Day 71

I spent the night at the unit so I could see Nicole first thing this morning. I wanted to be able to spend as much time with her before I left for Wichita as I could. Even though my sleep was interrupted about a hundred times, I was glad I was there. When I woke her up I sang to her and talked to her about the time I would be gone. Tears streaming down both of our faces. It is so hard to leave her. I made a calender on her white board so she could see when I would be back. I hope that helps her.

John's nephew is blessing his baby this morning at a student ward at the "U". It is right on the way out of town and we are stopping for John to participate in that wonderful event. Thanks John and Alicia for including us in your special day. We left right after as it is a 16 hour drive and it will be like 3am when we get to Wichita.

I cried all the way to the blessing and while there. I am such a baby. I didn't want to leave Nicole but I knew I need to be in Wichita to finish some work there. I hope I can get it all done in the allotted amount of time.....48 hours. I will be running around like a CRAZY woman.

As we start up Parley's Canyon we see the brilliant auburn's, golds and flaming oranges of the trees starting to turn in preparation for winter. When I return in a few days the mountains will lit up. It won't take long before the Wasatch front will be on fire. The hues are showing off already. The show is beginning. I don't know why people think Stowe, VT is the place to see the fall colors. It is equally awe inspiring here.

The road is long to KS. We have traveled it too many times to count. I wish I could figure out how many miles we have driven on these roads. We have our favorite places to stop. We know exactly how far we can get from station to station. We know the cleanest bathrooms (a plus) and where the rest stops are. We can even tell you if the welcome center is worth the stop or what road side attractions you should just drive on by and not have a second thought about it.

i tired to call the unit several ties today to talk to Sweet Nicole but each time I got the same response; She is sleeping. Well I guess that is good but I miss telling her about what We are seeing along the way. i was told that her grandmother was there sitting with her. That is John's mom. We call her Grammy. I bet Nicole loved the visit but would have loved it more if she was awake. Thanks for sitting with Nicole today.