We planned to drive the big kids out to see their friends in Wisconsin on Christmas day. We had a small window in which to make the trip. Friday was optimal; Saturday, possibly doable, but after that, forget it.

We thought we’d make the 6 hour trip with the whole family so the little kids would stop grumbling every time we mentioned their elders going to visit. You see, our friends in Wisconsin have 8 kids, so there’s someone for everyone. We had all gotten to know each other with day long visits and meeting once a week for tennis and park day over the course of the few years they lived in our town.

So we were all set to go. And then the weather got flaky. It was the most unpredictable part of the winter storm cycle–the melting/raining part. As long as the sun was out, it was warm, but as soon as the sun set, we knew we were in for some black ice or something. And we just didn’t want to risk having the whole family on the highway in that.

You should have seen the big kids’ faces. The boy was near tears. The girl tried to have faith about still getting to go. I heard them arguing about it.

Then their father threw them a bone. “Find out when the train’s running,” he told them. The next thing you knew, the boy was on the Internet finding out about all the possible train routes.

We had them on the train on Sunday. Mind you, the last time the girl took a train trip she was 2. The boy had never been on the train. They played it off, but they were so excited they could barely sit still for the two days after Christmas.

I didn’t want to think about having them away from home. But even I caught their excitement at the train station. We all left the station with a smile, just thinking about their adventure. The girl took video with her new MacBook. Video soon to follow. . .