#145 - Vacation Blogging

The Woody household has become Woody - The Road Trip.

We are on day three of our vacation, and loving every minute of it. Well, except for those aches and pains that more and more seem to accompany such trips. Truth is, we haven't had a driving vacation in nearly a couple of years now. We've taken the train a couple of times, and quite frankly we are spoiled. At least Daddy is. The closer I get to 50 (TWO YEARS, BUT I'M NOT TELLING!) I notice that my back, in particular, doesn't appreciate all the relaxation of driving for 500 or more miles a day.

But we are having fun. Really.

Yesterday was the Big Family Reunion that we've been anticipating for several months now. It was a chance to get to know a family we didn't even know existed a few short years ago. Dad never knew while he was alive. This would have been Dad's birth family, and, unlike Dad, they've been wondering about him for many, many years. The frightened 16 year old girl that gave him up at the hospital nearly 79 years ago wondered about her baby boy nearly every day for the rest of her life.

The happy news is, I'm sure they've had a loving reunion many times over in the hereafter.

In the meantime, we have the happy chore of discovering this new family and getting acquainted with the three remaining half-siblings that Dad knew nothing about. We represented Dad at a reunion of the direct descendents of this once-frightened girl, who nonetheless managed to build up a warm, loving, comfortable family. We were instantly and completely welcomed, and I'm sure long-lasting friendships were forged yesterday. We were especially pleased to present each half-Aunt or Uncle a DVD with a "heritage scrapbook" (a Mrs. Woody creation!) on it depicting Dad's life and those of his kids. We were able to narrate for them and describe - as best we could - Dad's life, passions, and personality. There were, they noted immediately, many striking similarities between Dad and one of their late brothers.

As I say, we had fun.

Today we drive. We don't usually like doing that on the Sabbath, but we're on our way to Zion Corporate Headquarters (Salt Lake!) to visit family. So we will spend the day appreciating creation (as much as one can appreciate the Bonneville Salt Flats, anyway) and should hit town late this afternoon or early evening.

SPECIAL NOTE TO FRIEND BARBARA: We visited your temple on Friday. We didn't have a chance to do the open house for our own Newport Beach Temple, and I had promised Mrs. Woody and the Woodyettes that we would visit Sacramento during Open House if at all possible. It became possible, and we loved it. You have a beautiful House. Took a picture of the girls standing in front of the fountain. Very sweet.