Alive and Well in Wyoming

Dylan and Mom just minutes before leaving home at 5:30 a.m.

We’re here! On Saturday, Dylan and I made the very long, 12-hour drive from our home in Arizona’s White Mountains to my husband Ed’s current home in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Thankfully, it was an uneventful trip. No flat tires or engine trouble. No illness or accidents or bad weather. We met nothing worse than continual road repairs in both New Mexico and Colorado.

12-year-old Dylan dozes on the way to Wyoming.

Dylan actually slept most of the way, so he didn’t provide much company to help me stay alert. I got only 3-and-a-half hours of sleep the night before we left. It was kind of hard to sleep when I was so excited to be reunited with my new husband after 4 days apart! Remember, we’re still newlyweds!

Dylan at Wendy’s for lunch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mary in Santa Fe, with mountains in the background.

We made just 3 stops along the way. We filled the tank in Gallup, New Mexico, before driving on to Santa Fe, where we stopped for gas and lunch. From there, we drove on to Pueblo, Colorado. We stopped there to gas up the car one last time.

Dylan cleans the windshield in Pueblo, Colorado.

In Pueblo, I also bought 2 dark chocolate bars, hoping the caffeine in them would help wake me up a little. I was more alert after that, but I’m not sure if that was due to the chocolate kick or if it was because I was now less than 3 hours from being in Ed’s embrace again!

Ed’s mom Caryl outside her house on Sunday morning.

Ed met us outside when we pulled up at his mom’s house in Carr, Colorado, at 6:30 p.m. (that’s Colorado/Wyoming time, which is currently an hour ahead of our Arizona time.) It was great to finally meet his mother, Caryl. She told me she’s been praying for years that Ed would meet someone who would make him happy. What a sweet lady to have for my new mother-in-law!

Ed’s nice, 2-bedroom apartment in Cheyenne (bottom right).

After a short visit, Ed jumped in the car with Dylan and me and drove us 30 minutes further north, across the state line, to his apartment in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As exhausted as I was, we still had a wonderful reunion. He surprised me with the beautiful flowers below.

Red roses and lilies from my sweetheart.

Sunday was a full day. We were up early to prepare for church, then we returned to Carr, CO, to pick up Ed’s mom before heading back to attend Ed’s ward in Cheyenne. It was the first of the 3 Sundays during which Dylan and I will attend the Frontier Ward. Everyone was friendly and anxious to meet Ed’s new wife. There were many surprised glances at the start of the meeting when the second counselor, Brother Micheli, announced the recent marriage of Ed and Mary Reynolds!

Arriving at the Frontier Ward meetinghouse.

That evening we attended an open house for a military family in Ed’s ward, who’ve been transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cayle and Trina are friends of Ed’s, and he hopes to visit them in their new home since he’ll soon be living with us in Lakeside, just 4 hours away from Albuquerque.

I can’t even express how happy I am to be here, back with my husband where I belong. I hope it’s a very long time before we have to be apart again!