Trek to Utah

Since Kayla has a date of May 6 to be induced, we decided to head out to Utah to try and be there when the baby arrives. We were worried about the airplane and bringing the virus back to the baby so we took the train.  Only 6 of us were on it!!!  So, again, a great time to knock something off our bucket list- taking the train across the country lol.  It was 30 hours and we will probably never do it again lol.

We got a room.  It was super small, but we were able to sleep and it was nice to have our own space.

We were alone in the dining car too- We wore a mask and gloves any time we were out of the room. Bob even had a seatbelt in his bed!

The views were as Bob would say, "Spectacular"!  We had the observation deck to ourselves.  So Awesome!

We made it safely late Saturday night!

Sunday was a beautiful day. Got to talk to so many family members over Zoom!  We had a beautiful afternoon nature walk and some great bonding time. They have Kangaroos, llamas, and alpacas so close to their house! I loved it!

Furry Losses

Well, this past week has been extremely eventful! So many things happening- good and bad.

On Monday, I ended  up taking both guinea pigs into the Vet ER. (Not cheap BTW) They weren't eating much or moving. Lily has had a tumor growing and has lost hair on her nose and stomach.  She wasn't doing well at all.  The Dr said that she was in very bad shape and we could do surgery but she probably wouldnt survive because she was so old.  She suggested putting her down.  While I knew that was best, she has been a part of our family for 7 years and the loss was hard.  I couldn't be with her when they did it because of the virus so I sat in the car and sobbed.

My FB post:

Tonight we lost this little bundle of joy and it hurts. She has been a part of our crazy lives for 6 1/2 years! She loved doing classroom visits, letting kids read to her and she loved to squeak like crazy whenever she heard anything that sounded remotely like a fridge opening. I know it seems silly- it's just a guinea pig but we sure loved her and will miss her dearly. Rest in Peace baby girl and thanks for being in our family. #haventcriedthismuchinawhile

PS- Wasn't able to hold her as they put her down. Stupid virus! So, I sat in my car (we weren't able to enter the building) and sobbed.

I took Rosie home and set up an appt for her to get her teeth filed and have her normal vet check her on Thursday. She kept looking around the cage for Lily.  She still wouldnt eat or move.  She slumped down and looked so depressed!  I took her in and the vet gave her IV fluids and pain meds.  Said her teeth didnt need surgery but she did have a ruptured tumor and probably wouldnt survive a surgery.  I asked about putting her down and the vet said to watch her the next few days.  She refused to eat or move. I held her- tried to force down meds.  We had to leave Friday so Tyler was left in charge.  He held her and loved her and she passed away late Sunday night.  Another HUGE loss for us.  Hopefully she knows how much we loved her!

My FB post:
We lost our last fur baby, Rosie. She was our very 1st guinea pig! She hasn't eaten, taken water, or moved since Lily died. I know she was sick and had a ruptured tumor, but most of all I think she died of a broken heart. She and Lily were together from 2 weeks old for 7 years- never separated. I think Rosie missed her desperately. So while I am absolutely heart broken and miss them both so terribly, I am grateful she is at peace and no longer sad. RIP beautiful baby girl! Run over that rainbow bridge! Lily and Daisy are waiting for you! I wish you all the peace and beauty that brings!

Tylers message:
Rosie Hart died tonight, Sunday May 3rd at 10:45 pm with me before we took her nightly medicine, she had a great life, and i got to spend her last few hours with her, and she got lots of love, and got to see everyone on the zoom call today. I hope that there is a guinea pig heaven up there and that shes doin ok.


So, we left Friday for Utah which will be the next post.  This is just a tribute to our sweet fur babies!  Hopefully they know we loved them deeply!

Yep still April and yep, still quarantined...

We have settled into a smooth routine here.  We are heading into our 6th week of quarantine.  Isn't it crazy?  Part of my routine is watching the governors daily press conference at 11 every day to update us on cases ane new closings.  Yesterday was our highest day at over 600 new cases.  So, as you can guess, Bob and I don't go anywhere.  But there is still a  ton going on!  Here is our top 10 for the week!

1.  The biggest and most important thing is that I FINALLY finished my book order for Boulder Peak, my new school.  I am still blown away by how long it took!  Here is what I posted:
           Question: How long does it take to create a brand new library of books from scratch? The answer is waaaaay over 100 hours!!!!! I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, jump for joy? It has been grueling yet beautiful, exhausting yet fulfilling. I am not sure my new students at my new school will understand the depth and time commitment I put into this, but I can literally say I picked out EVERY.SINGLE.BOOK. And its a spectacular collection!!! #cantmovemyarmwristorhand #howwoulddoitwithoutthevirus?

2.  We have loved being in touch with family more!

3. Exciting News!  Alayna is moving to an apartment in Provo to live with her cousin Emily for a few months.  She wants to get a job and make money for college (as she originally planned at Kaylas) but with this virus still spreading and a new baby coming, she can't get a job and risk bringing that back to the baby.  Her cousin Emily also graduated early and moved to Provo and had space in her apartment so this works out perfect!!!

4. Even MORE exciting news:  We have really been struggling to find a safe way to travel to Utah and make sure we dont contract or carry the virus and bring it to Kaylas house.  After going back and forth and struggling to come up with a plan, we finally found one that will work!!!  So, this Friday, May 1, Bob and I are going to take the Amtrak Train from Mount Pleasant to Provo.  We got a bedroom on the train with its own view and private bathroom. So, we can suit up and stay in our room the whole time and then get straight to Kayla's house with minimum chance of germage.  We will get there late Saturday night.  We will stay until May 15thish? Then we will fly home (with our protective gear).  It's a weird world we live in now...

5. We celebrated our 27th anniversary in quarantine!  We had a nice quiet dinner at home.  Outback Steakhouse delivered our dinner and my friend made us this amazing Lemon Ice Box Pie!

6.  Marisa and Anthony went by their new house and people were actually working on it!  It was exciting for us to see it coming along!  They are both working from home and Anthony's brother arrived home safely from his mission!

7.  Kayla and Brandon have been busy too.  Lots of big projects at their house! Sanded and repainted their dining table and chairs!  Brandon is also working from home.  Baby will be induced May 6th if he doesn't come before then.  I know Kayla is ready for him to come today! lol

 8.  Bob and I went through all of our food supply and 72 hour kits.  We harvested aloe from our aloe plant and even ground wheat to make wheat bread from scratch.  Look at us being all domestic and survivalist- haha!

9.  Look at these adorable pics!

10.  We are all happy, healthy, and safe!  These days that means alot.  We are so excited for our travel this week and the new addition coming to our family.  We promise to skye with great grandparents while we are there so we can chat and you can see the new baby live.