Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sprung Broke

Sprung Broke = Past tense version of Spring Break.

Oh that's not right? Too bad!

Hey remember that one time we went to Utah and had a great time? Here's what went down:

The day before we were supposed to leave for Zion, we woke up to this:


People in Eugene don't handle snow well. The entire city shuts down and I'm pretty sure the only thing most people here have in their emergency packs is weed. Lots and lots marijuana. 
Here is U of O campus:


We were determined to leave. We wanted to see our friends and family in the Promised Land. Nothing would stop us! Except they closed all the passes and forbid anyone to step foot outside in the snow because snow can KILL YOU! 

So we waited. Nick got up every two hours to check the weather report and any pass changes. By 7 AM the pass had opened for chains only, so Nick went to buy chains while I slept comfortably under my warm duvet. (true story)

We packed the last few things, got some (nasty) bagels and were on our way. By the time we got to the pass, chains were not required but the roads were still hairy. 





It was gorgeous though. If Dr. Seuss and Stephenie Meyer made a love child in the form of nature, it would have looked something like the pass we drove through. It was woody and beautiful. There is a lot of moss here and you could see some of it poking through the snow. Plus the heavy snow made the trees transform into twists and tangles. It was awesome. We did pass a part of the road that had collapsed into a ravine from the weight of the snow and there were several landslides that people were hastily trying to clean up, but other than that it was slow going, but cheerful.




We chose to drive through Nevada which meant going south instead of north through Bend. Pros included no speed limits for the vast majority of our trip because its basically a bunch of ghost towns along the way, the nicest Subway I've ever been to, and ... that's about it. Cons included a plethora of towns that way too closely resembled the one in Children of the Corn. I anxiously kept watch while Nick would feed Ev. It was creepy. I kept waiting for a Satanic prepubescent boy to sneak up behind me with a knife. Seriously.


We would drive HUNDREDS of miles without seeing anyone else on the road. Yet there were still homes out there. We even passed a few random mailboxes. I would be ticked if I was a postman and my boss was like, "Hey can you drive 3 1/2 hours one way to deliver these Costco coupons to Ben Dover on Middleofnowhere Lane?"
Seriously.

Ev did great. I only had to sit with her for about an hour. She mostly read books and played with empty water bottles. What a road warrior!
14.5 hours after our initial departure from Antarctica/Eugene we made it to the Happy Valley!
Hello Provo!


More importantly, hello Austin.






We ended our journey at the Tranes. They even waited up for us! That's true friendship right there.
It was a blast. Austin and Evie played/ Evie followed Austin everywhere, Heather played domestic Goddess and cooked like an Iron Chef, and Nick and Ryan rekindled their bromance. It was so fun.









Uncle Shea was there! We even went to Yogurt Land (his work) several times (five! that is no lie) to visit him. I need some coconut yogurt RIGHT NOW.


Provo has really stepped it up in the restaurant realm since we left. FIREHOUSE SUBS I LOVE YOU! So good. 
Its even better when Aunt Chels is there.


Khloe + Kendall = impropriety and chin rolls.


I can't believe Heather and I have kids. It seems like yesterday we were staying up late playing Rook, attending each others weddings, and watching sheepishly as our husbands got in crazy intramural fights together. The Tranes are moving to DC. And although Nick and I are happy for their opportunity, a piece of us has truly died. We are so sad they will be so far away. I guess our five year anniversary will have to include a pit stop on the East Coast. 



More on Sprung Broke to come.


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