Trip to the Shriner's Hospital

Our semi-annual trip to the Shriner's Hospital would be the first in our new Suburban. With more room to move around, we hoped that there wouldn't be much complaining or fighting during the nearly seven-hour drive to Minneapolis.

We left Wednesday around 5:30 p.m. and stopped to eat in Des Moines (Sonic). From there, Mom drove the last four-and-a-half hours. Unfortunately, Dad had printed out the directions to the wrong hotel. That added an extra 20 minutes to our drive. By the time we pulled in to the hotel, it was well past midnight - and the girls were wide awake. Mom was exhausted from the drive and Dad wasn't exactly a ball of sunshine, either. So getting the girls to go back to sleep was an exercise in frustration.

The next morning, we woke up early enough to enjoy the swimming pool and hot tub. Veronica had a good time and even went under the water a couple times. Afterwards, we packed up and headed out for the 10 minute drive to the Shriner's Hospital. Unfortunately, we couldn’t remember which exit to take and ended up being 30 minutes late for our appointment. Why we couldn't recall how to get from the hotel to the hospital when we've done it nearly a dozen times is the million dollar question. We did get to go through a tunnel three times and we got a nice picture of the Minneapolis skyline.

Our late arrival threw a little havoc into our appointment. Despite calling to tell them we were running late, the message didn’t get to everyone. So some of the people we were supposed to see were heading off to lunch. But they rushed us through the appointment - watching Lauren walk and run and testing her flexibility – and she got a great report. In fact, she will not have to wear braces the next six months. Before we left, we stopped by to see our friend, Dedra, who normally helps make Lauren’s braces.

Rather than drive right back to Omaha, we had planned a mini vacation. It started with a stay at the apartments in Minnetonka that Dad's company manages. The "corporate quarters" were very nice. We enjoyed a two-bedroom apartment that was fully furnished. Mom found out that the couch folded out into a bed, so the girls enjoyed a "movie night" using one of our new portable DVD players.

Two other things stand out from Thursday. We experienced some unfriendly customer service at a KFC and Mom saw a man collapse in a grocery store. Outside, Dad and the girls wondered if the rescue squad was coming to take Mom away. Fortunately, the guy was OK and Mom said it was almost a humorous scene – akin to something you'd see in the movie, "Fargo."

Friday, we headed over to the Mall of America to do some shopping. After a stop at "I-9" (our nickname for "IHOP"), we shopped for several hours and found quite a few good bargains. Each girl got $10 to spend.

We headed back Friday night and the drive back to Omaha wasn't as pleasant as the ride up. Julia decided to fight with everybody. So when we stopped at McDonald's, she did not get to play in the playland. That only made her madder. It was quite a scene.