Now for the most remarkable thing we have ever done with Emma- we went to Idaho! We had talked about doing this for a while, but it always seemed like a far away thing. We were thinking that is now or next summer when the snow is melted from the mountain passes. So, we asked the doctors and we discussed every option, every situation- if she needed oxygen, medical companies and hospitals on the way, contacts of multiple people. We spent lots of time planning what to take and how much.

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On September 26th, at 5 am, we woke Emma up, transferred her over to her portable vent, and packed up the hove vent, some last-minute things. And we were off! So many unknowns. That first day we went to my grandparents in Paul, Idaho. We met them and a bunch of my extended family at a restaurant for dinner. It was a long drive, but we took tons of stops to get her out of the car seat. But she did great! At the restaurant, it was so nice to see everyone. It was great to properly explain Emma’s diagnosis to everyone and they were genuinely were interested, and loved her! It was also super stressful. Emma’s oxygen was a bit lower than the usual 98-100%. She was at around 95-97%. That night, she was retracting and breathing a little harder, and struggling a little. Plus, being tired of her car seat and exhausted, and overstimulated too. On top of us trying to help her, to eat, and to talk to my family, we were worried that we would have to go home that night, as she wasn’t doing so well. When we got to my grandma’s house, we got most of the stuff out of the car and set up all her stuff, and get things plugged in. By the time we got her into bed it was 11 pm. We were so high strung that we both just laid in bed not sleeping until about 2 am.

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We got up at 8 am the next morning, then moved most everything into the car. We waited for my grandma to wake up, so we could spend an hour or so with her. Emma gave her all the cutest, cheesiest smiles. We then left to go to Rexburg, Idaho- the home of Brigham Young University- Idaho (BYU-I) the college Dustin and I went to! We first stopped off at the Great Western Bread Co. for their yummy dessert bread that we missed. Then we went to the BYU-I bookstore to get some shirts and some outfits for Emma. We then met up at the cafeteria and met my brother Michael, and 3 of my cousins. It was fun to talk to them and for my cousins to meet Emma for the first time. Emma loved smiling and beaming and my cousin Jaime. It was great to see how all my cousins are growing up. We were also shocked at how much bigger Rexburg has become. After that, we went to Dustin’s grandparents’ house in Rigby, Idaho. We got there and just relaxed that day. We had a good dinner than gave Emma a bath and did trach care. That is the first time we did that other than the hospital and our house. It went smoothly, but we had to switch things around a bit as it was so different.  That night was a good and restful one. We started to get the hang of taking everything apart, packing it up, setting it back up, and figuring out what supplies we needed for the next stop.

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On the third day of our trip we woke up early and went with Dustin’s grandpa to Yellowstone! As we got to West Yellowstone, her oxygen stayed at a 93-94%, so we gave her some oxygen the whole time there. It was expected, as the elevation was so high. The relative oxygen in the air was 17% instead of the regular 21%. It was fun to take her here, as we have been wanting to do this and go back for a long time! We drove to the Old Faithful area, and went to two boardwalk sites on the way. It was funny, as Emma hated the wind and freaked out, but loved the walks. We saw lots of geysers, and some buffalo and elk while driving. We then went to see the Old Faithful Geyser- it was neat, but not as tall and powerful as we remember. Dustin’s grandpa suggested that it was the water breaking down the opening, causing a smaller pressure- makes sense. Then we had lunch at the cafeteria at the lodge. Dustin had a bison meatloaf- it was really good! After a stop at the giftshop for a shirt and a book for Emma, we went back to Dustin’s grandparents’ house.

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On day 4, we woke up early again and left for my parent’s house in West Richland, WA (the Tri-Cities). It was a VERY long drive. Emma was getting very uncomfortable at the end. It was fun being at my home growing up with Emma- she loves new places. We just relaxed and had a good evening. The next day we packed up and went home. We did it! 5 days without nurses, overnight, and traveling. Such a huge step. We are so proud of Emma and we did great too! It was a good and fun trip, one that we had no idea that it was possible to do.