Wednesday: Wyoming is Wet and Windy (of course it's windy)

Today's trip was the same as yesterday's in time, but 100 miles longer!  LOVE going 75-ish. 

And I love Wyoming.  It is wild and wonderful (hmmm, no wonder they use that for their slogans).

As we pulled in to the McDonald's in Cheyenne, Luci heard tales of the haunted houses on FE Warren Air Force Base, which is right next to Cheyenne. We used to live there.  Our time there was a strange year!  Haunted houses and Dad's last year in the Air Force.

John called from the South Pacific as we pulled into the parking lot.  Poor guy, I had to cut the call short because ... well ... when I stop the car on a long trip, that's the signal for my body to have to go to the bathroom.  NOW.  

Today we got lots of rain around Laramie and the temp plummeted to 45....quite a difference from Tuesday's 102. 

Here are a couple of the things we saw today:

Mr. Bean's car!

 and, Abraham Lincoln.  Luci said he must like ham, since his name is Abra-Ham

Road Trip!

Thursday...St. Louis

Luci was so excited to see the Arch in person.  Right before this photo was taken, she whispered, "Can I touch it?"

Saturday...Wall Drug in South Dakota.  Luci was scandalized at John's enjoyment of this beauty.

Jackelope!

Sunday...Mount Rushmore. My favorite picture of the whole trip.

Breakfast with the presidents.

Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming.  This pass was opened just one week before we drove through!  The snow was about 2 feet deep here.

Monday...Yellowstone National Park.  Old Faithful.

Yellowstone Lake.  I took a photo of Bryan and JT on this very rock nine years before.  Almost to the very day.  It was not snowy then!  We were amazed by all the snow.

More later!

Luci-isms

Just a few from our trip:

Upon biting into a banana nut muffin at one hotel:  I don't want this, it has an omelete in it! (we think she meant "nuts")


Upon driving through Kansas:  We are on the other side of the world!


LICENSE PLATE!!  We keep track of license plates and try to spot one from each state.  I even go so far as to carry a blank USA map, to color in each state as we find them.  Every once in a while, Luci would spot an unusually colored one and scream, "License Plate!"  thus ensuring the driver was fully awake.


On Day 14 of our 16-day trip, Luci says, in a mournful tone, I miss Bryan.  It took fourteen days, but she did eventually miss him.  (I missed him all along, but he didn't miss us at all.  Of course.)

Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig!

We all survived the trip out West to see my folks.  My folks even survived the visit!  That's saying something.  We added lots of noise to their house.

Today is our first day home.  This morning, before ten a.m., Luci has tried on four different outfits and modeled them all.  This is the latest today:

Her Williamsburg dress, and baby doll.

Mom, this is what they wore in the Sixties.  When they had ruffle-y sleeves and had babies.  And wore high heels all the time.  That was before America was invented.

I guess my job as teacher is not over, since there's lots of history in that statement of hers that needs correcting. 

After all the Western scenery (which was gorgeous in its own way), it is so nice to see our lush backyard!

More on the trip in future posts.

It started off innocently enough...

Luci and I left for the MidSouth Homeschool Convention early Thursday morning.  It's about a four-hour drive to Memphis from our house, and we planned to visit the Memphis Zoo before going to the "fancy hotel" (Luci's words).

When we were about three hours from home, Bryan called me.  The boys had gone to church to work in the Friendship Center's food pantry, and were on their way home.  Except they couldn't get home.  Seems they ran over an animal, and now the car was kaput.  Bryan said it was a goat, laying in the road.  On a country road, far from any kind of place to pull over, and the car is not working.  A goat?  Yes, a goat.  Or maybe it was a deer.  (It was a deer.)

Bryan and JT got a ride home with a Florence Utilities worker, who had also lent them his phone. (Why did we buy you a phone and get this ridiculously expensive family plan if you're not going to take it with you?!  At least that lesson was learned, and both promised to not ever leave home without their phones again.)  They were followed by the AAA tow truck. (At least Bryan remembered that he had a AAA membership!  Which paid for itself Thursday.)

Where was John when all that went on?  He had a job on the eastern side of the state, and did not get home until nearly 6 p.m.  He got a good look at the car the next morning and it was fixed lickety-split, and cheaply, too.  So that ended well.

After the first of the not-so-frantic calls (Bryan does stay calm in a crisis), we made it to the zoo.  Luci and I saw marvelous things.

Ginormous hippos.

A bit of China

More China...

A bird who decided to nest in China

We saw Buddha...but I could not get Luci to rub its belly for good luck.  This is the closest I could get her to it...and she does not look too thrilled! (Fake smile alert!)

The reason we needed to go to the Memphis Zoo...Pandas!  

We are such country bumpkins...thrilled and scared at the same time at being in the flight path for Memphis' airport.  We were buzzed by quite a few Federal Express planes.  That plane (in the middle of the photo) was lots closer than it looks.  I promise you, I could tell the pilot needed a shave.

We saw a three-legged elephant (not really, but this photo sure looks like she only had three legs!)

And this mighty polar bear who swam around and around and seemed to pick out Luci for a snack (she's in the middle of these children).

At the end of our time there, we went back to see the pandas...and found them napping on baked potatoes...no, wait...that's poop! This one is sleeping on his own poop. Yuck.

After the zoo, we made it to the fancy hotel, which had many floors, two glass elevators, and escalators!  What joy for a six-year old who lives in a town devoid of escalators and glass elevators.  We explored and found our room, found the short cut to getting to the convention, and found there was a trolley that went right past the hotel.

I brought my Sunday-church-keep-the-kid-occupied bag to let Luci dig in while we went to lectures.  I got to go to a total of four, count 'em four lectures.  Out of probably 200 total classes to choose from.  Sigh.  But the ones we did go to were good ones.

The first was on children with learning disabilities.  John and I are wondering about Luci...some days she seems to know her stuff, some days she doesn't.  It is really baffling!  The very first lecture I chose, by two reading specialists, was exactly what I needed to hear as we figure out what Luci needs.  We have an appointment with the International Adoption Clinic at the end of the month to help us unravel the puzzle that is Luci.  The lecture I heard by the Eckenwilers (The Struggling Reader) was so helpful.  We also went to a math lecture, one on field trips, and one on worldview by John Stonetreet (Summit Ministries) that was wonderful.  I would love to get his materials to use with the kids, but they are pricey (even with the discount that was available at the convention).

The only drawback to John Stonestreet's lecture was that it was in a huge room, built of concrete blocks.  The echoing was horrible!  Terrible acoustics. I wanted to get all of his lectures on CD but if they all sounded like that, well, no thank you.  I found out that the concert with Tim Hawkins was to be in that same hall...Luci just about went nuts in there with all the echoes, so I sold our tickets.  I felt like a drug dealer, holding out my tickets on escalators, in hallways and in elevators, trying to sell them.  But sell them I did!  This link will take you to youtube, where you can hear Tim's song, "Things you don't say to your wife."  Trust me, it's worth the click.

Luci's favorite parts of the trip were SHOPPING!  EXPLORING!  SWIMMING! (which "We didn't do since Mommy forgot the suits and I'm not letting her swim in her panties, ooh, icky!" said Luci) and THE TROLLEY!

The Trolley was cheap, just a dollar for me and free for Luci.  We rode the Loop, which went in a loop (duh!) and brought us back to the hotel in a nice 40 minute ride.  We saw the Pyramid Arena, which tickled Luci to no end ("Egypt in Tennessee! Do you think Moses is in there?"), homes along the waterfront of the Mississippi River that sell for at least $1.3 million (the cheap ones go for that!), and a big surprise to me--the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King was shot.  It is now a part of The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.  It really was a shock to see it...I recognized it from all the times I've seen it on the news and had no idea it was so close to where we were spending the night (yes, I'm old enough to remember when that actually happened).

Unfortunately we did not get to see Graceland...I had thought of posing Luci in front of the gates with a little sign that said, "Eat your heart out, Uncle Marty!" but it was just too far in bad traffic.  Another time.

Luci had a before-bed ritual each night we were there...jumping up and down on the Tempur-Pedic bed "to get it all fluffy for us."  So glad she did that.  Because I really did not like that mattress!  I sleep lots better on a regular mattress.

You see snobs, even among homeschoolers.  Mostly they are not clothes snobs (some of the mommas look "crunchy," wearing their babies in slings and eating homemade granola bars, sandwiches on homemade bread brought in their little ice chests) but "education snobs."  Do you know what I mean?  The kind of moms who tell you all about their little four-year-old Shakespeare-reading darlings.  That type of snobbery.  Well, with our "Average Family" I have learned to ignore lots of that, but it does get tiring.  By Friday afternoon I was ready to scream!

Especially with our little Princess, who seems brighter than our home-grown kids, having some difficulties...well, you just can't blame me for getting peeved when one vendor asked Luci how old she was.  "Six."  Oh, I have a six year old, too!  He's over there playing chess.  Just lovely. Smile and move on, Susan.

Then there was a "learn Spanish" booth.  Perfectly nice ladies, wanting Luci to color ("This is VERDE, darling,") and asking me if she was learning Spanish (with the implication that I should be doing that, or else I'm doing her irreparable harm).  I had had enough.  I pulled the language card on her!  I said, "We're working on Mandarin." (How exotic is that?)

Which we sorta are.  We do watch Ni Hao Kai Lan every chance we get, and I do have Rosetta Stone's Mandarin installed on my computer for later on.  (insert evil laugh here)

Enough excitement!  Time to go home...so we wait on Saturday for the tornado watch to pass (what's a road trip without a tornado watch or two?) and start on our way...after arguing (nicely, and with a smile) with the front desk lady that my breakfast (that super-expensive buffet) was supposed to be free, so why is it on my bill twice??  Once the bill was taken care of, we headed out of town and saw a car on fire, fully engulfed in flames along the freeway.  Never have seen one on fire before.  Score another one for big-city thrills.

Then...the phone call about the fridge at home...where is the warranty, Susan, the thing quit working and the repairman says it's the compressor?    Warranty was found, and we are still waiting on the compressor, on Monday night, while eating out of two ice chests in the kitchen.  Sigh.  I am hoping we end up getting a new refrigerator out of this.

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Tuesday Morning Update:  Just heard from the appliance store...the compressor should be in this afternoon or tomorrow morning and they are going to fix it.  No new fridge for me this time.

De-Cluttering

I know, I am about 3 years behind in de-cluttering the kitchen counters.  And my purse.  And the van.  And...well, you get the idea.

I found a few scraps of paper with things written on them, stuff from our trip and some Luci-isms, that I don't remember if I shared before.  So here they are (maybe again):

Luci's newest song:

Rain, rain

Go away.

Come again some other time.

What she asked John about his trip to Afghanistan.  She finally got up her courage to ask him this:

Did they shoot you in the engineer?

print-zel:   pretzel to you and me.

4,346.9 miles:  The length of our entire trip from here to there (Boise) and back, and mommy did not go crazy!  (we are not counting that 50-mile stretch in Kansas)

Two:  the number of throwed rolls that JT caught at Lambert's.

Two-and-a-half:  the number of Ramona books that we've read so far, getting ready for the Beezus and Ramona movie opening on Friday. 

Three: how many kids in this world are my absolute favorites.

Thoughts on Travel

First, I love driving. 

Wyoming is windy! 

Kansas can get boring (but the first half of it, going from east to west, is pretty).

I love our van--Honda Odyssey, with tons of cup holders and a DVD player.

JT is a great big brother.

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Luci-ism for the day, said as we drove through the wild, blank areas of Wyoming:

Mama, we are on the other side of the world!

From where?

From HOME!

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Q:  What do Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts (aren't you impressed that I can spell Massachusetts?!), Maryland, Maine, North Dakota, New Mexico, Rhode Island and West Virginia have in common?

A:  After 1,503 miles of driving, we have seen private vehicles with license plates from every state in our country but those.  Still have 484 miles tomorrow, plus the return trip to find those plates.  Come on, folks!  Get out and drive!  We want to complete our map!

Williamsburg!

We are finally here. 2 days in the van, the kids got along almost all the time (miracle!). Stopped half-way at the inlaw's house (how convenient for us that they live almost exactly half-way between our house and Williamsburg!) and had a nice visit and lots of good food. It was good to see Mom and Dad W and John's sisters Ellen and Marie, and Ellen's husband, Gary. I'm sure they all liked seeing us, too.

The resort we are staying in is lovely. We are with a group of homeschool families from home who have been studying the start of our great country this year. What a wonderful way to cap off the year with this fabulous trip. I should say "phenomenal" since that is one of the favorite words of one of the mom-leaders here. John was cracking up at the "informative get-together" this morning. The word "phenomenal" was said sixteen times at least, describing different events in Colonial Williamsburg alone.

John drove the entire way here. Totally strange to me. I am used to driving MY van. I sat in the middle row of seats with Luci, while Bryan sat up front with John, and JT manned the back row with the chocolate chip cookies. Which may explain why the kids got along--the boys were as far apart from each other as they could get, and JT had the chocolate in those cookies to mollify him.

I did get to drive this morning, though. I went to pick up our tickets at Jamestown Settlement. So strange that it's only 4.1 miles (or something like that) from our resort, and the furthest thing we are seeing this whole week is Yorktown--a total of 14.6 miles from here! Just going from our home in Alabama to town (which means YMCA, Walmart or church) is 15 miles at least. So much in so little space here. Sort of like the Genie in Aladdin [PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!(there's that word again!) itty-bitty living space!]

I also went back to the grocery store (I love Ukrops! wish we had one back home) and my bag boy is a descendant of the first map-maker in America (that would be Robert Tyndall, maps and info here). All of this closeness and old-ness is amazing to me, who grew up in Texas and Idaho, where everything is brand-new in comparison. I would probably be speechless sight-seeing in Europe or Asia. Which might be a good choice for John if he wants to holiday with me, yet be in peace, too. ha ha

I read most of a book on the second day that I thought would explain JT to me. Strong-Willed Child or dreamer? by Dr Dana Scott Spears & Dr. Ron L. Braund It does describe JT. I am thrilled to find this book (you might even say it's phenomenal). It also describes ME. I love this book. I told John a little about it, that this book is me all over. I have always felt like a failure in friend-making, but this book describes the dreamer, and it's just that my thoughts are always elsewhere. Part of the blurb on the back cover says: "She craves praise and positive attention, yet refuses to conform to what's expected." Aha! Someone who understands. John said, "Yup. You and JT are just alike."

A good book, great if you think your strong-willed child does not really fit the "strong-willed" characteristics that you are familiar with in James Dobson's theory of strong-willed and compliant children.

Photos later!

Busy Week

This has been one hectic week. Homeschooling? It's been more like "Traveling Zoo."

Last Saturday was busy. Then this week happened.

Church. Karate. Boys' class on early US History. Orthodontist. Karate again. Library--don't forget to bring something that begins with R, and what happened to that DVD we checked out last week?! McDonald's playdate for Luci with BFF* Kalyn. Bryan's trip to Gatlinburg for Winterfest Youth Convention. Penguin Party at the library to celebrate reading lots of books. Soccer evaluations for Upward Soccer (which Luci performed in her Princess ball gown). Dinner with Daddy at Cracker Barrel (need I mention that this is my favorite thing all week?). Trip to Huntsville for soccer shoes, Build-A-Bear Workshop field trip with new homeschooling group, then to Redstone Arsenal for groceries. JT's Black Belt Clinic in Russelville.

Too much. Especially when Mom's dealing with a sprained ankle (it's getting better, but all the walking is taking a toll...the sprain happened last week, otherwise it would've made it on the list above). Even things "in town" are at least 23 minutes away (yes, I timed it). We did manage to keep on track with schoolwork and get it all done! So that makes me happy. Next week's calendar has two EMPTY days! That makes me even happier!

*BFF=Best Friends Forever

Here are some snapshots of today's trip to the mall in Huntsville:

A nice group! 13 kids and 5 moms.
Pretending to be a mannequin at the video game store.
Dreaming!

What a wimp!

OK, so I spent most of my life in the Western U.S. and traveling through the square states is nothin'. Well, sometimes I have little people doing push-ups in Wyoming....

Today I was reading this article: Top Five Gifts for Road-Tripping Families. The writer (and I hope he's not a cousin of yours or something) extolls this car seat:

It is a wonder, a car seat that will fit your child forever and turns itself into a stroller so you don't have to wake Precious up when you get where you're going. The Sit 'n Stroll car seat system, retailing for $249.95! I can see that this would be oh-so-handy if you fly and have to lug the car seat and kid-who-can't-walk-yet through airports (been there, done that, don't want to do it again).

Then the guy gets to a hang-man game that, honestly, looks like fun. And it's only $12.99.

If your brood includes a tween or bickering siblings you’ve likely come to accept as I have that at times it’s desirable to let them plug in to portable electronics and leave the rest of the family alone.

Of course! Get the electronics out! My parents wish they had these things when they were traveling with five kids. Lucky us, to have these things now so the whining is kept to a minimum.

Now here's the wimpy part:

A small part of me still resists it, though, because driving through a state like Connecticut takes forever and it’s a good opportunity to interact.

Y'all, I checked Google Maps and, any way you travel through Connecticut, it's at the very most only 2 hours and 48 minutes!

Some Silly Stuff...

Luci-isms

Glubs--Glove. As in, "Mickey's glubs only have four fingers!"

Carriage--what the rest of the U.S.A. calls a stroller. "Mommy, stop my carriage! I want to get out!"

Harmono-Rail--the Monorail. Luci's favorite ride.




Unicorn Tang

Learning to Hula Hoop

Bryan trying to talk Luci into a wild ride...which would be just about any ride ever invented.

Being brave in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play yard at Hollywood Studios. Last year, she took one look at this ant and ran out of the playground. You'll want to know that as soon as the shutter clicked, she wanted OFF and didn't go near it again. Once was enough!

What in the World...

Disney World, that is. My Dad called this morning, thinking we fell off the face of the Happiest Place on Earth. So this post is for him and my Mom.

What we've been doing: The boys have been on every wild ride and Luci and I...well, we haven't been on many rides at all. We did go on the Winnie the Pooh Honey Pots ride, loved it, and "NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!"

Went on Buzz Lightyear's ride in Magic Kingdom (did you hear her SREAMING through the whole line? Yes, we used the Fast-Pass option, thank goodness, so the length of screaming was kept to a minimum.) I had to carry her through the line and toss her onto the vehicle. Once inside the vehicle, she quieted down and quickly figured out she could steer us in circles. That kept her happy and once out of the ride, she proclaimed that she loved it, it's her new favorite ride, but..."NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!"

Went on the carousel, which was a cry-fest last year. This year, she LOVED IT and actually let me take her on it three more times over the next day and a half.

When we got to Disney's Hollywood Studios, Luci had to be talked in to seeing Disney's Playhouse Show. She loved it, and even asked to go see it again, which of course we did. Talked her into seeing Beauty and the Beast show, incredible show, which she did and here's the way she saw most of it: her hands over her ears, and my hand over her eyes:

Most of the time, though, all Luci and I did was stand in line and see characters and get their autographs. At Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, the only thing Luci would do was dance with Cinderella's stepsisters and stepmother.

Another popluar pasttime at Disney World is eating. Here is Luci's way of enjoying the meal: by not eating and PLAYING:

At Shades of Green, our resort, there is a free video game room for the kids. JT, Luci and I checked it out Wednesday. JT had fun with his racing games, and Luci and I played Wii Disney Princesses (what else?):

well, it only looks like she's playing...

Here's what was really going on:

At Hollywood Studios, there is always something going on. I saw this "movie director" head out into the street, so I told him that I knew of someone who would make a great actor--and pointed at Bryan. Here are the results. They are all pretty short, so they shouldn't take too long to load up and watch.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

OK, so I spoke too soon....

This door is important to today's saga:

Well, the travel today was uneventful, but getting into the car was something else. The boys were doing push-ups in the driveway, if that tells you anything about how our trip started. We didn't even make it to the street--no, we didn't even make it into the van before they had to do push-ups! I nearly unpacked the van and went back inside, canceling the trip. Except that we locked ourselves out and the only extra key had fallen behind a door. (Just the door, it is bolted to the wall--it had the kids measurements on it at the old house and we moved it here and bolted it to the garage wall so we could keep measuring. There it is, above.) It was 30 minutes before Bryan got it outta there, and by that time JT and I had calmed down, I apologized to him, he apologized to Bryan and me, and we prayed (and I'm sure the neighbors went back to sleep after I woke them up YELLING at the boys). Then the key came out, just as I was hunting for a hammer to break the glass in the door to get into the house.

I prayed for calm and peace (not patience, that just brings more difficulties and practice to be patient!) and safety and we set out on our trip. It was a long day, but relatively uneventful. I made JT take an antihistamine before we set out so he'd sleep and that helped a lot. And the absolutely perfect weather was a great help.

A long travel day, but we got here just fine. Tomorrow is just 2 1/2 hours, and then we spend some time at Downtown Disney in Orlando. It is lots of fun, and a makes for a good first day at DisneyWorld.

I must tell you about this little potty chair from One Step Ahead. It has been a lifesaver for me because it is so handy! Luci usually can "hold it" for a very long time. But apple juice and water flow through her like, well, apple juice and water. Today we had to stop in an undesirable location and this potty chair came to the rescue. She and the potty chair are small enough that they fit on the floor of the van, in front of the front seat and she does her thing. Much better than trying to hold her (and me getting wet) or squatting above a coffee can. This little invention has come in handy on several trips.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I'm thankful our kids are good travelers. We've been all over the place, and they hold up pretty well. Having every electronic gadget that's ever been made in the van with us, helps, too.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for cell phones. Mine is in the car--this is JT's pay-as-you-go version. I had never seen the need for a cell phone until September 11th happened. We knew John would be called up; it was a matter of when (we just didn't know how often!). So, the Sunday after September 11, I got a Verizon phone from Radio Shack. A cell phone would mean we could have contact, and, God forbid, I could be reached if anything bad happened. The kids and I have traveled from Alabama to Idaho to Florida to South Carolina and everywhere in-between. Having the cell phone gives me some peace of mind for safety (I've called AAA a couple of times, and 9-1-1 twice) and John is able to call and talk to us wherever we happen to be. Cell phones are wonderful!

Gaahh!! I hate driving in Georgia.

We've traveled a lot. We've probably traveled more without John than with him. But today has got to be the all-time record for misery in the car. One child was loathe to leave Vero Beach. It was not the 5 year old! If you happened to be driving through Orlando around noon, you would have seen us on the side of the Florida Turnpike, with that same child doing push-ups. (Again, not the 5 year old.)

And then leave it to Georgia to have so much freeway construction going on that we had an extra hour of driving.

Luci added an extra 30 minutes onto that by having to "go potty" three extra times. Why did I ever potty train her? I guess it will be good in the long run, huh?

When John Deploys, Things Happen

This time it's shingles for Susan. Whoopee.
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As I'm finding out, shingles can be painful, and it can be isolating. We've had to cancel travel plans for this weekend, miss karate class since I can't take Luci to the child watch area, and skip worship. Can't wait for the spots to dry up!
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Neuralgia is a part of shingles, the part everyone's heard about--and it's changed the dates for our trip to Disney World. The kids haven't minded the changes in worship (we have a worship time at home) or the karate classes. For the Disney trip now we are going to Vero Beach instead of Wilderness Lodge (the only time and place we could get in exchange for our vacation club points), and spending Luci's birthday there. She is totally excited about going to the beach on her birthday. We will manage to get to Magic Kingdom for one day, to visit Cinderella and ride Winnie the Pooh's Honey Pots. It will be so fun to do something totally different. We've never been to the resort at Vero Beach.
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This also means changes in schoolwork and chores, which is not going over well right now with the boys. They try to put off things, thinking mama doesn't know what is really going on. Mama knows, but sometimes just does not care much. So things pile up for them.
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We were going to go to Huntsville this weekend, to the Bridge Street Town Centre, but that's out now. This morning I took the money budgeted for food and fun and got lots of food for the freezer (i.e., boys can cook for themselves) and a blue ray disc player (Wal-Mart has one for $98!); I told the boys when they were all done with schoolwork and chores they can get it out of the van and watch movies in the Man Cave. They are off and running with their list of things to do!

Hotel Time

The kids have lots of fun at our various hotels. This is the one in Boise. Every day on our travels, good behavior is rewarded with swim time--so most of the time the kids do behave, just so they can go swimming. We don't swim much at home, so it's a big treat and a good positive reinforcement tool. Luci's swim vest is great--she can motor all around the pool on her own.

Travel, with Kids

Day 1:
551 miles
Five states

That translates into 10 hours of rain and drizzle with two agreeable children and one who got a lecture on the side of the road on the loop around St Louis. Motorists there are still talking. We got a glimpse of blue skies at the end of the day, and were thrilled! We left our home with lots of rain and some good neighbors watching the house for safety (thanks, Butlers!) as well as making sure it doesn't wash down the hill. Every river and creek we passed over was scary-full. And, as always, when we passed New Madrid, I was glad to get through without feeling the earth shake.

Day 2:
497 miles
One more state

Sunlight all day long! We feel like moles coming up from their burrows. Made it through Kansas City without any problems--it is a frightening place to drive. I don't take the loop because it is that much longer and, quite frankly, I don't need longer with three kids in the car. I got to listen to Dennis Miller on the radio (instead of video games) as we drove through KC, so it was actually almost enjoyable going through those concrete canyons. This was the first time in several years that we haven't had tornadic weather with us as we go through Kansas. I-70 is long and boring, but gives you a good sunset. We stopped in a town with the same name as our neighbor (Colby) and Luci wonders where her town is. We made today's trip in nine hours.

Day 3:
577 miles
Two more states

15 State Troopers. That's what we saw in the first hour of driving today. We haven't seen any police or troopers on the road since we started, or since this morning. Hmmm. Wonder why they were so concentrated there? My father says they were probably looking for us, but had they stopped us I might have turned the kids over to them and gone on in peace. Truly, though, since that lecture in St. Louis, we've had peace in the van because the kids now have a common enemy--ME. When we got to Colorado and saw the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado!" sign, I asked Luci what colors she could see. She looked all around and said, "I see brown!" It's different out West, isn't it, Luci? It was the longest mileage-day of the trip, but only 9 hours because of the 75 mile speed limit. I love that speed limit! It can be scary, but the miles really zoom by. Oh--and I'm now realizing that when my Dad used to tell corny jokes and sing silly things in the car on trips long-ago, he was not only entertaining us but also probably trying to keep himself awake.

Day 4
approx 484 miles
Two more states

Many of my friends wonder why on earth don't I just fly out to see my folks. I don't like flying, that's why. Scared to death. That's the biggy. The other main reason is that it is cheaper (even was cheaper last year when gas was double what it is now). There is another reason--you get a good sense of the Grandness of the United States of America by driving. You get to see wonderful things, know the geography a lot better, and meet some good people. One song that goes through our heads as we drive West is the first stanza of "America the Beautiful" by Katherine Lee Bates.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Standard Operating Procedure

My S-O-P when John's on these trips is, No News Is Good News. Because if something does go wrong, God forbid, they will find me and let me know. So, when John is traveling, I try to not worry too much. (I don't always succeed.) When John left US soil last night, we knew he'd probably be out of touch until he got to his duty station in Afghanistan. What a nice surprise when John called during our lunch today! He was in Kuwait, awaiting transport to Bagram.
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John has, in the past, been able to call nearly every day and send emails just as often. I know we've been fortunate; some soldiers don't have that ability because they are out in the field, or perhaps the communications set-up isn't complete for their unit.
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Another S-O-P is Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But for us it doesn't mean what you think it means! It means, "Don't ask John about the bad stuff because you really don't want to know."