Father of a Kindergartner no longer

Yes, Esther has graduated from Kindergarten. It's very odd, as it seems like it was just the other day when I took her for her first day of school. They've really done a fantastic job at her school, and Esther has been working hard too. She was already well on her way to reading before going to school, but her abilities have jumped by leaps and bounds. I am very impressed with the school in general, and with her kindergarten teacher Ms. Thompson in particular.

I did indeed get the chance to do a magic show for Esther's kindergarten, just three days before her kindergarten graduation. The show went reasonably well, although I did have one major prop malfunction. I'll tell you, kids are a really sharp audience. They didn't miss a single thing. Sometimes that worked to my advantage, and sometimes not. I did enjoy doing it, though. It was my first "live flight", if you will, a magic show done for someone other than my family and close friends. I learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn't work. It's all part of becoming a better magician. It was very rewarding, when I got a collective chorus of "Ooooh" from the watching children. :)

So this was all at the end of May. Why am I just now writing about all of this? Because the same day as Esther's kindergarten graduation, after dinner, we all piled into the truck and drove halfway across the country. We first drove to Minnesota to see some dear friends of the family. After a couple of days of recuperation, we drove to Ohio to visit Susie's family, and pick up some of her things. After a few more days, we returned home the way that we came.

I'll say this much. It was quite an adventure! We did a lot of driving at night while the kids attempted to sleep in their car seats. Part of me still can't believe that we went all of that way, and then all of the way back. I became quite familiar with the gas stations and rest stops along I-80. I also got a firsthand experience of navigating the roads in the Chicago area in the middle of the night.

It was a good trip. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves, and they were exceptional travel buddies. They did as well as a 5, 3, and 2 year old could be expected. It was good to see our friends in Minnesota as well, as the last time we were out there, Esther hadn't quite learned to crawl. Susie's family was cordial as well, and the kids got to swim in a swimming pool at the hotel we stayed at in Ohio (which they were very excited about).

I don't know that I would take such a long drive again in the near future. But shorter trips should be no big deal now. The Minnesota/Ohio trip was around 2,000 miles one way. Two hours and 120 miles to Logan sounds like a quick jaunt down the street compared to what we did.

The trip took up the first week and a half of June. Unfortunately, we got sick right at the end of the trip. I actually got sick the day before our last driving leg (Minnesota to Utah). I was sustained in a miraculous way to be able to drive on not much sleep, but I've been recovering ever since. Two of the kids, and Susie, also got sick once we got home. And then there are all of the little things that tend to pile up when you're gone for a week and a half. But thanks to the Lord's mercies, we are beginning to get back on top of things.

So that's our latest adventures from these parts. Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there!