All Aboard!!

WHEW! We made it! I decided it was time to go "home" to Illinois for a few days. Jake and Anna and I packed up and we headed to Wyanet on the Amtrak! It is a pretty good way to travel, especially now with the prices of gas. The main downfall, though is that it takes off and arrives in Hutchinson in the middle of the night. We had to pack up all the kiddos and get to the train station by 2:20 AM. Only the report I received was that the train was running late, and from our past experiences with the train, we know that it usually continues to lose time. So we took our time and got to the train station a bit before the time they told us it would be there, and the train was already there! The railroad barricades were down and sure enough the train was about to depart! I hopped out of the van and ran around the barricades, around the train and sprinted (in my flip flops and pajama pants) up to the conductor. He had just finished loading everyone and had pulled up the step ladder and was closing the door. I came barreling up to him and with all the breath I could muster, said "I'm (gasp) coming! Can (gasp) you wait (gasp) just a second??" To which he very gruffly replied, "A second is ALL you have!!" I whirled around to where Chuck had just illegally crossed the RR tracks and began to unload our two sleepy and surprised babies! We grabbed all we could and Chuck shoved us on the train, said a very quick farewell and we were on our way. Even though we had a rough (and I'm sure to anyone who happened to catch a glimpse that morning at 2:40, humorous) beginning to our trip, the rest went really well. The kids did a pretty good job on the train and there were no major hold-ups. It was so good to be with my family! I hadn't been "home" since the beginning of June, so it was great to be there. We got to spend a lot of time with My brother and his family. Cade and Jake are getting to be good friends! They had so much fun playing together. They both really enjoy digging on Grandma Bev and Pop's hill with the 'diggers.' We also had some time to visit with Grandma. She hasn't been feeling well at all, so I feel blessed to be able to share some of her precious time. She even ventured out with us one day to a local apple orchard. She enjoyed getting out and looking at the pretty mums and sampling some of the apple treats! It was a beautiful day. The time always flies by too quickly, but the time we had was great! The way home on the train went really well. THANKS for all of your prayers! When we got on the train, we sat in an observation car with big picture windows. Jake was so excited to be on a train! There were some aspiring musicians from Spain and Russia who were glad to serenade us. That really helped the time go by quickly. Jake made a friend named Vera on the train and they both played and sang and drummed right along with the musicians. I was thankful for something to keep us busy. I tried to get a video that captured the atmosphere aboard the train, but this was the best I could do. Enjoy.