Life is a Highway.....Well at least for two weeks it was!

Cooper's favorite song is the theme song from his favorite movie, Cars, entitled, "Life is a Highway" and how fitting that song was as we traveled cross country with the boyz!
Three weeks ago, we said goodbye to our amazing friends and beautiful home and set a course for Virginia Beach for our own personal deployment (that is what I am calling the next 7-10
months)!

You might ask what the key is to handling a drive across country with two boyz???... #1 - Goody bags for each of the boys - I am not even exaggerating when I say the boyz colored all morning!

#2 - Candy for each state that we drove through...one day they picked out a toy but that was worth three states! The toy of choice...FBI kits!!

#3 - LOTS OF LOUD MUSIC AND DANCING!!

On our first day our destination was Spokane...along the way we stopped at a Scenic Vista (Nate was driving) along the Columbia River. Nate actually wanted to point out that he had flown this many times during his low level flights! The iron horses were a big hit with the boyz!

The first of many "treasures" that Connor found on the trip!

We finally made it to Spokane where we met Amy, Ty, Van, and Nancy at the Air National Guard Base! My best friend Amy is dating a pilot there and he was on call that weekend and couldn't leave the base! It just so happened that her parents were going to be there as well....It couldn't have been better timing!!! WE LOVE THE SWITZERS!!!
We had a great time at the bowling alley and the boyz were introduced to roller skating!

Our visit was way too short but the drive had to go on...... The next day found us driving through the good ol' states of Idaho and Montana!!! The highlight of the trip??? This billboard showcasing one of their finest festivals....it seriously was not a joke!

Montana is one LONG state and even longer when you don't have cell service! The drive through North Dakota was no different than the other states....still no cell service and these signs at every exit..

(Note to self...do not attempt to teach your sons the motions of how to get a truck driver to honk at you because you might just miss the ONLY exit that actually has services and your gas light is ON)
We finally made it to Emily, Minnesota - which is ironic because that is where our good friend Emily was and that was who we were visiting!!! Emily just so happened to be visiting her parents at the same time that we were driving through so we spent two nights with her kids and her amazing family!!! She is one of nine children and she has five of her own! Just being with them it made you want to have more kids...IF you didn't have to gain the weight, give birth, go through the sleepless nights..okay you get the point!

We had a great time hanging out with her family, swimming at the lake, and of course TRYING to play volleyball with her professional brothers! They made a volleyball court in their backyard...and let me tell you they don't mess around- they are that good!! Thanks Em for opening up your family's home..it was AWESOME (as the kids said)!

The day that we left we made it to Chicago where we stayed with a former Black Raven! For dinner??? What else....PIZZA!!

If you are wondering about Connor's eye...he scratched it on a tree branch when he was on Nate's shoulders! Of course we went to the ER -it's the Barton thing!!! (the cut became infected two days later and they had to clean it out!!!)
On our way home, the boyz were able to get their own personal tour of the Chicago fire department!

Thursday night....after six days of traveling.. we were finally in PA!!! During our time we got to see all the Grandma's which was our number one priority! Of course we were able to squeeze in some fun!

Nate and I traveled on to VA by ourselves so Nate could start work and I began the task of finding schools for the boyz! After a family reunion in between that the boyz and I were able to go to...we were finally in VA as a family!!! Let the new chapter begin...