Fitzgerald Family Adventures Day One

We left early.
We NEVER leave early.
I kept thinking, something's gotta be wrong. We NEVER leave early.
We headed into the grade school to pick up the two youngest. When they hopped into the back I noticed the wireless headphones for the DVD were missing.
The option at this point is backtrack--something my husband despises regardless of the fact that at that point, we were only 10 minutes from home--or face 2300 miles listening to anything the kids were listening to. There was no way option two was going to work.
So we went back.
So much for leaving early.
We grabbed the kids and headed south.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and relatively warm. Headed east on I - 84 we traveled through the western edge of Idaho's famed potatoes fields. It's a bit too early for much farming. There were a few tractors out, but they were not moving. The ground is too wet. Idaho spring is nearly torture for a farmer. It gets just warm enough to make you think you can get outside and then just as you get everything ready to go -- bam! winter is back and you have a foot of snow on top of the tractor.
As we aim for Salt Lake, my husband starts telling "landmark" stories: tales of where he did what along this route.
"We bought a Case 930 tractor there. My dad was still alive."
He's only 52, but he tells stories like a man 20 - 30 years older. He's apparently always been like this. His dad called him "Walter Winchell" because like the famed commentator, he "always has the story".
Within an hour we start the argument that will follow the entire journey. He likes to travel in the relative comfort of a refrigerator. I prefer not to see my breath while driving.
I spent $12.95 and downloaded the Homer Simpson voice for the navigator. The investment paid off with great laughter from Clem and the kids. When you get on the freeway Homer laughs and says "Woo Hoo". I figure it couldn't get much better and then when we pulled into our first stop, Home said. "You can celebrate because you're a genius." I love it!!
We ate dinner in Sandy, Utah at the Mayan. It's a Mexican-like cuisine -- and truly, the food was just OK. The best part of this establishment is the entertainment. "Cliff divers" appear twice an hour and jump off the synthetic cliffs into a pool of water. It's entirely cool! My children loved it! My son, following the second show, let out a good ol' fashioned southern Idaho, "Yee Haw" -- this is his highest compliment.
We've decided to stay in Best Westerns along the way until we get to Vegas. Best Westerns have free breakfasts and tend to have pools. Very kid friendly. The pool isn't open here -- but we've shoved a roll-away into a tiny two queen room and we're watching The Marriage Ref, our new favorite show.
Off to Moab tomorrow!