I’m coming to you live tonight from a luxurious Comfort Suites in Des Moines, Iowa. We’re on our way to Kansas City for the weekend, to be at my good friend Tom’s wedding …
This hotel looks like a country club you’d see on an exclusive golf course. We snagged a room here tonight by calling in a reservation just a couple hours ago … During a stop at the Iowa Welcome Center we filled up on hotel brochures, and Kates started working the phone as we hit the road for our final leg. She called a load of Des Moines-area hotels and bargained for the best rates. And what we got was a top-notch hotel -- king-sized bed, nice pool, free computer and internet access, a sweet room -- for an excellent price …
We were on the road at about 1 p.m. today after a quick stop at Phoebe’s daycare to pick up some things we left behind yesterday and I picked up Kates from school …
We made our first stop just outside Rockford at 2:45 … Crazy as it may sound, I will say that’s one nice thing about having Phoebe traveling with us now. We’re making more stops, and the trip is going to take longer -- but the stopping sort of feels good. We can take a break and reflect. And breathe.
We had stop No. 2 at around 4:15 and a third at about 5:30 p.m. … We had a great moment as we took the road again after stop No. 2. Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On” came on the iPod. And Kates and I sang it loud and proud … And yes, I was totally thinking about Harold and Kumar. Phoebe thought it was pretty hilarious too; her toothless grin was absolutely beaming …
At about 6:45, we crossed the mighty Mississippi and stopped just over the Iowa border for supper. Starving, we grabbed some McDonald’s and filled up on all its fatty and salty goodness while sitting in the parking lot of the Iowa Welcome Center and overlooking the Mississippi …
As we got going again, we drove into a setting sun that looked as though someone had painted two water color stripes horizontally across the sky -- a blue stripe on top and an orange stripe on the bottom. It was gorgeous.
And that brings us to the here and now … We rolled in at about 10:45 tonight, and we’re going to sleep real good tonight …
Tomorrow we'll be in Kansas City -- home. Many of my best friends will get to meet Phoebe for the first time.
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