Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam...

We are in Utah to rest up for a couple days before the last 1/4 or so of our trip to Washington.   It was another long day of traveling from Denver to Layton, UT, about 550miles. It was however one of the most beautiful drives I've ever experienced. If you suddenly found yourself plunked down in Cheyenne, Wyoming and had to drive on I-80 West for several hours, well, you would be in for a treat of sweeping rolling vistas and giant blue skies filled with white fluffy clouds - it's almost as if you can see the turn of the earth at the end of the horizon. 

Maggie posted another video update:

The kids are glad to stay in one place for a couple days, especially to be at grandma's house for some great home cooking (well, we all are happy about that!)and plenty of tempting sweets.  :)

We also met up with our cat Zeke, who traveled via Delta DASH from Cincinnati to Salt Lake City airport. He too enjoyed being spoiled these last few days and making himself comfy on the porch or couch among Grandma Jenny & Papa Mac.

Next, we set off for our last two days - a shorter trip to Boise, Idaho and then our last day of travel into Pullman!

Kansas City Here We Come (and go)

We spent our first night in Evansville, IN, and headed west the next morning as John Mellencamp serenaded us on the radio out of the Hoosier state. We made it past the St. Louis Arch before lunch, and on to Kansas City by late Tuesday.

We spent the night with our friends in Olathe,KS and then made the LONG journey across Kansas. The kids took some video/photos from the road:

( Maggie's Kansas Video Blog post)

At the end of the day,we rolled into Aurora, CO*, catching our first glimpse of the purple mountain majesty, the Rocky Mountains. Thursday we are up early and headed across Wyoming and into Utah.
 
*Wow - we left a day before that terrible news about the Aurora movie theater.

Pressed, printed, packaged, shipped...

Hello!  We are exhausted after a long day of final packing and goodbyes to neighbors and family. The house, though full of boxes and soon-to-be wrapped furniture, already felt empty. We feel a bit like squatters here since signing it over to the new owner on Thursday. We hope the couple moving in will enjoy Tances as much as we have!

Madeira 4th of July Parade, from our usual spot

 Madeira has been a fantastic neighborhood to call home, and we were glad to be able to stick around long enough for the 4th of July festivities and some summer fun. We were sure to hit all of our favorite Cincinnati spots in recent weeks too, and gave the kids the nostalgia tour from Oakley/Clifton>Pleasant Ridge>Madeira on more than one occasion.

In the morning we begin our journey driving west (and north) to Pullman, Washington, home of Washington State University, where Joe will join the faculty at the Murrow College of Communication. We plan to take about six days to get out there, with some stops along the way. 

And so, this journey of 2300 miles begins with the steps beneath our feet...

Thanks for all of your well wishes!