Lesson #10 ~ It takes a special family to travel with us in an RV

Family Heritage really knows how to put on a great family gathering!  The sales agents get revitalized, inspired, motivated, and updated on all the new insurance information.  The rest of us get to enjoy the fun events planned by Carolyn, Laura, and Sandy.  Friday Travis (and all the agents) had an all-day sales meeting and after the meetings they returned to their rooms to get dressed in their 1940’s/World War 2 attire.

The agents and their families gathered in the bus pick up area and we all went to the Pima Air and Space Museum.  The museum houses 300 planes inside and outside.  I was surprised to see security surrounding one specific plane.  It was the SR-71 Black Bird plane.  We learned it is the fastest plane ever built - only seven ever made.  These planes were made to be undetectable by radar, useful in the military.  Very interesting!

My favorite part of the night was watching Parker.  Travis and I are excited to have children old enough to go off and play with the other kids, and we can have a conversation without interruptions every fourth sentence.  At one point I was along my way to bring Lincoln to the bathroom and stopped to talk with an old acquaintance.  Travis was also talking to someone and Taite and Calla were with their friends.  Parker was the only one sitting at the table.  She was perfectly happy.  She was even happier when the server brought around huge pieces of chocolate cake and offered one to her.  She gladly accepted the server’s offer and proceeded to eat the entire piece of cake.  She looked like she was exfoliating her face in chocolate.

On Saturday, the 29th, Family Heritage took 4 bus-loads of people to Old Tucson.  I thought Old Tucson would be an older area of town for us to learn the history of the city.  Oh no!  It was more like a miniature amusement park. As we arrived we went to the welcome show - an Old West stunt show reenactment (almost everyone’s favorite part of Old Tucson).  There was a train that took us around the park.  We got to ride some old time cars and a carousel.  They had horse rides.  And we went to a rodeo.  We saw bucking bulls and horses.  We saw 4-year-olds riding for 8 seconds.  And, for the first time I witnessed mutton busting.  Who knew?!

Linda earned the mother-in-law-of-the-year award Saturday.  When we returned from Old Tucson we had a few hours before we needed to be at our next event.  I was desparately wanting some exercise.  Tucson has the best hiking!  I asked Linda to go with me and she agreed.  It wasn't until we got on the trail that Linda reminded me that her hip had been hurting her.  She decided to walk on it anyway, saying that it might help her hip to give it some exercise.  It was a bit farther into the hike when she reminded me that she was afraid of heights!  What kind of person takes someone with a fear of heights hiking in the mountains in Tucson?!?  Brother!  Well, she made it unscathed, we both got a great workout, and we enjoyed our time together.  It was a great hike.  (See the roadrunner and aloe plant pictures below.)

Sunday (the 30th) we left Tucson.  We hopped into the RV with our new travel buddies, the VanSumeren’s, and went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum with the Family Heritage group before leaving town.  This museum ended up being more like a zoo than a museum.  It was a desert zoo.  There were coyotes, javelinas, prairie dogs, reptiles, tarantulas, hummingbirds, bees, big horn rams, a puma, ring-tailed cat, and - my personal favorite - the porcupine.  There was also lots of vegetation.  We wandered the museum searching for the 15 stamps to complete the booklet provided by the museum.  Similar to the Junior Ranger Program, the booklet caused us to take a closer look at many of the animals and enjoy the journey even more.  Soon our time was up at the Desert Museum and we were back in the RV.

It takes special people to be willing to spend seven days in an RV with another family - especially when our two families would be considered friends/acquaintances - certainly not close friends.  The VanSumeren’s are the perfect family to travel with the Wilson’s (thank you, Lord!).  We have similar eating and sleeping habits.  We all like playing games.  We have similar parenting styles.  Everyone is pretty laid back about most things.  Most importantly, we all place the same importance on our God.  We have been so blessed by the VanSumeren’s - we have learned a ton about them and from them.  I’m sure we came out on the better end of the deal.  And I’m sure the VanSumeren’s will be glad to get out of the Nautica Flyer and head back to Georgia. ;-)  But for now we’ve got them - and we’ll keep learning good things from them.

Tim (who also works with Family Heritage) and Stacey live in Tifton, Georgia, and have two boys, Connor (9-years-old) and Tyler (5-years-old).  So now there is 10 of us in the RV - and our kids ages are 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3.  Before this trip our kids didn’t know each other at all.  In fact, at the resort I had to inform Taite that it was Connor VanSumeren he was playing against in ping pong.  Now we were going to spend time together unlike we have with even the closest of our friends.  Get excited!

We were on our way to Lake Havasu.  Before arriving in Lake Havasu, we stopped in Buckeye, Arizona, for dinner.  Ciao Grazie showed high ratings online - and it was GREAT!  The woodfire pizza was delicious - it reminded me of Punch Pizza in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  At the end of dinner Travis ordered an ice cream calzone for us to share in celebration my birthday - 29 again.

Lake Havasu was of particular interest because we had been reading a book about London Bridge.  The London Bridge - not London’s famous Tower Bridge, but another of London’s bridges that was falling down and preparing to be destroyed - was carefully moved to Lake Havasu, Arizona, in 1971.  It was fun to drive over it.   There was a cute replica of some London shops on one side of the bridge.  Unfortunately we didn’t take time to stop because we had spent quite a bit of time at Lake Havasu itself.  Being there felt a little bit like home (well, at home in May).  The water looked gorgeous.  Everything around it was so green.  I can see why so many people would want to have a vacation home there.       

                               

Finally we were on to Vegas.  This is a town that makes me nervous.  It is named “Sin City” for a reason.  In fact, I saw numerous t-shirts and billboards that said, “I feel a sin coming on” or something of the sort.  So what was the first thing we did?  We rented a church van.  You know, the big 15-passenger white van.  It was the only vehicle that could hold all 10 of us.  But it looked like a church van and I’d like to think people treated us differently because of the van. ;-)  It certainly made us feel comfortable as we tried to navigate the area.  (Mostly because of its size.)

Our first night in Vegas was New Year’s Eve.  Imagine that...Vegas on New Year’s Eve!  So what did two couples with six kids do?  That’s right, we made a delicious dinner of grilled salmon, mango quinoa, and zucchini at the RV then played games.  We were all exhausted and made it to 12:30am...East Coast time.  (9:30 Vegas time) ;-)

New Year’s Day was kind of a big deal.  We are Husker fans.  The VanSumeren’s (from Georgia) are Dawg fans.  The Huskers just happened to play the Dawgs in the Capitol One Bowl that day.  Our dear Nebraska friends and Husker fans, Curtis and Amy Rogers, just happened to be in Vegas on the 1st visiting family.  Curtis’ sister and her husband are part owners at one of Vegas’ bars - The Lift - where they had a special room with 5 TV’s for the Georgia and Nebraska fans to co-mingle and watch the game.  Sadly, the Dawgs beat our Huskers but we had tons of fun.  All the boys took the football to the parking lot and played a game during halftime.

After the game we drove down the strip.  Here my fears were confirmed as we viewed too many magazine stands, flashing billboards, mobile advertisements driving down the road, and even some inappropriate cards at some intersections.  I kept wanting to jump in front of the view of my children.  Tim pointed out the opposite side of the window a few times yelling, “Hey! Look at that!”  It worked as an attention diversion.  But Tyler (the 5-year-old) said it best when he saw the light billboard advertising “Peepshow” and too much skin.  He said, “Oh my goodness!  I am not looking over there!”  They see more than we think.

If you can get past that (or if I can get past that), there is a lot of fun to be had in Vegas.  We parked in the Bellagio lot to visit the conservatory inside.  We had fun viewing all the artwork and botanicals.  We stepped outside for the famous water show.  Then stopped at Jean Philippe Patisserie to watch the chocolate fountains and order some hot chocolate and cheesecake for ourselves.  Yum!  The Bellagio is gorgeous with lots of upscale shopping and incredible restaurants.  As we wandered the halls I couldn’t help but think that this must be like Babylon during King Nebuchudnezzar’s reign.  So much sparkle, glitz, and extravagance.  When we had our fill of glamour we headed home to get a good night of sleep.  We had a big day the next day!

The alarm went off at 5:15am January 2nd.  The bus picked us up at 6:10 for our Grand Canyon tour.  The Grand Canyon was something we wanted to share with our kids.  At school Connor VanSumeren had to write something similar to a bucket list.  On his list was visiting the Grand Canyon.  None of the VanSumeren’s had ever been there.  Half of our family had never been there either.  None of us had ever visited the West Rim where we can take the Skywalk out to stand 2,500 feet above the bottom of the Canyon.  We went to Eagle Point, Guano Point and Hualapai Ranch.  Hualapai Ranch also had an area where they built a number of homes that nearby tribes use - like a tipi, hogan, and wigwam.  The four hours we had at the Canyon was not enough time to take it all in, but it was a fabulous experience just the same.  On the front end of the tour we also got to stop at Hoover Dam then drive over the Hoover Dam Bridge.  It was a great tour!

The third was a sleep-in-and-don't-rush kind of day.  All the kids slept near each other.  This morning Calla woke up to find most of the boys awake.  Then she sat up to engage in the conversation. Tyler stopped and pointed at Calla saying (with his southern drawl), "Her hair looks like the Lion King!"  Ha!  Thankfully Calla has accepted the fact that she has crazy hair in the mornings.  She laughed too.

The Rogers were still in town.  Because they have family here they visit the Vegas area often.  One of their favorite places is Red Rock Canyon.  We met them there right before lunchtime to do some hiking.  Later Stacey pointed out that hiking is usually on trails.  We were not hiking...we were mountain climbing.  Had I labeled the adventure ‘mountain climbing’ beforehand I might not have decided to do it with Parker on my back and Lincoln on Travis’ back.  Although Travis, Lincoln, Parker and I didn’t get to the highest point we did climb to the top and could look out over both sides.  Taite and Calla continued climbing with the VanSumeren’s and Rogers’ families.  They LOVED it!  And Calla’s legs didn’t even get tired (unlike our walks to the park across the street from our house when she often wants me to push her in a stroller).

The climb was incredible!  It was deserving of a Sammy’s Woodfire Grill Messy Sundae.  They also brought out plates of cotton candy!  Have you ever seen a restaurant with cotton candy?!  Thankfully Calla, Lincoln, and Parker (who all had never had it before) didn’t like it.  Taite, on the other hand, went home with pink teeth and a pink tongue.

When Stacey saw the cotton candy come out her jaw dropped.  As Tyler and Connor took a hunk of it Stacey said, “We are definitely going skating after this.”  Skating was one of the many options of things to do for the evening, but the only active option.  The Rogers led us to the fourth floor at the Cosmopolitan where the hotel has turned the swimming pool area into an ice rink.  We skated for almost 3 hours!  Ironically enough our Minnesota kids were the worst at it!  We do not get out skating enough.  Poor Taite, watching him reminded me of what Donald Duck or Goofy must look like on ice skates.  He was banged up!  Thankfully one corner of the rink faced the outdoor bar...where there was a TV...where the Kansas State/Oregon Bowl Game was showing.  He had a reason to take breaks often.  I was surprised when today he said, “Mom, we need to go skating again soon.”
“Really?!  Why?” I asked.
“Because I was just getting the hang of it at the end.  I will forget if I don’t go again soon.”  I guess we’ll be taking advantage of the rink at the park across the street from our house this winter.  The main difference is the weather.  It was 35 degrees at the top of the Cosmopolitan last night.  That’s pretty darn warm compared to what we get in Minnesota on any given winter day.  And in Minnesota, if it’s that warm too often we won’t have the ice anymore, unlike the fake flooring they had at the Cosmopolitan.  We’ll see what the winter brings.

Friday, January 4th was another winter sport day.  We made plans to drive to Brian Head, Utah, to go tubing.  We detoured to drive right through Zion National Park to get there.  What a fabulous time!  We, of course, got our Junior Ranger Program booklets first.  They kids were on the lookout for ravens, yucca, cacti, Aspen trees, big horn sheep, mule deer, fish, lizards, animal tracks, animal scat, the Patriarchs (formations in the canyon), and more.  We saw tons of mule deer, yucca, cacti, animal tracks, and scat (the kids thought that was great!).  We had a hard time finding the big horns.  Eventually we started driving to a higher elevation.  We told the kids, “Keep a lookout for the ravens and big horns.”  Within a minute Lincoln and Connor say, “I saw a sheep!”  All of us had a hard time believing them.
“Really?”
Laughing, Lincoln and Connor say, “Yes!”  (They were both wearing guilty smiles.)
“What color were they, Lincoln?  Pink?” I asked, trying to see if he was teasing us.
“Gray and brown.”
After a few words of warning, and at the risk of not seeing one we decided to turn around.  Maybe 100 yards down the road Lincoln says, “See?”  I screamed!  There it was, right out our window.  Two of them!  They were eating bushes right on the side of the mountain, right next to the church van.  We could have pet it.  We certainly weren’t going to feed it since all the signs told us not to - it's a $100 fine for feeding the wild animals.

We continued on, saw our raven and Aspen trees.  We drove through a cute town called Cedar City to get coffee and use the restroom.  We were almost there.  We had left at 8:30am.  With our Zion detour and loss of an hour due to time changes it was now almost 5:00.  With no cell phone reception for our navigation Travis did some great map-work to find our way until...we got to the sign that said, “Brian Head - 12 miles.”  We drove forward 10 feet to find two gates closing the road due to snow!  We had to drive around to the other side of the town, adding 45 minutes to our trip.  So far we had no complainers - which I thought was unbelievable.

Finally we got to Brian Head.  The air was crisp - actually it was so stinkin’ cold I thought we were back in Minnesota.  With the windchill it was -16 degrees.  Yes, you saw a minus sign there.  At home I would have told my kiddos it was too cold to go outside.  But how often are we in Brian Head, Utah?!  So we put on some winter gear, then some more gear, then more gear.  The cute story of the night came when I was putting hats on the boys.  We had left Lincoln’s hat on the Grand Canyon tour bus so he got to wear my lovely pink hat.  Stacey was surprised and said, “Lincoln!  Is your hat pink?!”
With that mischeviously guilty look on his face he smiled and said, “yes.”
Hoping he wouldn’t think twice about it Stacey said, “Oh.  Ok.”
Then Tyler interjects (in his fabulous Georgia accent), “Mom!  It’s for breast cancer awareness!”  Ha!  Loved it!

Travis had the great idea of using the church van as a warming house.  He parked just yards from the tubing hills.  He also ordered pizzas from a pizzeria in the small community.  Anytime someone was hungry, thirsty, cold, hurt, or just needed a break the church van warming house was there.  And it got used!  We had frozen fingers, frozen noses, frozen chins, and frozen toes-es.  We even had a few tears over the frozen body parts, but nobody could get enough of the rush of sailing that tube down the hill, riding up the side of what resembled a half-pipe, then sliding back down.  We closed the place down.  The drive home was much shorter than the excursion there.  It wouldn’t have mattered though.  As long as the dads were awake and singing their songs as they drove down the road nobody else noticed.  There was nary a peep once the wheels started turning.   All the kids chose which bench seat they would lay on and like that (insert finger snap) they were asleep.  In fact, the dads decided to pull off on the side of the road temporarily to star gaze.  It doesn’t happen often where there is utter darkness to show off the beauty of space.

Our families have taken advantage of every opportunity to “be one with nature.” ;-)  We have laughed, sometimes kids cried, and not a day went by without at least one parent wanting to tear their hair out because of a child or children.  Like Taite said, “We are like one big family now.”  And I’m sure that’s what the locals thought as Tim, Stacey, all six kids and myself wandered into a Wal-Mart near the Utah border.  Tomorrow is our last day with the VanSumeren’s.  We look forward to enjoying every last minute of it.

Until next time...What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas (unless you are blogging about it.)

Lesson #9 ~ We all need to rejuvenate

If I guestimated correctly, about seven Nautica Flyers would fit into our hotel room at the JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson.  We checked in early yesterday morning.  This room looks like the presidential suite.  It's the biggest room in which our family has ever stayed.  We walked in and my children started running laps around the room.  Dan, our fabulous bellman, gave us a tour of the place.  We have a separate bedroom with a king-sized bed, a boardroom table, a couch with a queen bed, a Murphy bed hidden in the wall, two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and two balconies.  The kids thought the Murphy bed was the coolest thing!  Personally, I love that everyone gets a bed to sleep on and we only have to sleep 2 to a bed.  (Otherwise we end up like the 6 bears in the bed who get tired, roll over, and one falls out. ;-))

The room is such a treat for us because for over four days we've been mildly confined.  Yes, the RV is nothing to complain about.  We have lots of space.  Taite even has his own little hide-out.  Even so, you can only do so much running around inside the RV with 7 other people.  We've had one pool and one playground (both at the same resort in Amarillo) for the kids to unwind.  Otherwise we've been in restaurants, inside the RV, or in an area where the kids can't just run around.  I have been thoroughly impressed at the behavior of my children along the way.  But one of the ways my kids rejuvenate is by literally running in circles - especially Lincoln.  At home he can run laps around the main level for what seems like hours.  Lincoln has now had his fair share of running and will be ready to drive toward Lake Havasu Sunday.

Parker can rejuvenate in two ways.  She enjoys being around and playing with other kids, but her energy is replenished by being alone.  This afternoon I found her in a corner of the giant bathroom here at the hotel talking to the turtle and dolphin pool toys - she was taking their dinner order. ;-)  Yesterday while all the kids where playing croquet on the resort grounds I found Parker sitting on a ledge by herself.  I asked her what she was doing.  "I'm riding a camel," she replied.  Of course she was - Duh!  If she can't get away she will close her eyes and nap.  She has taken more naps on this trip than she has in the last six months combined.

Sleep has been a hot comodity for me.  Sleeping in the RV is quite different from sleeping in our rooms at home - with our bedroom doors shut.  Now I hear every sneeze, snore, cough, and mumble (Taite and Lincoln talk in their sleep).  Thankfully nobody else is affected.  The kids just sleep through the other kids' night quirks.  Travis sleeps with ear plugs when he travels.  I'm contemplating using ear plugs myself.  My mom-conscience warns me to not use them...what if someone chokes and needs me to run to their rescue?!  But if I don't make some adjustments I'm sure my immune system will weaken from lack of sleep.  Nobody wants a sick, drained, or crabby mommy.  The giant room we are staying in and my unbelievably comfortable bed are by far the best gifts.  They are 10 times better than having a massage at the spa here.  (Well, let's not go too far - 8 times better.)

Getting good sleep is just the first part of a good routine.  A good routine is what Travis thinks is the thing that rejuvenates him the most.  I'm not sure how to implement a routine - or even a sprinkle of a schedule - for our family over a Christmas/New Year/business/life-on-the-road trip?  Figuring out this aspect of the adventure is a necessity if we intend to do anything like this again.  Because of that,  Travis says he does not yet feel rejuvenated.  That being said, we are in Tucson for Travis' business meetings.  Here Travis is able to do some teaching, coaching, managing, and training all while he's with his co-workers/friends.  It doesn't provide routine, but it is something with which Travis is very familiar.  Over the course of these last couple days I've watched Travis relax, grow more patient, and smile with us more. 

Part of Taite's typical routine at home is playing sports.  Football is usually his sport of choice, but any competitive sport will do.  Calla and Parker are not big into sports, Lincoln is interested only sometimes, and any sport is hard to do when you are driving in a vehicle.  We hadn't played enough sports for Taite to rejuvenate until we arrived at the resort here in Tucson.  Taite's third cousin once removed (if that's even possible - we made that up, but she's somehow related), Holly, is all about competition.  Thankfully Linda (Trav's mom), Laura (a cousin somehow), and Holly (Laura's daughter) joined us at the hotel yesterday.  A game of croquet is all it took for me to see my old Taite again.  The wrestling/kick boxing the night before helped too.

This resort is perfect for families.  The kids have played croquet, ping pong, giant Jenga, bean bag toss, tag, hide and seek, kick the shoe, dead or alive, and catch.  The resort also has volleyball, badminton, hula hoops and jump ropes.  They keep the pools at a warmer-than-the-air temperature of 82 degrees.  Calla and Holly came to me and Laura yesterday and said, "Can we please put our hands in the water?  It's warm!"
"Ok, just your hands," Laura and I both said.  Within minutes the girls were back.
"Can we please take our shoes off and let our feet get wet?"  Hesitantly we said yes, knowing that it would not end well for the moms.  Within 30 minutes I found Calla on her hands and knees leap frogging through the shallow end of the pool and Holly wasn't any drier.
Laura laughed and said, "This is what memories are made of."  So true.  Since the air temperature was 60 degrees, when it was time to get out all the wet kids were freezing!  We walked into the hotel's Starbucks and got hot cocoa for everyone.  Sadly, that was the last we'll see of Laura and Holly until we find ourselves in Tucson again I suppose.  What a fabulous time, though!

Today we played with the Rogers' (from Nebraska), Davenport's (from North Carolina), and McLean's (from Arkansas) - where most of the activities listed above occurred.  How fun that our kiddos have good friends around the country!  What a unique experience!  They all get along incredibly well, too!

My children thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all the kids - but probably not as much as I enjoyed my time chatting with the ladies poolside or by the patio's bonfire.  I might have been the one who needed rejuvenation the most - it wasn't pretty ;-).  What a blessing it was to have time with Laura and Linda yesterday!  Last night I had a fabulous time talking with my dear friend Nikki.  And today while our eleven children played hard I got to connect and converse with four incredible women - Nikki, Amy, Leslie, and Debbie.  This week I learned that I am rejuvenated by time spent in conversation with my girlfriends.  It's a kind of chit chat that a husband or children cannot provide.  The conversation can be about anything...mommyhood, food, travels, children's quirks, God, Bible studies, dreams, books, schooling, whether you should wear scarfs and pants or tanks and shorts on a 60 degree day, anything.  This part of the trip came at the perfect time - exactly what I needed.

Calla has seemed to be the least emotionally effected on this trip.  If she's well rested and has someone to take care of, she's in her element.  She's been able to help me with Lincoln and Parker, she's been able to help everyone with her Ooh La La Spa, and anytime she sees a baby or toddler she's all over them!  I feel like I haven't pinpointed her rejuvenation button yet, but I might be on to something.

Jim and Linda (Travis' parents) came to the hotel Thursday night to help us with the kids and participate in the awards ceremony and dinner.  Tomorrow (Saturday) they return for a trip to Old Tucson then stay to watch the kids while Travis and I attend a formal dinner.  We are looking forward to being with them again and experiencing Old Tucson.  Until then, I'm off to attempt to get a solid night of sleep in this fabulous bed.  (I wonder if we can get one of these in the RV! ;-))  Hasta Pronto!

Lesson #8 ~ Go Around The Cactus

We made camp last night, Christmas night, in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Travis and Jim had heard some abnormal noises as we drove yesterday.  It's really nice to have someone along for the ride who knows the in's and out's of an engine.  After Jim got out of the Navy he started a career with Ryder trucking company as a mechanic (and continued to work as a mechanic or with mechanics for over 30 years until he retired).  Jim filled all the fluids and checked some belts and things (I sound so mechanically savvy, don't I?!).  Unfortunately it was dark.  He and Travis did all they could do in the dark. This morning we made a quick stop at the neighboring RV service shop before leaving town.  Of course, the engine ran just fine.  It took Travis, Jim, Lincoln, and three service guys to get in there and check the engine.  They all agreed everything looked fine for a day's ride.  We were on our way.

The drive from Las Cruces to Tucson was unique from what we've experienced thus far.  We saw desert and mountains the entire way.  We saw sage brush, some palo verde trees, and a few other plants that can grow in the sand.  The only animals we saw were two farms of cows.  It was a great day for a nap and some games.  While Nana, Parker, and Calla dozed, Taite played solitaire (Nana taught him to play yesterday and he's addicted now) and Lincoln played on the Repreakfast (Perplexus).

The Grand Motor Inn Restaurant in Deming, New Mexico, was a welcomed rest stop along the way.  Aunt Sharon recommended we stop there for some enchiladas.  She gave fair warning that the salsa and enchilada sauce might be a bit too spicy for Minnesotans, but we were up for the challenge.  I do not typically like enchiladas, but these were GREAT!  Lincoln even liked them - and he doesn't like anything spicy.  He drank an entire glass of water after every bite, but he ate the whole thing!  "We needed a hose at the table he was so thirsty," as Brian Wilson would say.  The place is definitely a local dive that one would never visit unless you made a concerted effort.  It was certainly worth getting off the beaten path.  Just the break we needed today.

After we willingly burned our tongues and cleared our sinuses, we drove straight to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Harold's house.  Sharon is Travis' paternal grandmother's sister, and she is a spring chicken!  She and her husband are always out galavanting around the Arizona countryside and walking daily (to remain a spring chicken, I suppose). We spent the evening with them, their daughters Lynda and Laura, and Laura's daughters.  We all shared a delicious meal, our kids got some much needed playtime and the adults enjoyed fun conversation and laughter.

While we were planning to stay at a local campground, Harold and Sharon kindly invited us to park in the alley adjacent to their backyard.  Harold and Sharon have a lovely yard.  They have lemon, grapefruit, and orange trees.  They have a huge saguaro cactus with woodpecker holes in it where elf owls live, prickly pear cacti, and many other pokey plants.  We decided to take them up on the offer and Travis got in the RV to drive it around back.  Jim, Calla, Parker, Lincoln, Harold and I all waited in the alley for Trav to turn the corner.  Taite wanted to join us so he ran through the backyard, came through the gate door, shut the gate door, and turned to run toward us.  When I looked, he was standing there calmly saying, "Ouch, ouch, ouch."  (He has the emotional control of a patient 30-year-old!)  
"What's wrong?" I asked, confused.
"I ran into the cactus," he said.  I looked down and there were cactus spines all over both of his pant legs.  I pulled them off until I didn't see anymore.
"It still hurts," he said.
"Where?" I asked.
"Right here," he said and with his finger drew a big circle around the entirety of both of his legs. ;-)  We pulled his pants forward and found spines as thick as toothpicks poking straight out of his legs.  I couldn't help but laugh.  He didn't feel back to 100% until after he got a warm bath.
"Um, next time I'll go around the cactus," he declared.  Very wise.

Travis' meetings start tomorrow.  We are all looking forward to spending the day with Harold, Sharon, Lynda, Laura and her girls, then getting to see the Family Heritage crew.  Always a good time!  And I'll be curious to see what lessons we learn at the Starr Pass Resort. ;-)

White CHRISTmas!!!

Hey Y'all,

Travis Here. I am so thankful to Kate for doing such a fantastic job keeping this blog updated and detailed. I wanted to take a turn and share some of our Christmas day shenanigans. Today started like most of our days on the road so far, chilly temperatures, the sun still down, frozen water lines (no toilet) and an excitement for the day. Today it happened y'all (I'm beginning to speak like the locals). I join the Flying J club. Yes, that is the discount club for the nationally famed truck stops. I am now considered a "professional" driver according to the J club.  I thought it might be a good deal considering how we have already used 350+ gallons of fuel and are not quite to Tucson, Arizona, yet. The agenda for the day was to get an early start and to have our White Christmas at White Sands National Monument. My kids are into "history stories" which are typically just childhood memories of Kate or I or anyone else willing to share. White Sands was one of the all time best "history stories" that I shared with kids many months ago. When I was 8 I distinctly remember visiting White Sands myself and just loved climbing those huge mountains of beautiful gypsum. I always thought it was really cool that out in the middle of nowhere there were these amazing mountains of sand and a desert in the middle of the desert. If you have never seen this place, it is a must-visit.

As you see we remembered to bring our sleds from Minnesota so that on Christmas we could go sledding on the white stuff. It even felt like a MN Christmas with a windchill that would make you shiver (Hats, coats, pants all necessary). Most would think that a White Christmas at White Sands monument would account for a full day.  However in the spirit of keeping this blog about lessons, I think the lesson today was about creating Christmas memories that will last a lifetime. Meet Matilda!

Yes, a camel that pulled into the park just in front of us. Of course we followed the trailer because no one could believe that we were going to be able to see a camel in the desert on this special day. Matilda was raised by the hands of his owners from birth and would eat 8 times a day consuming a gallon of milk each feeding plus hay for snacks in between meals (no pumping and dumping going on here). Seriously, Where are We?

We were also very thankful for the Nautica Flyer today as NOTHING was open tonight. Dinner was a memorable handmade salad from Nana (my mom) and spaghetti and sauce  that Kate was mindful to have packed, more memories.

Finally, we remember that today is Jesus' birthday and all throughout the year He gives us people, blessings, answered prayers, and memories of the sacrifice made for us. It is a real blessing as a father to have this time and these memories with my family. A White Christmas worthy of our King and a day we will remember forever!

In Him,

Travis

Lesson #7 ~ Trust the Locals

I spoke too soon.  In my last entry I mentioned how grateful we were for a warm place to sleep amidst the freezing Amarillo air.  Well, by 5am we were all fighting for blankets.  I left my bed, grabbed more blankets and came out to check on the kids.  I covered Taite and Calla and hopped in bed with Parker and Lincoln (my little brickettes).  By 7am the refrigerator’s built-in alarm was screaming at us that it wasn’t getting energy.  The 21-gallon propane tank was empty.  Trav checked our high-tech built-in level reader.  It showed we still had propane.  Looks like we have some maintenance to do on the built-in level reader.  While the kids and I swam at the nice, warm indoor pool at the Amarillo Ranch RV Park Travis worked on filling or emptying all of our tanks.  (Can you see Lincoln sailing into the pool?  They loved it!)

Twice during our stay in Amarillo locals told us to visit Palo Duro Canyon.  “It’s the only thing worth seeing around here,” they said.  So, on this lovely Christmas Eve morning, after swimming and filling tanks we picked up Papa Jim and Nana from their hotel and drove 17 miles southeast of Amarillo to the canyon.  It’s the second largest canyon in the U.S. - second only to the Grand.  It was a gorgeous place, certainly worth the stop.  Some friends of ours, the Sime’s, suggested to ask about the Junior Ranger Program at the parks we visit.  What a great program!  Each of the participating parks have prepared a booklet that kids can take as you enter the park.  It has questions to answer and things to look for within each park. 

When I was a kid we drove through the Black Hills - one of the most beautiful places in America.  My sister and I were soooo bored!  We thought, “if you saw one hill, you saw them all!”  Our poor parents.  They were trying to bring us on a fabulous family vacation and introduce us to beautiful America.  I remember Mindy and I listening to our headphones (with cassette players ;-)) and only paid attention when my dad said, “Girls!  Look out your window!”  Often we couldn’t wait to get to our next destination because the journey was mildly torturous for us. 

I was a little bit in fear of that attitude on this trip, but this Junior Ranger program has really helped make our journey more fun.  We have some of these programs in Minnesota.  Before we left we went to one located within the Minnesota Science Museum - this program being about the Mississippi River.  It kept Calla’s attention for awhile.  Taite, determined to get the badge that one receives after completing the booklet, diligently sought out the answers.  He learned tons about the River.  Yesterday Taite (and all of us) learned tons about the Palo Duro Canyon and Amarillo thanks to the program, the park, and Wikipedia ;-).  (Here we are enjoying the journey. ;-))

One of the questions in the Junior Ranger booklet was “Name four interesting things you saw on a nature hike.”  We came up with more than four.  Within the canyon we saw four geologic layers, mule deer, deer tracks, yucca plants, prickly pear cacti, prickly pear cacti that had been eaten (ouch!!) by javelinas and other animals, hickory trees, mesquite trees, sage brush, and along our way out of the canyon we saw tumbleweed rolling across the street.  As we drove back toward Amarillo to continue west we drove past the JA Ranch - a ranch of over 1 million acres within 6 counties, with over 100,000 cattle.  They used old tractor tires for feeders.  So interesting.  Talk about different than Minnesota!  We are grateful the locals encouraged us to drive there...it wasn’t even a thought for the original itinerary.  (See the eaten cacti and tumbleweed below.)

Back in Amarillo we stopped at Cavender’s Boot City.  Merry Christmas to Travis, Calla, and Taite - they all got some new cowboy boots (or cowgirl boots in Calla’s case).  I guess they were jealous of my and Parker’s boots.  Parker put on her fancy black cowboy boots and said, “I’m ready to cowboy!”  And now we all can participate in Southwest Day when we visit Old Tucson with Trav’s company later this week!  Great day! (Here's Parker ready to Cowboy.)

After the boot purchase we stopped at Cadillac Ranch.  Travis brought the kids out to vandalize the half-Cadillac graveyard.  It’s interesting to see the art that turns into attractions or even destinations.  Those Cadillacs have been positioned in the ground since 1974.  Papa Jim remembers when he first saw them.  So does Travis.  I’m sure our kids will too. 

Our entry into New Mexico brought a time change and mountains.  We cheered for the Flyer to help encourage it up some of the hills.  We entered a chilly mountainous desert.  Five miles east of Albuquerque we saw snow out our windows.  Perfect - a white Christmas.  I was hoping to see the luminarias display Albuquerque set up in the city, but taking an RV on this 20 mile trip through the windy roads was not recommended.  So we enjoyed the luminarias atop the Best Western and some neighboring adobe-looking buildings. 

Today is Christmas.  Like any normal Christmas, we are enjoying food, card games, our already-opened Christmas gifts, and each other’s company - we just happen to be in an RV and a different state.  Since we don’t have a church here we are singing songs (and watching them on YouTube) and reading the Bible on our own.  I’ve been trying to read Luke’s version of the Christmas story.  We got through chapter one and the kids wanted to change subjects.  They wanted to hear Esther - the Old Testament book.  All 10 chapters.  You can’t go wrong reading from the Bible, but I think it’s funny that the perfect plan I envisioned just hasn’t gone my way.  Instead I’ll embrace our time in conversation about how God works for us and with us always.

Travis is looking forward to writing the next entry.  Until next time, a Very Merry Christmas to all!

Lesson #6 ~ Six days is too long

We headed out of Grove, Oklahoma, today.  After four full days of football playing, rifle shooting, gingerbread train making, gazing at the moon halo, listening to the coyotes howl regularly through the night, walking and noticing the coyote dung across the street from the house (!), eating, laughing, and relaxing at the Ooh La La Spa, it was time to part ways with Derick and Michelle and let the Flyer take us to Amarillo. 

The weather was perfect for the drive.  When we left Grove at 8:30am it was 38 degrees outside.  At 4:30pm we arrived in Amarillo to a lovely 63 degrees.  They warned us that it gets cold when the sun goes down.  They weren't kidding!  We have to shut off the water so the lines won't freeze overnight.  We are glad to have a furnace that works. 

Nana was more than prepared for the trip.  She brought both food and games.  She had found a fabulous website called MomsMinivan.com where there were lots of printable travel games.  We played bingo, battleship, lines and dots, there was even a scavenger hunt.  Nana had also put journals in the kids' stockings so they could take notes, draw, doodle, or organize all the NCAA football teams according to their conference using team logos (guess who!).

Parker was feeling under the weather today so she sprawled out on the couch and napped much of the drive.   Lincoln enjoyed some of the games Nana brought, but Battleship was a little over his head.  Instead he grabbed the Rebreaksast (or Perplexus as the rest of us call it) and sat in the recliner working on moving the little silver marble around the labyrinth-in-a-ball without dropping it.  I often caught him scolding the marble.  I tend to do the same thing when I play. ;-)

For the most part it was smooth sailing.  There was only one small snafu.  With an hour left of the drive we noticed an unmistakable stench.  Even the driver and passenger could smell it.  Travis did a little investigating while Jim drove.  I guess six days of toilet use without dumping is too much.  The blackwater was at max levels according to the RV's built-in level reader.  (That's the technical term for it...built-in level reader. ;-))  We passengers were concerned that we might go over a big bump or turn a corner too sharply and we'd have to pick up our feet. (Gross.  Sorry.)  Obviously the first thing we did when we got to the Amarillo Ranch RV Park was dump the black and graywater tanks.  We aired the place out and filed away that important piece of information - 6 days of use without dumping is too long. 

Our drive to Amarillo was more than just fun and games.  It was a learning experience.  When we drive from Minnesota to Oklahoma we drive through Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.  We see corn fields, dairy cows, heifers, soy bean fields, and lots of pine and oak trees.  Today's drive was totally different.  We saw wheat.  We saw oil drills.  We saw cotton and lots of giant rectangular cotton bales.  We saw cottonwood trees in place of the pine or oak trees we would see in Minnesota.  The soil was red clay - nothing like ours.  Even the cows looked different. 

We made an attempt to be tourists and stop at the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma.  It was closed so we took a picture by the sign.  We drove by a GIANT cross in Groom, Texas.  I thought it was a church at first.  As I now look it up (www.crossministries.net), I see that it is much more than a 19 story cross.  Might have been worth the stop.  Next time...

We were hoping to have dinner at the Big Texan restaurant.  We were trying to figure out how that would work.  We wanted to set up camp then go to the restaurant.  But we are not towing a spare vehicle.  As Travis reviewed their website he noticed they will pick you up!  In a classic Cadillac limo - with longhorns on the front and a fancy moo-ing horn to honk.  Oh yeah!  Problem solved.  Ha!  Crack me up!  I made sure to put on my cowboy boots.  Calla says she wants a pair of boots, too.  Only she wants cowgirl boots.  She's even more convinced she wants them now that she has the hat!  The meal was fabulous and the experience was even better.

Is it me, or does Taite look a little like Andy from Toy Story?  So cute.  Tomorrow we plan to get up and swim in the indoor pool at the RV park.  Then we'll do some sight seeing and head to Albuquerque.

Hasta Luego!  (Gotta start practicing Spanish now. ;-))