Project Destination Utah- Completed

We are here.  We are safe.  We are sound.  We are lonely.
Come visit us!!  Everyone- Come visit us!!
If just hanging out with us wasn't incentive enough- there is also lots of state side shopping to be done...  ladies??  Am I right?  Anyone??
We also live right across the street from a cemetery for those of you interested in family history work...  Maybe there is a long lost relative waiting in there to be found by YOU.
There is also all the church history around here.
And SHADE clothing...  they are liquidating everything right now as I write this.  If not for me- come for them.
I know I am sounding a little bit desperate and perhaps am worrying a few of you.
Ok- maybe only my mom- but we are doing ok.
It has been a few days and I don't have friends yet- but I mean who needs friends when you have target?
Right?
I am sure the friends will come. 
Atleast we have eachother.
I am sure that you are all dying to know how the last leg of our journey went.
Lets just say it was the shortest in time but it sure seemed to be the longest.
Isn't that always the way it is?
We drove through most of Wyoming and I must say that place is beautiful.
Desolate once again but beautiful.
It is where the prairies become the mountains and everything in between.
There are lots of beautiful red rock formations and just a wonderful landscape.
We enjoyed it.
I drove most of that day too.
It wasn't supposed to be that way but when Myers sleeps for 3.5 hrs straight you do not chance to disrupt that.
Plus there really was no where to stop.
The one place we planned to stop- we missed.
Anyway we did get a break at a Walmart about 3 hours out of Salt Lake.
We got out, stretched our legs and rallied together any energy we had for the last leg of the journey.
We struggled up the hills around Park City.
And I mean struggled...
But...
We got in about 630 pm (MST) and did some grocery shopping.
Got our key and were pleasantly surprised by our nice apartment.
We are glad to be off the road. 
We are glad our van made it.
We realize we are blessed and are grateful for our blessings.
Our van drives much better now without every square inch packed with stuff and minus the two toppers.
It feels incredibly light.
I am determined to enjoy my time here in Utah.
Despite first impressions.
Today I went to target.
Tomorrow I am meeting up with Jodee and we are going to the Shade Warehouse sale.
I mean really- what do I have to complain about?
But Clark and Jayne- would you hurry up and have your baby and get down here?
Seriously.

.... And you can all thank our now good friend Tony for this post and our internet connection!!

We Have Arrived!!!

Hey party people.  This is Justin.  Cheryl asked me to let y'all know that we have arrived safe and sound in Utah.  Our apartment is very nice and we're happy our van got us here.  We don't have internet or phone yet, so things might be a little quiet for the next week or so until we get connected to the world again.  I'm writing this on my lunch break on my first day of clinic.  So we miss you all and hope you're all doing great!

Destination Utah- Day Three

 We made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming in record time.
We only stopped once- for an hour.
So a 7.5 hour drive only took us 8.5 hours.
That is pretty darn good for the Snelldogs...
I think that kids are getting accustomed to traveling.  In fact they are so good we are thinking of turning around and going back- just for the heck of it.  To really stretch ourselves and see what we can do...  See how much torture we can endure.  You know, to become stronger, better people.
But our van probably couldn't endure another cross country trek- that is probably the only reason holding us back...
The elements were definitely against us today.
It was hot- it got up to 36C/97F....
The wind was blowing like crazy- 100 miles/hr (ok I made that number up.  But it was blowing hard- it almost blew Henry the Horse away.)
It was also super hilly.
A bad combination for old Clementine.  She's seen better days.
I am proud to say that I did the majority of the driving today and it was hard to keep Clemmy at a good engine temperature.
I was forced to go 60mph in a 75mph zone.
At least I wan't going 40mph (which was the minimum)
But I was the annoying slow vehicle on the road that everyone had to pass.
It was surprisingly relaxing.
I didn't have to worry about passing anyone.  I just layed back and enjoyed the drive.
While watching the temperature gauge and keeping the air conditioning to a minimum of course.
I did get to pass two vans who were worse off than me.
I passed one who had 'God Speed' painted on the back of his van.
I thought- 'ditto'
But we made it.  And we are all glad.
We listened to 'The Help' and it is a wonderful book.  We are just getting into the real heart of the book and we are both having trouble turning it off when the kids wake up.  It is too good!
We crossed through a lot of Nebraska and into Wyoming today.  I turned on some old country music- it seemed fitting with the landscape.  It is pretty out here- but it seems really desolate.
I can't believe that we are going to be Salt Lake City tomorrow- and our journey will be done.
We have been very blessed.  And we are grateful.

We are finally in the same time zone as ALBERTA!!

I know the picture is small but we it says that the super unleaded is 10 cents cheaper than the regular gas.  Unheard of to us Canadians.  It has something to do with corn and ethanol... It is just an interesting tidbit I thought I would share.  Good old Clemmy has been getting the good stuff around here!!!

He's not too excited about the traveling- but he did great!  Don't you love that face?

Oh and we have come to know the I-80 quite well.....  It has treated us well...
I don't know when the last post will come.
We will be in Salt Lake tomorrow and at our house.
We probably won't have internet for a few days or something.
I don't know.
But I will fill you in when I can!

Destination Utah- Day Two

We are in Omaha, Nebraska.
In all my life I never expected to write a sentence like that down.
It took us almost all day to travel across Iowa.
We crossed the Mississippi River.
That river is huge.
I think we ended up crossing it twice.
On purpose- don`t worry we weren`t lost.
The day was really good.
We didn`t have ANY crazy crying fests.
What a relief.
We took a pit stop in Iowa and enjoyed the fresh air for a while.

We ate some delicious peaches that we had saved.
They were wonderful!
We saw a lot of HUGE windmills.
And a semi carrying HUGE windmill blades.
Did I mention that they are HUGE.
The highlight of the day was being able to stop at winter quarters.
I am grateful for the pioneers and the trials that they endured.
It was a wonderful experience.
I am glad that we were able to fit it in.
It is a beautiful place.

It was also Ruby`s birthday today.
I love her.  She just gets more awesome everyday.
We went to IHOP- a friend recommended it for kids birthdays.
And it did not disappoint!

Today was not nearly as exciting as yesterday.
All the old ladies were safe today....
So I guess there isn`t much to report.
Except the time that the van wouldn`t go into reverse.
I thought we were going to be stuck in Omaha forever....
Luckily after a few tries it did eventually reverse.
Oh and we had some issues finding the hotel-
but we are here.
And we are tired.
Can you tell?
Halfway to our destination.
Halfway from home.
Let's hope no one steals our toppers tonight....

I can't go a whole post without mentioning our constant companion Henry the Horse.

He comes with us everywhere.
He even sleeps with Ruby.
A horse head in the bed.
Can anyone say 'The God Father'?
It reminds me of that.
But we love Henry the Horse.
He reminds us of home....

Oh and we found out that we forgot our vacuum in Waterloo.
Don't ask.
If anyone needs a vacuum let me know- I can hook you up....

Destination Utah- Day One

I know it's late and everyone has probably done all of their blog hopping for the night- but we just got in to our hotel and I promised that I would post about our journey thus far.
And I'm a woman of my word. Gosh Darn it...
First of all- I obviously haven't written my 'Goodbye Waterloo' post that I am sure most of you were expecting.
Don't worry... it is coming.
I just need some time to get my emotions in check- and to really think about what I want to say to you all.  And to my Waterloo.  I miss you.  That's all I got right now.
We began our day in the most wonderful way!
We had breakfast with the Mitchell's.
Well- sadly we missed Van- he had to work- something about supporting a family....
But he was sorely missed.
Heidi treated us to the best breakfast a family of Snell's could ask for.
Bacon, peaches, and pancakes to any shape our heart desired.
Ruby wanted a Unicorn.
And Heidi delivered...

She is truely talented in the pancake shaping department.
I am going to miss my octopus pancakes....
Anyway- after a teary and prolonged farewell (that Heidi sure can cry.... ok, fine- maybe it was me...)
We headed out in our 'torpedo shaped mustang'

Whom we have now named Clementine, Clemmy for short.
(And yes- those are not one but TWO toppers, a stroller and a bike on top there.  You should see the inside...)
We took our two kids and our whole lives and headed west.
The border went extremely well.
The wait was short and then after a 'closed booth' discussion with another crossing gaurd we were let through, in about 10 minutes.
None of this 'going inside and doing paperwork' silly business.
We were really on our way. To Utah.  Away from Waterloo. 
It still doesn't seem real.
By the time we were passed the border we were a little bit hungry- and we desperately needed a break.
So Ruby requested an upscale 'resyaurant'
You know- the kind with toys...
So we went to Wendy's.
We got stuck at the gas station- a slight over heating problem.  Nothing to worry about.
The gas station was attached to Wendy's so we left the van and went and ate.
By the time we were done it was ready to start again.
We took a quick potty break after lunch and picked up some snacks.
I decided at this point that it would be really funny to try and scare Justin.
So I went ahead with Noni and hid around the corner waiting for him to come up.
I was pretty sure he was right behind me and knew what was happening but I hid anyway.
Turns out he was NOT right behind me.
A little old lady was.
She got the brunt of the scare instead.
Atleast I decided not to add the loud 'boogety' yell...
That way I was still able to save face and cover it up and make it look like I was just happening to walk out of the bathroom as she was walking in and just happened to scare her by complete accident.
I don't know how convincing this was- since I just had to follow her into the bathroom anyway to change Myers.
Great.
Other interesting points of our trip.
*At approximately 3:15pm we saw a giant stuffed Shrek roadkill...
*Our van toppers are covered in bugs- it is awesome.
Well, unless you are the bugs I guess.
*I tried my first coconut M&M.  I don't think I will be trying them again.  False advertising.  There isn't a mini coconut in there like they show on the package.  Just coconut flavored chocolate.  Who knew?
*In memory of Heidi I tried some fried Okra at Cracker Barrel.  It was delicious.  But it made me sad.
*Ruby found a special horse also in memory of friends left behind.  She named him Henry.  I thought it was quite fitting.

*We almost made it all the way to the hotel without any crazy cry fests.  But alas it was not meant to be with only 10 minutes left we were in need of a quick pit stop.  This little guy is small but he sure can cry.

Isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen?

We are at the hotel.  Had a quick swim.  Now we are going to bed- and hoping no one steals our toppers.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring...
And I am sure you are too.  Right?

I'm Back- Like A Gall Bladder Attack....

Which hopefully won't ever happen again.
I'm Home.  And Busy.
I haven't had a moment to spare.
Therefore you are all left in the dark as to my health and well being.
Since I am sure you have all been fretting and stressing- here is the low down- or the down low?  The low down- definitely the low down.  Right?
I ended up back in the hospital last Thursday and was imprisoned there until Sunday.
Now to keep the record straight I didn't think of it as a prison when I was on morphine- it seemed like heaven then. But that only lasted a short time.
I was diagnosed with pancreatitis.
They think it was caused by a gall stone that passed.
I'm pretty sure my body thought I was in labor.
For five days straight.
It hurt that bad.  For that long. On and off- but let me tell ya I was begging for an epidural....
So they kept me in the hospital and did a CT scan with contrast dye and 2 ultrasounds.
They could find no gall stones.
They still don't know for sure what caused the problem.
But they still wanted to take my gall bladder.
After much prayer and fasting- I decided I liked my gall bladder where it was.
So I am happy to say I am intact and feeling great.
Except now I have to pack my house.
That hardly seems fair.
I am also trying to make up for a week of lost friendship and fun.
I leave Waterloo on wednesday and I still have alot to do and alot of people to see.
I feel stressed.
And my face shows it.
I got a cold sore today.
I hate cold sores.
I would rather have a gall stone.

My farewell Waterloo post is coming.  I am really having a hard time accepting the truth and facing the fact that we are leaving.  It doesn't seem real or possible.  We haven't done enough or seen enough or enjoyed enough.  I don't think it is ever possible.
Soon we are on our way to SLC.
Sadly I don't think Mount Rushmore is going to be in the plans.
What a let down....

It's Beautiful Isn't It?

I know you are all jealous.  Or at least wondering where that beautiful blog header came from aren't you?  Well a very talented Lita made it for me.  I love it.  It gives my blog a little bit of a face lift- no?  I'm still working on the rest- trying to make it just the way I like it.  One day it will get there....  In the mean time I will focus on my babies and actually updating the blog...  Oh and packing...  We move in just over a week...  Oh how quickly I forget- and how easy it is to procrastinate...


As soon as Lita has a website I will let you know- then you can all use her talents like I did....
She is even in the process of designing me a logo....  I love her....

Btw- I am feeling much better...

A Stone Just Isn't a Stone

Until its a gall stone....
Last night while you were sleeping soundly I was 'gall- stoning- it- up' (or atleast they think that is what it is...) with 2 kiddies and a husband in the ER.
From 9pm to 6am.
It was terrible.
But a great family bonding time... right?
The good news is I am feeling better- not 100% but better.
And at least Ruby and Myers were able to get some sleep.
This was where Ruby was able to find some shut eye.
Isn't she the sweetest thing you have ever seen?
Hopefully we NEVER have a repeat of last night...

Dear Grammie and Papa

We Miss You....

Now that you are gone Noni is subjected to all the knuckles that you would normally receive...

Needless to say- he misses you.

On the upside he also gets all the hugs...

And the kisses...

But no one misses you more than Ruby-
as soon as she woke up the day you left-
even before we went downstairs she said
'I wish grammie and papa would come back...'
She misses having two Ruby's around.

I assume that you miss us as much as we miss you- so I thought I would put up a few pictures to ease the pain....

We Love You!!