The Coil Family: It wasn't unusual...

...to see Shay's name on my caller ID.

...but as soon as I heard her voice I knew this wasn't the usual "just check'n in" phone call. I said hello then the tears started and between the sobs she told me Grandma Pat had just passed away. Her grandma that had been there for her so many times. The one that Shay had told her secrets to, who would have married Andy if Shay hadn't, one of her two grandma's whom she cherishes.

"What can I do" I ask?

...and before she can answer I tell her I'll come, we'll find a way, I will go to Ohio to stay with the babes while she comes to Utah to be with her family and say goodbye to her grandmother.

"I'll talk to Andy," she said. I finished lunch and hurried back to work to let them know I would be gone for a few days. Andy called me as I walked into the office and said he would buy the ticket if I would come tomorrow. Together we decided I would fly there and Shay and I would drive the four kids back to Utah.

...and so the next morning I found myself on a five hour plane trip to Ohio. After a very short night, Shay woke me at 4:00 a.m.. we hurried and loaded the kids and began the 25 hour drive through 7 states.

Now some of you may groan at the thought, but not me. I was about to spend 2 days held captive by 4 of the most amazing kids ever. Shay, in her normal, obsessive organizational way(and I say that it the kindest way, because she knows I love organization), had everything we could possibly need packed in the car, except for the occasional stop when we would fill the tank and empty the bladders, we would not have to stop until bedtime.

Miss Maren Ruth, strapped into her 5 point harness car seat whined less than I did. Porter, Carlee and Tessa May watched movies, colored pictures, played games, and checked out the many sights along the way....cows, cornfields, more cows, windmills, rivers...and did I mention cows? Of course, the 55 gallon bucket of cheese balls from Target was helpful. If anyone started to act the least bit bored, Shay and I would start tossing back the cheese balls (at this point I need to apologize to Shay about making fun of her for buying a lifetime supply of Cheeto's...Shay, I apologize, you were right, you can never have too many cheeseballs when you are on a 25 hour car trip).

Shay told me a trip to a warm tropical climate with Andy was at the top of her bucket list. We guessed movies by quoting lines from them. We discussed what our dream house would be like(funny how in describing my dream house it sounded familiar...just like our home now). We listed our top 5 movies and books. When we couldn't find change we tried to bribe the toll booth attendant with cheese balls. I told her stories of Andy and she told me stories of Andy...which made us laugh even more. We shared our "most appalling secrets"...do you know what movie that is from? Shay talked about her grandma and we wondered where she was and who she was with...which of course got us thinking about Grandma Great and how much she is missed.

We talked, laughed, cried and sang.

...and we learned to never use the ladies room at the Conoco gas station in Sidney, Nebraska. It's doubtful it has been cleaned since Reagan was in office and it probably wasn't cleaned very well then.

...and it got me to thinking about a promise Andy made to me years ago. He promised he would never marry a woman I couldn't love...

...Andy never breaks a promise.

...and here are a few of the hundreds of pictures I took of Oh in UT.

...my two daughters who chose us. I promised Erin that if the time came that she needed me to drive her to Kansas I would be there for her....and we wouldn't need a GPS to get there.