It all began when

we pulled out of the driveway and Gary said, 

"I hope this isn't an ill-fated trip."   

Actually the story began before that, when Misty asked me to help her plant her front flower garden.  I suggested we get some big rocks to add to the height and character. 

All went well as we traveled down to a creek bed outside of Jonesburg.  We spotted several very large rocks as we traveled the gravel roads, but we kept going as we sought the perfect rocks.  We came to little stream that crossed the road and felt we could navigate it with no problem.  Well, that is where the "ill-fated" part of the trip started. 

After much trial and tribulation, we realized that we needed help.  We called Dan at work, who then drove home (45 minute drive) to pick up his Dad and his Dad's truck, and made their way out to our destination.

In the meantime, we didn't let a little stuck car ruin our fun.  During the three hours we waited, the kids made "lemonade out of lemons," and in fact had a great time. 

Jackson, who claims to have a "Masters Degree" in "Rock Skipping,"

showed us the finer arts of picking the perfect rock.

take notice of the rock I'm sitting on,

you'll see it at the end of the story.

We were very happy when our

  fearless and much appreciated help arrived.

After much analyzing,

it was determined that pulling it out backwards 

would be the best approach.

Ahh, a sigh of relief.

I thought Misty was kind of pushing her luck 

when she insisted that we load the truck with rocks.  

But she is a very determined woman.

We weren't quite out of the woods yet, though.

As we started down the road,  

Dan noticed that the car was driving a little bumpy,

even for traveling on a gravel road.

 Marshall just "hung loose," and 

was pretty unfazed by the whole event.

Fast forward to today.

Here are Misty and I sitting on that same rock,

only this time it's in her garden bed.

Was it worth it?

Well, I guess it depends on who you ask.

(Gary says I'm putting way too positive of a spin on it)