very attentive to it this past week.
Our trip - can't believe that it is finally almost here. I know we will be taveling in comfort and with all of the modern conveniences but it still feels somewhat like a trek of sorts.
We have ten children, four of them with teenagers. We have 9 grandchildren ages 12-17 (3 girls and 6 boys) and our single daughter who will be traveling with us. These aren't just any grandkids - they are the greatest in the world. We love them so much!
We are hitting the road in an old (1988) 34' motorhome that we have been working on feverishly to get clean and dependable. The grandkids nicknamed it "Harvey, the RV" and my sister made great big vinyl letters that we will put on the back end introducing him to everyone we pass (or rather passes us) along the way!
We have reservations at KOAs along the way - Nate and I and the girls in Harvey and the boys in tents. Each of the kids have daily assignments for the trip ranging from daily devotional chairman to sanitation engineer to historian.
We have some special dietary challenges as 7 of them have celiac disease (can't eat anything with wheat, rye or barley), one is diabetic (no sugar) and one has cystic fibrosis (has to eat high fats and salt). That will make meals challenging!
We are picking up grandchildren in Billings, MT (the Idaho and Utah ones will meet us there) and then go on to Wisconsin where we will pick up two more. Then we will backtrack a little to begin our trip touring the church history sites from Missouri to New York (Independence, Adam-ondi-ahman, Nauvoo, Kirtland, Palmyra, etc.) over a two week period, ending up at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Our climax the day after the pageant will be a sunrise visit to the Sacred Grove. We will take a short detour on the way home to see Niagra Falls!
We have been planning for almost a year. The kids have each earned some of the money which they sent in monthly to our trip savings account which was then matched by their parents and then we matched that total to finance the dream.
Each month I gave the kids assignments to help prepare them so that the trip will be more than just a vacation. We are looking forward to having experiences that will bring us closer together and sink our gospel roots deeper. I have always felt connected to the pioneers and drawn to early church history. Nate and I have visited the sites before and dreamed of sharing what we felt with our family. We hope these next few weeks will help our grandchildren learn more about who they are and who they can be as we share this experience.
We are so excited to be heading out on our adventure this week and grateful for our children who have been our cheerleaders from the very beginning and my siblings who will be staying here with Mom. Their support that has made it possible. Aren't families wonderful and isn't being a grandparent the greatest!!!
Maurine R.
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