USRT15 #7--Old Friends Again

I now pause our normally-scheduled travel update to remember the amazing hosts on our road trip who gave us places to sleep and warmed us with good memories of our shared past. 

Our Seattle friends the Owens in Orem 

who treated us to lunch in the Cannon Center and effortlessly accommodated our post-midnight arrival.

Our Cville friends the Griffiths in Salt Lake. 

Greta has always been so generous with me and on this trip she gave and gave.

The Eddingtons in Idaho, who threw me a spontaneous birthday celebration and hosted the Spauldings for dinner so that I could enjoy them, too. 

The moms of those families--Deneal and Elan, my college roommates.

And their families. 

We didn't get a group shot, but there they all are in the background during our canoe bonfire.

The Pettingills

 Dan's BYU roommate Casey will always be on our list of people to see in Utah.

 The Barnos in Colorado
 I forgot how much I missed these guys. Hearing their updates in person was priceless for me.

 The Lunds in Missouri
We saw them on the way west and east. We didn't get to visit the first time around, and I am so glad Polly and I stayed up until 1 a.m. to catch up. 

Having friends in so many spots makes road trips across the country so much more appealing. Knowing that help was just within a day's drive gave me so much confidence. Watching our kids interact was entertaining. Seeing how they keep their homes running and their families healthy inspired me with so many new ideas. These short visits with them filled me up on each leg of the journey, and I would spend the entire next day in the car reviewing what I have learned over the years from them. In many ways, these visits with old friends were the glue that held the trip together for me and kept everything from falling apart. I have always felt like I have been given extraordinary friends to help me, and that pattern continued on our journey across the country and back.