Our Trip By the Numbers Part 2

Continuing on from the post above: Our trip by the numbers

1 11,990 ft elevation pass on I-70 that we had to drive across.  We were at tree line, we were so high!

4 tunnels we got to drive through.....including the really long Eisenhower Tunnel!

6 years since we've been in the Crystal River Valley with my family.  The last time we were there was when Jeffery was John's age!!!!  And back then, there were only 6 people in the whole party.

That's Jeffery I'm holding!!!!

6.5 days spent at almost 8,000 ft elevation.

10 people converged in our beloved Crystal River this year.  Oh.....and 1 in utero as my sister is expecting their second child this fall!!!

4 cousins who got to be with each other!!!!

1 absolutely amazing, almost 5,000 sq ft home for all us....with plenty of room to wrestle, play cards, have nightly pool games between Dave and my dad, or take on Zach (my brother in law) in ping pong (he's really good!)!

3 times fishing at Beaver Lake....where my dad taught the boys how to fish!  (oh, my heart!)  The patience and love from that man is unbelievable!

10 fish caught between Dave and me. 1 on the spinner and 9 on the fly rods.

1 historic Marble Mill we got to walk around.  At the time it was built (early 1900's), it was the largest covered building in the world).  The marble pulled from this mine (up on the mountain) supplied the stone used for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Lincoln Memorial, the Denver Capital, and the Denver Mint.  Read all about it here!

 1 unbelievable Oma

1 unbelievable Papa

3 unbelievable boys who were so much fun to be with, listened and followed directions 75% of the time ;), were cooperative and flexible on long days, and proved that we can do more of this as a family!
0 times anyone asked "are we there yet?" and/or "how many more miles?"
1 tooth that John decided to get while we were at 8,000 ft elevation....resulting in a low grade fever and a rather fussy baby for a couple days.
2 favorite singers for the boys: Johnny Cash and John Denver

1 beyond precious Beau Bear (Jeffery's bear)....who was forgotten in the CO house as we left for home.
2 out-of-this-world grandparents who saw that we had forgotten Beau Bear only minutes after we had left and followed us in hot pursuit for over 40 miles (because, stupid me, my phone was still off) until they were able to pull alongside of us, honking and dancing Beau in the window, to get us to pull over!  They said that had it been someone's wallet or the such, they wouldn't have moved heaven and earth to track us down.  But they just had to do such heroics because they knew how beloved Beau is to Jeffery.  Only the best grandparents do such things!
Dozens of laughs had as a result.

3 churches visited on our way back:

Cathedral of the Plains (stunning minor basilica in Victoria, KS built by Volga-Germans)

Our future priest ;)

Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Illinois

St. Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary in Indiana....the place where, long ago, Dave was going to attend.  He said it was a little surreal 1) finally getting there and 2) being there with his wife and three sons.  :)   

1 railroad museum in Huntington, WV that was closed....but then the groundskeepers showed up and let the boys and Dave have free reign for a couple of minutes.  

1 absolutely beautiful capital building in Charleston, WV.  The dome is covered in 23kt gold leaf.  

1 absolutely divine Smorgasbord that Dave put together upon our arrival home to celebrate our safe travels and return!

0 car breakdowns
0 sick children
9 heavenly persons (Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Anthony of Padua, Thomas More, Thomas Becket, John Nepomuck, Bishop Laval) and 5 guardian angels helping us along the way.
Dozens of dreams that came true for both Dave and me.
Hundreds of memories made

The trip was so successful that we're already planning a camping trip in VA this fall and another road trip next summer (this time sticking to the east coast)!!!  We have worked on this trip since the beginning of the year and it is hard for us to fathom that it is over and that we all survived.....with our sanity intact!  :)  We were so blessed to do this as a family and with my family!!!!!