Day 10

Friday, July 24, 2009

At breakfast this morning, we noticed some deer and sheep across the street. So after breakfast we grabbed our food buckets and headed out. Unfortunately the animals this year are either not hungry or very shy because as soon as we headed out, they all started to walk or run away. Betty managed to entice a couple of them up to eat but most of the group stayed back away from us.

So, now what to do? Betty needed to run an errand in town so we all piled into the car and headed out. Betty dropped the kids and I off at Hastings while the rest of them went to Lowes. Then they came back to pick us up. The man they needed to see at Lowes was on a lunch break so we decided to go to lunch too. Yummy food at a little hole in the wall Mexican place called Conchitas. Then back to Hastings for us while the others went back to Lowes. After they picked us up again, we drove across the spot in town where the Chisholm trail started in Kerrville. Then we went to the Museum of Western Art. There were paintings, sculptures, and saddles. But what the kids enjoyed most was the Children’s Area. A conestoga wagon, clothes to dress up in, dishes to cook with, and supplies to pack. They had a great time there until we had to drag them away. After the museum we decided to go ahead and stop at the store to buy more milk since we were already in town.

Ron had called while we were at the grocery store so I called him back once I was home and settled in with my drink. Sweet sparkling wine we bought at the store, with fancy sugar around the rim. Yum. Ron reported that I have received a few complaints about my lack of blog updates. Since I have no wireless connection, I can only be online in the barn office. Which is hot. And by the end of the day, I am generally not interested in sitting in the hot office typing. But I’ll do my best to get another day or so up online later. Gotta keep the fans happy… :)

After dinner we went rock-hunting out in the back, outside the fence. Then we drove to another place on the ranch to look for more. We also saw a few animal skeletons while we were out there.

After our dusty rock-hunting we had more cake for dessert then headed for bed. When we got to the barn, we found that the new episode of Wizards of Waverly Place was on. Wizards vs. Vampires, part 1. So we all watched that. The kids still didn’t want to go to sleep but I told them to sleep anyway. That worked for Ryan and Bella. Felisa was still awake for awhile longer. And even after she fell asleep, I couldn’t. Must have been the coffee I got at the bookstore this afternoon… Eventually, sometime after midnight, I fell asleep.

Day 9

Thursday, July 23, 2009

When we woke up this morning, we heard Sunny barking. I look out the window to see what she’s barking at and there are cows out there. Cows, just wandering along the road, right outside our window. Now that’s something we don’t see everyday!

After breakfast, Betty Lou and I went to get the mail and check on a neighbor’s house. The house had been empty for awhile so we found lots of dead scorpions. And a dead, shriveled up tarantula. Yuck! The scorpions and tarantulas are a part of Texas I could certainly do without. And, lucky us – there was even one live scorpion. Luckily it wasn’t moving too fast (on its deathbed perhaps?) so Betty Lou stepped on it.

When we got back to the house, there were a few wild turkeys nearby so I grabbed my super-zoom camera and went back out to get some turkey pictures. Finally, after 4 years, we can add some good turkey pictures to our collection of cool animal photos taken at the ranch.

Now it’s arts and crafts time. Betty Lou bought some foam crowns to decorate and some paint-by-number pictures. The kids always enjoy doing crafts here at the ranch. Once the crowns are done, Betty has found some tulle leftover from another project so craft time evolves into dress up time.

The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Now it’s time to bake our cake for the birthday party later. Betty, with her immense amount of patience, lets the kids help her make the cake and the frosting. I hide in the other room, working on my scrapbook. Bella decides to make a pretend cake at the same time as the real cake so Felisa runs back and forth giving her the play by play of what’s going on in the kitchen. My favorite directions: “Now you have to scrape it all out of the bowl into the pan. And sometimes you have to use your fingers.”

While the cake is baking, we eat lunch.

After lunch, we load up the mule and drive back over to check the mailbox again. The mailbox is next to the stable. The farrier is at the stable today so we got to go watch while he worked. He was very nice and explained what he was doing while he did the entire process from start to finish on one of Doc’s feet.

Back home after that adventure, the cake has cooled and it is time to decorate it. And what goes with birthday parties besides cake? Pinatas! We took the kids outside and lo and behold – the tree has grown another piñata. One per year! Either the piñatas are getting weaker or the kids are getting stronger because they had it busted open lickety split. The piñata had a yo-yo for each of them plus candy and toothpaste. 9 out of 10 dentists approve piñatas with toothpaste!

Dinner time.

After dinner, we went to a neighbor’s house to feed the animals. Not many animals showed up and those that were there were a bit skittish so we decided to save the food for later. We were admiring the log furniture on the deck when Felisa spotted an hand reaching out of a box. Another body part has been discovered on the ranch! This time it was a full wooden arm with a plastic hand on the end. Pretty fancy. We are thinking that perhaps Dr. Frankenstein’s great grandson lives here on the ranch and is secretly trying to build another monster. Unfortunately for him, he always hides his parts where we can find them. Guess he’ll have to find another arm to use.

Can this day hold any more fun and excitement? Why, yes it can! We loaded up the mule once more and headed for the pool. This time I got to drive. Yikes! We made it there and back without any trouble and enjoyed a very refreshing swim.

Back home again, we showered then had birthday cake for dessert. Happy Birthday to Us!

And now - Good Night. I’m exhausted!

Day 8

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wake up at about 7:30. The kids are all still sound asleep. So I go ahead and read the email I downloaded last night. Fiddle with the wireless again but still can’t figure it out. Oh well – a little down time will be good for me, I suppose. At about 8 or so, the kids wake up and we all get dressed to go to the house for breakfast. More hanging out and playing… Found a scorpion in the guest room. Ick! Betty Lou caught it with the tongs then I took a picture before she flushed it down the toilet. The kids got to help Betty Lou make chocolate ice cream for dessert later. After lunch, more playing while I try to get my blog typing caught up. I’ll load up later when I go back to the barn… The girls have rediscovered the hammering toys to my disappointment. Just as I’m about to go stark raving mad, they finally get the pegs hammered into place so they can use the tables to make donuts. Whew – that was close!

All in all, a nice relaxing day around the house.

Day 7

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

0651 – Alarm goes off. Oops! Looks like I forgot to reset my alarm for a later time when I decided to sleep in today.

0725 – Time to get up.

0820 – Ron is online. The kids get to talk to him. His hotel room looks a lot like our hotel room!

0858 – Take the luggage to the car. Ugh – it’s humid today. So much for fixing my hair! Go back inside for a quick breakfast.

0914 – Leaving the hotel.

0934 – Pass a building that looks like a caterpillar. Monolithic Domes.

1022 – Stopped by a train in Waco. Ryan counted the cars – 11. That’s a pretty short train!

1023 – Arrive at the Dr Pepper museum. Lots of interesting tidbits about Dr Pepper over the years. We bought some glass bottles to bring home and got a fresh one from the Soda Fountain. Everyone tried it – even Bella! Ryan and I were the only ones that really liked it. When we first pulled up, the kids didn’t believe me that I like Dr Pepper and have been drinking it since high school. Just because Ron always drinks Coke and I don’t drink a lot of sodas at home. Who knew I was keeping my soft drink history such a secret!

12:20 p.m. Stop at Jack in the Box for lunch. Another bad experience. The service was very slow and just before we left, we saw a giant cockroach crawling across the floor. I think it had touched my toes. I felt something tickly and thought it was just a fly buzzing around. When I finally looked down, the nasty cockroach was about 3 inches from my foot. YUCK!!!!! I’m not sure why I still like Jack in the Box so much and why I keep going back. I always have a mediocre to bad experience there but like the food. Especially the heart attack in a box, Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges.

1:25 p.m. Okay, I have just seen the 4th sign today with an actual truck or car hanging high above the roadway on the sign. The first one was a semi tractor. At first it didn’t look real because there was nothing around it to offer perspective. But when we passed it, it was definitely the real thing up there!

1:41 p.m. Stop for gas. Forgot to stop while at lunch in Waco and when we exited from the interstate, there wasn’t anything around. I was starting to get a bit nervous! The GPS is taking me a different way to the ranch so I’m playing along out of curiosity. I feel better now that I have a full tank of gas to go with all the cactus I am seeing! $2.29/gallon.

2:30 p.m. Marble Falls. Ryan just tried out his new audiobook CDs I had burned before we left and none of them are working. I knew my CD burner was having trouble but I didn’t realize it wasn’t working at all. What a waste of time that was! He is disappointed and I feel bad.

3:07 p.m. Pass by Wildflower Hills. I had planned to stop here today but the girls are asleep. It is close enough to the ranch that we could maybe come back later in the week.

3:09 p.m. See two camels in someone’s yard. Felisa will be sad she missed them.

3:17 p.m. Stop for a snack at Sonic in Fredericksburg.

4:02 p.m. We made it to the ranch! Yea!

We go to the pool for the weenie roast but it’s the wrong week. So we swim anyway then go back home to eat hot dogs for dinner. The kids got to ride in the back of the mule which they thought was a lot of fun. Then playtime while I tried to get online. No luck with the wireless. I can get on with my laptop if I plug in with the modem cord in the office in the barn. So guess I’ll be checking in once or twice a day while we’re here. Where’s my technical guy when I need him? Oh yeah – he’s in California. The kids and I had to tag team the satellite box since the remote wouldn’t work unless I was across the garage bay in the office (and the tv is in the guest room!) but we got the Disney channel on for one show before bed.

Day 6

Monday, July 20, 2009

0430 – Wake up. Go to the bathroom. Hear a thud from upstairs. Wonder if someone fell out of bed.

0500 – Hear someone crying. Go to check it out. It’s Merryn. Her ear hurts.

0645 – Wake up. My legs are red and itchy. I am covered with mosquito bites! Aaaaarrrrggghhh! Consider taking Benadryl to cancel the out of control itching but can’t take it since I’ll be driving today.

0808 – The bags are packed. The car is loaded. Good-byes have been said and now it is time to go.

0830 – Starbucks for coffee. I know that once I cross the river into Arkansas there isn’t much around for many miles. My GPS has been a little inaccurate this morning and it took us longer than it should to find this Starbucks.

0908 – Mississippi River and Arkansas

0948 – Stop at McD’s for breakfast and potty break. Get gas. $2.35/gallon. Start a movie for the kids. They chose to watch Hotel for Dogs again.

1130 – Little Rock, Arkansas. It’s raining.

1152 – Sign for Hot Springs National Park. Consider stopping. I didn’t research the park or any stops in Arkansas so decide to just keep going. Maybe I can get through Dallas before rush hour.

1155 – First dead armadillo sighting.

12:18 p.m. – Arkadelphia, AR. There are a lot of combination copycat names here in Arkansas. Arkadelphia, Texarkana…

12:23 p.m. Sign for Crater of Diamonds. Consider stopping again. I’m talking to Ron at the time and he tells me not to stop in Arkansas. He’s on the way to the airport for his business trip to CA. I told him that we have passed two airports already today but haven’t stopped at any. He tells me about the benefits of flying versus driving. Hmmm… :)

12:25 p.m. There is an SUV with Texas plates that has luggage tied to the roof. It’s making me a bit nervous. One of the bags doesn’t look all that secure to me!

12:37 p.m. A truck carrying a house is taking up more than it’s share of the road. I end up driving on the rumble strip which elicits a “Whoa!” from Ryan as he notices the very large house outside his window.

12:39 p.m. The second dead armadillo sighting.

1:02 p.m. The song of this summer is “Sounds Like Life to Me” by Darryl Worley. Last year it was the "Good Time" song by Alan Jackson. You know – the song that they play over and over and over again… Of course they do it with lots of songs. So what I really mean is - the one that they play over and over again that I enjoy listening to.

1:04 p.m. See a cool small RV called a BT Cruiser. Looks nice and it looks like something small enough I could actually drive it. I’ll have to look it up when I get to the internet again.

1:19 p.m. Dead Armadillo #3

1:22 p.m. Texas. There is a lot of construction on all of the overpasses in Texarkana. Looks like Texas is getting a face lift.

1:26 p.m. Stop at Taco Bell for lunch.

2:05 p.m. Gas, $2.23/gallon. Can’t find Waxahachie on the map. Maybe Ron made it up. Maybe we don’t really have a hotel to stay at tonight. Maybe we’ll be trapped in Texas forever… Which seems more and more true as we are eternally stuck on the access road detour paralleling the highway. We can see the highway. We just can’t get onto it!

2:24 p.m. MY LEGS ITCH!!!!! *^&$(($% Mosquitos!

2:42 p.m. Listening to the radio. The song has the word Raindrops in it. At the very next instant, it starts raining big loud drops onto the car. Whoa – crazy!

3:17 p.m. Cows swimming… Okay, they aren’t really swimming. But there is a group of them hanging around a pond. One cow is standing out in the center of the pond as if she is swimming. A few others are wading in the edges of the water. Felisa is sad because she didn’t see it.

3:28 p.m. “Blame it on Texas. Don’t blame it on me!” A song on the radio. These lyrics could come in handy later if the kids start complaining about how long the drive is.

4:30 p.m. Dallas, TX. I remember crossing this reservoir a couple years ago.

4:38 p.m. There is a hospital for sale. Hmm. I’ve never seen a hospital for sale before.

4:45 p.m. Traffic jam.

4:47 p.m. The cause of the jam – a broken down dump truck on the road.

4:52 p.m. We have made it onto I-35 E south! So far so good getting through Dallas.

5:20 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Looks like there is a place called Waxahachie after all. It was hard to find though – had to call the hotel for directions since the email with the reservation in it didn’t have a good address for the GPS to use. AND – it doesn’t smell like Cows here. Cool.

After we settle in, we go next door for dinner at Carino’s. About half-way through our meal, another patron came over and told me that my kids were very well behaved and should be proud. He gave us an extra coupon that he had for a free dessert. I love it when the kids’ good behavior is recognized and rewarded by strangers. They certainly don’t need it all the time but an occasional “atta boy” helps reinforce what I’m trying to teach them.

Then you’ll never guess what happened after dinner… That’s right. We went swimming! Then shower, TV, and bed.

Day 5

Sunday, July 19, 2009

0730 – Get up. The house is quiet except for the kids playing video games upstairs. I decide to go ahead and take my shower and get ready for the day.

Fritz came home from church, made coffee and pancakes for breakfast. The kids went swimming again. Then more hanging out and playing until lunch time. Fritz had to go to work again and Logan went to a friend’s house for awhile.

The kids found a frog in the pool and decided to rescue it. We loaded up the frog into a pitcher and loaded up the kids into the car and took off for the pond at the park. He is now living happily in the pond with all the other frogs, fish, and turtles. The kids played for a bit then we went back home to make dinner. Chicken and rice - yum.

After dinner Bella wanted to swim again so they all hit the pool. D'Arcy and I sat outside and talked while the kids swam. Fritz came home from work and Logan came back from his friend's house. He was later than he was supposed to be and not answering his cell phone so got into a bit of trouble for that. Once Logan was back, all the kids went back upstairs to play more video games. Felisa fell asleep up there. We made the others go to bed at 10:30. Then finally time for bed for the grown-ups too!

Day 4

Saturday, July 18, 2009

0600 – Get up. Start downloading pictures. Head downstairs for coffee. Come back and start packing.

0724 – Leave the hotel. Tortured the children by forcing them to carry heavy bags so that we could make it to the car in one trip rather than me doing it all in several trips.

0754 – Sonic for breakfast. Sonic tastes much better than McD’s but it is much slower. While we are waiting, the kids and talk about whether or not we should move to Kentucky. Felisa says yes because there are horses. Bella says yes as long as everyone can have their own bedroom in the new house. Ryan says yes as long as we move to a big house. I asked Ryan if he was going to help me clean the big house but he didn’t have an answer for that.

0844 – Central Time Zone – Now 0744. I forgot about that! I was stressing because we weren’t going to make it to Mammoth in time for the 0900 tour. But now we will make it!

0845 – We made it in time for the tour but the tour was already sold out when we arrived. Oh well. Bought tickets for the 0945 tour then went on a short hike behind the visitor’s center then stopped back at the car for pre-tour snacks and water.

0945 – Time for the New Entrance tour. Sold out at 118 people. Yikes! That’s a lot of people to go walking through a cave with. It took 3 buses to get us all over to the entrance. The first part of the tour was a series of many, many steps down and around through an area the ranger called Pits and Domes. Then we met up in ampitheater and talked about how the river used to flow through this part of the cave until it eventually moved down lower. After this little talk, we all followed along through the horizontal portion of the cave. This part was like walking through a dry riverbed canyon in the southwest except that it was completely underground. Finally we arrived at the Frozen Niagara portion of the tour. This part was more typical of other caves we have been in with the flowstone and the stalactite/stalagmite formations.

Our favorite parts:
R- Pits and Domes
F – Frozen Niagara section – naming all the formations
B – the Thanksgiving turkey formation
S – Frozen Niagara

It was generally a good tour though it would have been more enjoyable with fewer people. In a large group such as that, there is a lot of stop-and-go and bottlenecking while the group squeezes through and walks along the passageway. And of course the people behind us (two different groups – one group before the ampitheater break and another group after) were talking THE ENTIRE TIME. Ugh.

12:00 p.m. – Leaving Mammoth Cave

12:30 p.m. – Traffic jam. Yuck. Turns out to be a 15 minute delay caused by a minor accident.

1:23 p.m. Tennessee

1:45 p.m. Jack in the Box for lunch! Yum!

2:30 p.m. Finished with lunch. Fill up the gas tank before we get back on the road. $2.33/gallon

3:45 p.m. Rest stop

4:48 p.m. Pass a sign for Fort Pillow. Did I read that wrong? Or is there a story there that I don’t know? It certainly doesn’t sound like a very ferocious name for a fort.

5:45 p.m. Arrive at the Ruthlings. I had guessed that I would be arriving at around 5:45. Couldn’t have been more exact if I had tried!

The kids started playing together immediately. D’Arcy and I talked. We ordered pizza for dinner. Fritz came home from work. After dinner the kids all went for a swim. At 10:30 we started trying to get them settled down for bed. By 11 the tv/games were off and everyone went to bed. I found out the next morning that they had been awake until 1 in the morning. Yikes!

Day 3

Friday, July 17, 2009

0720 - Time to get up. Decided to sleep in today!

0730 - Going downstairs to get coffee. The kids are all still sound asleep.

0745 - I have checked my email. Time to take a shower perhaps? And the kids are still sleeping.

0840 - Going down for breakfast.

0903 - Leaving the hotel for the day's adventures.

1st stop - Frazier International History Museum
Our favorite parts:
R - the sword fighting demonstration and acting out all the mannequin displays
B - being corn (sounds like a strange answer doesn't it? During one of the mannequin display re-enactments, she chose to be the corn spilling out of a bag.)
F - Fontaine Ferry carnival games
S - seeing the English history related to the book I read last week

2nd stop - Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum
Our favorite parts:
F - the giant bat
R - Bud's Attic scavenger hunt
B - Fastball pitching machine display
S - factory tour

So we're done with what I have planned for the day. And it's only lunchtime. Hmmm. Now what are we going to do? I suggest lunch in Indiana (it's just across the river - we can see it from here!) and a drive-by of Ft. Knox. Of course, I'm having trouble finding my way to the highway I need to get across the river (the GPS doesn't help if I don't have a destination to plug in - there's no category for "random lunch in Indiana"!) I spot a McD's and decide to go ahead and grab some food for our drive. Finally make it onto 65N and head across the river. Loop around and we're back in Kentucky in no time. The drive to Ft. Knox was much longer. Once we got down to the base, we stopped at the Patton Museum and saw a bunch of tanks. Then we drove past the US Gold Bullion Depository. I let Felisa take the picture since we weren't allowed to stop. Don't want to get arrested so early in the vacation...

Back at the hotel... the kids play a bit while I try to decide whether or not we should go to the Louisville Riverbats Baseball game tonight. I'm tired. Going to the game would require me to drive back downtown, find parking in an unfamiliar city, and then deal with the crowds. So I let the kids decide. The girls voted No. Ryan said he didn't care either way. So, No Game it is. I feel kind of bad but it's just not my forte. It's something Ron would be good at. And since the kids don't seem to mind... So instead we went to Pig City BBQ for dinner. Then back to the hotel for a quick swim (the breeze was a bit chilly!) before the premiere of Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.

Back on the road again tomorrow...

Day 2

Thursday, July 16

0630 - Alarm goes off. I am very sleepy and do not want to get up but I do anyway. After the snooze of course.

0700 - Go downstairs to get some coffee. Felisa decides to come along.

0730 - Back downstairs again with everyone to have breakfast.

0800 - Leaving the hotel for a day of fun and excitement. 1st Stop - Kentucky Derby Museum

1037 - We have finished our time at Churchill Downs. Our favorite parts:
R - making a (pretend) bet
B - the dresses
F - racing the (pretend) horse
S - seeing the horses on the track. I horses. It's actually kind of crazy how giddy and excited I was when we saw the horses out on the track.

1045 - Sonic for lunch!

1110 - Thomas Edison's House Museum - a pretty quick stop. As Ryan said when we left, "That was a small house!" And there are actually a lot of very small houses still around that we saw while driving through town.

12:30 p.m. Driving down the highway and two identical new cars from North Carolina pass me. Obviously together but I can't even begin to imagine what the deal is there. Guess I'll file that under "Unsolved Highway Mysteries".

3:27 p.m. We have finished our visit at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. We had to drive an hour each way but I thought it would be nice to see the horses up close. The girls even got to have a pony ride. We saw some retired champions as well as some girls practicing vaulting with a new horse. Our favorite parts of the horse park:
R - vaulting
B - pony ride and the playground
F - vaulting
S - the horses. All of them!

Took the scenic route home - lots of nice horse farms around here. Maybe we should move to Kentucky.

5:00 p.m. Stop at Schlotsky's for dinner. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my new GPS? (Thanks, Ron!)

After dinner back to the hotel for TV, swimming, and more TV. For some reason these kids are not tired. I, on the other hand, am exhausted! Why? Why? Why?

Day 1

0500 - alarm goes off

0514 - get up

0608 - car is loaded - it seems way too empty compared to how much we usually bring. what big thing are we forgetting? Or how many small things?

0611 - Leave. Less than a block from home, I've already made the GPS lady mad. "Recalculating..."

0615 - Forgot the gummi bear vitamins. Oh well. Not worth going back for them.

0616 - This is the first trip in a while that we start out heading west. Seems like I'm going the wrong way!

0625 - Pick up an erratic driver. This guy is all over the place - weaving in his lane, riding bumpers then slowing down then speeding way up again. I think I'll get ahead of him and out of his way before he causes an accident!

0637 - I was just thinking that the traffic would ease up a bit as we get away from town. Then I passed the Haymarket exit - and everyone is getting off there. I wonder why...

0640 - Ugh. The crazy driver is back.

0650 - Okay that time he was way off in the shoulder. Time to call him in.

0656 - First cow sighting of the trip.

0657 - Police car passes me. Hope he's going after that crazy guy.

0702 - Dismal Hollow Road. Gee, how would you like to live there? No thanks!

0716 - See a hot air balloon.

0730 - Stop at McD's in Woodstock for breakfast.

0757 - Done with breakfast

0758 - Gas. $2.39/gallon

0803 - Car Wash! The kids are so excited. Will this be the best part of the day?

0809 - All clean. But darn - there's still a spot in the middle of my window. Grrr.

0828 - Sign that the rest areas are closing. I wonder if that's permanent or temporary.

0852 - my lack of working out lately is making me feel guilty (plus fat and sluggish!)

0954 - driving in the mountains - time to try out my new "car tunes" transmittor. Works but it is really hard to see the display and not run off the road. I need an assistant!

1008 - Felisa says Not the highway! I ask her why and she says because it is boring. Nothing to look at but trees.

1021 - West Virginia

1048 - Leaving the rest area. Picked up some brochures. Perhaps we can take the scenic route for a bit. The kids start a movie.

1102 - Give up the scenic route. It's not all that scenic and the kids aren't paying attention anyway.

1121 - try the scenic route again

1152 - WV seems to be using trimmed branches as erosion control along the steep mountain roadsides.

12:52 p.m. Done with our stop at New River National River which included a walk down and back up A LOT of steps. When we got to the top the kids made these comments.
B - I think I just got skinnier!
R - I burned, like, 10 calories!
F - I wish I was still a baby! (we were talking about how babies got to be carried and didn't have to walk -we saw one on the trail)

So funny! I offered to do a Favorite Parts survey but the girls declined since it was such a short stop. Ryan offered his favorite: Everybody's comments. I think it looks like a fun river for rafting.

1:11 p.m. Wendy's for lunch. I forgot to order food for Felisa so we went through the drive-thru twice.

1:33 p.m. Back on the highway. We got a bit side-tracked today...

1:53 p.m. Pass a truck full of pigs on the way to become bacon.

1:56 p.m. Toll booth. Doesn't do much good to have EZPass if there isn't an EZPass only lane. Still had to wait in line to get through.

2:01 p.m. My legs are sore today. I have just figured out that it must have been from walking Tuesday morning. I think I need new shoes before I go back to Boot Camp.

2:08 p.m. Charleston, WV - crossing the Kanawha River

2:50 p.m. SCORE - I found a Starbucks with a Drive Thru. The kids are all asleep so I didn't want to stop but I was getting very sleepy. Too bad they all woke up anyway. Oh well. At least we didn't have to get out of the car.

3:08 p.m. I can see Ohio across the river.

3:11 p.m. Kentucky

3:30 p.m. Stop for gas $2.43/gallon

4:16 p.m. See signs for Bath County and Licking River. Hmmm... is that like a sponge bath?

4:17 p.m. Palamino Cows! Not really but they were the light palamino color and that's what Felisa called them.

4:32 p.m. See a sign for a hospital. The girls start telling me that Ruff Ruffman show said that if you sleep at the hospital you can have ice cream for breakfast. And you can order whatever you want to eat. I must have been at the wrong hospital before because I didn't get ice cream for breakfast!

4:50 p.m. No horses! We're in KY for crying out loud. Where are the horses? There is lots of hay but no horses anywhere.

5:02 p.m. Horses - finally!

5:18 p.m. Crossing the Kentucky River.

5:54 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Yea - just under 12 hours on the road today... whew. Talk about starting off not easy.

Once at the hotel, we had free hot dogs, broccoli casserole, and apple pie for dinner. Then swimming (yucky gnats outside tonight), showers, watching TV (Jeopardy, Disney Channel, and America's Funniest Videos). And then I had to go back out to the car to fetch some bedtime snacks because we're all hungry! I found a Sonic - only 2 miles away. I seriously contemplated putting them all in the car and going there but resisted the temptation. We'll be going there tomorrow for sure though!

Spent some time trying to figure out what we'll do tomorrow - looks like Horse Day. Friday will be Museums and Baseball. Then on the road again Saturday... And now I have to convince Ryan to go to sleep. It's 11:00 and I'm tired!

Counting down...

T - 38 hours and 14 minutes to Big Trip 4...

I've emptied the van once more - this time of scrapbook supplies after my weekend crop - but I haven't put the car seats back in yet.

I have done some laundry but there's a bit more to do.

I made the kids clean up the living room so I have a clear area for staging the vast amounts of "stuff" needed for 3 weeks on the road.

I am copying audiobook cd's for Ryan.

I figured out what to make for dinner.

I finished my 979 page book that I've been reading for the past week. (Pillars of the Earth)

I have done miscellaneous admin tasks such as make an eye appointment and request dates for next year's brownie meetings. More admin remains to be done.

Tomorrow I have a few errands to run.

Wednesday morning, bright and early, we head west...

The Donut Monster

He's small. And cute. And LOVES donuts. I call him The Donut Monster. But he won't share with me. Or with anyone else for that matter. He just downed 5 donut holes, lickety-split. Smiling the whole time.

Grandma said "Oh, you are a joke."

"I'm not a joker," he said in his cute little (almost) 3-year-old donut monster voice.

Oh I could just eat him up. And if I did, then I could get the donuts, too.

A Quiet Morning

Is it possible? Could it be true? Did they finally get tired?

It's after 7 a.m. and no one is awake yet (except Grandma and Grandma and me). Not a child is stirring - not even a Vacation Mouse.

More Crabs

So Felisa and Philip just reported that their pet crab escaped. Grandpa asked them where it was before and they said, "In the timeout box." Really? The crab was bad and had to get a timeout?

I'm pretty sure the crabs will be happy when we leave the beach house and leave them alone!

Crabs

Felisa: We gave the crab a bath!
Ryan: You gave the crab a bath?!?
Felisa: Yeah. We found a sponge.

I haven't checked to see if they still have all their fingers but I didn't hear any screaming (not even from the crab!).


***

The final day of the mini-trip will be posted eventually (and back-dated to Jun 30).

Mini Trip - Day 7

0650 - Wake up. Take a shower. It's nice to take my shower in the morning instead of at night. I had been showering after swimming each evening but last night I decided that I'd really rather start out the next day with a shower instead. Then time to pack. The swimsuits are still wet. I'll be glad when we get to the beach so the suits can dry between each use and we won't have to wear damp, clammy suits anymore! [updated to add: once we got to the beach we got the suits and one load of laundry dry but then it started to rain and we spent the next two days hanging and re-hanging the laundry between rainshowers trying to get it all dry! So much for being dry once we got to the beach...]

0840 - Back from the insanity that is a free breakfast in a hotel during the summer. I'm not sure how we managed to avoid it so far or maybe it was just bothering me today since we've been on the road for a week now. Too many people in too small of a space trying to feed themselves and their families. After breakfast we went back to Cracker Barrel since Grandma had promised to buy the kids something (and last night when she finally came back to find us there she had already put her purse away in the room).

0852 - Loaded in the car. Garbage is out. GPS is programmed.

0856 - Starbucks Drive-Thru. Mmmm!

0915 - Pennsylvania. Notice the color-coded detour signs once more. I wonder what it's all about. [and now I have googled it - they are pre-planned detour routes that make it easier for the police to re-route traffic in case of an accident or other emergency. Cool. More states should do that. And here is where you can read more about it.]

1017 - Gouldsborough for gas $2.69/gallon. Go to Burger King for snacks. Time for a movie. Turns out Ryan doesn't want to share. He wants to watch it alone. I told him no. In the car everyone is allowed to watch whatever is playing. He pouts a bit while the girls turn on Bolt. Then he ends up watching it anyway. After Bolt is over he takes the DVD player to watch his new Garfield movie alone with his headphones on. Strange.

1103 - Crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey.

12:15 p.m. The kids finally decide that they are close enough to play their Race game (racing other cars on the highway) to race the cousins to the beach house. About that time, Grandma called Grandpa and found out he and the cousins are still in the Chicago airport. That's the end of Race. "Never mind. Let's stop playing," they said.

12:25 p.m. Garden State Parkway

1:40 p.m. Arrive at the beach house.

2:50 p.m. Car has been unloaded and all the windows opened. A few outdoor things have been carried out of the house onto the porch. Time to go to the grocery store!

3:00 p.m. Stop at Wendys for a late lunch. I tried the new Buffalo Chicken - WAY TOO SPICY!!! The Asian Chicken that Ryan ordered was much better.

3:20 p.m. Done at Costco. I even bought a new atlas that doesn't have pages falling out!

4:58 p.m. Back at the house to unload.

5:07 p.m. Now off to the regular grocery store.

It only took us 3 hours to completely fill the empty refrigerator. Not sure we'll be able to eat it all in one weekend... The cousins have arrived and all are playing happily together once more. The Racinez-McLaughlin Beach House Invasion of 2009 has begun!

Mini Trip - Day 6

Did you know there are fireworks at Niagara Falls? Neither did we. About 10:00 last night, fireworks started going off practically right outside our window, over the falls. What a fun surprise!

**

0650 Wake up – time to pack.
0750 1st trip to the car. The weather is gorgeous today! Cool and sunny.
0757 Leave the room for the last time.
0800 Leave the hotel – the car is getting fuller. When we left on this trip, I was thinking that maybe we could do our summer trip without the roof box. Now I’m starting to wonder.
0827 Lake Erie!
0850 McD’s for breakfast. The kids all ate cinnamelts for breakfast. They say that they like the brownie melts better. We decided that the brownie melts are no worse for you than the cinnamelts, really. Maybe next time we will eat brownies for breakfast!
0916 Leaving McD’s.
1000 Arrive at Paula’s parents’ house. 10:00 on the dot – couldn’t do that again if I tried! Guess I wasn’t kidding when I said we’d be there at 10.
1100 Leave to go on a hike at Zoar Valley. When we get there, Evan found a totally cool, totally tiny frog. Less than an inch long. I tried to take a picture but realized my lens was ruined. Must have been the water drops at the falls. I get out the other camera and get a picture but it isn’t the close-up I wanted. The state has made some improvements at the park and now we can’t easily hike down to the creek anymore so we decide to go cherry picking instead. Load everyone up and take off for the orchard.
12:15 p.m. Finished picking. Filled almost a whole bucket and had a total of 11 pounds including the ones Paula had.
12:45 p.m. Back at Paula’s parents’ house. Time for lunch – yummy hot dogs! – and then fishing in the neighbor’s pond. All of the kids caught at least one fish and posed for photos before releasing them back into the water. We terminated our fishing time when two fish in a row swallowed the hook. It was time to leave anyway. Paula drove Grandma R to buy some syrup at another neighbor’s house. Syrup from the maple trees at Paula’s parents’ house and other maples in the neighborhood.
2:36 p.m. Leaving. We had a lovely visit. The weather was perfect and the countryside was beautiful. And though we had planned to leave at 2, I knew it would probably be 2:30-3 before we actually left. Turns out I was right about that too!
3:18 p.m. McD’s in Salamanca for iced coffee and a snack and water.
3:40 p.m. Turns out they didn’t give us our water at McD’s so we stop at a gas station. $2.67/gallon. It is a full-service station which surprised me but the attendant said it was because the station was on the Indian reservation.



4:25 p.m. Oh my gosh! I FINALLY see what the highway sign is! I have been looking at every sign for the Southern Tier Expressway, trying to figure it out. I was trying to make the white part of the picture into a portion of the state but it didn't make any sense. The road runs in a fairly straight line across the southern border of New York. But the white on the left side of the sign looks like a piece of New Jersey or something. It's actually a picture of an Indian. The green part is the picture and the white part is just background. It's like that black and white picture of the old woman and the young lady - depending on where you focus that affects what you see. Click here to see a picture of the sign. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out that sign!



4:33 p.m. Stop at a scenic overlook. Once again, disappointment. We can see farther than the last overlook we stopped at but really - not all that amazing.



5:21 p.m. Pass the hotel in Corning that we stayed at the other day. The kids are in shock. We've just gone in a big circle! Highly unusual for our road trip to back-track like that.



5:51 p.m. Pennsylvania! And then less than a minute later, we are back in New York! What a crazy highway!



6:28 p.m. Arrive at our hotel in Binghamton, NY. Go to dinner at Cracker Barrel. While Grandma R is paying, the kids are I are shopping in the gift shop area. Grandma thought we had left without her so she went back to the hotel looking for us. Meanwhile, I'm at Cracker Barrel wondering where she disappeared to. I of course didn't have my cell phone with me so I couldn't call to find out. Eventually she came back to the restaurant and found us.



After all of that we go to the pool for a swim. The water is warm - yea! Even better, the hot tub is HOT! I only let them swim for an hour because it is getting close to 10:00 already. Back to the room to shower and change into pajamas. Ron skypes us and the kids get to talk to him before going to bed. Ice Age 2 is showing on Fx so we all watch while falling asleep.

Mini Trip - Day 5

0645 - Wake up

0700 - Alarm goes off. Wake up the kids.

0720 - Ready to go to breakfast. Realize it's raining outside. Not the best weather for a walking tour of Niagara Falls but oh well. It's now or never!

0845 - Arrive at the Falls visitor center. Try to buy a trolley ticket. The information desk clerk tells us to go downstairs to buy a ticket. So we go downstairs, peruse the gift shop, then stop at a ticket booth. The man there tells us that we have to buy trolley tickets at the booth outside. We go to the booth outside and it is closed until 9 a.m. So we go back inside to find out where to buy tickets. The man sends us back upstairs. He tells us to use the handicap elevator since at this moment there are about a million bus tour people pouring down the stairs at us. So much for coming early to beat the crowd. Upstairs, we wait at a different ticket booth and are finally able to buy trolley tickets. We walk over to see the falls then decide to walk over to Goat Island. We'll pick up the trolley later to get a driving tour of the island and a ride back to the visitor center. Walk across the bridge. The rapids are below us. I'd love to take a picture but the bridge is very strong and tall and so full of metal that we can barely see through much less take a picture. Guess they don't want anyone to fall in. We arrive at the Cave of the Winds ticket booth and stand in line for about 20 minutes. Finally we are issued in to get our free ponchos and shoes. Then follow the signs to the elevator. Ride the elevator down and follow the crowd. It stinks of seagull poop - this is apparently their main hang out. Not completely overwhelming but definitely there. We walk along the stairs and boardwalk, eventually climbing up to the Hurricane Deck. (Grandma R opted to skip this section!) This is where we got VERY WET! Ryan of course loved it and the girls liked it to. I even went all the way to the back fence of the deck to get wet. I figured- I'm here. Already getting a little wet. Might as well go for the whole experience! Once we are completely soaked, we ride the elevator back up then get on the next trolley. Get off at Terrapin Point to look at Horseshoe Falls. The kids are getting cold now in the rain with their wet clothes. Go inside the gift shop to warm up and buy our souvenirs. Decide to eat lunch upstairs at the Top of the Falls Restaurant. It is not busy but the air conditioning is running full blast so the kids are starting to shiver and turn blue. I decide to go back downstairs and buy the tie-dye sweatshirt blanket I saw and liked. More expensive than it should be but at least it's a big blanket - twin size - and it kept all 3 of my precious babies warm while we were eating lunch. :)

After lunch we waited about 15 minutes for the next trolley. It is still raining (just a light rain thankfully!) so of course the trolley is packed. We cram ourselves in and ride around Goat Island. After we cross the bridge we drive right past our hotel. Unfortunately the trolley only stops inside the park so we had to keep riding on around the loop and back to the Visitor's Center then walk the 3 blocks or so back to the hotel. Upstairs to dry out and warm up.

Our favorite parts of Niagara Falls:
R - the Hurricane Deck
B - getting wet
F - getting to the waterfall (translation: Cave of the Winds tour)
L - the mist and the Cave of the Winds
S - Hurricane Deck and the whole Cave of the Winds, getting up close and personal with the falls

1:15 p.m. Talk to Ron. Ask him to find us a hotel for tomorrow night. Talk about other stuff like how my email program doesn't like to send outgoing mail at this hotel, how he stayed out until 2 last night with Jed, how I have to fish-sit and babysit when I get back.

1:30 p.m. Head out for the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.

3:13 p.m. Done at the museum. It was a great activity for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It is small and quiet - only a few other visitors there at the same time. They had a kids' activities section so Bella and Felisa did and art project while Ryan and I played checkers. Normally I would have been champing at the bit to keep going and finish up the tour but today it was just right. I knew it was raining (heavier at the time!) and that we had nowhere else to be today. The kids were content and happy there so there was no need to rush back to the hotel room where they could get bored and start driving me crazy!

Our favorite parts of the museum:
F - the carousel
R - the scavenger hunt
L - the painted horses
B - drawing a picture of Care Bear
S - how the 1916 carrousel can still be running today. Carrousels are so simple and classic - they are always a favorite and not so complicated that they will break down easily.

3:20 p.m. Iced coffee at McD's. They have Brownie Melts too so we order some to try out.

3:30 p.m. Stop for gas in North Tonawanda, NY $2.79/gallon

Back at the hotel we chow down on the brownie bites. Mmmmm.... sweet and chocolatey. Enjoy a bit more down time. I think one of the keys to my sanity is balancing enough down time for me with enough activity for the kids. We have the TV on and find out that Billy Mays died. Just the other day, Ryan was copying Billy Mays' speaking style. So sad to hear of his passing. Billy Mays is also the guy that Melissa thought our waiter looked like when we ate dinner on top of Sandia Peak.

Decided to be brave and adventurous again. Drove to a restaurant in Little Italy for dinner. The neighborhood between here and there wasn't the best but the food was good. Once back at the hotel the kids played while they waited for swimming time. Then an hour or so in the pool, showers, and now we're watching Wall-E before bed. Tomorrow back on the road again.

Mini Trip - Day 4

0630 - Wake up. Then go back to sleep.

0700 - Alarm goes off. Time to get up and get packed.

0720 - Wake up the kids.

0830 - Load up

0920 - Ithaca, NY. Ron told us to see Cornell University, so here we are! It is a very pretty campus. Not sure how cold and snowy it gets in the winter but in the summer it is very nice! It even comes with its own waterfall. What's not to like about a college campus with a waterfall?!

0954 - Reload the car after getting out to see the waterfall.

On our drive we saw a pink tractor and a couple Amish horse-and-buggies. The kids watched Madagascar 2.

1110 - I-90 towards Buffalo.

Lunch at McD's then drove along Lake Ontario towards Niagara Falls. Couldn't see the lake most of the time but still a nice scenic drive until the last 3o minutes or so when it got really slow and busy.

2:01 p.m. Listening to the radio - it turns out to be a Canadian radio station!

2:11 p.m. Old Fort Niagara - fun. The sun was out but not too hot. Living history demonstrators on hand today so we got to see a musket firing demonstration by a "French soldier". Our favorite parts are:
B - laundry demonstration ladies
F - musket demonstration
R - sounds - cannons and muskets/ also the basement cannons
L - the redoubts
S - all the stone and wood in the buildings

4:16 p.m. Leave the Fort.

4:42 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Park next to a "Just Married" car. This hotel has been voted the #2 fanciest so far. We are awed and amazed at Daddy's ability to find all these great fancy hotels. :)

We decide to walk to the casino for dinner. Skip the buffet because the line is much too long and go to the BBQ restaurant there instead. We even ate beignets for dessert. On the way back, we were talking about all the seagulls around. Felisa said that they are here on vacation. They of course don't live here because they live at the beach and this is not the beach - this is a vacation spot!

Once back at the hotel we go swimming. The pool has no steps and the shallowest point is 3 1/2 feet so I have to get in and act as the MFD (Mommy Flotation Device) for Felisa. Bella was practicing jumping into the deep water and swimming back to the side. After swimming we ate cornbread for snack then went to bed.

Mini Trip - Day 3

0700 - Alarm goes off.

0744 - Decide it's time to wake up and get moving.

0815 - Rouse the sleepy children who do not want to wake up. Could that possibly be because they were awake past 11 last night?!?

0830 - Off to breakfast.

0912 - Done with breakfast. Leaving for Watkins Glen State Park.

0945 - Arrive at the park. Once again my sense of balance and order between city and country is dealt a blow. The park is sandwiched between a house and a store. A state park, especially one located near a lake, with cool waterfalls should be out away from town, not smack dab in the middle of it! The ranger told us that the rain overnight has made the falls even fuller this morning and promises us a great hike. Once we get on the trail, the town all around disappears. There is nothing left but a creek with many cascading waterfalls and 800 steps to climb to the top! A one-mile hike with plenty of photo-ops and not a single complaint from the kids.

1133 - Done at the falls. I have sore feet (my new walking shoes may have to be retired to more casual wear and replacements procured before Big Trip 4!) and there were many steps but we all had a great time. Our reviews:

B - liked the waterfalls
R - liked everything, especially the water
F - liked going under (actually it was behind) the waterfalls
L - liked the gorge trail and the steps
S - liked taking pictures of the falls

12:01 p.m. - We're lost. We were looking for Penguin Bay Winery but it turns out we were on the wrong side of the lake. Which would explain why we couldn't find it! Turn around and head back to the hotel.

12:20 p.m. Miles Winery on the Lake - decide that we should stop at a winery after all since this one will also give us a chance to stop closer to the lake and get a better look at it.

1:05 p.m. - Stop at Burger King for lunch.

1:28 p.m. - Almost done with lunch - bright flash of lightning and a huge crack of thunder hurries us back to the car!

1:38 p.m. - Uh oh! Gas light is on! I thought I could make it back to town before the light came on but I guess not. We would have made it if we hadn't gone off on a Wild Penguin Chase.

1:45 p.m. - Stop at the first available gast station. $2.84/gallon

2:03 p.m. Dunkin' Donuts for iced coffee. My new GPS is pretty cool. I decided that some iced coffee before we get back to the hotel would be pretty tasty. So I asked for a list of nearby food. Found Dunkin' Donuts on the list. Selected it and voila - directions! As a bonus, the DD had a drive thru so I didn't have to get out in the rain!

2:12 p.m. The rain has let up so we decide to go ahead and stop at the Corning Glass Museum now instead of going back to the room first. Our review:
R- hot glass show
F - hot glass show
B - guessing the temperatures (though she might have liked the hot glass show if she hadn't slept through half of it... did I mention they were awake past 11 last night?!)
L - hot glass show
S - hot glass show and the yellow glass sculpture in the lobby (too bad we skipped the sculptures section of the museum but we were having trouble finding the starting point on the map and did everything out of order!)

4:15 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Kids watch TV and eat snacks while I check email and enjoy a bit of "down" time.

5:15 p.m. - Time to swim... What I want to know is why do hotel pools have to be so cold?

5:18 p.m. - Yikes! Out of nowhere a crazy windy thunderstorm! Just a couple minutes ago we thought we heard thunder and looked out the window. No signs of rain. Then - wham! The rain is pouring down. Looks like we'll be walking through the hotel instead of cutting through the courtyard!

6:28 p.m. - Back from the pool. Shower and change for dinner.

7:07 p.m. - Okay - very clean and very hungry! Time to go to dinner. We were going to go to Curly's Chicken House but the kids vetoed it. Looks like we'll head to Bob Evans instead.

8:30 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Hoping for an earlier night tonight...

9:30 p.m. - Felisa is hungry. Head out to the car to grab some snacks. Mmm... pretzels!

Mini Trip - Day 2

0700 - Wake up.

0800 - Breakfast is done. My little carb queen, Bella, ate Frosted Flakes and a donut for breakfast and was sad when I wouldn't let her top it off with a biscuit. A mini cup of peanut butter is all I could convince her to eat protein wise.

0832 - Sonic sighting! Briefly consider stopping but I'm not hungry at all. Maybe on the way back...

0840 - Find the Amish Farm at Target. The directions on the website say to look for Target and they are the farm next to it. So I drove past Target and was looking for a farm. No farms anywhere in sight. So I go back to Target. And there in the Target parking lot, directly adjacent to Target, is the Amish Farm. It was a nice tour though longer than I expected. Felisa even asked the tour guide at the very end how much longer the tour was going to last. I was a bit embarrassed of course but oh well. Though the atmosphere was lacking because of the location, the guide gave us lots of good information about the Amish.

1115 - Done at the farm. Stop at Target to buy toothpaste and new toothbrushes for the kids.

Our reviews of the farm:
B - liked the kitchen
F - liked the horse
R - liked the wood carving shop
L - liked the pygmy goats and that it was clean


What we learned:
B - that they eat chow chow which they make from vegetables from their gardens
F - how they lived - that is different from how we live
R - about the clothes they wear
L - about the simple way of life
S - I thought it was all very interesting. I didn't realize how integrated they are with the surrounding English. I never considered that there aren't many new farms to buy and so the younger generations have to find other ways to make a living. I was surprised buy how many powered appliances they use which have been modified to run with powers other than electric.

1150 - 12:35 p.m. Touring the pretzel factory in Lititz - where hard pretzels were invented. The kids got to roll and twist practice pretzels. It was nice that we arrived just in time to eat a soft pretzel before the next tour and didn't have to wait too long.

1:45 p.m. Stop at Taco Bell for lunch. Review the map to figure out the best way to get to New York. Decide on the scenic route through the "mountains".

2:06 p.m. McD's for iced coffee

2:58 p.m. pass a Polish National Catholic Church

3:07 p.m. Ashland, PA - cool garden on the hill with brick steps and a statue

4:01 p.m. Pass Grumpy Mountain Road

4:05 p.m. Pass The Scrapbook Lady scrapbook store

4:22 p.m. Road sign "Buckle up for the next million miles"

4:45 p.m. Give Felisa the DVD player to watch a movie

5:13 p.m. Now we are under the rain clouds that we have been watching for a bit. The clouds look like rain but it isn't raining.

5:16 p.m. Now it's raining! Oh and lightning too!

5:23 p.m. Mansfield, PA. I had planned to stop here for a break but not now that it's raining! The hotel isn't too much farther.

5:36 p.m. Well we either have an old map in the GPS or a new road. We have fallen completely off the "road" on the screen and the GPS lady has been "Recalculating" repeatedly.

5:38 p.m. New York!

6:00 p.m. Made it to the hotel in Corning. Even fancier than last night because it's a one-bedroom suite with two TVs! It's happy hour too so we get some snacks before unloading.

7:00 p.m. Off to dinner at Market Street Brewing Company. After parking the car, we walked a few blocks to the restaurant. On the way we stopped in the pet store. Pet Store Puppies are so sad. And of course Felisa wanted to know why we weren't buying a pet today. Bella spent the whole time looking at the bunnies. Then we found a face on the brick wall. Ryan named him Old Man Wall-ter. At the restaurant, we got to sit in the rooftop seating section which the kids thought was great fun. We played with wikkistix while we waited and then enjoyed a delicious dinner of steak, burgers, and macaroni and cheese nuggets.

8:48 p.m. Back at the hotel and it's time for the pool. The desk clerk had said that there were two pools - indoor and outdoor - but we never did find the outdoor pool. Must have been an imaginary pool! The water was of course freezing but there was a hot tub so that's always good.

10:00 Ron skyped us. The kids were still wired and not sleepy at all. Finally got them all to at least be quiet.

1206 - It's very late and I should be sleeping, not updating my blog. And so I will say good night!

Mini Trip - Day 1

0530 - Awoken by the Very Thirsty Dog. Consider staying up and getting started on all the packing I didn't finish yesterday. Decide that it is just too early and go back to bed after I let Darby back inside.

0630 - Alarm goes off -time to get up. Departure goal: 0900

Finish packing. Finish gathering various items needed for the trip. Clear out the van a bit and load it all up.

1011 - Everyone is in the car. We have taken our pre-departure photo with Vacation Mouse. I program my new GPS (a birthday gift from Ron yesterday!) for Gettysburg. And we're off - only one hour behind schedule.

1020 - Stop at McD's - our traditional first stop -so I can get some breakfast (too busy packing to eat) and iced coffee.

1040 - Maryland

1116 - Ryan is reading off a list of random holidays such as National Ding-a-ling Day and National Twinkie Month from his book.

1128 - Sneaky cows! I saw some goats a few minutes ago which reminded me that we hadn't seen any cows yet. These two cows were lying down in the barnyard and I almost didn't see them. So sneaky...

1141 - Pennsylvania

1158 - Arrive at Gettysburg National Military Park visitor center. Bathroom break then we walk through the gift shop. Grandma R tells them they can all buy something. Felisa of course chose a stuffed horse that she wanted last time we were here. Bella bought a small pillow with a quote stitched on it. Ryan bought a Yankee soldier's cap and a bag of cinnamon candies. We also picked out a box of Abe Lincoln trivia cards for Thomas and Grandma bought a book.

12:25 p.m. - Back at the car. As we were headed back to the parking lot, a bus full of high school kids was loading. Very slowly. And blocking the entire sidewalk. And talking about how slowly they were moving and "how long does it take to get on a bus anyway?". I politely asked them to please excuse us so that we could cut through the line and pass through along the path. She looks at me and says, "we're getting on the bus." Um, yes, I know. We just want to pass through if you don't mind so we don't have to wait for all of you to board so that we can get through. Sheesh. Were they not just discussing how long it was taking? They were blocking the ENTIRE sidewalk for crying out loud. Oh well. I suppose my young children and I could have just walked in the road on the other side of the bus instead.

1:09 p.m. - Leaving the cemetary. Ryan was able to answer all the questions in his book so now he has earned the Gettysburg patch for Cub Scouts. We were here with the pack in April but ran out of time to finish the tour/questions. Our review of the cemetary:
S - nice breeze and great trees made it a pleasant walk through the park.
B - lots of treese
F - "I like the cemetary"
R - liked the poems that were on signs throughout the park
L - huge, clean, sad

1:45 p.m. Leaving McD's after lunch. Program the GPS for our hotel in Lancaster.

1:58 p.m. - Gas. $2.69/gallon

2:00 p.m. - I forgot my towel AGAIN!!! When we left this morning, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a towel to put on the seat so my legs don't stick. I forget it every year I think. And I even wrote it on the list. Too bad I was using the mental version of the list to pack with rather than the written version! I had planned to grab a beach towel from the back to put on my seat when we stopped at Gettysburg but I forgot. I'm not stopping now so I'll just have to suffer.

2:26 p.m. There is a lot more traffic out here today than I expected. Our estimated arrival time on the GPS keeps getting later and later.

2:48 p.m. - We're in York. We were on the highway for about 30 seconds and now we're back on a 6-lane road with lots of cars and stop lights. I don't think we're ever going to get there!

3:07 p.m. Susquehanna River

3:30 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. When we get to the room, the kids are very impressed and think that it is a most fancy hotel indeed. Bella says that it is even fancier than Fancy Nancy! It's just a Hampton Inn. Nothing too fancy, really. Just a regular nice hotel. Though our room does have a back door that opens out to the pool area which is much fancier than usual... :)

4:00 p.m. The car is unloaded for the night and we're headed to the pool.

5:35 p.m. Done swimming and now it's time for dinner! Initially we walk to the shopping center next door but the restaurant has only sandwiches and nothing Bella will like. So we pull out the GPS but nothing great shows up in the immediate area so we all pile into the car to go find somewhere to eat. I decide to program in a museum that we may go to see tomorrow and head that way, seeing what there is to see on the way. An adventure if you will. Ron would be so proud - he's always going on exploratory adventures but I never do. I prefer to stick to what I know. We end up at Perkins.

7:15 p.m. Back to the room. The kids are watching Disney Channel and playing DS. Grandma R reads for a bit while I update the blog. Now it's time to figure out the plan of action for tomorrow...

Noon - Day 1

So here it is... Noon on Day 1 of summer vacation. Sort of. Day 1 for Felisa. Day -3 for the other two.

So far we have... showered, walked the dog, returned my movie to Blockbuster, shopped at Giant (which takes longer than shopping at Safeway since I have no idea where anything is), put away the groceries, read two books, eaten lunch, and did some laundry.

Still on the list for today... more laundry, go to see Ryan's show at school (Perseus and the Minotaur) which we are very much looking forward to. Which reminds me - I need to get the scrapbook for his teacher tied up in a pretty ribbon and ready to present after the play. Oh and of course I have to make dinner. Lasagna soup tonight with cheesy garlic bread. Yum!

I don't know where to begin... so I guess I'll just jump in and go for it. Hang on tight, it might be a bumpy road.

Darby peed on Bella's bed. Again. For the like the millionth time. The fact that he NEVER asks to go outside ever drives me bananas. The only thing that will make him whine - if he wants food. He doesn't go to the door. Doesn't do anything. Just goes on into the girls' room and helps himself to Bella's bed. I guess I should be happy because it's easier to clean than the carpet in the hallway. But still. Bananas!!! And to prevent him from doing this, we (try to) keep the doors closed. Which I hate. That corner between the bedrooms is so dark when the doors are closed. I like the natural light coming in and lightening the hallway. But no. Stupid Dog pees on the bed so now we have to keep the doors closed. The same Stupid Dog last week climbed up on the table and ate the chicken and chicken bones I was picking clean. Luckily he only got half so I still had enough for dinner the next night. And it is partly my fault because it was on the table and the chair was partially pulled out to allow him access. Doesn't make me any less mad though. Stupid. Dog.

My arms are irritated today. The triceps area. Maybe because it was hot today? I don't know. They just feel raw from rubbing on my shirt all day but otherwise seem fine. Maybe my girl hormones are aggravating my skin. I'm breaking out on my chin, probably from those same stupid girl hormones. Stupid hormones.

(and really, it's probably the hormones doing all the talking here tonight)

My neighbor has asked me a couple times in the past week or so if I'm okay. Says she has been thinking about me and is worried about me. Must be some killer good vibes I'm giving off, eh? She also offered to give me dirt for my birthday. Is she trying to say something? As in, I am older than - dirt - ??? Actually it was a totally sweet offer. She said she would pay for the guys to bring the good dirt mix that they put in her yard and fill up my new (Very Gorgeous Garden Boxes that Super Studly Husband built for me!) boxes. Just might have to take her up on it. Oh and back to Stupid Dog... I planted some strawberries last night in the new garden. Not even two hours later, Stupid Dog was out there eating the new dirt. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't get the new dirt. Darby would just eat it all. Then wash his dirty whiskers in his water dish so that I have to give him fresh water twenty times a day. Grrr.

I spent all day today driving all over creation. Not really though. Just seems that way. Went to boot camp at 6. Showered and made lunches. Went to school early so I could get book-binding instructions from Ryan's teacher. Home at 10 to take Mom to the auto shop to drop off her car. Back home for an hour or so. Then pick up Felisa. Then pick up the car. Then run errands. Michaels for the scrapook I needed to finish my last teacher gift but they didn't have it. To the jewelers to get new batteries in all my watches. To Blockbuster to get a birthday gift card and a movie to watch while I'm working this weekend on the teacher gift. While I was there picked up used copies of Bolt and Madagascar 2. Back to the watch shop to pick up my watches. Turns out one of them still isn't working which means it wasn't the battery so I'll have to take it back. Then to the library to pick up my book hold and to the dry cleaners and to the grocery store to buy milk. And cheesy pretzel bites because Felisa keeps eating them all. (And now Felisa, who has learned to read, is reading over my shoulder - grr - and telling me that really it's Bella who eats them all.) And then home to drop it all off and look up what time the birthday party starts. Not till 5. So if I hurry, I can run to AC Moore to look for the album I need before the kids get out of school. Off I go. Forgot to put away the milk so call home and leave a message asking Mom and Felisa to do it. Found the album and made it to school in time for pickup. Home to wrap the present. Take a little break while I look at the library book I picked up. Dream about having an organized house. Wake up and realize that ain't likely to EVER happen. (Mom offered to get me 4 hours of maid service for my birthday but Ron said no. Guess he likes living in a messy house. Guess that means I get dinner out instead while he watches the kids. Ha.) Drop Bella off at the party. Heat up leftovers for Ryan and Felisa to eat. Do some laundry. Veg out and avoid life. Almost forget to pick up Bella. Pick up Bella. Heat up more leftovers for her to eat. Do the dishes. Listen to Felisa read. Do more laundry. Tell the kids to be quiet about a million times. Put Bella's sheets in the wash. Come here to whine and complain about my poor pitiful self. (Did I mention the hormones?)

So another day gone and I didn't get any work done on the project that is nagging at me the most. The final teacher gift. Tomorrow's schedule is pretty full with Rocket Rodeo for Cub Scouts and Bella's last soccer game/party. Plus Ron and the kids will be home and I have a hard time focusing and being motivated to work when people are in the house. Apparently I have to be alone when I need to work. Not sure why. It's actually a pretty big hindrance because there are other people in the house a good portion of the time. So there, another example of my particular brand of CRAZY.

So let's review, shall we?

Stupid Dog. Irritated Arms. Older than Dirt. Tired (hormonal) Unmotivated Mommy. Crazy Mommy.

Umm. Yeah. Not sure where to stop either. So let's just call it a day, shall we?

Oh but first I forgot to mention... I picked up a Dr. Suess book at the library today that I had never heard of before. Something about I had a Lot of Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew. Basically the book was telling us, in fun Dr. Suess fashion of course, that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and you cannot run away from your problems. How funny that I picked it up today AND read it today. Today when I am feeling like running away from (or hiding from) my "problems". I should listen to that Dr. Suess guy. He knows what he's talking about. I just need to buy a big bat and tomorrow my problems will have to start watching out for me!

Quote

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.
~Edgar W. Howe



Just a little quote to start the summer... in exactly one week all of the kids will be out of school until September 8.

I hope we all survive!

And now I'm back to the Scrapbook Fairy Sweatshop... two more Class Gift Scrapbooks to crank out before Thursday!

And I still haven't had a shower yet...

Just checking in to say that all is normal here...

*Today I have given my mom a ride to the airport; gotten three kids ready for school, complete with Great Pumpkin Dessert packaged up and tagged for 7 teachers; driven one kid to school; walked two dogs; gone for a jog; answered an Emergency Substitute request at the preschool (post-jog, pre-shower!); brought a child home sans Lunch Bunch (so much for that extra hour of work-time) since I was already at school; offered structural engineering advice on the clubhouse construction project; indexed and cut two stamp sets; made a set of cards plus a thank you card for the Spanish teacher; picked up kids from Spanish (and delivered the gift cards!); delivered the extra kid to her house; made dinner.

It's 5:30 so there are still a few hours left in the day to: serve and eat dinner; do the dishes; fold 3 or 4 loads of laundry; supervise clubhouse deconstruction project; potentially set-up area for kids to use stamps; hopefully assign Mothers' Day Card production to children; supervise laundry put-away; give allergy medicine and bedtime snacks.

All of this has been done or hopefully will be done before bed tonight.

BUT...

I still haven't had my shower yet today!!! Ugh!

As you can see... situation normal!

Quote

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
-Thomas A. Edison

Assassin on Site

Found a very colorful orange insect on the screen door handle this morning. Very orange with black tiger stripes. After a bit of searching (and lots of "ewwww" bug pictures!) I have learned it is an Assassin bug. Specifically Pselliopus barberi. Click here if you want to see pictures I found online.

It seems to be a beneficial bug so I'll let it live. The bug guides also say not to touch them because their bites can be painful. Now if it would just move off the back porch and into the garden, we'd both be much happier!

Dreary Mid-Atlantic Wednesday

That was the headline when I went to check out the rain forecast for the rest of the day. No kidding!

I had a long morning to myself but was unable to accomplish much with it. Dry cleaners, Whole Foods, and a shower. That's it. Then I went downstairs to start some laundry and discovered a paint spill from Ryan's regatta project. Ugh. Time to break out the paint thinner. After cleaning all that up I had a headache. I went back upstairs to check my email and Lana called. I talked to her for a bit then it was time to go back downstairs to hang the laundry. The fumes were still evident so even though I left the door open while I was in the room, I still had a killer headache by the time I finished. After the laundry, I brought the heavy folding table to the living room. I'm giving myself two weeks to have the table set up to work on a couple client albums and a class sample. Then I have to put it back away. I tripped over the table and amazingly enough did not break myself or any other furniture when it fell. Once the table was set up, I was still feeling definitely in a fog. The universe is conspiring against me once again. PMS. Cloudy, rainy, cold weather (which just makes me want to hibernate and not do anything productive at all). And a fume-induced foggy headache. I couldn't focus. At all. On anything meaningful. So I decided to watch a movie for 20 minutes before I went to pick up Felisa. Now Felisa is watching Scooby Doo in the basement and I am going to go back to my movie.

All I can say is - Better luck tomorrow. I won't give up. I will get things done.

Just not today...

I have wrinkles!

As I put my contacts in this morning, I noticed two deep wrinkle between my eyebrows. I've never noticed them before. Above those two newbies, I have a set of lines creasing my forehead. Holy Cow! Where did they all come from all of a sudden? Perhaps the solution to this problem is to go without my glasses or contacts. If I cannot see them, they do not exist.

A possible cause of all these wrinkles? I have buttermilk in my refrigerator. I need to use it up TODAY (or tomorrow). I need bread TODAY. Every single stinkin' buttermilk bread recipe I can find calls for bread flour. I DON'T HAVE ANY BREAD FLOUR!!! Seriously, Universe. Work with me a little here!

In other news, my toes are freezing. I bet getting out of my pj's and into some clothes (and socks and maybe even shoes!) would solve that problem. Why yes, it is almost noon. Why do you ask?

I scrapbooked this week. Digital AND old-fashioned. Yea! I'd love to just scrap all day for a couple weeks. And really I should since I have two client books to finish and soon. Before they put out a hit on me!

Hannah Montana's latest movie is in theaters now. Bella told me. Guess who's NOT going to see it. If you guessed us, then you win a prize. Ding, ding, ding! Stop by anytime to pick out your favorite dust bunny from my filthy, cluttered house. You won't find any in the kids' rooms though because those rooms are CLEAN. And ORGANIZED!

I'm hungry. Maybe because all I've had to eat today is, well, nothing. But I did drink a cup of sugar and fat-filled coffee. But after all the DELICIOUS junk food I ate yesterday (I heart Sonic. And Schlotsky's. And Sonic!) I probably shouldn't eat all day. And it's Good Friday. So I probably shouldn't eat all day what with the fasting and all. And speaking of fasting, I probably shouldn't be online. Oops! Oh and I had a dream last night that I gained 5 pounds in one day. Hmm. Maybe I ate too much yesterday...

And on that note, I'm outta here. Until next time...

-The Wrinkled Fairy

Organizing My Life Away...

Looking for a better way...

I love that Eddie Rabbit song "Drivin' My Life Away". One of these days I'm going to download it so I can listen whenever I want! I also love "I Love A Rainy Night".

My organizer came on Wednesday. Not sure what exactly was the straw that broke this camel's back or maybe it was more a convergence of "signs" that it was time to call for help again. Either way, Wednesday morning from 9-1 was it. We tackled the girls' room first. Dug all the way into the deepest darkest corners, drug everything out, purged, cleaned, and organized it all. It looks AWESOME! Initially I didn't want to use her services on the kids' toys because I figured that was something easy that I could do myself. But circumstances aligned and I decided that we might as well go ahead and start there. And now I am so glad that we did. The girls' room is a closed, defined space (unlike the entryway which we did last time) with finite influences on its cleanliness. Being able to get it all done in one fell swoop, start to finish, was great. Now I find myself wandering in there a few times each day, taking in the new serenity of it, and pretending that the rest of my house is clean. C Lee and I spent 4 hours on the girls' room. I am going on 4 days of working in Ryan's room and am not done yet. So definitely much harder on my own. Life and its demands have a way of poking in. The time is not specifically reserved (nor paid for!) and so, while I have been working hard, I have not been working nonstop until the job is done.

I look forward to the day that I can get more spaces in the house done. At this time, I can't afford to bring C Lee back more than once every couple of months. But that's okay. Doing some of it myself is good for me too. A good way to apply what I am learning. Put into practice all those things I know in my head but never get around to actually doing.

The biggest reward has been the kids. They all love the clean room. Bella said that she liked the labels best. Ryan said that it was just so nice and relaxing to be in the clean room. And all of the kids have been playing in there. There is a large floor space to play in now that the beds have been bunked (the process that started it all, one of the contributing "signs" I suppose from a couple weeks ago) and the room has been re-habbed. There are two windows so there is plenty of daylight. It's just a nice play to be. And 4 days later, it is still just as clean as it was when C Lee left. Hopefully we can continue to maintain it.

I have been enjoying having a home for the toys that I find around the house. Now when I find a pirate's treasure coin lost in a corner, I know where to put it. Or when I pull a piece of plastic cake out from under the couch, I know where the food basket is and I know that it only has plastic food inside - nothing else that shouldn't be. I have organized the kids' toys so many times before but it never lasts. Partly because they don't follow the plan and partly because I don't enforce it. It seems different this time. Maybe because they are older. In part because a better, more thorough job was done with the plan. In any case, I love it and hope this time it will be different.

So wish me luck in staying strong and dedicated to the cause of a clean house!

Talking To the Dog...

The following conversation takes place between 9:24 a.m. and 9:26 a.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2009... (insert ominous tick, tock, tick, tock sound from "24" here...)

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: I still think I should retaliate somehow. He took all my purses out of his closet. He probably stole my stash money too. Maybe I'll just take all his sweaters out of my closet. That'll show him. I'll need something more though... maybe threaten to put poison in his food. Just like those old ladies of Arsenic and Old Lace. Hmm... I wonder what I'll look like as an old lady. (as I look in the mirror thoughtfully after putting in my contacts)

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: Maybe I should go for a run this morning. That would make up for all the cookies I ate yesterday that I shouldn't have. Or I could just walk you. Run then walk? I have class tomorrow anyway. I'll skip it and just walk you. What should I do Darby?

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: You don't care what I do as long as I take you for a walk, huh.

Darby: (lies down) SIGH.

Me: Oh is living here so hard? Seems to me you've got a pretty cushy life. You lick the carpet all day long and I didn't even kick you out after you peed on carpet a million times. I'd say you've got it good dog.

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: What?

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: I wonder how long it will take Ron to get home from dropping off the kids. Maybe I should take a shower now. I can run tomorrow in class. Besides, if I run today then I'll never get anything done. I have to make dinner now so it can cook later while we're at baseball. I have to continue the never-ending task of working on my taxes. Mom wants me to go look at a place with her this afternoon and that always takes forever. And the kids need new soccer shoes. But first Bella has to try hers on to see if they still fit.

Darby: (looks at me)

Me: SIGH.

Felisa's Mom

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you

2. What makes mom happy?
(gives me a hug) when I love her

3. What makes mom sad?
when I stay away from her

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
when she tickles me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
I don't know

6. How old is your mom?
95

7. How tall is your mom?
(stretches her arms to measure me) I can't reach the bottom.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
work on scrapbooks and her computer

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
she works and works and works

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
if she was a superstar

11. What is your mom really good at?
typing

12. What is your mom not very good at?
opening things when they are hard to open

13. What does your mom do for her job?
to sell things

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
luna bars

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
when she stays at home

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
a mom - tom and jerry's mom - she's really mad mad mad

17. What do you and your mom do together?
I help her on the computer

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same hair

19. How are you and your mom different?
you're older than me

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
I stay next to her.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
going shopping

Bella's Mom

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Be good.

2. What makes mom happy?
When we're good.

3. What makes mom sad?
When we're bad.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
by saying something funny.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
you had hair ribbons to match your clothes. grandma told me

6. How old is your mom?
36

7. How tall is your mom?
tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
scrapbook

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Because you are a movie star

11. What is your mom really good at?
printing out pictures

12. What is your mom not very good at?
building

13. What does your mom do for her job?
scrapbook

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
don't know

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
when you're scrapbook is on tv

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
turkey trot racer

17. What do you and your mom do together?
talk

18. How are you and your mom the same?
we are both pretty

19. How are you and your mom different?'
we have different bangs

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
because she's always kissing me

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
family houses

Ryan's Mom

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Don't play rough downstairs.

2. What makes mom happy?
Good jokes and people doing what she says.

3. What makes mom sad?
no comment

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
by telling jokes or puns

5. What was your mom like as a child?
curious and well-behaved

6. How old is your mom?
36

7. How tall is your mom?
um... 5'11"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
relax

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
the laundry

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
a talent agent came to our house (though I reportedly have no specific talent)

11. What is your mom really good at?
making things - doesn't really matter what - anything

12. What is your mom not very good at?
destroying things (Apparently some people are really good at that!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?

make scrapbooks for other people and sell scrapbook things

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
donuts

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
when she does something heroic (when asked what was the last heroic thing I did - umm, well if you ever do something heroic then I will be proud of you)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
elmer fudd (because I don't like Daffy, according to him)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Cub Scouts

18. How are you and your mom the same?
we both like to read and we both read fast

19. How are you and your mom different?
she does not go to school and I do

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
she always says so

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Colorado

I Believe

I believe

...in quiet.
And in the therapeutic effect a quiet, empty house has on me. I need bits of solitude to continue to function well.

...in the power of nature.

...in organization.
I want to be organized. I just struggle with getting there and on those rare occasions that I actually get there, I have trouble staying there. Just ask all the unused organizational tools found in the nooks and crannies of my house.

...in being prepared.
At least in theory! This is related to my organizational struggles. To be prepared requires advance planning and advance preparation. My procrastination doesn't help any. I know what to do. I just hardly ever actually do it. What is the solution? Is there a solution?

...in balance.

Now back to my office... I'm supposed to be doing my taxes today. Instead I am chipping away at the mess that is my procrastinated, unmotivated, unorganized house.

Cause and Effect

Cause: The kids are hungry.

Effect: They make their own breakfast. Which they frequently do, especially Ryan. I went downstairs this morning to see if anyone needed breakfast. Ryan had eaten his already. Raisin Bran with chocolate soymilk. Eeeewwww! I told him not to use chocolate milk on his cereal anymore. Bella had decided to make her own breakfast as well. It was her first time using the toaster oven. She had lined the tray with a paper towel so the bread wouldn't fall through the grate. Thankfully I found it before it warmed all the way up and started a fire. She now knows not to put any paper products into the toaster! Felisa was innocent throughout. This time, anyway.

*****

Cause: Ron is home, full of energy.

Effect: Our basement is being rearranged. LARGE piles of junk are being created at an alarming rate. Dusting and vaccuuming is being done which is good. Junk will eventually be cleared out, I hope. Ron will feel much better very soon. I, on the other hand, will take probably a month to recover and get everything cleared out, sorted, and put away. It is something that really needs to be done from time to time - I was surprised by how much trash and how many toys we found under the desk for example - when we stay in our house for several years. No moving means no big moving purges. We're about to bust at the seams here! Ron is braver than I - he just jumps in whole-heartedly. I'm more hesitant. I know it needs to be done and I want it to be done but I know it is going to make a BIG mess so I hesitate. I don't have time for big messes!

*****

Cause: There's a big mess in my basement!

Effect: My taxes will not be getting done today. And probably not this week. My deadline is Mar. 1 so it'll have to be done soon though. Wish me luck!

*****

Ah-choo! (It's a bit dusty in here today!)

Quote

I will conquer my procrastination problem...just you wait!

-unknown

Missing me?

So it has been brought to my attention by more than one person on more than one occasion that my blog has been neglected of late.

It's true.

I also neglected to put Felisa's birthday on the family calendar that I sent as Christmas gifts. Oops! Guess I was too busy making sure I got everyone else on who wanted to be added. I did have a birthday picture of her adorning the January page. So I at least gave a hint about her birthday. Better luck next year Felisa!

Things have been busy as usual. January was pretty much devoted to family time. After the cleaning frenzy to prepare for Ron's return, the two of us went to Camp Lejeune for a week. Then two days spent packing for our family trip to Disneyworld. In case anyone is wondering, a 10 day roadtrip to Disney requires just as much stuff as a month-long road trip across America. I didn't realize that but it turns out to pretty much be true.

The trip to Florida was fun. All until the last day when the starter on the van quit working. The guys over at the Disney Car Care Center took care of us. We spent the day buying DVC membership and shopping at Downtown Disney. We hit the road at about 5:30 p.m., just in time for rush hour traffic through Orlando. We had to cancel our stop in Rock Hill to see Lana. There was also a snow/ice storm headed for Virginia so we decided to just drive through the night. We arrived home just as the first snowflakes began to fall. Ron and Ryan slept all morning and then I had a nice afternoon nap. The girls apparently slept fine in the car because they just played all day. Wednesday was a snow day from school then Thursday was a 2-hour delay. Which brings us all the way to Jan. 29. See - told you there wasn't much going on in January but family time!

February has been busy so far as well. I spent 6 out of 10 days subbing at Parkwood. Felisa's class was my favorite. The one day I spent with the 2 1/2 year olds was good birth control. I have obviously forgotten how crazy-making a 2-year-old can be! The day spent with the young 4's was okay except for the three boys who just couldn't stop wrestling. Oh and the two pee-pee accidents. I enjoy the work but it takes a lot of energy and being in a different class each time is hard because you have to learn a new routine each day.

So now you all can stop complaining. There is clearly nothing interesting going on around here. And what little is happening has drained all my blogging energy!

One Word

I don't usually do these but this one intrigued me and captured me in the moment. One word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? alongside
3. Your hair? ponytail
4. Your mother? asleep
5. Your father? far
6. Your favorite? quiet
7. Your dream last night? Darby
8. Your favorite drink? sweet
9. Your dream/goal? motivation
10. What room you are in? bedroom
11. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
12. Your fear? 911
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? west
14. Where were you last night? home
15. Something that you aren't? organized
16. Muffins? yes
17. Wish list item? alone
18. Where you grew up? military
19. Last thing you did? tikis
20. What are you wearing? brown
21. Your TV? Lost
22. Your pets? clean
23. Friends? awesome
24. Your life? good
25. Your mood? tired
26. Missing some one? No
27. Car? iced
28. Something you're not wearing? Socks
29. Your favorite store? ACMoore
30. Your favorite color? purple
33. When is the last time you laughed? Tonight
34. Last time you cried? recently
35. One place that I go to over and over? school
36. My favorite place to eat? steak

On Saluting...

I’ve been surrounded by Marines this week. Well, not entirely. But certainly more than usual. Marines are very proper. They always render an appropriate greeting accompanied by a crisp salute. Textbook perfection. Every single one of them. When we drove in this morning, the gate guard’s salute prompted me to say, “That’s why I couldn’t hack it in the Navy. The saluting.”

Really? I resigned from the Navy because I didn’t like to salute? Not exactly. The saluting represents all the military customs and courtesies that I struggled with. I was always stressed out. Always on the alert when out and about such as walking from my car in the parking lot into a building, looking for someone I needed to salute or making sure I returned any salutes given to me. Requesting permission to come aboard or go ashore. Addressing everyone properly. Sir, ma’am, chief… To sit down to a meal in the wardroom, I was required to know who was the most senior person present at that moment and then ask permission to join the mess before sitting down. Same thing when it was time to leave the table.

No don’t get me wrong. I believe in these traditions, in the necessity of maintaining respect up and down the ranks. But I was always sure that I was going to screw it up, get in trouble. I like rules. I like it when people follow the rules. But I don’t like getting in trouble. Which was bound to happen anytime if I did it wrong. I don’t like living in constant fear of getting it wrong. Is it a lack of self-esteem in my abilities? Perhaps. Something else? Could be. I have noticed a similar sensation when serving the Eucharist during Mass. It’s important to be reverent and respectful. But to a lot of other people it is VERY IMPORTANT to do it JUST RIGHT. Or so I think. I guess I could be wrong. But in any case, that’s the way it seems to me. And so when I am serving, I am in constant fear that I’m going to screw up and get in trouble.

Yesterday Ron and I went to see the USS North Carolina battleship in Wilmington. It was a great tour. There was hardly anyone else there so for the most part, we had the place to ourselves. We did not have the kids with us either so we were able to take our time, walking around, and seeing it all. I definitely got my workout going up and down all those ladders. And miracle of miracles, I only banged my knee on the ladder once! That was one of many memories of my time onboard ship that I was able to relive yesterday. There were lots of things I didn’t like about the Navy and about being aboard ship. But there were also lots of things I did like. I liked the teamwork, camaraderie, and family. I loved being a Division Officer and taking care of my guys.

So being on the ship, which smelled just like a ship and seeing things again like the ladders, the hatches, the mess decks, the berthing, the engine room… it was nice. I took lots of pictures of things that reminded me of “back then” since I doubt I took many pictures of it at the time. At the time it probably didn’t seem so significant. Now that time has passed, these things help bring back memories and all the little details that were part of my daily life for 3 years.

Maybe when we get home from all our travels, I’ll dig out the old pictures I’ve got from those days and get them scanned in. I’ve already been scanning in some pictures from the high school years. That’s a whole ‘nother trip down memory lane…

Hindsight

Hindsight is a funny thing, no? I just re-read my last post written on Christmas Eve. And I laughed. Because about 10 minutes later, Felisa was sick. Vomited ALL OVER MY BED. So I spent the rest of the night, not sleeping, but rather taking care of the sickie and cleaning up a few messes. She was better by the day after Christmas and I'm still enjoying the break from school as I anticipated. 99% of my Christmas cards have been mailed - just a couple need to have addresses fixed. And I found the calendar I bought for Mom. You'll never guess where it was... wrapped and under the tree waiting for her!

It's 5 days and a wake-up left until Ron returns. Not sure how much will get done, but I'm giving it my best shot.

And I'm starting the year off right, laughing. More of a chuckle really but if I lose my sense of humor, all is lost.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!