A First Zollinger Christmas In Reno

 

This was an interesting time. Jack's school began Christmas vacation earlier than usual, Kristin was no yet a full-time student at ISU. We had a brief window of opportunity.

We hoped to leave early in the morning for the eight or nine hour trip. I get anxious to see grandchildren, and for some reason, the miles seem to last forever. We left around noon.

Our day began with the trip through Twin Falls and Jackpot, Nevada were not as interesting as during the summer. We worried about icy roads in the days before we left, but everything went well. 

We hoped to leave early in the morning for the eight or nine hour trip. I get anxious to see grandchildren, and for some reason, the miles seem to last forever. We left around noon.

The great thing about Nevada is the speed limit on highways. On the Idaho side of the border, the restriction is at 65 miles per hour, which is nice in some ways. You can--in my dad's way of expressing the situation--fudge your speed up to just a bit over 70.

Now for my car, given the tires I use and everything else, that increased speed is actually only about 65. We've actually watched on our Garmin. But somehow thinking I'm going faster brings me a bit of relief. I know it's delusional, but what can I say?

The trunk was full of Star Wars things we bought for Tommy over the years and had opted not to send them. Lydia and Jeff were in rentals, and not only was it about that, but sending additional things also eventually meant moving items.

The great part about the whole scenario was this: Ann had the chance to go shopping for the two girls.

It was a perfect Christmas. 

Only a few days before the actual day of opening presents saw us on our way to Meridian, Idaho to pick up our new bulldog.

It's difficult to believe how small the pup once was. Things change so quickly. But at least grandchildren don't pass through time at that rate.