B+C+B+C+B+C: The commute

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The commute

We have driven Highway 40 between Provo and Vernal approximately 122 times (19,520 miles). Thankfully, only 160 of those miles were put on our own car. I can count on one hand the number of times we have NOT done the drive in the dark (usually from 7-10pm) so Brianna will sleep through it.

But last Sunday morning, I did the drive solo from 6-9am (Brian left the night before with Brianna, and I stayed behind to finish packing and cleaning the house in Provo). It was the first time - in all those thousands of miles - that I really noticed and appreciated the panorama. With the sun coming up over those wide-open plains - I just had to snap a view shots.

I probably should've pulled over to do it - so the view wasn't marred by the streaks on the windshield - but I've never heard it was illegal to take pictures while driving (unlike texting - which I totally agree with).

This particular drive also featured 3 close encounters with wildlife (deer and cattle), and 2 police pull-overs (one for going 37 in a 30 in Duchesne, the other for not having headlights on in the fog - both just warnings - WHEW!)

In the very near future, this weekly commute (we've never spent a full weekend in Vernal) should be OVER.

7 comments:

Marilyn said...: I am sure that the communte gets old. It is nice to feel settled somewhere. I hope everything with your move turns out well.; February 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM
Unknown said...: Congrats on not getting a ticket!!! I think they are pretty harsh over in the Dueschesne area! (At least they were to me!); February 23, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Julie said...: Who knew the drive to Vernal could be pretty?! Cool pics! Funny that now that you will be done moving shortly we are just beginning to start our packing and journeys back and forth (only to springville though so you don't need to feel bad :) lol ); February 23, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Mandy said...: Glad you didn't get a ticket(s)!! I HATE being pulled over. (which is why I hardly ever speed . . . if there were no cops, I'd be a crazy driver!! :)

I am sure it's nice to almost be done with the commute! Last year when we were going back and forth from AZ to UT, it wasn't fun! (although we didn't quite go every weekend . . .) It's always nice to be settled some place!; February 23, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Amy Hunter said...: You are one lucky dog! 2 times! It must be because you are so cute. Anyway, I don't blame you for not wanting to commute anymore, but I still miss you all. I'm glad that it's not permanent.; February 23, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Alyssa said...: Dear Chelsea. I knew a girl once who blogged but sadly, her life isn't as exciting as having an adorable Brianna to blog about. I'm pretty sure the blogging world would die from boredom if I were to blog about the dull, everyday happenings of work. I promise, once something blog-worthy happens in my life I will dedicate the page to you :)P.S. Brianna is seriously adorable.; February 23, 2009 at 3:25 PM
Jenna said...: so you are moving from provo to vernal? i cannot believe you commuted that far! crazy!; February 24, 2009 at 2:41 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The commute

7 comments:

Pageviews last month