The Distance Grandparents will Travel ....

well, 270 miles round trip, in less than 24 hours! Oh yes, we hit the road about Noon on Tuesday morning and we were on a mission to see our Grandson Dylan perform in his first Elementary School Christmas Program! Of course, and this is unusual, before we got a half-mile from home, had to turn around and get Rascal's bowl ... Carin would have supplied a couple of bowls I'm certain, but it's just not the same and Rascal is our 4-legged child :) Then, as I looked at the gas gauge, yup, very close to empty, so a stop at the gas station to fill up!

Okay, we're finally on the road, and according to Gertrude Garmin it's a 3 hour and 6 minute trip ... well, have you ever travelled with your 94 year old Mother?! We did have to make at least one more stop for a small lunch, and then within 20 minutes of Carin and Rusty's we're detoured due to a major wreck on the clay-based road that gets you to their house!

We arrive safely, but at least 45 minutes later than anticipated ... now, Carin and Rusty have Shetland ponies (they weren't the problem); then there's Bo, a very energetic puppy that stands about 2 feet tall (head level) and 2 cats that really want inside because of the mist and wet ground! Okay, we're finally all in the house .... and, of course, there's Remmi. Now Remmi is known as, excuse the words, "the dog from Hell" as he's a min-pin, need I say more. With some luck, he's not feeling well and is not as eager to fight us off as he might have been since Carin and Rusty are at work, and Dylan is still at the babysitter.

Being a good Mom (had to throw that in, we sometimes don't get the credit deserved), I brought one of my favorites from Schwan's Home Delivery, including corn meal muffins and a tossed salad so dinner could be served immediately when everyone came home and then it was off to the performance of "Survival Santa". OH, Christmas cookies too for desert ... well, picky-eater Grandson Dylan didn't like anything, except the cookies. Well, we're still learning his likes and dislikes, you know this Grandparenting experience is that ... a learning experience.

Off to school in the fog and mist, Carin, Dylan and I riding in one vehicle, ooohhhing the few Christmas decorations along the way ... not everyone's in the spirit just yet! Don, Rusty and Great Grammie following ever so slowly. We're now at school in the High School gym, the bleachers are only 4 rows high and fortunately we arrive in time to sit on the lowest level so 94 year old Great Grammie doesn't have to climb the stairs to the top! Dylan is now with his class, in his Christmas pjs as all 1st graders are, we're in the gym waiting. Rusty wondering how long an elementary school program could last, he's thinking 30 minutes .... sorta remembering Carin and Melisa's programs, I look at him ... in your dreams, this will go an hour! And, it did! Of course as luck would have it, Dylan was at the other end of the gym and it wasn't convenient to get up and walk in front of everyone to take pictures! Hmmm, however, one young woman with 2 young children paraded enough for everyone! We did manage to get several long-distance shots of him, and he had a good time. Carin was a little challenged in getting him to sleep since Great Grammie slept in his bed, and Dylan slept on a cot for the night ... but all went well.

Morning arrives early in the country, 5:00am I believe is what Carin said; time to feed horses, Rusty getting ready to leave, and then Mr. Dylan getting up at 6:00am. We all held our breath, he's sometimes not a morning person ... but as luck was with us, or maybe a Guardian Angel, he woke up fairly happy, ate some breakfast and then was off to the bus stop with Carin. She came back and finished feeding horses, we cleaned up the kitchen, packed the truck (dueling again with Bo and the cats), a door that wasn't cooperating and then hit the road once again arriving back home at Noon, exactly 24 hours!

So, that's the distance Grandparents will travel ... was it worth the trip, ABSOLUTELY!! Until next time ....