so I drove twenty hours in four days with a one-year-old...

...and lived to tell the tale.
 We were lucky enough to be invited to stay with my cousin Lindsay and her family in Utah for the long weekend. And gosh dangit, it was good for the soul.

Now I realize that I'm one lucky duck to have such an amazing family. Seriously though, they are all kinds of awesome. When you're family and friends overlap it's luck to the nth degree. And when those family members who also happen to be your friends have kids the same age as yours? Well you should just cash your chips in now. Which is exactly what we did. 

So we packed up the car and drove ourselves to Utah. I have to be completely honest here and tell you that I started having some pretty over-the-top anxiety about a 9 hour drive with a one-year-old before we departed. I started to realize just how long 9 hours really is. I mean, that's 9 episodes of Sesame Street. This was no joke. I felt like I had bit off a little more than I could chew. I packed up the car with every kids movie, book, toy, anything I thought might be remotely entertaining (this included a disposable turkey pan and a rubber chicken -- not even kidding) that I could fit in the back seat. In the front seat was a 12 pack of Diet Coke for me (because I knew it would be much needed) and an assortment of cookies for Sage -- because I am totally and completely not above bribery. 

Side note: Sage found this stash of cookies on the way to his babysitter's house this morning and somehow using his feet or elastic-y arms maneuvered it over to his carseat and began shoving cookies in his mouth as fast as he could. This was at 7 in the morning. And he had so many cookies in his mouth when I looked back at him that he couldn't even chew. A regular cookie monster I have on my hands, I tell ya.

So we made it to Utah in record time and this includes a stop to run on the salt flats and a need to turn around in Wendover for gas, where I drove off with the gas pump in my car. Which isn't at all like what they depict in the movies. I just started driving and heard a loud "thud" and looked back and the gas pump was on the ground. So I jumped out of the car and ran over to put the pump back in its rightful home and grabbed my receipt and took off, red as a beet I'm sure, as fast as the wind would take me. Because who does that? Well, apparently I do.

But lo and behold we arrived at our destination and were greeted at our car by Lindsay and baby Oscar and if that doesn't make you feel loved I sure as heck don't know what does. And for the record: I have the best baby for car traveling in the history of the universe. So we will be travelling a lot more, mark my words.

That afternoon we played outside and ate sushi and stayed up late talking about everything and anything while eating what we decided were our three core food groups: brownie batter, warm brownies, and cooled off brownies (of the gluten free variety, of course). Because guess what folks? Lindsay is GF too (I'm telling you, luckiest girl right here with the coolest family ever). 

And a word to the wise: don't invite us to visit if you don't mean it. Because we are a travelin' pair, Sage and I. As long as there are cookies. Couldn't have done it without the cookies...