Thursday, July 29, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...GRRRRRRR!!!
So here we are in Flower Mound. We made great time today and got here by 2:00...so excited to be with cousins! We had planned a few days of visit BUT I have to officially blog a complaint about Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Last week Dan reserved a car...not online mind you, he actually called and made a reservation...and received an email confirmation. The price for a one way rental was obviously more than a local rental but still reasonable so he opted to rent a car and take Tyler with him rather than fly. We show up at the rental place at 5:00 p.m. today and the price they want to charge us 3 times the quoted price. Even with the confirmation they were not budging. Their explaination? That employee was not authorized to make that transaction, it is incorrect, you can try somewhere else is you are not satisfied. REALLY? It's 5:00 p.m. and Dan needs to be in Houston before the end of business hours the next day...what are our options? Airline tickets are too expensive the day before, no other rental place is a good option at this hour...basically we are just having a quick visit with the Egan's tonight and it's back in the car tomorrow morning. Grrrrrr! We were hoping to have some time to unwind and relax but maybe we'll get that another time...maybe next spring? I guess the good news is that I don't have to drive home alone...I really don't love to drive so that's the bright side. Anyway, I'm going to log off since I only have one night here but I just wanted to let you know that the vacation ends tomorrow! We are still not moving in until Saturday but will be back in Friendswood tomorrow (thanks to Dave W. for opening his home tomorrow night). I'm not sure when we will have online access at our house so this is it for a while...Happy Summer, don't rent from Enterprise.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...back in Texas!
Howdy Friends! We're not home yet...but we're getting closer. Today we crossed the border and are back in Texas...staying in Amarillo tonight so we're still not exactly 'home'...but I must say it's good to be back in the Lonestar State. The 15 albums of photos I've posted can attest to the fact that we have, in fact, enjoyed the rest of the nation but it does feel good to be back in our home state. Nothing exciting to report today...just driving. I have been very, very tired the last few days...that coupled with the fact that I can NOT pass up an ice machine made me realize I haven't been taking my prenatals...maybe some iron would be a good idea...I'm not much help to Dan in the car lately! Other than that everyone seems to be doing well. Today was a nice day of reading books, finding shapes in the clouds, watching some movies, and just hanging out. We are SUPER excited to be at the Egan's house tomorrow...tonight is our last hotel night :-) Wahoooooo! Happy summer everyone!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Ol' B.Y.
Good times since I last posted. Our Utah portion went very quickly...we sure packed in the fun! I think last time I posted there was an illness issue...no worries, Kyle bounced right back (go with the shot) and so far nobody else has shown signs of strep (or any other illness). Whew. We finished a great week on the lake. We had wave runners again on Friday and everyone just had a great time...the boat had some issues so that part of the adventure ended early but we still had a very full, very fun week of sun and sand! We ate enormous amounts the entire time we were there and still managed to send home enough food to feed an army...amazing! Some of the group headed out Friday evening and more left Saturday. Saturday night it was just Jeff's family, our family, and Kim (along with a couple of stray cousins). We enjoyed some time at the dinosaur museum and a night of cards. Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Brigham City for a few hours with Dan's parents. We really wish they could have spent more time with us on the lake but we cherished the few hours we had alone with them this trip. After even MORE food in Brigham we decided to sleep in Lehi at Kim's house with Jeff's family since we needed to be south anyway. It was a great time...thanks Hoppie's!
Monday morning brought the much anticipated BYU portion of our vacation. Basically there are two kinds of people in this world; those who love the Y, and those who are not invited to our house ;-) Seriously, good times. BYU is where Dan and I met--we lived there all the way up through the first 4 1/2 years of marriage. That place is steeped in memories for us and it is always a treat to go back. The kids were great and we all had a fun time. The morning was spent on campus...breakfast at the 'Cougareat', a trip to the bookstore for some new shirts and souvenirs, and then meeting friends for a tour of Legacy Hall. Obviously we had lunch at the Brick Oven (tummy pizza) and then off to the hotel. We relaxed for a bit and then it was off again. A trip to Provo is not complete without a drive up the canyon, so drive we did. Bridle Veil falls, and some of our favorite parks were included. It was trying to rain so we didn't spend a ton of time but it was a pleasant afternoon. I convinced the kids to take off their socks and shoes and walk a bit in the water...hehehe! They have never exactly experienced the 'refreshing' cool of mountain spring water...it really feels nice...if you are trying to ice down your ankle. It really did start to rain so it was back to campus for some more walking down memory lane, dinner at Creamery on 9th, bowling at the WILK (Monday night is dollar night...score one for us!), and back to the creamery for the best ice cream ever (I know, Blue Bell fans, it's a tough call. I think we need to go head to head on this one, and I need to be a judge!)
Since we can't move into our new place until Saturday we decided to break up the drive home into 3 days instead of 2 and that allowed us enough time for a bit more of The Ol' B.Y. before leaving town. Dan took Tyler and Kyle to hike the 'Y'. We always plan to do it and it never works out...the last 3 times we've been in Utah something has foiled our plans and we have never taken any children up the mountain. This time we prevailed! We opted to keep Aaron and myself behind for this trip...and Katherine decided last minute that she did not want to go (when she got to the trail head and looked up it was over). Next time we're going to take everyone! Side note here...we were almost unable to hike again today. When we got into the car this morning the battery was indeed dead. Grrrrr. I guess if you are going to have car trouble that's a pretty good option...very easy fix, but still frustrating. We were already running late and then we had to take time out to jump the car. Thankfully the hotel is across the street from a Jiffy Lube and they loaned Dan one of those jumper cable boxes that doesn't require another car to jump start your battery. Whew, thanks guys! Dodged another bullet. After saying goodbye to Provo once more we headed out on the road and here we are in Farmington, New Mexico.
It was a slow drive but basically pleasant. The kiddos enjoyed driving through Moab/Arches the most...it really is impressive. One of these times we are going to have to take time to add southern Utah onto the itinerary as well, lots of good camping to be had down there. Anyway, we hit some rain but saw some amazing rainbows...the pics didn't turn out but they were great. We experienced the joy of driving through the Indian reservations...and are thankful that our car functioned properly the whole way...and here we are at the Towne and Place Suites in Farmington. We all enjoyed a quick swim and, again, love the really comfy beds and are hoping to sleep in a bit. Tomorrow we drive to Amarillo and Thursday we get to the Egan's in Flower Mound (yippeee). I know I keep saying this but I can not believe it is over already. In some ways it feels like we've been gone forever and in others it's like we just left. Definitely the trip of a lifetime! I hope all is well with everyone, happy summer!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Update
Just in case you were interested Kyle got progressively worse yesterday until I decided I was done watching him get sicker and sicker and we went to the urgent care. A little penicillin shot in the hiney and within a few hours he was feeling a lot better. He had a rough night sleep for the first half of the night but eventually he settled down and woke up this morning ready for a day on the boat. He's such a trooper. We are all hopeful that strep will not make it's way through the entire extended family...and I'm really hoping the rest of us in our little family do not need hiney shots in order to make it home...not the highlight of the vacation. And while we're getting out all the 'sick on vacation' stories Aaron actually threw up again last night. After I finally got Kyle settled I heard that tell tale sound and knew Aaron needed to get out of his crib NOW. He threw up twice, fell back asleep, and woke up this morning happy, hungry, and ready to play. He has been fine all day and never had a fever so I guess he just ate too many meatballs for dinner or something (side note...why do they always throw up when they eat something red or blue...ugh). Anyway, long story short yesterday and last night were not good...today was great. I'm exhausted. I'm praying for more than 4 hours sleep tonight...wish me luck.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...sick on vacation
No, I am not sick, but my Kyle is. There are few things worse than being sick on vacation...hopefully this will pass soon. He was fine yesterday morning and by the time we got off the boat he was complaining of a headache...which turned into a terrible headache with a fever by the time we got to the condo which turned into a terrible headache with a fever and a sore throat by this morning. We're hoping it's just a little one day thing and he'll be better tomorrow...lots of gatorade and popsicles today...wish us luck.
Let me back track a bit and fill you in on the week. Basically we're having a great time (other than the above paragraph). Sunday after we went to church with Grandma and Grandpa we loaded up the vehicles and headed to the condos at Wolf Creek...near Ogden if you are familiar with Utah...to spend a week on the lake. Dan has 3 sisters and 2 brothers and it is a very rare thing to have all 6 of them together so this is a pretty big deal, our kids don't get to see these cousins much and are really enjoying getting to know them. Dan's sister Pam brought her boat and his sister Kelly rented some wave runners so we are enjoying lots of 'water toy' time (thanks to Kim for the condos, Pam for the boat, and Kel for the 'water motorcycles'...we just brought people...) There was a little trouble with the wave runners on Monday but we still managed to get some good rides in. It's fun to see which kids have a little dare devil in them and which kids take the slow rides. Honestly, I love wave runners and like a bit more of a crazy ride...but in my present condition they only let me take the timid children, darn it! I have actually spent most of every day on the beach...the boat really takes it's toll on me and I can't really do any of the fun stuff so I build sand castles and visit...but it's still fun. I have been doing every other day just to play it safe so it's really fine that Kyle is sick today...I was going to lay low and rest today either way.
Dan has the camera so the pics will have to come later (I figured he would have more photo ops at the lake then I will have here...unless you want to see photos of Kyle and me on the couch drinking gatorade and watching Phineas and Ferb...) We have about 40 people here give or take...some of them have just been here part of the time...so it has been an action packed week. Monday was a big lake day with tons of food and games in the evening. Tuesday was a bit shorter at the lake but in the evening Wayne and Judy (Dan's parents) came down and we ended up playing a kids vs. adults baseball game. I actually got to see my mother-in-law play baseball. Awesome. I wish I had a photo of the faces of her grandsons when she was up to bat...priceless. She's a good sport and we had fun...it was a close game and those kids had no sympathy for the old or pregnant people...they were out to win! I was not at the lake Tuesday but I guess Uncle Andy took some of the boys fishing and Tyler caught an enormous fish (there is a photo on someone's camera...I'll get it) they also went out after dinner to fish some more, I've actually never been fishing but they are having a blast with it! Wednesday brought another fun day on the lake but we had to cut it a bit short due to some pesky lightning in the area. I felt a bit bad for Dan and Tyler. Dan had a paper for school that he needed to finish so he stayed home in the morning, Tyler was pretty pooped so he stayed with Dan. They didn't get there until lunch time and then we had to pack it in early...Tyler only got one ride on the boat (with 40 people you kind of have to take turns) but I think he'll live. He has been playing hard all week, he went from never wake boarding in his life to getting up and riding every turn. Katherine, Kyle, and Aaron just go tubing but everyone is loving it. Anyway, after we got back from the boat some of the crowd went bowling...Dan and I stayed with our sick Kyle but Tyler reported tons of fun bowling with cousins. After dinner brought a swim in the pool and then more games and hanging out. Hopefully today is a great day on the lake and a good rest day for Kyle...tomorrow is the last day of boating and I would be so sad if he missed it.
I hope everyone is well and am both sad and excited to report that we are now down to a more 'normal' vacation time frame. Dan (and maybe Tyler) will be back in Friendswood one week from today! (I will come down a couple of days later once the storage unit is unloaded). It will be sad to leave all the fun...but I could go for a dresser instead of a suitcase (and my own bed would be pretty nice). Okey dokey. I'm off to fetch some gatorade and tylenol for my favorite 6 year old. Those of you in the Houston area needed to focus on getting some good weather down there for our welcome home gift ;-) Happy summer!!!
Let me back track a bit and fill you in on the week. Basically we're having a great time (other than the above paragraph). Sunday after we went to church with Grandma and Grandpa we loaded up the vehicles and headed to the condos at Wolf Creek...near Ogden if you are familiar with Utah...to spend a week on the lake. Dan has 3 sisters and 2 brothers and it is a very rare thing to have all 6 of them together so this is a pretty big deal, our kids don't get to see these cousins much and are really enjoying getting to know them. Dan's sister Pam brought her boat and his sister Kelly rented some wave runners so we are enjoying lots of 'water toy' time (thanks to Kim for the condos, Pam for the boat, and Kel for the 'water motorcycles'...we just brought people...) There was a little trouble with the wave runners on Monday but we still managed to get some good rides in. It's fun to see which kids have a little dare devil in them and which kids take the slow rides. Honestly, I love wave runners and like a bit more of a crazy ride...but in my present condition they only let me take the timid children, darn it! I have actually spent most of every day on the beach...the boat really takes it's toll on me and I can't really do any of the fun stuff so I build sand castles and visit...but it's still fun. I have been doing every other day just to play it safe so it's really fine that Kyle is sick today...I was going to lay low and rest today either way.
Dan has the camera so the pics will have to come later (I figured he would have more photo ops at the lake then I will have here...unless you want to see photos of Kyle and me on the couch drinking gatorade and watching Phineas and Ferb...) We have about 40 people here give or take...some of them have just been here part of the time...so it has been an action packed week. Monday was a big lake day with tons of food and games in the evening. Tuesday was a bit shorter at the lake but in the evening Wayne and Judy (Dan's parents) came down and we ended up playing a kids vs. adults baseball game. I actually got to see my mother-in-law play baseball. Awesome. I wish I had a photo of the faces of her grandsons when she was up to bat...priceless. She's a good sport and we had fun...it was a close game and those kids had no sympathy for the old or pregnant people...they were out to win! I was not at the lake Tuesday but I guess Uncle Andy took some of the boys fishing and Tyler caught an enormous fish (there is a photo on someone's camera...I'll get it) they also went out after dinner to fish some more, I've actually never been fishing but they are having a blast with it! Wednesday brought another fun day on the lake but we had to cut it a bit short due to some pesky lightning in the area. I felt a bit bad for Dan and Tyler. Dan had a paper for school that he needed to finish so he stayed home in the morning, Tyler was pretty pooped so he stayed with Dan. They didn't get there until lunch time and then we had to pack it in early...Tyler only got one ride on the boat (with 40 people you kind of have to take turns) but I think he'll live. He has been playing hard all week, he went from never wake boarding in his life to getting up and riding every turn. Katherine, Kyle, and Aaron just go tubing but everyone is loving it. Anyway, after we got back from the boat some of the crowd went bowling...Dan and I stayed with our sick Kyle but Tyler reported tons of fun bowling with cousins. After dinner brought a swim in the pool and then more games and hanging out. Hopefully today is a great day on the lake and a good rest day for Kyle...tomorrow is the last day of boating and I would be so sad if he missed it.
I hope everyone is well and am both sad and excited to report that we are now down to a more 'normal' vacation time frame. Dan (and maybe Tyler) will be back in Friendswood one week from today! (I will come down a couple of days later once the storage unit is unloaded). It will be sad to leave all the fun...but I could go for a dresser instead of a suitcase (and my own bed would be pretty nice). Okey dokey. I'm off to fetch some gatorade and tylenol for my favorite 6 year old. Those of you in the Houston area needed to focus on getting some good weather down there for our welcome home gift ;-) Happy summer!!!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...this week.
Okey dokey, so photos will have to wait a day or two. I'm not able to upload from my in-law's computer and can't seem to find a wifi connection in the area...but I'll get it taken care of soon. While we wait on those here's the long version of our trip this past week...
Let's see, when we last left off we were enjoying the comforts of the Findlay Ohio Marriott. Good stuff. We got up and moving Monday morning and drove to Springfield Illinois where my mother-in-law grew up. I had never been there and it had been a couple of decades for Dan but we had a blast! We stayed with his Aunt Nancy and loved every minute of it. It was really freaky to meet his Aunt Nan...I truly believe someone cloned my mother-in-law. They look alike, sound alike, have the same speech patterns, word choices, and mannerisms. The children were a bit confused as well! She rolled out the red carpet for us and we had a great family dinner where we met many of Dan's relatives. We saw Aunt Nan, Aunt Sallie, Aunt Susie, Aunt Vickie, cousins Tom, Mike, Karen (with husband Ed and son Mitch), and Greg (with wife Chris and daughter Fran). Aren't you impressed that I remembered all those names. It won't last! We did have a great time though. The kids loved the big backyard and all the animals that come up for snacks...Aaron is still talking about feeding the bunnies.
We had planned to get up and moving Tuesday morning so we could make it to Nauvoo, IL by lunch time...but the nail in our tire took us on a different path. Dan dropped the kids and me off at the Abraham Lincoln museum and found a service station to take care of the tire. We hadn't really planned to do much of the Lincoln stuff while we were there but I'm glad we did. Great museum...if you have a chance to see it you really should go...very family friendly. Not so much fun for poor Dan but we are just so thankful that the flat tire occurred in Springfield where we had something to do and a service station nearby rather than in the middle of Wyoming!
Okay, after we fixed the flat we hurried on over to Nauvoo and had a nice afternoon/evening there looking around the city. We went to the Carthage jail and then enjoyed the old time country fair at dinner time. Kyle played stick ball the whole time, Tyler loved the stick pull, Katherine had fun with crafts, and Aaron just loved it all! After the fair we stayed for the pageant. Very different from Palmyra but a great experience. We're glad we did it.
The next morning we let the kids take some time for a morning swim...they were thrilled that this hotel had an indoor pool rather than an outdoor one. Simple pleasures ;-) We got a bit of a late start because of the swim but everyone was happy and ready for a L.O.N.G. drive. We drove all the way through Iowa and a good chunk of Nebraska. More corn than you could imagine. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn. It was actually not a bad drive and we had a fun day in the car...nothing really newsworthy just some good visiting and playing games. We were very happy to get to the hotel and stretch our legs. The hotel was actually the highlight of the day for Kyle. We had to get two rooms because they didn't have suites at this one. One of the rooms happened to be wheelchair accessible. We had showered the kids in the morning after they swam so I didn't think they would want another one but oh, no...Kyle was loving the idea of a shower with a seat in it! He could not get over the bathroom...I think he would have slept in there if we let him. He also really enjoyed the peephole that was on his level. I'm pretty sure he left there wishing he could be in a wheelchair just for the cool hotel rooms.
Thursday brought more Nebraska and the entire state of Wyoming. Really glad we didn't have car trouble in Wyoming...we went hours without seeing people. Really, really, really long drive day. Not as much fun in the car...multiple movies! The highlight of the drive was stopping at Little America at the border and getting 50 cent ice cream cones, so glad we're done with that state! We got to Wayne and Judy's house at dinner time and were able to have a nice meal and visit with Gram and Grampa before bed. The kids all love Grandpa's motorized scooter and just can't get enough of it. I will definitely post some photos of that...Kyle just zooms on up the street like a pro. Good times. What is it with the kid and wheelchairs? Yesterday we mostly just hung out and enjoyed not driving anywhere. Dan spent a lot of the day working on homework so he can finish this class before we hit the lake next week. I did laundry and got our suitcases organized again. The kids ran around not touching each other :-) and we just had a relaxing day. Today brings some cousins and the pool...good prep for a week on the lake, right?
That pretty much sums up our week...we can't believe we're down to just the last two weeks of our adventure! I hope all is well...we'll load some pics soon. Have a great day!
Let's see, when we last left off we were enjoying the comforts of the Findlay Ohio Marriott. Good stuff. We got up and moving Monday morning and drove to Springfield Illinois where my mother-in-law grew up. I had never been there and it had been a couple of decades for Dan but we had a blast! We stayed with his Aunt Nancy and loved every minute of it. It was really freaky to meet his Aunt Nan...I truly believe someone cloned my mother-in-law. They look alike, sound alike, have the same speech patterns, word choices, and mannerisms. The children were a bit confused as well! She rolled out the red carpet for us and we had a great family dinner where we met many of Dan's relatives. We saw Aunt Nan, Aunt Sallie, Aunt Susie, Aunt Vickie, cousins Tom, Mike, Karen (with husband Ed and son Mitch), and Greg (with wife Chris and daughter Fran). Aren't you impressed that I remembered all those names. It won't last! We did have a great time though. The kids loved the big backyard and all the animals that come up for snacks...Aaron is still talking about feeding the bunnies.
We had planned to get up and moving Tuesday morning so we could make it to Nauvoo, IL by lunch time...but the nail in our tire took us on a different path. Dan dropped the kids and me off at the Abraham Lincoln museum and found a service station to take care of the tire. We hadn't really planned to do much of the Lincoln stuff while we were there but I'm glad we did. Great museum...if you have a chance to see it you really should go...very family friendly. Not so much fun for poor Dan but we are just so thankful that the flat tire occurred in Springfield where we had something to do and a service station nearby rather than in the middle of Wyoming!
Okay, after we fixed the flat we hurried on over to Nauvoo and had a nice afternoon/evening there looking around the city. We went to the Carthage jail and then enjoyed the old time country fair at dinner time. Kyle played stick ball the whole time, Tyler loved the stick pull, Katherine had fun with crafts, and Aaron just loved it all! After the fair we stayed for the pageant. Very different from Palmyra but a great experience. We're glad we did it.
The next morning we let the kids take some time for a morning swim...they were thrilled that this hotel had an indoor pool rather than an outdoor one. Simple pleasures ;-) We got a bit of a late start because of the swim but everyone was happy and ready for a L.O.N.G. drive. We drove all the way through Iowa and a good chunk of Nebraska. More corn than you could imagine. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn. It was actually not a bad drive and we had a fun day in the car...nothing really newsworthy just some good visiting and playing games. We were very happy to get to the hotel and stretch our legs. The hotel was actually the highlight of the day for Kyle. We had to get two rooms because they didn't have suites at this one. One of the rooms happened to be wheelchair accessible. We had showered the kids in the morning after they swam so I didn't think they would want another one but oh, no...Kyle was loving the idea of a shower with a seat in it! He could not get over the bathroom...I think he would have slept in there if we let him. He also really enjoyed the peephole that was on his level. I'm pretty sure he left there wishing he could be in a wheelchair just for the cool hotel rooms.
Thursday brought more Nebraska and the entire state of Wyoming. Really glad we didn't have car trouble in Wyoming...we went hours without seeing people. Really, really, really long drive day. Not as much fun in the car...multiple movies! The highlight of the drive was stopping at Little America at the border and getting 50 cent ice cream cones, so glad we're done with that state! We got to Wayne and Judy's house at dinner time and were able to have a nice meal and visit with Gram and Grampa before bed. The kids all love Grandpa's motorized scooter and just can't get enough of it. I will definitely post some photos of that...Kyle just zooms on up the street like a pro. Good times. What is it with the kid and wheelchairs? Yesterday we mostly just hung out and enjoyed not driving anywhere. Dan spent a lot of the day working on homework so he can finish this class before we hit the lake next week. I did laundry and got our suitcases organized again. The kids ran around not touching each other :-) and we just had a relaxing day. Today brings some cousins and the pool...good prep for a week on the lake, right?
That pretty much sums up our week...we can't believe we're down to just the last two weeks of our adventure! I hope all is well...we'll load some pics soon. Have a great day!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...finally here!
I only have a few minutes so I will give the long version later but I just wanted to say that we are here! We got to Brigham City Utah last night for the Hoppie leg of the journey. I'm just so glad to be out of the car...Wednesday and Thursday we just drove...approximately 1300 miles in those 2 days (1000 of it on I-80 W). I'm done with looking at Wyoming, does anyone actually know why the US has Wyoming? It does not appear populated. I could not figure out it's purpose, unless we are trying to hoard all the sagebrush in the world. Anyway, we are here at the in-law's house and are enjoying some down time before we see all of the aunts/uncles/cousins. I have to regroup (pay some bills, do some laundry, etc.) so I have to get going...I'll find a few minutes later on to play and load the pictures of this week. For as many miles as we drove from the time we left one set of Grandparents to the time we got to the other set I think things went pretty well. Have a great day! HAPPY SUMMER!!!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...niagara falls and kirtland.
Well, the good times continue! We got movin' this morning and left Palmyra headed out west. Our final destination today...Findlay Ohio. We're still not sure what's in Findlay other than a clean hotel room but we're happy enough for that. Since Palmyra is only an hour and a half away from Niagara Falls we decided to stop off and enjoy the sights. We had to stay on the US side since nobody had a passport and we didn't want to get stuck in Canada...but it was still fabulous! We knew we had a long drive ahead of us so we didn't spend a ton of time there but we took a quick ride on "The Maid of the Mist" and got a nice taste of the falls. Everyone loved it--Aaron was super excited to see the water and they were all thrilled to see rainbows and get wet on the boat. Good times, it was a quick visit and then we were on our way again! Our planned path took us right past Kirtland Ohio so we decided stopped off for a rest stop and took a quick walk around the temple. We didn't see any of the city because we needed to get going on the road but it was still nice to say we've been there...maybe we'll come back another year when we can see more. Today was the first day that the kids really didn't travel well. Nothing major just some of the stuff that we have (miraculously) avoided thus far. We had some "they're touching me" and "are we there yet" moments. Since we're more than halfway into our trip and today was the first cranky travel day we've had we are doing really well. And they weren't that bad, you could just tell that everyone was tired. We're all ready to snuggle up in these comfy beds and enjoy the beauty of hotel black out curtains (I really need some of these for my house!) Okey dokey. I'm pretty tired, no real exciting stories from today...sleep well everyone!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Hill Cumorah
Just a quick post to let you know the adventures of last night. It was AWESOME. We did, in fact, go to the Hill Cumorah Pageant in the rain. We figured we would rather deal with a few sprinkles on Friday than huge crowds on Saturday. We have very few pics because I didn't want to ruin our camera but it was really amazing.
For those readers who are not familiar with our faith the Hill Cumorah Pageant is a depiction of some of the scenes from The Book of Mormon, a companion scripture to the Bible. which tells of Jesus Christ's ministry to the people in the ancient Americas. It was a very moving and powerful experience. I'm so glad we came. I had seen it when I was younger but this was the first time for Dan and the kids, great times.
I do have to mention that the kids were super despite the rain...we were such a circus...we had a few umbrellas but no raincoats. Dan just stopped in for some hefty bags...that's right, we're so white trash we bring our own bags. Aaron put one on for a minute then started to cry and said "Mommy, I don't want to be a trash can!" He opted to just get wet. We're off for some sight seeing, great times. Miss everyone, have a great day!
p.s. Yes, in one photo you see Aaron's splint on his finger...I accidentally shut it in a door and I'm pretty sure I broke it. Mother of the year. At least I packed a good first aid kit.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...on the road again!
Well, we are still having a great time! Yesterday we made the drive from Dumfries VA to Rochester NY. We are spending the weekend seeing the sites of Palmyra NY...it has great significance to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we are loving it so far.
Let's see...yesterday's drive was pleasant. For the record the old lady needed a potty break before the pregnant lady did;-) It actually worked out well since we were right by Gettysburg. Not on the planned itinerary but still very cool. We didn't do much there since we wanted to get back on the road but we took a few pics with Abe and were on our way. Our path also tooks us straight through Williamsport PA...not ringing any bells with you? Well, it's the home of little league baseball and where the little league world series is held every year in August. We had lunch in Williamsport and then decided to tour the little league museum and take a peek at the field. Tyler (and Dan) were in heaven. Tyler informed us that we will be coming back in 2 years to watch him play...so put it on your calendar.
Thus far today is looking good as well. We enjoyed the ample breakfast provided by the Marriott Residence Inn, never a disappointment, yum. Then it was off to Palmyra and the Joseph Smith Farm. We had a nice time touring the farm and the Sacred Grove on the property. We just got a quick picture of the temple...we were too hungry to stay and walk those grounds, we'll go back later. Tonight the Hill Cumorah Pageant is on the schedule but we've had a few thunderstorms this afternoon (thankfully AFTER we left the farm). Dad is, of course, watching the weather channel trying to decide if going to the pageant is still a good idea. I'm hopeful that it will work out. I guess we can go tomorrow night if tonight is too soggy...I'd hate to drive all this way and not see the pageant!
I'm off to take a nap...the pageant doesn't start until 9pm and I am really tired...I'd hate to fall asleep during the show! Have a great day, happy summer!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...DC Week #3.
Wow! It seems like we barely got here and it's time to pack up and head back out on the road. We've had an amazing 3 weeks in our nation's capital and couldn't ask for a better summer thus far. Since I last posted Dan did, in fact, find us a home for the fall(I guess I shouldn't call myself the pregnant homeless lady anymore), he came back to DC (yippeee), and we've packed in the fun. Let's see...
Dan came home Thursday, everyone was thrilled to see him, his flight was uneventful. Friday the weather was heavenly so we decided to do the monuments. The metro ride in was really fun for the kids...we sat in the front car and they got the jump seat by the cabin...they smashed their faces up against the glass and pestered that poor driver the entire ride, he was a nice guy! Great day to walk the city. We couldn't get into the Washington Monument but we walked around it and figured that would have to do. We did go up to Lincoln and then around the tidal basin to Jefferson (anyone familiar with the area should really be impressed by this...it's a LONG walk!) Of course the kiddos saw the paddle boats in the basin and we just had to give them a try so paddle we did :-) Whew, I earned my extra snacks that day. It doesn't really sound like a lot, but it was...really fun day. We came home and enjoyed a backyard BBQ and some outside fun. Best weather day of the trip by far.
Saturday Grandpa took us down to the navy yard and showed us around a display ship. It's always fun to tour a ship with Grandpa (my Dad lived on an aircraft carrier for 2 years during Viet Nam...he knows his ships). We also went to the museum at the navy yard. Aaron could not get enough of the ships and cannons...I was a little worried about how much he liked the cannons but it was a great day.
Sunday was a good 4th of July. My Dad was sick so he stayed home from church and got some sleep. That evening we decided to keep things low key and do a movie night instead of fireworks...we heard fireworks in the area about halfway through the movie, paused it, went outside for a 15 minute display, went back in, finished the movie and off to bed. Great call by us.
Monday was a cleaning day. Not a ton of fun for everyone but it needed to be done...we have been here for 3 weeks. The kids have been great sports about chores and have really done a good job of keeping their belongings picked up and helping with daily tasks. Monday we did a really deep clean though, ugh. After a long day of chores we celebrated by going to a game at the local minor league park. Fun times (dollar night...really fun times!)
Tuesday we did our 4th and final day down in the district. Thanks to a friend of my parent's we were able to get some White House tickets (by the way, if you are coming to DC you need to ask your congressman for tickets ASAP or you won't get them). Unfortunately he got stuck in traffic and was an hour late to work...really bad for us because the secret service would not let us in without him there...and it was hot. The good news is Aaron got to watch the police dog sniff a lot of cars and we fed the ducks that live in a fountain near the White House...Aaron had fun. Once he finally met us there he got us in...thankfully. We had given him our SS#'s a long while back and were told we had the green light but somehow when we got to the first security checkpoint I was not on the list...everyone else in the family went right on through, but I was told to "please step into the fenced area over there." The secret service took my license and they were trying to run a background check on the fly when my parent's friend pulled some Oval Office Jedi magic and informed them that I was, in fact, cleared to enter. Thanks Dan deGuzman! The White House is cool. I do have to admit that the tour is not nearly what it was pre 9/11...this was the first time I had been back in 10 years! It was still really neat though and the kids had a great time. So many historical items to see. Unfortunately you can't bring anything in with you and photography is prohibited so we have nothing to show from our tour...but trust me it's cool. Last night Dad, Dan, Tyler, and my brother Adam all went to a National's game. Apparently they got amazing seats (put your feet on the dugout seats), and had a great time. Again, no photos...not because they are prohibited...but because they are men and actually watched the game and do not care at all about blogging. While they were at the game the rest of us enjoyed swimming and pizza...great day!
Today is packing day. We are having a treasure hunt to find all our belongings in this house...we are scattered about everywhere! We did take the kiddos to one of those inflatable jumping thing places...they needed to get out some wiggles. We take off first thing in the morning for Palmyra, New York. The good news is my parent's are coming along for the weekend so we will have two cars for the trip tomorrow...yippeee!!! They can take a couple of grandkids in their car ;-)
All in all this has been a wonderful leg of the journey, we're excited to continue on but sad to leave. Okay, here we go...on the road again...
Dan came home Thursday, everyone was thrilled to see him, his flight was uneventful. Friday the weather was heavenly so we decided to do the monuments. The metro ride in was really fun for the kids...we sat in the front car and they got the jump seat by the cabin...they smashed their faces up against the glass and pestered that poor driver the entire ride, he was a nice guy! Great day to walk the city. We couldn't get into the Washington Monument but we walked around it and figured that would have to do. We did go up to Lincoln and then around the tidal basin to Jefferson (anyone familiar with the area should really be impressed by this...it's a LONG walk!) Of course the kiddos saw the paddle boats in the basin and we just had to give them a try so paddle we did :-) Whew, I earned my extra snacks that day. It doesn't really sound like a lot, but it was...really fun day. We came home and enjoyed a backyard BBQ and some outside fun. Best weather day of the trip by far.
Saturday Grandpa took us down to the navy yard and showed us around a display ship. It's always fun to tour a ship with Grandpa (my Dad lived on an aircraft carrier for 2 years during Viet Nam...he knows his ships). We also went to the museum at the navy yard. Aaron could not get enough of the ships and cannons...I was a little worried about how much he liked the cannons but it was a great day.
Sunday was a good 4th of July. My Dad was sick so he stayed home from church and got some sleep. That evening we decided to keep things low key and do a movie night instead of fireworks...we heard fireworks in the area about halfway through the movie, paused it, went outside for a 15 minute display, went back in, finished the movie and off to bed. Great call by us.
Monday was a cleaning day. Not a ton of fun for everyone but it needed to be done...we have been here for 3 weeks. The kids have been great sports about chores and have really done a good job of keeping their belongings picked up and helping with daily tasks. Monday we did a really deep clean though, ugh. After a long day of chores we celebrated by going to a game at the local minor league park. Fun times (dollar night...really fun times!)
Tuesday we did our 4th and final day down in the district. Thanks to a friend of my parent's we were able to get some White House tickets (by the way, if you are coming to DC you need to ask your congressman for tickets ASAP or you won't get them). Unfortunately he got stuck in traffic and was an hour late to work...really bad for us because the secret service would not let us in without him there...and it was hot. The good news is Aaron got to watch the police dog sniff a lot of cars and we fed the ducks that live in a fountain near the White House...Aaron had fun. Once he finally met us there he got us in...thankfully. We had given him our SS#'s a long while back and were told we had the green light but somehow when we got to the first security checkpoint I was not on the list...everyone else in the family went right on through, but I was told to "please step into the fenced area over there." The secret service took my license and they were trying to run a background check on the fly when my parent's friend pulled some Oval Office Jedi magic and informed them that I was, in fact, cleared to enter. Thanks Dan deGuzman! The White House is cool. I do have to admit that the tour is not nearly what it was pre 9/11...this was the first time I had been back in 10 years! It was still really neat though and the kids had a great time. So many historical items to see. Unfortunately you can't bring anything in with you and photography is prohibited so we have nothing to show from our tour...but trust me it's cool. Last night Dad, Dan, Tyler, and my brother Adam all went to a National's game. Apparently they got amazing seats (put your feet on the dugout seats), and had a great time. Again, no photos...not because they are prohibited...but because they are men and actually watched the game and do not care at all about blogging. While they were at the game the rest of us enjoyed swimming and pizza...great day!
Today is packing day. We are having a treasure hunt to find all our belongings in this house...we are scattered about everywhere! We did take the kiddos to one of those inflatable jumping thing places...they needed to get out some wiggles. We take off first thing in the morning for Palmyra, New York. The good news is my parent's are coming along for the weekend so we will have two cars for the trip tomorrow...yippeee!!! They can take a couple of grandkids in their car ;-)
All in all this has been a wonderful leg of the journey, we're excited to continue on but sad to leave. Okay, here we go...on the road again...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Happy 4th!
We had a great 4th of July weekend...complete with matching shirts, thanks to Mom. She made each person have a partner...silly Rosie.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
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