Rhymes with Varmint

Last night was Cheyenne, Wy KOA by I-80. Loud! But it was nice to be outdoors, especially for the Bru. Tonight he and us are at the super animal friendly favorite hotel, La Quinta, where they have windows that open and free breakfast, for not that much more than the KOA by the highway. We just got out of the little pool and are relaxing in our room here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hard to believe we have made it this far taking the scenic byway yesterday- Medicine Bow- Wyoming - went up quite high. Serious snow. Sofie was so excited we had to stop and play in it, in our snow sandals. We tried to stay there in the snow, but the guy with the cabins wouldn't take pets, so we had to go down down down to where we wouldn't freeze in our tent, past Laramie cause we'd heard they had two confirmed cases of H1N1 and a population of only twenty something thousand. Just before we hit the snowy tip of the mountain we came across a hella hot hot spring called Saratoga--120 degrees but maybe 110 on the other side. Of course had to stop and get in it. Anja got over heated but Sofie and I had better boundaries, or limits, or whatever you want to call it. I feel bad for not making her get out sooner, but I was already in the shower with So and her and Caleb were like lobsters. Today we saw some real old stage coaches and were grateful for our Volvo. It was an elaborate museum in miniature of Wild Bill's show which looked quite elaborate. Outside they had the stage coaches, Injuns, jails, and crazy cowboys. Sofie was able to spend her allowance there, it being Friday. She is an amazing traveller this year. They have appreciated both the books on tape they found at the two acre wood sale and the little television grandma Janet gave them for Christmas. Anja has made a beautiful map of the United States with our route on it. They are also working daily in their new Math books, first and fifth grade. So the first night was Sparkes, NV, then Salt Lake City, UT, then Cheyenne, WY, now Lincoln, Nebraska. The states we have left to pass through are Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and then we will land in Michigan. Maybe we'll try to hit that organic farm restaurant near Des Moines tomorrow. I just got my french grade / evaluation. Made me feel good. My mind is so scrambled at the moment. I'd be hard pressed to speak with my teacher now. Something about the vibration of the vehicle, or maybe the Pinot Grigio? The cowboy poetry convention in NV that I missed is still haunting me. Will I ever know what rhymes with 'Varmint'?

Sparkes, Nevada

We are now in Sparks, NV at the Holiday Inn. Much nicer than Winnemucca was last year. Caleb got online and found that NV is about 400 miles wide where 80 runs so we will be in this odd state for a long time tomorrow and with determination eventually reach Utah which doesn't exactly strike me as normal either. Though it is practically the polar opposite of Nevada in some ways. It is funny how Californians stand out once one enters Nevada. I'm sure this continues on beyond Nevada, but they grow fewer till it is only us being stared at which we of course don't notice. My ears had a hard time with the pass over the mountains, but feel better now. The hotel is not so expensive though they do have a dog fee and he's not even allowed in the pool. Poor thing. He did have a bit of delayed car sickness on their carpet. I figure he paid for that privilege. Sofie fell off the treadmill in the exercise room, and her two front teeth are feeling rather loose.

Voyage bientot

J'ai fini ma presentation ce soir. I took my final in Medical Micro yesterday. Aahh -What a relief. Tomorrow is Sofie's sixth birthday. What an incredible person she is. The children never cease to amaze me. I love them sooo much! It's been a stressful week, thinking about taking off on Tuesday, Sofie's party, my finals, the children finishing up at their pseudo school (public school home school program) has all been keeping me from sleeping as well as I like. Sofie too. She fell asleep on top of me last night after an hour of tossing and turning and trying to fall asleep next to me at a much too late hour. Everytime I tried to sneak out of the room, she caught me and dragged me back. She really feels our stress. She is also very excited about her too big party this weekend. And understanding the idea that she is now a first grader is pretty big- to her. So much to complete, and so much to look forward to. Life is beautiful right now!!!