Indiana part one

Well, we made it. Barely. We have been getting snow storms in our southern temperate rain forest just about every weekend this last month or so. This weekend was no exception. Our plan was to head to Indiana and take Ella for her first trip to the Crossroads of America to meet much of her extended family. She had not met her only living great grandma, Grandma Day. We were to leave Friday evening after Eli got home from work around Ella's bedtime. It started snowing at about 3 pm. It didn't stop. But we have a Subaru, so of course we can make the trip anyway. Why put it off? So we loaded up the car and headed out of town on a snowy Friday evening, at rush hour, on a route already crowded from the detour from the I-40 closure. Great idea. As soon as we got to Haywood Rd, the traffic was awful. Tail light to head light traffic and cars slipping off the road. Hm, should we proceed? I think not, but in the typical Sellers' way, I don't say much. Eli of course is game for it. Weather has never stopped him before! But we have precious cargo and I do remind him of this.

Okay, long story not quite so long, it takes us an hour and 45 minutes to make it to Mars Hill. (That should take about 20 minutes on a typical day). The traffic starts to thin out, but we still have to make it over the gaps to Johnson City. We did make it. It could have been much worse. But we did spend a significant portion of it behind the snow plow. And I did feel the trusty Subaru wheels slip more than once. I did gently tell Eli when we stopped in Mars Hill for gas, "next time this happens, we stay home." He gently agreed.

The whole trip took 8 hours. We arrived in Greenville, IN at 1:45 AM with a sleeping baby. She of course immediately woke up, quite suprised at her surroundings. All in all, she did great. Slept most of the trip and went back to sleep fairly well in her Grandma's pack n play, but did wake a few times the rest of the night. Needless to say, mommy and daddy are quite tired today.

So, we are here. Everyone is so happy to see Ella and of course she is the star of the party. She got to sit on her Great Grandma Day's lap for the first time and that was worth all the hastle to get here. She is a little out of sorts out of her environment and naps are a little hairy, but as I write this at 7:15 PM, she is sleeping quietly in the pack n play, and all is well. Here is hoping she sleeps well the whole night so we can get rested up.

Pictures and more updates will come soon. It is not worth fighting the "dial-up" connection to upload pictures.