Michael! I appreciate all the work you are doing with keeping the family informed!  You are awesome!  I will look over Shelly’s Phonebook tonight when I get home from work.

So, why are Jessica & Dave on this trip?  When are they coming back?  That’s not an easy trip with 2 babies !  They are brave! ;) Much love, Wendy Griffith

(SCENE SETTING: Michael is now climbing on his Fatherhood soapbox to rant)

EDITED AND MODIFIED FOR CLARITY & SOFTENING - 9:30 AM 10/26/2010

JESSICA & DAVE Currently traveling across the country in a small car with the 3 month old twins... Just for fun!

Wendy:

They aren’t brave…. Jessica & Dave apparently had no clue of doing this trip on Wednesday of last week. They woke up on Thursday, discussed the idea, and they were on the road by mid-afternoon. No planning, no preparation, and no idea where they were going to be staying the first night. All they really knew was that Dave wanted to visit his Aunt in Pennsylvania.

As a dual goal, they decided that they would visit Jessica’s family members spread across the country, so they called my Mom (Grandma Carolyn) for cities and phone numbers (without telling her at 5 PM that they were leaving in a few minutes). They next called my sister Becky (who now lives in Alabama), and confirmed that they could come and visit. Becky would be day three, four, or five, yet this was the home they confirmed first.

Jessica & Dave must be geographically challenged, because they are the only people I have talked to about this that haven’t immediately realized that Alabama is not anywhere near the route needed to go from Utah to Pennsylvania. Never once do we hear about the Mormon Pioneers stopping in Alabama on their trip from England  to Salt Lake City.

I got a call about 6:45 PM that first day from Jessica & Dave and they were already on the road heading east on Interstate 80, and they wanted me to call my brother Jimi in Littleton, Colorado and ask if they could stop in and spend the night. They were really planning on arriving at Jimi’s between midnight and 1 AM, and all I could do was just laugh. Uncle Jimi gets up for work at 4 AM each day and he is usually in bed between 8 and 9 each night. I laughed even louder when Jessica had said she texted Jimi, but that he hadn’t responded. I knew it was doubtful that Jimi had ever received the text, because he views them as a neanderthal way to communicate and the death of the English language. I could not believe that they did not try to call Jimi before leaving their house, since it was to be their first night stay. I agreed to call Jimi and pave the way, but knew that I could not promise any success.

I left a great message on Jimi’s voicemail and then called Jessica to let her know. It took 3 calls to her due to bad reception in Wyoming. I told her that it was doubtful that contact would be made until he woke up at 4 AM the next morning, and she sounded a bit disappointed.

Logistically, how can you make any miles driving a small car with 3 month old twins? Jessica and Dave do not use formula to feed them, so every time there needs to be a feeding, they would have to pull over. The car is small and doesn’t really allow an adult to sit next to them in the back seat. The car seats take up too much room to allow reclining the front seat for comfort. And sure enough, at 1 AM they made it to Laramie, Wyoming with no return call from Uncle Jimi and they decided to avoid heading south to Denver and just slept in the car.

The following morning I had a great call with Jimi, sharing with him the details of Jessica and Dave’s trip thus far. Sure enough, he picked up his messages at 4 AM, and was clueless the night before regarding any attempts made to contact him. He said that his wife Madelon commented the night before that his phone was flashing like he just got a text, and he knew that it was just Verizon bugging him with his online statement notification. As for the impromptu trip, Jimi was sure that Jessica & Dave would cut their trek short and return home early, but if they did make the nine day journey, then they were more than welcome to stop at his place in Littleton on their way back home again. It was frustrating for me to relate what Jessica & Dave were trying to do. As her Father, I knew that Jessica came to mortality as a girl who planned out everything carefully, and only jumped in the water when she was sure it was safe to do so. It is difficult for me to explain the spontaneous decisions now being made by Jesiica.

Shelly loves the details, and I became even more amazed when she calculated the trip at 5,300 miles and 82 hours of driving. At $3 per gallon for gas, plus food, drink, and incidentals, the expenses were going to make this a road trip they would not soon financially forget. The voyage was probably a very exciting way to mark their first year anniversary of marriage on October 24th.

The Jessica & Dave road trip has brought back a flood of emotions from just about a year ago. Their rushed decision to wed created lots of anxiety, worry, and stress in my life. I have always felt that better long term planning would have eased much of the worry then, as it would have now with the “2010 Great American Road Trip.” But, it is their lives and they are free to choose how they make their family decisions. It doesn’t make it any easier as a Father to stand by and watch, but stand by and watch we must. It just amazes me as I watch their chosen course of urgency.

Oh well... Unfortunately for us, I guess that we don’t get to trick or treat with Rolf & Poppy this year.

I’m stepping down off my soapbox now and can only hope that all goes well for them. I am just grateful that Jessica & Dave are calling us regularly to give us trip updates. Please keep them in your prayers for safe travel.