Or possibly a home run... depending on whether or not I believe the doctor!
I've had a cough so long I can't remember when it started exactly. I didn't really feel bad, per se. It was mostly just a nuisance. But I decided that I would try to really rest and relax over Christmas break so that I could maybe finally get rid of it.
Well, needless to say, that plan didn't work AT ALL! Bella came down with a cold a day or two after Christmas. A week later, I had it. So now, two days before school starts again, I'm feeling worse than when the break started. Fine then. I'll try to actively fight it off now by resting even more (when I can) and taking lots of vitamins and drinking OJ and water and... Still didn't work. Still feel bad.
So... now it's just a few days before Ron returns from his latest business trip and I'd really like to not feel like crap so I call the doctor to make an appointment. Maybe I need antibiotics... it's time for a second opinion anyway.
So that was yesterday afternoon that I finally threw in the towel and called the doctor. Yesterday after school Bella said she had been coughing all day. So I decide to keep an eye on her - maybe her cold is acting up, getting worse. We went to our Brownie meeting but by the end of the meeting, both of us were going downhill fast. Home to put on our jammies and take temperatures. We're both at 99. I call my boss to tell her I won't be at school tomorrow. Bella's breathing a little shallow so I give her a breathing treatment. If the cold has gone to her lungs, this should help. The kids all watch Winter Wipeout then before bed (they've been waiting for this episode for weeks now!) After the show, I check Bella again. She's up to 100. Something tells me this might not just be her cold. Good thing I already called in sick.
Off to bed with all of us. Sleep is my prescription for all! At about 11:30 last night, I woke up with my bad ear just aching like crazy. That is NOT good! I took a sudafed and some advil and put in some homeopathic earache drops and try to go back to sleep. Since it's not even midnight yet, I could be in for a long night.
Bella tossed and turned and moaned all night. I woke up at 4 a.m. with my other ear hurting. More sudafed, more water.
Up for the day at 7:15. Bella's temp is up to 102. I get the other two ready for school and dropped off then I call the doctor to see if I can bump my appointment up to an earlier time. My ears are hurting and I'd hate to have my eardrum rupture AGAIN. I score a 1015 appointment.
So the doctor says... double ear infection but even though there is a little blood in the bad ear he doesn't think it's ruptured (I'm not sure if I agree since my hearing is off even now). He even said, "wow -that must really hurt!" when he was looking in my ears. Also, I have a sinus infection. And wheezing in my lungs so probably a bit of mild bronchitis. Joy! 3 for the price of one! He gave me a prescription for antibiotics and I came home and we went back to bed for the rest of the day.
Bella's fever got pretty high this evening - hope she's feeling better in the morning.
I hope I'm feeling better in the morning too!
Friday, January 07, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
My strength
I did an online test at a Positive Psychology site... these are my top 5 strengths. Your Top Strength |
Kindness and generosity |
Your Second Strength |
Humor and playfulness |
Your Third Strength |
Capacity to love and be loved |
Your Fourth Strength |
Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty |
Your Fifth Strength |
Forgiveness and mercy |
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Great Grasshopper Uprising
It's November... time for the annual Cub Scout Bake Off. Ryan's entry - Grasshopper Pie (the under-21 version!)
It's time to go to the meeting... the kids are headed out the door and I'm gathering my keys and purse... I hear Ryan say, with some seriousness, "Uh oh!"
Uh-oh what?
I come to the front door to see Ryan and the front porch covered in minty green grasshopper creme. Greeeaaaaatttt. It's a Grasshopper Mutiny! I take the pie to the kitchen to see if it could be salvaged (luckily it could). Ryan washed his hands and wiped off his clothes then I sent him out to the porch with a big cup of water to try to wash the creme away. It wasn't going away easily so I decided to just leave it as it was and deal with it when we got back. I could let Darby, the very hungry dog, lick it up but think it could give him a tummy ache.
Fast forward an hour or so... we're back from the bake - off with a certificate for the Most Flavorsome. The porch is still a mess. I try again to rinse it off but think I need a broom to scrub or a hose to spray. I think the broom is probably locked in the shed. I check the hose but it has been disconnected for the winter already. And did I mention that it is dark now and most definitely time for bed after another long day? I again consider the option of Darby, the very hungry dog, but I think he would probably lick his tongue raw on the cement and then we'd have to add a vet bill to the disaster cleanup tally!
Also, the weird worms are back. Not as many as the other night. Maybe they like Grasshopper Pie?
I can only hope that they eat it all up before I wake up tomorrow and have to face the mess of the Great Grasshopper Uprising in the light of day...
It's time to go to the meeting... the kids are headed out the door and I'm gathering my keys and purse... I hear Ryan say, with some seriousness, "Uh oh!"
Uh-oh what?
I come to the front door to see Ryan and the front porch covered in minty green grasshopper creme. Greeeaaaaatttt. It's a Grasshopper Mutiny! I take the pie to the kitchen to see if it could be salvaged (luckily it could). Ryan washed his hands and wiped off his clothes then I sent him out to the porch with a big cup of water to try to wash the creme away. It wasn't going away easily so I decided to just leave it as it was and deal with it when we got back. I could let Darby, the very hungry dog, lick it up but think it could give him a tummy ache.
Fast forward an hour or so... we're back from the bake - off with a certificate for the Most Flavorsome. The porch is still a mess. I try again to rinse it off but think I need a broom to scrub or a hose to spray. I think the broom is probably locked in the shed. I check the hose but it has been disconnected for the winter already. And did I mention that it is dark now and most definitely time for bed after another long day? I again consider the option of Darby, the very hungry dog, but I think he would probably lick his tongue raw on the cement and then we'd have to add a vet bill to the disaster cleanup tally!
Also, the weird worms are back. Not as many as the other night. Maybe they like Grasshopper Pie?
I can only hope that they eat it all up before I wake up tomorrow and have to face the mess of the Great Grasshopper Uprising in the light of day...
Friday, October 01, 2010
Life just isn't fair. It's Pajama Day in Mrs. Pant's class. That part is good. The part that isn't so good is the part where I woke up at 0545 to go work out then walk the dog then take a shower so that I could put my pajamas back on to go to work. When the kids went to pajama day, they always got to sleep in then go to school in the pj's they already had on. Not fair!
In other news... there was apparently a Rubber Duckie Convention in the shower last night. This morning they were all still there. Uncle Sam with his 3 Secret Service Ducks wearing sunglasses. A random duck. And Party Duck. Who apparently had a GREAT time at the convention last night because he was head down in the shower bucket. Ha! For whatever reason, I find that very funny. Maybe that's why I love working in a preschool - it takes so little to entertain me!
So now I'm off to work in my PJ's followed by lunch at Sonic! Woo hoo!
In other news... there was apparently a Rubber Duckie Convention in the shower last night. This morning they were all still there. Uncle Sam with his 3 Secret Service Ducks wearing sunglasses. A random duck. And Party Duck. Who apparently had a GREAT time at the convention last night because he was head down in the shower bucket. Ha! For whatever reason, I find that very funny. Maybe that's why I love working in a preschool - it takes so little to entertain me!
So now I'm off to work in my PJ's followed by lunch at Sonic! Woo hoo!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Michael Jackson vs. Elvis
I was putting some music on Ryan's MP3 player earlier this afternoon. I was checking the James Taylor list of songs to see if there was anything I thought he'd like. Hound Dog was there. Perfect. Ryan was watching over my shoulder. He said, Oh it's his version of Michael Jackson's Hound Dog song. Uh, no. That would be Elvis' Hound Dog song. Oh. I get them confused. They're both dead. And famous! (and singers of course.)
That just cracked me up.
Edited to add:
Ryan's favorite songs, in order, on his MP3 player...
1. Beer for my Horses - Toby Keith
2. 12 Days of Christmas (an a capella version that is quite funny, plus it is his favorite Christmas song in any version)
3. A Boy Named Sue
4. Istanbul, Not Constantinople - They Might Be Giants
5. (aw shucks... I can't remember now what number 5 was)
That just cracked me up.
Edited to add:
Ryan's favorite songs, in order, on his MP3 player...
1. Beer for my Horses - Toby Keith
2. 12 Days of Christmas (an a capella version that is quite funny, plus it is his favorite Christmas song in any version)
3. A Boy Named Sue
4. Istanbul, Not Constantinople - They Might Be Giants
5. (aw shucks... I can't remember now what number 5 was)
Monday, September 06, 2010
Watermelon with a death wish
Why do my baby watermelons have a death wish? Why do they only want to grow ON the driveway and not in the garden boxes next to the driveway? I moved one baby's vine back to the box area the other day. Today I found two more babies growing in the vines still on the driveway. Argh! Oh and don't forget... anyone who grows out into the neighbor's grass on the other side of the garden boxes also has a death wish but seem to prefer death by lawnmower. My neighbor has been very kind and patient with my out-of-control, not hardly producing, vines.
The good news - the garden, it is producing again. Yay! I had chalked it all up as dead or dying already but was too lazy to pull it all out. It seems as though it was merely biding its time, waiting for the weather to drop out of the 90s and 100s. Now I have 3 zucchini growing, a second watermelon well-established (the first - and I thought only - watermelon is waiting to be harvested), and potentially three more watermelon babies (will they survive?). Even the tomatoes (the few that I have) are ripening.
Now if I can just keep all the suicidal fruits and veggies from the Driveway of Doom, I'll have some home-grown produce in a couple weeks. Yay!
The good news - the garden, it is producing again. Yay! I had chalked it all up as dead or dying already but was too lazy to pull it all out. It seems as though it was merely biding its time, waiting for the weather to drop out of the 90s and 100s. Now I have 3 zucchini growing, a second watermelon well-established (the first - and I thought only - watermelon is waiting to be harvested), and potentially three more watermelon babies (will they survive?). Even the tomatoes (the few that I have) are ripening.
Now if I can just keep all the suicidal fruits and veggies from the Driveway of Doom, I'll have some home-grown produce in a couple weeks. Yay!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Stop the Ride!
Stop the ride - I want off!!!
Seriously? Neither school nor sports have begun yet and already I'm feeling overwhelmed and behind the curve. Ack! Today I spent several hours and way too much money stocking up on school supplies, new shoes, and new backpacks for the kids. A mid-day break for lunch at Red Robin was the best part of the day.
I just got back from an emergency milk run. How did we get from 2 cartons down to zero cartons in the blink of an eye? I decided to skip the library and postpone the dry cleaners/milk shopping that would normally be done on Wednesday so that I would have time to spend hanging out with Allie and her family as well as time to work on my many administrative to-dos. And looking back at yesterday - I'm not sure how many to-dos I actually to-did. Today was the best day for shopping so that took priority. And then surprise! No milk!
So here's the question - will things get better once school starts or worse? Better would be nice but I'm fearing the latter.
(I told Ron that it was all his fault. He's out of town, therefore I am unable to function properly. Doesn't bode well for next week does it?!?)
Seriously? Neither school nor sports have begun yet and already I'm feeling overwhelmed and behind the curve. Ack! Today I spent several hours and way too much money stocking up on school supplies, new shoes, and new backpacks for the kids. A mid-day break for lunch at Red Robin was the best part of the day.
I just got back from an emergency milk run. How did we get from 2 cartons down to zero cartons in the blink of an eye? I decided to skip the library and postpone the dry cleaners/milk shopping that would normally be done on Wednesday so that I would have time to spend hanging out with Allie and her family as well as time to work on my many administrative to-dos. And looking back at yesterday - I'm not sure how many to-dos I actually to-did. Today was the best day for shopping so that took priority. And then surprise! No milk!
So here's the question - will things get better once school starts or worse? Better would be nice but I'm fearing the latter.
(I told Ron that it was all his fault. He's out of town, therefore I am unable to function properly. Doesn't bode well for next week does it?!?)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
My Bucket
My goals... my values... my bucket of time...
Spending some time today working through this. It's a new year (the fall always seems like a second New Year to me, a chance to start over AGAIN and hopefully get it right this time) and time to think about how I'd like it to go.
My values...
*Home and Family, Love and Friends... these are a source of encouragement, joy, laughter, and support as well as a refuge from the wild and crazy world. I tend to be a home-body. I want to be at home, in my home, surrounded by the people (family AND friends) who love me. Home is comfortable. Home can be relaxing and quiet or it can be filled with laughter and good company. Home is where my heart is. It is where I start from and where I come back to.
*Responsibility... I have a responsibility to fulfill my obligations. I have a responsibility to care for my world and those that are in it. We have a responsibility to each other as human beings to help each other out. We're in this together.
*Flexibility, Patience, Politeness, Helpfulness, and a Sense of Humor... all key ingredients to a successful, harmonious existence on this wild ride known as life.
*Nature... being outside (in non-humid, non-mosquito infested weather!) in the quiet and peace of nature brings peace to my soul. I'm trying my best to tread lightly and to help others to do the same.
My goals...
(compiled via a quick-n-dirty 60-second write-down-the-first-thing-that-comes-to-mind session)
*Lose 10-15 pounds (always a goal of mine, especially at the end of each summer when I have gained lots of road trip vacation weight and haven't been exercising regularly!). Related goals: Training for the Turkey Trot 5k in November. I can't remember the last time I actually went out jogging...
*Create and maintain a clean, workable scrapbook workspace so that I can use it whenever I feel so inspired, rather than dreading it or avoiding it altogether. This one feels particularly daunting and impossible. Very Mount Everest-ish.
*Spend more time on various personal scrapbook projects. There are so many things on my list that I'd love to scrap but never seem to have the time. When I do have the time (or the inspiration), I am thwarted by the Scrapbooking Pit of Despair (see prior goal).
*Create and maintain a more orderly home environment. (Talk about shooting for the moon! This is also a very Mount Everest-ish task in my mind. I'm not the best housekeeper and the clutter has been building up for 10 years now.)
*Spend quality time with myself and with my family without constantly thinking about what else I need to be or should be doing, those undone tasks on my to-do list looming over me. Essentially I think I am looking for BALANCE. I don't wish to give up my activities outside the home (at least not all of them) because they satisfy my need to contribute, to help out, to be involved, and to be with people. But I also need to be at home and be mentally engaged with my family. I think finding a balance that works for me and works for my family will be a tough one.
I need to be more aware of each moment and how I am spending my time. Try to keep in mind where I'm at and where I'm trying to go and whether or not my choices will get me there. Specifically I need to better manage my time alone, my time not spent on household chores and other calendar commitments. I often have difficulty in just getting started as well as difficulty in maintaining forward progress continuously over time. I am an object at rest, that if given a choice, would prefer to stay at rest. Somehow I need to apply force regularly to overcome that inherent inertia. Deadlines help me ultimately finish a job but more specifically, deadlines set by others (rather than by me). Accountability to others. A sense of "we're in this together" and positive encouragement also help.
I want to be able to do it all. But I can't. It's impossible. All I can hope for is the ability to do it better. And so I am hoping by being more conscious of my time and how I am spending it, I will better balance what I have going at the moment without having to give too much up.
Is it hopeless?
[Why I enjoy scrapbooking...
(thought I should expand on this since it is mentioned twice in my goals above)
I enjoy the beauty and asthetics of it - putting together all the pretty papers and colors and accents. I also really enjoy the relationship aspect of it. When I'm working in my scrapbooks, I am also spending time with family and friends and loved ones, via the memories in my mind. It is a form of time together, or at least so it seems to me. An extension of the pleasure I get from spending time hanging out with people and being together with people. Capturing the stories and the memories then being able to share them again each time the books are reviewed. Why I enjoy doing books for others? I want them to have the same opportunity to open a book and share the memories.]
Spending some time today working through this. It's a new year (the fall always seems like a second New Year to me, a chance to start over AGAIN and hopefully get it right this time) and time to think about how I'd like it to go.
My values...
*Home and Family, Love and Friends... these are a source of encouragement, joy, laughter, and support as well as a refuge from the wild and crazy world. I tend to be a home-body. I want to be at home, in my home, surrounded by the people (family AND friends) who love me. Home is comfortable. Home can be relaxing and quiet or it can be filled with laughter and good company. Home is where my heart is. It is where I start from and where I come back to.
*Responsibility... I have a responsibility to fulfill my obligations. I have a responsibility to care for my world and those that are in it. We have a responsibility to each other as human beings to help each other out. We're in this together.
*Flexibility, Patience, Politeness, Helpfulness, and a Sense of Humor... all key ingredients to a successful, harmonious existence on this wild ride known as life.
*Nature... being outside (in non-humid, non-mosquito infested weather!) in the quiet and peace of nature brings peace to my soul. I'm trying my best to tread lightly and to help others to do the same.
My goals...
(compiled via a quick-n-dirty 60-second write-down-the-first-thing-that-comes-to-mind session)
*Lose 10-15 pounds (always a goal of mine, especially at the end of each summer when I have gained lots of road trip vacation weight and haven't been exercising regularly!). Related goals: Training for the Turkey Trot 5k in November. I can't remember the last time I actually went out jogging...
*Create and maintain a clean, workable scrapbook workspace so that I can use it whenever I feel so inspired, rather than dreading it or avoiding it altogether. This one feels particularly daunting and impossible. Very Mount Everest-ish.
*Spend more time on various personal scrapbook projects. There are so many things on my list that I'd love to scrap but never seem to have the time. When I do have the time (or the inspiration), I am thwarted by the Scrapbooking Pit of Despair (see prior goal).
*Create and maintain a more orderly home environment. (Talk about shooting for the moon! This is also a very Mount Everest-ish task in my mind. I'm not the best housekeeper and the clutter has been building up for 10 years now.)
*Spend quality time with myself and with my family without constantly thinking about what else I need to be or should be doing, those undone tasks on my to-do list looming over me. Essentially I think I am looking for BALANCE. I don't wish to give up my activities outside the home (at least not all of them) because they satisfy my need to contribute, to help out, to be involved, and to be with people. But I also need to be at home and be mentally engaged with my family. I think finding a balance that works for me and works for my family will be a tough one.
I need to be more aware of each moment and how I am spending my time. Try to keep in mind where I'm at and where I'm trying to go and whether or not my choices will get me there. Specifically I need to better manage my time alone, my time not spent on household chores and other calendar commitments. I often have difficulty in just getting started as well as difficulty in maintaining forward progress continuously over time. I am an object at rest, that if given a choice, would prefer to stay at rest. Somehow I need to apply force regularly to overcome that inherent inertia. Deadlines help me ultimately finish a job but more specifically, deadlines set by others (rather than by me). Accountability to others. A sense of "we're in this together" and positive encouragement also help.
I want to be able to do it all. But I can't. It's impossible. All I can hope for is the ability to do it better. And so I am hoping by being more conscious of my time and how I am spending it, I will better balance what I have going at the moment without having to give too much up.
Is it hopeless?
[Why I enjoy scrapbooking...
(thought I should expand on this since it is mentioned twice in my goals above)
I enjoy the beauty and asthetics of it - putting together all the pretty papers and colors and accents. I also really enjoy the relationship aspect of it. When I'm working in my scrapbooks, I am also spending time with family and friends and loved ones, via the memories in my mind. It is a form of time together, or at least so it seems to me. An extension of the pleasure I get from spending time hanging out with people and being together with people. Capturing the stories and the memories then being able to share them again each time the books are reviewed. Why I enjoy doing books for others? I want them to have the same opportunity to open a book and share the memories.]
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Age of the Telephone
Apparently 10 is the age when you start talking on the phone to your friends...
So Ryan was talking to Owen earlier today. He hasn't seen or spoken to him since before we left on our trip.
The beginning of the conversation...
Ryan: "Hi Owen, how are you?"
-very brief pause-
Ryan: "Banana"
That just cracks me up with how random it is!
So Ryan was talking to Owen earlier today. He hasn't seen or spoken to him since before we left on our trip.
The beginning of the conversation...
Ryan: "Hi Owen, how are you?"
-very brief pause-
Ryan: "Banana"
That just cracks me up with how random it is!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The last 3 days of Big Trip 5
Day 29 – Monday – July 19, 2010
0730 Get up. Felisa is up already but Ryan and Bella are sleeping in.
Lana and Mike go to a doctor’s appointment while the kids and I hang out and be lazy. The kids watch TV and I work on blog updates.
Lana is done at the doctor so we head out for errands and lunch at Jack in the Box.
After lunch back home. I remember that I need to pay some bills.
Dinner tonight is chicken and yummy homemade noodles!
Day 30 – Tuesday – July 20, 2010
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Then get ready for our field trip to the South Carolina State Museum.
Our favorite parts:
Felisa – pushing buttons on the displays
Bella – the pirate exhibit
Ryan – the optical illusions
Lana – getting lost and the variety of displays
Sheila – the variety of displays
After the museum, lunch at McD’s.
Back home I work on my scrapbook while the kids watch tv.
Dinner tonight is macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. Yum!
Day 31 –Wednesday – July 21, 2010
0650 Wake up. Get loaded and ready to go.
0737 Leaving.
0750 Gas, $2.39/gallon
0756 Sonic for a breakfast burrito
0813 North Carolina
1024 Virginia
1127 Gas, $2.49/gallon
1134 McD’s drive-thru for lunch and iced coffee
1158 Cows. Mountains. No traffic. Coming back via Highway 29 is pretty good so far.
1127 Waltons Mountain Museum. I wonder if it is any relation to the tv show?
12:30 p.m. Albemarle, VA established in 1744. Wow – that was a long time ago!
2:25 p.m. I-66 from Warrenton. Slow as expected.
2:46 p.m. Home sweet home! Our total mileage for the trip is 6,972. Wow – if I had realized we were that close to being over 7,000 miles I would’ve gone the long way around just to make it over 7,000! Drat!
0730 Get up. Felisa is up already but Ryan and Bella are sleeping in.
Lana and Mike go to a doctor’s appointment while the kids and I hang out and be lazy. The kids watch TV and I work on blog updates.
Lana is done at the doctor so we head out for errands and lunch at Jack in the Box.
After lunch back home. I remember that I need to pay some bills.
Dinner tonight is chicken and yummy homemade noodles!
Day 30 – Tuesday – July 20, 2010
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Then get ready for our field trip to the South Carolina State Museum.
Our favorite parts:
Felisa – pushing buttons on the displays
Bella – the pirate exhibit
Ryan – the optical illusions
Lana – getting lost and the variety of displays
Sheila – the variety of displays
After the museum, lunch at McD’s.
Back home I work on my scrapbook while the kids watch tv.
Dinner tonight is macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. Yum!
Day 31 –Wednesday – July 21, 2010
0650 Wake up. Get loaded and ready to go.
0737 Leaving.
0750 Gas, $2.39/gallon
0756 Sonic for a breakfast burrito
0813 North Carolina
1024 Virginia
1127 Gas, $2.49/gallon
1134 McD’s drive-thru for lunch and iced coffee
1158 Cows. Mountains. No traffic. Coming back via Highway 29 is pretty good so far.
1127 Waltons Mountain Museum. I wonder if it is any relation to the tv show?
12:30 p.m. Albemarle, VA established in 1744. Wow – that was a long time ago!
2:25 p.m. I-66 from Warrenton. Slow as expected.
2:46 p.m. Home sweet home! Our total mileage for the trip is 6,972. Wow – if I had realized we were that close to being over 7,000 miles I would’ve gone the long way around just to make it over 7,000! Drat!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Day 28
Day 28 - Sunday - July 18, 2010
0630 Time to get up. Shower, pack, load. Take pictures with Vacation Mouse.
0810 Leaving Kim's house. Jo is taking a long time to wake up this morning. Come on Jo - I don't know which way I'm going!
0826 See the statue of liberty.
0840 Leeds, AL. Stop at Hardees for one last pork chop biscuit with gravy before the end of the trip. Attempt to go to McD's for an iced coffee but the drive thru line is NOT moving so I give up and leave. Stop for gas, $2.45/gallon then back on the highway.
0915 McD's - let's try this coffee thing again!
0936 Listening to the country Top 40 countdown on the radio. There is an interview with the guy who sings "Pray for You". It helps to have the singer/songwriter's perspective and reasoning but not sure I still won't have to change the station.
0948 Finally - a cop has pulled someone over. The speed limit has been 55 forever with lots of signs about how it is strictly enforced. I'm going more than 55 but people are blowing by me like I'm sitting still. It sure doesn't seem too strictly enforced to me!
1003 - Georgia and Eastern time zone (which makes it 1103 now)
1144 Chattahoochee River
1154 Atlanta. We see the capitol dome and the olympic stadium.
12:09 p.m. Driving in and out of little stripes of rain.
12:31 p.m. Stop at Wendy's for lunch. It is our first Wendy's stop of the trip.
1:11 p.m. We are back to the East Coast traffic volume and population density. I am not glad to be back.
1:51 p.m. South Carolina. Stop at the welcome center. I answered the trivia question correctly (Sassafrass Mountain is the highest point in SC) so the kids all got little beach balls.
2:12 p.m. Driving on the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.
2:30 p.m. You can see mountains way off in the distance.
2:48 p.m. The girls are sleeping. And this is NOT a freeway as the lady at the welcome center indicated. Maybe I should've come up from Greenville to cut some of the less scenic western portion off. Or maybe not come this way at all...
2:53 p.m. Keowee River. Finally, something scenic.
3:13 p.m. Pumpkintown.
3:26 p.m. Corn cob mailbox on a cornstalk post.
3:37 p.m. Saw a turkey. Or some other big bird with a long neck.
3:50 p.m. Back to the interstate.
4:11 p.m. Sonic in Spartanburg for a snack. Ron called to report that there is nothing going on at home. Lana texted to find out what we want for dinner. 3 votes for spaghetti. 0 votes for chicken.
4:23 p.m. Gas, $2.36 p.m.
4:45 p.m. Saw the giant peach watertower.
4:47 p.m. Lightning ahead. Will we miss it or will we drive into it before we get off the interstate and head east.
4:54 p.m. Nope. Didn't miss it. Rain hits about 1/2 mile from our exit.
5:38 p.m. Arrive at Lana and Mike's.
Spaghetti for dinner. Disney channel on TV. We finally see the episode of Sonny With A Chance (Sonny with a secret) that has been advertised for the past few weeks. As I suspected, the Mackenzie Falls co-star did it. Jealousy will get you every time!
Early to bed tonight (especially if you figure in the time change today!). I was able to watch Shrek 3 until I got tired.
0630 Time to get up. Shower, pack, load. Take pictures with Vacation Mouse.
0810 Leaving Kim's house. Jo is taking a long time to wake up this morning. Come on Jo - I don't know which way I'm going!
0826 See the statue of liberty.
0840 Leeds, AL. Stop at Hardees for one last pork chop biscuit with gravy before the end of the trip. Attempt to go to McD's for an iced coffee but the drive thru line is NOT moving so I give up and leave. Stop for gas, $2.45/gallon then back on the highway.
0915 McD's - let's try this coffee thing again!
0936 Listening to the country Top 40 countdown on the radio. There is an interview with the guy who sings "Pray for You". It helps to have the singer/songwriter's perspective and reasoning but not sure I still won't have to change the station.
0948 Finally - a cop has pulled someone over. The speed limit has been 55 forever with lots of signs about how it is strictly enforced. I'm going more than 55 but people are blowing by me like I'm sitting still. It sure doesn't seem too strictly enforced to me!
1003 - Georgia and Eastern time zone (which makes it 1103 now)
1144 Chattahoochee River
1154 Atlanta. We see the capitol dome and the olympic stadium.
12:09 p.m. Driving in and out of little stripes of rain.
12:31 p.m. Stop at Wendy's for lunch. It is our first Wendy's stop of the trip.
1:11 p.m. We are back to the East Coast traffic volume and population density. I am not glad to be back.
1:51 p.m. South Carolina. Stop at the welcome center. I answered the trivia question correctly (Sassafrass Mountain is the highest point in SC) so the kids all got little beach balls.
2:12 p.m. Driving on the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.
2:30 p.m. You can see mountains way off in the distance.
2:48 p.m. The girls are sleeping. And this is NOT a freeway as the lady at the welcome center indicated. Maybe I should've come up from Greenville to cut some of the less scenic western portion off. Or maybe not come this way at all...
2:53 p.m. Keowee River. Finally, something scenic.
3:13 p.m. Pumpkintown.
3:26 p.m. Corn cob mailbox on a cornstalk post.
3:37 p.m. Saw a turkey. Or some other big bird with a long neck.
3:50 p.m. Back to the interstate.
4:11 p.m. Sonic in Spartanburg for a snack. Ron called to report that there is nothing going on at home. Lana texted to find out what we want for dinner. 3 votes for spaghetti. 0 votes for chicken.
4:23 p.m. Gas, $2.36 p.m.
4:45 p.m. Saw the giant peach watertower.
4:47 p.m. Lightning ahead. Will we miss it or will we drive into it before we get off the interstate and head east.
4:54 p.m. Nope. Didn't miss it. Rain hits about 1/2 mile from our exit.
5:38 p.m. Arrive at Lana and Mike's.
Spaghetti for dinner. Disney channel on TV. We finally see the episode of Sonny With A Chance (Sonny with a secret) that has been advertised for the past few weeks. As I suspected, the Mackenzie Falls co-star did it. Jealousy will get you every time!
Early to bed tonight (especially if you figure in the time change today!). I was able to watch Shrek 3 until I got tired.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Day 27
Day 27 - Saturday - July 17, 2010
0830 Get up. Kim went to tennis so the kids and I hang out at the house. She left me in charge of Cozette. She won't come inside so I leave her out a bit longer. When I go back to get her, I'm able to pick her up (without getting bitten). I put her down inside the door. At which point she walks right over to the stairs and (again, unintentionally) goes down. (Did I mention that she is 16 years old and can't see very well anymore?) She didn't fall but she went rather quickly and against her will. She tops it all off by peeing on the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. Good grief! 16 years later and this is where we're at - cleaning up messes in the house just like when she was a puppy! Being an aunt is hard work sometimes!
12:52 p.m. Leaving for Dalton's birthday party at Oak Mountain State Park. On the way over, there was a Christmas song playing on the radio. It seemed a bit odd but I figured maybe someone had called in to request it. A little later I realize I'm hearing another Christmas song. What is going on?!? Turns out it is Christmas in July and the station is playing Christmas songs all weekend long.
After the party we stop at McD's for an iced coffee. And this McD's has brownie melts! So of course we get some then devour them as soon as we get back to the house. Mmmm.... brownie melts. Good thing they don't sell these in VA - I'd be eating way too many of them!
We let Cozette out when we get back. When it's time to bring her back in again, she has gotten spider webs all over her face from wandering under the chairs. I try to wipe them off with a towel which she does not like at all! I told her she better listen to her aunt if she wants to come back inside before her mom comes home!
5:00 p.m. Folding laundry and watching NCIS. It's a School's Out Marathon. Woo hoo! I love this show! If only they would show more of the episodes I haven't already seen a bajillion times!
5:45 p.m. Kim is back with Dalton and Lacy. Now that we are all together in the same house and no one else is around, the kids are finally playing together. Because it always rains when I come to Alabama, Kim has to grill our burgers in the rain. Heehee. After dinner the boys play one of Dalton's new Wii games and the girls are playing miscellaneous girl stuff.
9:10 p.m. Attempting to get the kids settled down and in bed. The boys are reading. Bella is asleep in no time in my bed. Lacy and Felisa, however, are having a hard time quieting down to sleep together in Lacy's bed. After a few warnings, I put Felisa in my bed to let her fall asleep then move her back after both girls are sleeping.
Kim and I watched the pilot episode of Covert Affairs. It was a pretty good show. I just might have to start watching that one. USA network always has great summer shows!
Bedtime! (Aren't you proud 0f us - we made it to bed before midnight!)
0830 Get up. Kim went to tennis so the kids and I hang out at the house. She left me in charge of Cozette. She won't come inside so I leave her out a bit longer. When I go back to get her, I'm able to pick her up (without getting bitten). I put her down inside the door. At which point she walks right over to the stairs and (again, unintentionally) goes down. (Did I mention that she is 16 years old and can't see very well anymore?) She didn't fall but she went rather quickly and against her will. She tops it all off by peeing on the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. Good grief! 16 years later and this is where we're at - cleaning up messes in the house just like when she was a puppy! Being an aunt is hard work sometimes!
12:52 p.m. Leaving for Dalton's birthday party at Oak Mountain State Park. On the way over, there was a Christmas song playing on the radio. It seemed a bit odd but I figured maybe someone had called in to request it. A little later I realize I'm hearing another Christmas song. What is going on?!? Turns out it is Christmas in July and the station is playing Christmas songs all weekend long.
After the party we stop at McD's for an iced coffee. And this McD's has brownie melts! So of course we get some then devour them as soon as we get back to the house. Mmmm.... brownie melts. Good thing they don't sell these in VA - I'd be eating way too many of them!
We let Cozette out when we get back. When it's time to bring her back in again, she has gotten spider webs all over her face from wandering under the chairs. I try to wipe them off with a towel which she does not like at all! I told her she better listen to her aunt if she wants to come back inside before her mom comes home!
5:00 p.m. Folding laundry and watching NCIS. It's a School's Out Marathon. Woo hoo! I love this show! If only they would show more of the episodes I haven't already seen a bajillion times!
5:45 p.m. Kim is back with Dalton and Lacy. Now that we are all together in the same house and no one else is around, the kids are finally playing together. Because it always rains when I come to Alabama, Kim has to grill our burgers in the rain. Heehee. After dinner the boys play one of Dalton's new Wii games and the girls are playing miscellaneous girl stuff.
9:10 p.m. Attempting to get the kids settled down and in bed. The boys are reading. Bella is asleep in no time in my bed. Lacy and Felisa, however, are having a hard time quieting down to sleep together in Lacy's bed. After a few warnings, I put Felisa in my bed to let her fall asleep then move her back after both girls are sleeping.
Kim and I watched the pilot episode of Covert Affairs. It was a pretty good show. I just might have to start watching that one. USA network always has great summer shows!
Bedtime! (Aren't you proud 0f us - we made it to bed before midnight!)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Day 26
Day 26 – Friday – July 26, 2010
0800 Get up. Shower.
Breakfast this morning is a feast of pancakes, bacon, and fruit. After breakfast the kids played a couple board games then headed upstairs to play video games. I finished packing then still had time to hang out. I can’t believe we’re leaving already – it seems like we just got here!
12:25 p.m. Time to load up.
Pictures with Vacation Mouse before we go…
1:15 p.m. Stop at Sonic. Felisa has decided that she likes the grilled cheese. (This is good since she has been my toughest Sonic customer, hard to please). I decided to give the Chicken Fried Steak sandwich a try (it was not bad).
1:28 p.m. Mississippi (That didn’t take long! The states are much smaller here in the east!)
1:55 p.m. There are clouds but they lack the depth and definition of those in the west. Maybe it’s because the atmosphere is thicker here at the lower elevation? That’s my latest theory.
2:00 p.m. Remember that none of my emails went out in Memphis so Kim never got my reply. Maybe I should give her a call to let her know our status.
2:02 p.m. That Praying for You song is on the radio again. I have to change the station every time it comes on. The guy singing is mad at his ex-girlfriend and so he is praying for bad things to happen to her. I just find it disturbing.
2:04 p.m. See a VW van (just the cab) with another VW van (full van) behind it. I can’t tell if the cab is towing the full van or if they are welded together to create some sort of larger vehicle. Definitely strange.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 25
Day 25 – Thursday – July 15, 2010
Breakfast.
Hanging out at the house today… the girls are playing Polly Pocket and Ryan is trying to find something to do (Logan is away at Tennis camp). Darcy and Fritz and I are talking.
Lunch
Swim time
Merryn has swim practice.
Dinner.
Logan comes home. Everyone is super happy to see each other.
Time for movies. The girls watch one movie (Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs) while the boys watch another (Pink Panther). The grown-ups hang out, looking at my scrapbooks and talking.
And then… another day done… bedtime.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Day 24
Day 24 – Wednesday – July 14, 2010
0640 Time to get up. Shower and get dressed then head over to the office to get some coffee and bring back breakfast for the kids. Not much there to choose from – end up with a blueberry bagel and some bread and butter.
0730 Wake up the kids.
0755 Leaving the hotel. Stop to take a picture of Buddy in front of the Buddy's Ranch House Café. The camera lens is fogging up in the hot humid air.
0808 Arrive at the Diamond Mine. Current temperatures is 76 degrees but I'm not sure what the heat index is. Ryan asks why it is so hot so early in the morning. Welcome to the South!
0920 Leaving the mine. We are hot, sweaty, dirty, and defeated. All we found were some orange and red rocks. Very nice orange and red rocks mind you. But no diamonds.
My question to the kids as we left (now that we have seen a gold mine and a diamond mine)… Would you like to have lived as a prospector during the gold and silver rush times?
Felisa – No!
Bella – Blech!
Ryan – Wouldn't be too happy
1028 Arkadelphia, AR. Gas, $2.58/gallon
1031 Sonic
1048 "Pigs!" says the sign in the corner of the field… We see what appear to be horses but no pigs. Do the pigs look different in Arkansas than they do everywhere else?
1050 Stop at McD's to get some food for Felisa (she doesn't care for Sonic too much) and to use the bathroom (Sonic didn't have one).
12:25 p.m. I'm tired today. I think it takes me about 3 weeks of road tripping to get to this point – tired and more ready to go home, less interested in stopping to see things along the way.
12:32 p.m. They are out mowing along the highway today. There is a lot of trash out here!
12:35 p.m. A lot of trucks on the road today.
12:47 p.m. Louisiana Purchase State Park. Sounds interesting. Maybe on a future visit…
12:48 p.m. Jo fell off the window. It's been a week since that last happened.
1:02 p.m. Trying to count the number of cars versus the number of trucks. This is actually very difficult to do without a sheet of paper to make tick marks or another person to split up the categories. As best as I can tell, there are about 60% semi-trucks and 40% passenger cars. It seems like there are more trucks than that per car but maybe that's just because they are so big and slow.
1:48 p.m. Mississippi River and Tennessee!
2:21 p.m. Arrive at the Ruthlings' house.
The kids are all very happy to be here. They get to play together a little before Merryn goes to her piano lesson. After piano, the kids all hit the pool for a couple hours. Then dinner, cookies for dessert, and TV time. Darcy and I watched the summer season premier of Psych and the kids played Mario 4.
10:00 p.m. Bedtime. I am so tired…
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Day 23
Day 23 - Tuesday - July 13, 2010
0615 Alarm goes off. Hit the snooze.
0625 Alarm goes off. Have to get up even though I don't really want too.
Shower, pack and load. It is misty out this morning.
0700 Wake the kids up so they can get dressed and get over to the house for breakfast and I can finish packing and loading.
0730 Breakfast.
0838 Clearly I am not in a hurry to get going this morning since we were supposed to leave at 8:00. Go outside for pictures and get ready to hit the road.
0850 Oops - I'm lost. Took a wrong turn somewhere (Jo isn't turned on yet) and now I'm headed for the front gate, not the back gate.
0858 I think this is the wrong gate.
0903 And here we are again, at the same gate. So that means it must be the right gate (I asked Jo how to get out of here). Apparently the back gate is closer to the house than I thought.
0904 Deer crossing the road.
I take a few dead tree pictures as I head out. Not sure if any of them will turn out since it is so cloudy and gray this morning.
0933 Fredericksburg. Gas, $2.59/gallon
1000 Walmart to buy an iPod shuffle charger. For whatever reason, the shuffles refuse to charge on my computer. So we bought the cool plug charger that Dad had for his iPhone. Ron called while we were there. He's going to book us a room in Murfreesboro. As we pull out of the parking lot, Ryan has made himself a granola bar taco. (Betty sent the leftover crunchy taco shells with us as a snack so Ryan put a granola bar inside.) That kid eats the weirdest food sometimes.
1019 Buffalo in a field.
1041 Real live cowboys, on horseback, herding cattle.
1054 Stop at Starbucks in Marble Falls. I'll need caffeine to get me across the rest of Texas.
1115 Stop at the park in Burnet. The headphone splitter has gone missing. Luckily I find it fairly quickly. The park here has some ramps for skateboards, etc. Lots of kids using it today.
12:40 p.m. Arrive at Round Rock Donuts in Temple, TX. It is closed (as in out of business). I had a feeling that this wasn't the right place when I had Jo search for it but it was the only Round Rock Donuts listed in her database. Unfortunately I didn't write down the address when I looked it up online so had no idea where it should be. Turns out, this isn't it. Ryan is a little disappointed but I promise him a visit in the future. Luckily for us, Schlotsky's is right next to the open storefront and is open so we go there for lunch.
1:47 p.m. Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, TX. Our favorite parts:
4:30 p.m. Jo took us around Dallas on the I20-I635 bypass. Much nicer than driving through downtown. Why haven't we gone this way before?
5:15 p.m. Rush hour (and construction) in Greenville, TX.
5:19 p.m. Jack in the Box for dinner.
5:33 p.m. Gas, $2.46/gallon
6:04 p.m. Construction has me stuck on the frontage road - hope I make it back to the highway soon!
7:22 p.m. Chicken truck - that's a new one. Usually it's cows and pigs headed to the butcher shop...
7:52 p.m. Nash, TN. Stop at Sonic for a snack. Turns out Sonicburgers are half-price on Tuesday nights. Woo hoo! Across the street is a scrapbook store, Scrapbookers Emporium. Too bad it's closed!
8:00 p.m. Texarkana still has construction on the highway. Will it be done by next year?
8:04 p.m. Arkansas - finally!
8:11 p.m. Kana called to talk to Bella.
8:19 p.m. Red River
8:24 p.m. Back to the tunnel of trees that surround every East coast highway. No more open fields where you can see for miles...
8:27 p.m. Jo says it's sunset. We still have one hour until we get to our hotel. Looks like we won't make it before dark.
8:30 p.m. Hope, AR. Clinton's birthplace.
8:34 p.m. FEMA temporary lodging storage. Acres and acres of white box shelters and RV trailers. Wow.
8:41 p.m. Historic Washington State Park - looks interesting. Put it on the list of future possibilities...
8:47 p.m. Ozan, AR. Population 81. Wow - that's a small town! That would be like all of the rising 5th graders in Ryan's class but no one else. Hmm... that could be a good book...
9:20 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Queen of Diamonds Inn in Murfreesboro, AR.
9:40 p.m. All checked in and at the pool. The pool is very busy tonight (as is the hotel - all the parking spots are full).
The south in the summer is just miserably hot. It is about 80 degrees still and humid. Ick.
9:50 p.m. Killed a mosquito. I wonder how many have already bit me that I missed.
9:54 p.m. It is finally quiet at the pool - no one left but us.
9:58 p.m. Time's up!
Back to the room for showers and Disney channel while falling asleep.
0615 Alarm goes off. Hit the snooze.
0625 Alarm goes off. Have to get up even though I don't really want too.
Shower, pack and load. It is misty out this morning.
0700 Wake the kids up so they can get dressed and get over to the house for breakfast and I can finish packing and loading.
0730 Breakfast.
0838 Clearly I am not in a hurry to get going this morning since we were supposed to leave at 8:00. Go outside for pictures and get ready to hit the road.
0850 Oops - I'm lost. Took a wrong turn somewhere (Jo isn't turned on yet) and now I'm headed for the front gate, not the back gate.
0858 I think this is the wrong gate.
0903 And here we are again, at the same gate. So that means it must be the right gate (I asked Jo how to get out of here). Apparently the back gate is closer to the house than I thought.
0904 Deer crossing the road.
I take a few dead tree pictures as I head out. Not sure if any of them will turn out since it is so cloudy and gray this morning.
0933 Fredericksburg. Gas, $2.59/gallon
1000 Walmart to buy an iPod shuffle charger. For whatever reason, the shuffles refuse to charge on my computer. So we bought the cool plug charger that Dad had for his iPhone. Ron called while we were there. He's going to book us a room in Murfreesboro. As we pull out of the parking lot, Ryan has made himself a granola bar taco. (Betty sent the leftover crunchy taco shells with us as a snack so Ryan put a granola bar inside.) That kid eats the weirdest food sometimes.
1019 Buffalo in a field.
1041 Real live cowboys, on horseback, herding cattle.
1054 Stop at Starbucks in Marble Falls. I'll need caffeine to get me across the rest of Texas.
1115 Stop at the park in Burnet. The headphone splitter has gone missing. Luckily I find it fairly quickly. The park here has some ramps for skateboards, etc. Lots of kids using it today.
12:40 p.m. Arrive at Round Rock Donuts in Temple, TX. It is closed (as in out of business). I had a feeling that this wasn't the right place when I had Jo search for it but it was the only Round Rock Donuts listed in her database. Unfortunately I didn't write down the address when I looked it up online so had no idea where it should be. Turns out, this isn't it. Ryan is a little disappointed but I promise him a visit in the future. Luckily for us, Schlotsky's is right next to the open storefront and is open so we go there for lunch.
1:47 p.m. Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, TX. Our favorite parts:
Felisa - helping Bella find the scavenger hunt clues
Bella - dressing up in costume
Ryan - everything in the first gallery
Sheila - trying out the 5 pound revolver - it was heavy!
4:30 p.m. Jo took us around Dallas on the I20-I635 bypass. Much nicer than driving through downtown. Why haven't we gone this way before?
5:15 p.m. Rush hour (and construction) in Greenville, TX.
5:19 p.m. Jack in the Box for dinner.
5:33 p.m. Gas, $2.46/gallon
6:04 p.m. Construction has me stuck on the frontage road - hope I make it back to the highway soon!
7:22 p.m. Chicken truck - that's a new one. Usually it's cows and pigs headed to the butcher shop...
7:52 p.m. Nash, TN. Stop at Sonic for a snack. Turns out Sonicburgers are half-price on Tuesday nights. Woo hoo! Across the street is a scrapbook store, Scrapbookers Emporium. Too bad it's closed!
8:00 p.m. Texarkana still has construction on the highway. Will it be done by next year?
8:04 p.m. Arkansas - finally!
8:11 p.m. Kana called to talk to Bella.
8:19 p.m. Red River
8:24 p.m. Back to the tunnel of trees that surround every East coast highway. No more open fields where you can see for miles...
8:27 p.m. Jo says it's sunset. We still have one hour until we get to our hotel. Looks like we won't make it before dark.
8:30 p.m. Hope, AR. Clinton's birthplace.
8:34 p.m. FEMA temporary lodging storage. Acres and acres of white box shelters and RV trailers. Wow.
8:41 p.m. Historic Washington State Park - looks interesting. Put it on the list of future possibilities...
8:47 p.m. Ozan, AR. Population 81. Wow - that's a small town! That would be like all of the rising 5th graders in Ryan's class but no one else. Hmm... that could be a good book...
9:20 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Queen of Diamonds Inn in Murfreesboro, AR.
9:40 p.m. All checked in and at the pool. The pool is very busy tonight (as is the hotel - all the parking spots are full).
The south in the summer is just miserably hot. It is about 80 degrees still and humid. Ick.
9:50 p.m. Killed a mosquito. I wonder how many have already bit me that I missed.
9:54 p.m. It is finally quiet at the pool - no one left but us.
9:58 p.m. Time's up!
Back to the room for showers and Disney channel while falling asleep.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 22
Day 22 – Monday – July 12, 2010
0815 Wake up. Looks like we slept in again today!
Breakfast this morning was Monkey Bread. When we came to the table, Bella said, “I knew it smelled like Christmas!”
After breakfast we drove to Fredericksburg to see the Museum of the Pacific War. We went through the WWII Pacific Island exhibit only. Our favorite parts:
Ryan – the re-enactment area Camp Tarawa
Bella – the PT Boat
Felisa – the hospital in the Quonset hut
Sheila – how authentic it smelled (the airplane display smelled just like a flight deck and the PT boat smelled just like a Navy ship)
After the museum we stopped at HEB to pick up a few groceries. Unfortunately we were having bad checkout-line luck today. We finally made it through in our 3rd line. This stop definitely took longer than we anticipated.
Once back at the ranch, it was lunchtime. After lunch we finally finished our game of Phase 10. Who won? Me! I won! I won! I won! Yippee! Yahoo!
After our card game we took the kids to the pool so they could swim for a bit before dinner.
After swimming, back to the house for dinner with Grandpa and Evelyn.
After dinner, I took the kids out to feed the animals. Mostly sheep tonight with a few deer. The cows down the street weren’t interested at all in our “salad bar” and deer pellets.
Finally, some time spent online trying to figure out our plan for tomorrow. We’re headed for Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas as a stopover on the way to Memphis.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Day 21
Day 21 – Sunday – July 11, 2010
0720 Wake up. Decide it is too early to get up and go back to sleep.
0800 Wake up again. Time to get up. Get the kids up and dressed to head to the house.
The kids made batter blaster pancakes for breakfast (it’s pancake batter that comes in a can like whipped cream).
After we were cleaned up from breakfast, the kids made the birthday cake (with Betty’s help and supervision of course!). While it was baking, we played Phase 10. We had to take a break from the game to have lunch. After lunch, rest time then cake decorating. We all ate the “test cake” as a snack then played more of our Phase 10 game and watched Mythbusters. The game still wasn’t over but we had to make dinner. Felisa was the assistant chef for Taco Night. After dinner, we ate the birthday cake and opened presents – Tierra Linda t-shirts for the kids and our own copy of Phase 10 to take home with us. And then… a few more hands of Phase 10. Maybe tomorrow we’ll actually finish the game!
Mythbusters before bed in the barn.
Bedtime!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 20
Day 20 – Saturday – July 10, 2010
0700 Alarm goes off. Take a shower and get dressed then unload the sneakers and long pants from the car.
0800 Breakfast. Eggs, bacon and biscuits. Yum!
0830 Change into long pants and sneakers then Ryan, Betty Lou and I head to the stables for our trail ride. I rode Freddy, Ryan rode Baron, and Betty rode Rusty. I really like Freddy. He seemed to have a bit more pep in his step than the typical trail horse.
Lunch with Grandpa and Evelyn.
1:58 p.m. Leave for the airport to drop Ron off. His vacation is over…
2:26 p.m. Stop at Schlotskys for Ron to get a sandwich for later.
2:35 p.m. Sonic for one last yummy cherry limeade.
2:44 p.m. Gas, $2.62/gallon.
3:45 p.m. San Antonio Airport.
5:06 p.m. Back in Kerrville, we meet at Culvers for dinner. The ice cream flavor of the day was cookies and cream – yum, yum, yum! My favorite!
After dinner we went to Hastings to get some used DVDs for the kids and a book for me. The book selection was larger than the NM store but the DVD selection was worse. The DVD prices were better though so we found a couple to buy.
When we got back to the ranch, Betty and the kids played Clue. Then Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was on tv so we watched that until bedtime. The kids had a snack before bed and while Ryan was eating, he lost another tooth!
10:00 p.m. Bedtime!
Friday, July 09, 2010
Day 19
Day 19 – Friday – July 9, 2010
0430 It’s raining and still very windy.
0700 Wake up. Get dressed, get the kids up, tear down our wet camp. Felisa reports that Ryan lost a tooth while brushing his teeth this morning. Current temperature, 60 degrees.
0805 Loaded up and leaving the campsite. As we are driving out of the park, we see several deer along the road, having breakfast. We were talking about the weather last night and Felisa said, “Every time the wind blew, the tent whacked me in the face.”
Our favorite parts of Big Bend:
Bella – the Texas Ranger program
Felisa – camping
Ryan – the Texas Ranger program
Ron – seeing Mexico
Sheila – the ocotillo trees and the scenery
0853 Leaving Big Bend National Park
0907 See a roadrunner (finally!)
0920 There are lots of big birds perched on the fence posts this morning. Vultures, hawks…
0923 Border Patrol checkpoint. There wasn’t much traffic this morning so the agents asked a few questions. They also had a dog checking the car.
0930 Marathon, TX. Gas, $3.34/gallon. For breakfast we have gas station coffee and hostess mini donuts. We have driven about 300 miles since we left Alpine yesterday. Probably 200 miles just inside the park. Big Bend is a big place, just like the rest of Texas!
0951 No cell phone signal yet and the only radio station is broadcasting a call-in yard sale/classified ads. Has anyone seen that guy’s 3 dogs?
1010 Construction zone has us stopped.
1012 Cell phone service is back.
1014 We are following the pilot car through the construction zone. The signs say Pavement Ends and Rough Road. Those are not good signs!
1036 Stop for brunch at IHOP in Fort Stockton.
1138 After a very slow breakfast, we are back on the road.
1141 Gas, $2.98/gallon
1:22 p.m. Ozona, TX We are looking for the Crockett Memorial but can’t find it so go to the Crockett County Museum instead. Afterwards we go across the street to the park where the memorial is located. This town needs some better signs!
Favorite parts of the museum:
Felisa – the saddle room
Bella – the schoolroom
Ryan – the Alamo scene
Ron – the bank room
Sheila – the pencil collection
2:20 p.m. Make a couple phone calls to check in back home.
4:03 p.m. We are off the highway and headed for the ranch. Ryan tells Felisa to wake up and start looking out the window. He says, “Look for body parts. We might find it early this year!”
4:15 p.m. It appears to be naptime for the cows. There are a whole bunch of them lying down in someone’s front yard.
4:18 p.m. We have arrived!
Shortly after arriving, the latest band of rain hit. Pizza for dinner. The special drink of the year this year is margaritas. Yummy chocolate chip cookies for dessert. James and Betty Lou looked through my scrapbooks from last year’s trip and our Disney trip. The internet is not cooperating so not sure how much I’ll be online while we are here this year.
Bedtime!
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