Well we did decide to stay for the rodeo, turns out we are here for the final night, today the top ten will be competing to see who wins. It should be fun for the kids. The three older ones are swimming in an icey cold pool while Judah naps. I am getting ready to get them but thought I would take this moment of silence to update. I can't tell you how I have missed the internet. I love KOA's they are so reliable and we know what we get. I missed the KOA's as we have tried many other kinds of RV parks and they simply do not measure up. Alot of them don't have WIFI and if they do they don't work properly, the laundry rooms can be dirty and not work either. With KOA you just know that everything is kept up and there is a standard in camping and RVing. You know that you will get a clean bathroom, laundry, and playground, internet, pool and sometimes more.
Anyway we took a little drive and by the way you must own a GPS to do this right. Wow the hassle it saves is amazing. We found an airforce base and watched B1 bombers fly in, took pictures of flowers and played on the playground before rough daddy had three kids in tears. So nice mommy promised icecream! We found Wendy's and Walmart, picked up a few supplies and found the arena for the rodeo tonight. There was one lady in the parking lot whose grandson competed but didn't make it to the top ten so she gave us her tickets! We simply stopped to ask her what time the rodeo started. I told the kids you should always try to be friendly with people. If you want to make friends you have to be a friend is our current lesson, that and don't jump on mom. Well I have to get the young en's ready for their first rodeo! New Mexico first thing in the morning.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thorns in Texas
Well we are nearing the end of our journey. We spent a blessed day in Shreveport LA, we were able to visit a butt kicking science center with our AZ membership, it was rated top six in the nation. The kids had a great time, they even got to pet an alligator, then we went to an air force museum for free the next day. I nearly passed out from the heat and was to going to the ER, but I think I was at that point having a panic attack. Gary prayed for me and I felt much better.
Funny story about our first R V park in LA, to put it shortly we ended up in a corn field and the Confederate flag was a flying high. We by the grace of God found another place. I will have to write more on that later. We are getting ready to leave Texas where we currently are. Abilene Texas to be exact. The sky is cloudy and it is our first taste of being back in the desert. I walked outside this AM and I stepped on several thorns. We are not in the lush green south anymore. Bummer. I only have a few minutes to blog. We are heading for New Mexico to spend a few nights in Las Cruses. Then home. Abby is the only one that really wants to return home.
A quick update is that we left Alabama several nights ago, stopped in Vicksburg Mississippi, toured a civil war battle field and then headed to Shreveport, LA had a great time like I said at the museums and headed to Texas, now we are on our way to New Mexico apparently there are a few museums free admission that tell of the history of the atomic bomb. I have to run because we are getting ready to leave and I have to make reservation at the good ol KOA, oh wait the kids just ran up to me and told me that there is a rodeo show tonight and it is only four bucks to get in. The kids are so excited, I guess Gary told them we are going to stay. I should probably go and talk to Gary who was off getting in the shower at the public shower. Apparently there is a cowboy next door to us that is practicing roping and I forgot to mention there is a rodeo college here in Texas where we are staying. I didn't know such things existed. I saw a sign for it that said "Reading Writing and Rodeo" I didn't know that kid was a rodeo guy, this morning I saw his boots sitting outside the cabin he was staying at so I took a picture because I really thought it represented Texas, haha little did I know. :) This blog is choppy as Gary's computer was dropped and the back space button doesn't work. My thoughts are scattered as the kids run all over and dogs keep getting loose. Better run for now, bugs are crawling up my leg and Sweetie just puked.
Funny story about our first R V park in LA, to put it shortly we ended up in a corn field and the Confederate flag was a flying high. We by the grace of God found another place. I will have to write more on that later. We are getting ready to leave Texas where we currently are. Abilene Texas to be exact. The sky is cloudy and it is our first taste of being back in the desert. I walked outside this AM and I stepped on several thorns. We are not in the lush green south anymore. Bummer. I only have a few minutes to blog. We are heading for New Mexico to spend a few nights in Las Cruses. Then home. Abby is the only one that really wants to return home.
A quick update is that we left Alabama several nights ago, stopped in Vicksburg Mississippi, toured a civil war battle field and then headed to Shreveport, LA had a great time like I said at the museums and headed to Texas, now we are on our way to New Mexico apparently there are a few museums free admission that tell of the history of the atomic bomb. I have to run because we are getting ready to leave and I have to make reservation at the good ol KOA, oh wait the kids just ran up to me and told me that there is a rodeo show tonight and it is only four bucks to get in. The kids are so excited, I guess Gary told them we are going to stay. I should probably go and talk to Gary who was off getting in the shower at the public shower. Apparently there is a cowboy next door to us that is practicing roping and I forgot to mention there is a rodeo college here in Texas where we are staying. I didn't know such things existed. I saw a sign for it that said "Reading Writing and Rodeo" I didn't know that kid was a rodeo guy, this morning I saw his boots sitting outside the cabin he was staying at so I took a picture because I really thought it represented Texas, haha little did I know. :) This blog is choppy as Gary's computer was dropped and the back space button doesn't work. My thoughts are scattered as the kids run all over and dogs keep getting loose. Better run for now, bugs are crawling up my leg and Sweetie just puked.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Next Stop Vicksburg Mississippi....
I have truly been stranded without Internet service for some time now. I guess I just assumed that everywhere we went would have Wi Fi. Not. I will have to update with a copy of my journal when I can get to my own computer. Currently I am borrowing my sister in laws.
We spent one night in Montgomery, we said good by to our friends from Singapore, visited a few sites and celebrated Gary's birthday. More on all of this later.
Then we headed for Lake Guntersville State Park, AL where we were camped out for the last 9 days. Last night we stayed our first night in Huntsville AL with family. We are here for two more nights, heading for home Monday morning.
We have had an adventure that is for sure. We plan on taking 10 days or so to get home. Our first stop I think will be in Historic Vicksburg Mississippi, the site of a famous civil war battle. I don't know where we will go next. Time will tell I suppose.
I have so much to write, so much to catch up on. It is 11:14 here right now and I am short on sleep, a reoccurring theme throughout this trip. It is kind of weird sleeping in a house, my kids seem so far away even though they are just a room away. I have enjoyed our visit with family very much but I am also excited about what is next, what new things will we see? Total our trip will be about 26 days. It is to record the longest trip we have been on. I think only coming in second to our trip to South Africa (3 weeks) and maybe tieing with our motorcycle road trip to Maine at 24 days. I am glad our kids are finally at an age where we can do this again. I missed it so much.
Abby is having the hardest time about being away from home. She tells me she misses the big shower and her grandparents. I miss my friends and family too. I don't miss the normal responsibility of life, the pressures and stress but I guess it wouldn't be a vacation if you didn't have any thing to vacation from.
More later, we had a great time in Guntersville and I can't wait to write about it. Tomorrow we will kick off our goodby to Alabama with a trip to the Space and Rocket Center where they do space camp! Off for now, must update facebook...... (me zombie like)
We spent one night in Montgomery, we said good by to our friends from Singapore, visited a few sites and celebrated Gary's birthday. More on all of this later.
Then we headed for Lake Guntersville State Park, AL where we were camped out for the last 9 days. Last night we stayed our first night in Huntsville AL with family. We are here for two more nights, heading for home Monday morning.
We have had an adventure that is for sure. We plan on taking 10 days or so to get home. Our first stop I think will be in Historic Vicksburg Mississippi, the site of a famous civil war battle. I don't know where we will go next. Time will tell I suppose.
I have so much to write, so much to catch up on. It is 11:14 here right now and I am short on sleep, a reoccurring theme throughout this trip. It is kind of weird sleeping in a house, my kids seem so far away even though they are just a room away. I have enjoyed our visit with family very much but I am also excited about what is next, what new things will we see? Total our trip will be about 26 days. It is to record the longest trip we have been on. I think only coming in second to our trip to South Africa (3 weeks) and maybe tieing with our motorcycle road trip to Maine at 24 days. I am glad our kids are finally at an age where we can do this again. I missed it so much.
Abby is having the hardest time about being away from home. She tells me she misses the big shower and her grandparents. I miss my friends and family too. I don't miss the normal responsibility of life, the pressures and stress but I guess it wouldn't be a vacation if you didn't have any thing to vacation from.
More later, we had a great time in Guntersville and I can't wait to write about it. Tomorrow we will kick off our goodby to Alabama with a trip to the Space and Rocket Center where they do space camp! Off for now, must update facebook...... (me zombie like)
Monday, June 1, 2009
so so tired
I cannot begin to tell you how tired I am. I woke up this morning and just couldn't move for the life of me. I felt just plain yucky. Every since Louisianan I have been feeling a little blah. I chalk it up to possible food poison from that sticky adorable Cajun joint. Anyway... We were supposed to meet our dear friends at the US Naval Aviation Museum on base and needless to say we were very late. When we got there they were already having lunch and had seen most of the exhibits, I felt horrible. The day was good though and because they are so flexible and kind we ended up taking a look at most of the exhibits. This is home to the Blue Angels, and tomorrow for Gary's birthday we will go down early to the base and watch them practice. This is really a dream come true for Gary who loves them. I have to admit it is pretty cool.
After we did the museum we headed for the beach, the waves were high today and the kids had a blast surfing on them into shore. I laughed as I watched several little ones totally bite it in the surf. Shirley and I had a great time just talking on the beach under the shade watching from afar. It was a nice break and the two of us have not had a chance to chat without a million interruptions. I am really going to miss our friends but we are already planning on meeting next year, perhaps in Singapore, which sounds absolutely wonderful!
Yesterday I did not blog, but for a quick recap, Melvin and Shirley came by in the AM and the kids jut played and we hung out until dusk when we all took a fishing trip down to the dock. Mason caught several catfish the biggest one being about 18 inches! He also caught a crab which Melvin killed and Shirley cleaned and the boys ate. I have to admire the sportsmanship of killing your own food, I on the other hand am a coward. I eat meat but I couldn't even look at the struggling crab.
I am now going to try to post some pictures, Melvin and Shirley were able to get some of our pictures on Gary's computer. Tomorrow we are going to head out after the Blue Angels to Montgomery and see some of the museums. Then we are meeting Melvin and Shirley up for dinner at a steak house where you can throw peanut shells on the floor. My kids ought to love that!
Our kids have had a great time with their kids, they get a long so well. It is a such a joy to hang out with them. Their oldest is destined to be a pastor, he has been preaching the word of God since the first day of our trip together! I love it.
Okay now for some pictures. Man it is not working, try again tommorrow.
After we did the museum we headed for the beach, the waves were high today and the kids had a blast surfing on them into shore. I laughed as I watched several little ones totally bite it in the surf. Shirley and I had a great time just talking on the beach under the shade watching from afar. It was a nice break and the two of us have not had a chance to chat without a million interruptions. I am really going to miss our friends but we are already planning on meeting next year, perhaps in Singapore, which sounds absolutely wonderful!
Yesterday I did not blog, but for a quick recap, Melvin and Shirley came by in the AM and the kids jut played and we hung out until dusk when we all took a fishing trip down to the dock. Mason caught several catfish the biggest one being about 18 inches! He also caught a crab which Melvin killed and Shirley cleaned and the boys ate. I have to admire the sportsmanship of killing your own food, I on the other hand am a coward. I eat meat but I couldn't even look at the struggling crab.
I am now going to try to post some pictures, Melvin and Shirley were able to get some of our pictures on Gary's computer. Tomorrow we are going to head out after the Blue Angels to Montgomery and see some of the museums. Then we are meeting Melvin and Shirley up for dinner at a steak house where you can throw peanut shells on the floor. My kids ought to love that!
Our kids have had a great time with their kids, they get a long so well. It is a such a joy to hang out with them. Their oldest is destined to be a pastor, he has been preaching the word of God since the first day of our trip together! I love it.
Okay now for some pictures. Man it is not working, try again tommorrow.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
White Sandy Beaches
Today we met our good friends on a private beach in Pensacola Florida. It was spectacular to say the least. Hardly no body there and the water was clear enough to see fish swimming by. The kids played for hours in the sand and in the waves. The water was nice enough I even did some ocean swimming for a little work out. I got a lot of saltwater in my ears and tonight Judah explained why he had to pee so much is that he swallowed too much ocean! After the beach we packed up and headed back to the camp. Melvin and Shirley picked up more shrimp and we had the best dinner ever under the stars. I took the kids to the KOA icecream social, 2 dollars for all you can eat icecream. Needless to say they really took advantage of that. The kids road their bikes, watched a movie and played trucks and Lego's for hours. Instead of the beach again tomorrow we are going to hang out here and try the fishing thing again. Then we will let the kids play for a bit then maybe go have lunch out and then perhaps go to the Naval Air Museum, then have a cook out here. Steak this time, although I am really enjoying the shrimp it is the best I have ever had I am too close to the water and seeing those fish on the line yesterday made me feel bad. The mosquito bites on my leg have become infected. Being in the ocean kind of helped but I was at the point of looking for a doctor today, we will see how it is tomorrow. I am really sick of the bugs here, I found a flying roach, some kind of beetle, several moths and a few mosquito's in the trailer tonight, although we are careful with the door it seems they sneak in regardless. shiver. After all of this I cannot look at mosquitos the same. They are the enemy and I hate them. I will seek and destroy. No mercy.
Friday, May 29, 2009
I will make you fishers of men....
We had a wonderful day. Melvin and Shirley came by and we had a fantastic time catching up. It was so good to see them and the kids. I am very sad that they will be going back to Singapore in a few weeks but I know I will see them again and we will, like always pick up where we left off.
I love Alabama. The pace is slow, the farms out here are fresh and there is just wide open spaces, green trees and grass. People are friendly and today I realized how truly Southern I am. I see where I get the gift of gab, I see how I fit in. It is like I found my people.
We stopped by a few farm markets and bought, watermelon, onions, eggplant and a plethora of other vegetables. Picked straight and set up on carts, dirt still clodded on them. I asked if they were organic and he laughed at me. He said they have copperhead rattlesnakes, not that I know how that relates to spraying your farm with chemicals, but .... he said he had one that was six feet long. He apparently eats them. He told us if he caught one tomorrow when he went to get the corn he would put it on ice for us to grill. I am down with that.
We stopped by one little market, I nearly cried. Three little old men chomping on peaches and chewing the fat. They gathered next to a pick up truck with a home made trailer filled with fruit. The trailer was the back end of an old truck, it was covered with an awning made of sticks and tarp and in the middle was flown an American flag. The flag waved faithfully in the breeze, tattered at the ends, but still in the middle of that little shade awning and above those three old men in overalls it looked glorious. We bought a watermelon from them and sampled a few nectarines, I giggled as I watched him clumsily put the fruit into a Walmart plastic bag. Just can't get away from Walmart, even in the very fringe of the United States.
My trailer envy has turned into full blown motor home desire. Of course that would not happen anytime soon but a girl can dream. We stopped by camping world and I made the grave mistake of looking at trailers. Let me tell you, the difference between our trailer and the ones I looked at were night and day. They were huge!! one even had a separate rooms the room in the back had four beds!!! Someday....
For dinner we had fresh shrimp that tasted like lobster, we apparently liked it as much as the fish did today. Gary had the great idea of using it as bait for our first real fishing trip down to the dock. I have pictures of all of this but ... I will post them later. We took Melvin and Shirley and their two kids down to the dock and cast our lines over. I prayed that this would be a great fishing trip for the kids and Jesus ordered all the animals he could certainly arrange my kids to catch a fish. Ethan was the first to catch a fish and he did it within 3 minutes. Next came Mason a cat fish, then Nicole.a pin fish, Abby was struggling with her little line. I held her tight and prayed that she would catch a big one! Gary interrupted but Abby was taking this prayer very seriously and told dad to wait. Then when I was done she hopped over to dad and grabbed the pole. A few minutes later she reeled in a catfish that was about 8 inches! The biggest catch of the day, prior to her casting her line and hooking me on the back of the leg! Her faith was so big and her fish was big too. She really did pray believing, not doubting. Later she told me, "Wow mom God really does control the animals!" Next Judah caught a fish then Nettie. That was it. No more, once everyone had a turn they stopped biting. We caught 6 fish within 30 minutes. It was and experience that I don't think they will soon forget. God wants to use our kids, he is sending a message that he does intend on making them fishers of men. Gary was shocked I was shocked, we laughed and had a good time. There were several other people on the Pier fishing but not a single fish was brought in but from our little kids with the least experience and a bat man pole.
It is time to sleep, our trailer is still crooked which means I can't use the hot water as it has something to do with the propane I don't know. It feels like there are crumbs in my bed and I am sticky and itching like the dickens. I rubbed banana on my leg like my mom said but I haven't felt relief just yet.
Mason is my boy. He found an injured toad and really tried to take care of it. Finally he let it go, I think Judah had run over it with his bike. He decided to write a note and leave it next to Mr. Toad. The note was a song that went like this
Mr Toad Mr Toad, how are you
Mr. Toad Mr. Toad I love you
We prayed for that little toad.
He also was a big helper and really impressed me. He went to his daddy and asked him what it was he could do to help. I can tell he really wanted to hang out with the guys tonight. It was so cute. I also was walking in the sand next to our trailer and in the sand someone wrote, I love my mom. It was Mason. What a sweet kid.
All for now. We are getting ready for the beach tomorrow. It should be fun. We will meet Melvin and Shirley there in the morning, maybe with fresh grilled rattler. :)
I need to add for Judah how I am seeing him become a little man, a guardian like his namesake. He woke up straight out of his sleep the other night and was walking out the front door. When asked he said, half asleep, that he was looking for Abby. She was right there but he is so protective of her. Also on the pier I found him hanging onto Mason and Abby's shirts from behind. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didn't want them to fall in. We were on the playground I took off my shoes and in the middle of swinging he asked me to put them back on so bugs wouldn't bite my feet anymore. He is such a sweet boy.
I love Alabama. The pace is slow, the farms out here are fresh and there is just wide open spaces, green trees and grass. People are friendly and today I realized how truly Southern I am. I see where I get the gift of gab, I see how I fit in. It is like I found my people.
We stopped by a few farm markets and bought, watermelon, onions, eggplant and a plethora of other vegetables. Picked straight and set up on carts, dirt still clodded on them. I asked if they were organic and he laughed at me. He said they have copperhead rattlesnakes, not that I know how that relates to spraying your farm with chemicals, but .... he said he had one that was six feet long. He apparently eats them. He told us if he caught one tomorrow when he went to get the corn he would put it on ice for us to grill. I am down with that.
We stopped by one little market, I nearly cried. Three little old men chomping on peaches and chewing the fat. They gathered next to a pick up truck with a home made trailer filled with fruit. The trailer was the back end of an old truck, it was covered with an awning made of sticks and tarp and in the middle was flown an American flag. The flag waved faithfully in the breeze, tattered at the ends, but still in the middle of that little shade awning and above those three old men in overalls it looked glorious. We bought a watermelon from them and sampled a few nectarines, I giggled as I watched him clumsily put the fruit into a Walmart plastic bag. Just can't get away from Walmart, even in the very fringe of the United States.
My trailer envy has turned into full blown motor home desire. Of course that would not happen anytime soon but a girl can dream. We stopped by camping world and I made the grave mistake of looking at trailers. Let me tell you, the difference between our trailer and the ones I looked at were night and day. They were huge!! one even had a separate rooms the room in the back had four beds!!! Someday....
For dinner we had fresh shrimp that tasted like lobster, we apparently liked it as much as the fish did today. Gary had the great idea of using it as bait for our first real fishing trip down to the dock. I have pictures of all of this but ... I will post them later. We took Melvin and Shirley and their two kids down to the dock and cast our lines over. I prayed that this would be a great fishing trip for the kids and Jesus ordered all the animals he could certainly arrange my kids to catch a fish. Ethan was the first to catch a fish and he did it within 3 minutes. Next came Mason a cat fish, then Nicole.a pin fish, Abby was struggling with her little line. I held her tight and prayed that she would catch a big one! Gary interrupted but Abby was taking this prayer very seriously and told dad to wait. Then when I was done she hopped over to dad and grabbed the pole. A few minutes later she reeled in a catfish that was about 8 inches! The biggest catch of the day, prior to her casting her line and hooking me on the back of the leg! Her faith was so big and her fish was big too. She really did pray believing, not doubting. Later she told me, "Wow mom God really does control the animals!" Next Judah caught a fish then Nettie. That was it. No more, once everyone had a turn they stopped biting. We caught 6 fish within 30 minutes. It was and experience that I don't think they will soon forget. God wants to use our kids, he is sending a message that he does intend on making them fishers of men. Gary was shocked I was shocked, we laughed and had a good time. There were several other people on the Pier fishing but not a single fish was brought in but from our little kids with the least experience and a bat man pole.
It is time to sleep, our trailer is still crooked which means I can't use the hot water as it has something to do with the propane I don't know. It feels like there are crumbs in my bed and I am sticky and itching like the dickens. I rubbed banana on my leg like my mom said but I haven't felt relief just yet.
Mason is my boy. He found an injured toad and really tried to take care of it. Finally he let it go, I think Judah had run over it with his bike. He decided to write a note and leave it next to Mr. Toad. The note was a song that went like this
Mr Toad Mr Toad, how are you
Mr. Toad Mr. Toad I love you
We prayed for that little toad.
He also was a big helper and really impressed me. He went to his daddy and asked him what it was he could do to help. I can tell he really wanted to hang out with the guys tonight. It was so cute. I also was walking in the sand next to our trailer and in the sand someone wrote, I love my mom. It was Mason. What a sweet kid.
All for now. We are getting ready for the beach tomorrow. It should be fun. We will meet Melvin and Shirley there in the morning, maybe with fresh grilled rattler. :)
I need to add for Judah how I am seeing him become a little man, a guardian like his namesake. He woke up straight out of his sleep the other night and was walking out the front door. When asked he said, half asleep, that he was looking for Abby. She was right there but he is so protective of her. Also on the pier I found him hanging onto Mason and Abby's shirts from behind. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didn't want them to fall in. We were on the playground I took off my shoes and in the middle of swinging he asked me to put them back on so bugs wouldn't bite my feet anymore. He is such a sweet boy.
MMMm bacon flavored bath towels
Melt downs.
I had my first today. This morning actually. The thought did pass through my mind "Why in the world did we do this?" We drove all this way to fight heat, humidity and bugs. My legs and hands and feet are currently on fire. The pain started last night, my legs burned and itched as new bumps seemed to appear from no where. Then it happened, Sweetie the chihuahua pe peed on Gary. I forgot to walk her. ooops. So Gary tossed and turned and was rightfully very angry. As I mentioned before Gary has a thing for certain blankets and their comfort so when our second best blanket was urinated on by the 3 pound canine, he was livid. The trailer bed is wobbly and everytime he moved with the new scratchy blanket, I felt as though I was being rocked by giant waves. Needless to say I did, we, didn't sleep too much.
Our trailer and camps site is leaning to the right so everything tips, including me, our food the plates, you know. I tried to make a great breakfast but Judah had a complete melt down and the trailer felt way too small. Mason spilled three cups of milk, flys invaded upon the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon, and there is the constant fight with the sand. Ants the size of Texas were unwelcome intruders, and although I hate to use poison, we sprayed the area. I know the neighbors, some nice folks from Alabama thought I was a loon as I spit and cursed the ground. Well not really but I might as well. I said I didn't like this place and I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. I yelled at the kids, I yelled at the dogs and I yelled at Gary. Not really showing God's love. It is always embarrassing to then meet the people next to you and wander what they must think of you. The good thing is that it is always temporary.
I got my groove on and now things are better. The kids have been riding bikes, finding toads and playing in the mud for hours. Gary just set up a game for them to do outside and I took a shower in the KOA public showers. It was a full size shower, nice and hot, and the water didn't run out after 5 minutes. Yessss, it is the small things. My legs are still on fire, but the good news is that there isn't a lot of West Nile Virus here. I had horrible dreams of tornado's and tsunamis and our little trailer being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. Abby woke with night mares of germs and getting sick. Poor baby. She also woke with a stuffy nose.
As I prayed in the shower, the steam and God cleansing my very soul, I found my peace again. I am home as long as I have my little home with me. Every camp ground we pull up too seems unfamiliar, I worry about it's safety and where my kids will run and ride and how I will watch them. There is a lonely feeling that comes over me at first, then we set up our little trailer and I know I am home. Day light comes and I see that we are surrounded by friendlies and the danger I imagined is not so bad. The kids find things to do, they make up games and mostly follow the rules. We loose them every once and while but they seem to come back. I am trying to let go of the fear, and I realize I am riddled to the core with fear. I don't want to put that on my kids.
I dried off, thinking Gary was right that this shower was nice and worth the effort. I pulled my towel from the little hook and tried my best to dry off (humidity) and when I dried my face all I could smell was bacon. Now I know why all these years I have watched campers cook their bacon outside. The smell is thick and will soak into everything. So I smiled as I am learning and decided that smelling like bacon was better than how I smelled before. It's all good.
I had my first today. This morning actually. The thought did pass through my mind "Why in the world did we do this?" We drove all this way to fight heat, humidity and bugs. My legs and hands and feet are currently on fire. The pain started last night, my legs burned and itched as new bumps seemed to appear from no where. Then it happened, Sweetie the chihuahua pe peed on Gary. I forgot to walk her. ooops. So Gary tossed and turned and was rightfully very angry. As I mentioned before Gary has a thing for certain blankets and their comfort so when our second best blanket was urinated on by the 3 pound canine, he was livid. The trailer bed is wobbly and everytime he moved with the new scratchy blanket, I felt as though I was being rocked by giant waves. Needless to say I did, we, didn't sleep too much.
Our trailer and camps site is leaning to the right so everything tips, including me, our food the plates, you know. I tried to make a great breakfast but Judah had a complete melt down and the trailer felt way too small. Mason spilled three cups of milk, flys invaded upon the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon, and there is the constant fight with the sand. Ants the size of Texas were unwelcome intruders, and although I hate to use poison, we sprayed the area. I know the neighbors, some nice folks from Alabama thought I was a loon as I spit and cursed the ground. Well not really but I might as well. I said I didn't like this place and I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. I yelled at the kids, I yelled at the dogs and I yelled at Gary. Not really showing God's love. It is always embarrassing to then meet the people next to you and wander what they must think of you. The good thing is that it is always temporary.
I got my groove on and now things are better. The kids have been riding bikes, finding toads and playing in the mud for hours. Gary just set up a game for them to do outside and I took a shower in the KOA public showers. It was a full size shower, nice and hot, and the water didn't run out after 5 minutes. Yessss, it is the small things. My legs are still on fire, but the good news is that there isn't a lot of West Nile Virus here. I had horrible dreams of tornado's and tsunamis and our little trailer being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. Abby woke with night mares of germs and getting sick. Poor baby. She also woke with a stuffy nose.
As I prayed in the shower, the steam and God cleansing my very soul, I found my peace again. I am home as long as I have my little home with me. Every camp ground we pull up too seems unfamiliar, I worry about it's safety and where my kids will run and ride and how I will watch them. There is a lonely feeling that comes over me at first, then we set up our little trailer and I know I am home. Day light comes and I see that we are surrounded by friendlies and the danger I imagined is not so bad. The kids find things to do, they make up games and mostly follow the rules. We loose them every once and while but they seem to come back. I am trying to let go of the fear, and I realize I am riddled to the core with fear. I don't want to put that on my kids.
I dried off, thinking Gary was right that this shower was nice and worth the effort. I pulled my towel from the little hook and tried my best to dry off (humidity) and when I dried my face all I could smell was bacon. Now I know why all these years I have watched campers cook their bacon outside. The smell is thick and will soak into everything. So I smiled as I am learning and decided that smelling like bacon was better than how I smelled before. It's all good.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sweet temporary home Alambama, where the humidy is likely to make you crazy....
Word of the day: Nettie " Look Abby we are in wa hi ee." (Hawaii)
Road kill sighting: one armadillo, one dog and one cat.
We have arrived, in one piece with all four kids and both dogs! Praise the Lord join me in the Happy Dance, Steph come on now....
The morning started as the brochure promised, coffee by the lake in Louisiana. I thoroughly enjoyed this even though it is not what you would imagine. Instead of sitting down as the sun came up, steaming cup of jo in hand, I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to tear down the trailer so we could make the gator tour on time. It was nice regardless.
We arrived at some lake I would not dare to spell, Awawatchhhhaaaa something and met Mr. Brian our chief guide. It was our family of six and seven other adults. Oddly enough we later found out the older couple on the boat were also desert dwellers not to far from us and they were grandparents to Ethiopian children. It truly is a small world. Anyway.... The swamp, bayou, lake was magical. It was so much of what you see on the movies. Cypress trees 500 years old, dripping with Spanish moss, Lilly pads floating with giant flowers that were to beautiful to be real. It was truly a forest under water. Apparently a swamp is a flooded forest that dries up, a bayou is a water way that has water flowing through it. We started on a lake then coasted for over two hours in between the two of these. We saw birds sunning, frogs, lizards, turtles and,...... yes we saw a few gators!! I realize my fear of the alligators jumping up onto the boat and attacking one of my kids was completely unfounded. I will however yell at my mom for letting me watch too many of those 1970 B movies that show insects and reptiles gone mad attacking innocent campers. We found a 12 foot alligator and she or he stared at us for some time, she let us watch her just a few feet away as she watched us then she disappeared beneath the green bayou. I have to admit the thought of those creatures swimming around under us did creep me a bit but I had my revenge later on ..... I ate one. Haaaa HHaaaa!! take that giant lizard, I am at the top of the food chain!!
Our guide Mr. Brian was a kind man, his cell phone never stopped ringing and he never hesitated to answer it. So here we are in the middle of what I consider no where and here is this this rock out ring tone and Brian conducting business on the bayou. It was a bit surreal if not annoying. The kids did well but after a few hours in the sun they were toast. When we pulled into the dock they were ready to get back on dry land. Nettie didn't really enjoy herself, she is never going to be accused of being a nature freak that is for sure, but I am working on her. As we pulled into port I overheard Mr. Brian talking with a few other passengers about how wonderful my children are. (Okay this is where I will brag shamelessly, skip if you must) I was pleased of course about this because in the beginning I had my doubts. Judah always surprises me though and for that I am thankful. Then the older couple from AZ came up to Gary and I and told us that when they saw us coming he thought to himself "OH crap" but he said our kids were amazing! He went on for several minutes gushing over them. I was especially pleased when Gary said, it is their mother that puts so much work into them! how nice. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the compliments because my darling children had run back to the trailer and were playing with poisionous frogs. Before we set off again we decided to let Abby and Judah take thier bikes for a spin down the dirt road into the forest, one side a swamp and the other side, to be honest I don't know. Gary told them to ride off and when he whistled to just come back. Well off they go, and go and go. Gary whistles, Judah at some point stops, but Abby just keeps on peddling until she is nothing more than a speck on dirt road dissapearing into the green curtain of forest. I went into full panik mode as Gary and I both screamed at her to stop, she just kept going. Gary ran over to Judah grabbed his tiny red bike and peddaled down the dirt road standing up, while I nearly passed out from adrenline rush I just had to turn around and not look. Logically I knew she was okay but in my mind I was loosing it. But before I turned around to not look I do remember yelling something at Gary that went like this "GO AND GET HER NOW, YOU CAN'T LET OUR DAUGHTER RIDE DOWN SOME BACK WOOD COUNTRY LOUISANNA DIRT ROAD, WHAT WERE YOU THININKING??" I felt bad later as some fisher men, local men, heard me screaming. They probably thought I was nuts. I was. Later Gary claimed he had everything in control and it was no biggie. Dads.
After this very cool experience we found a small, dirty authentic Cajun food restaurant. Mason and I really wanted to try some gator and possibly snapping turtle. We had a blast, Nettie drank hot sauce straight from a cup and though it burned her mouth she continued to do so. The floors were so sticky that my shoes nearly came off anytime I had to get up, the tables were equally sticky and I just prayed that all that hot Cajun food killed the germs. As we ate I tried not to picture the greasy man swatting flies outside the kitchen in the back of the joint. The food was all fried, and I ordered a sampler. I tried most of all Louisiana had to offer, craw dads, gator, jambalaya, catfish, sweet potato fries and a bunch of other stuff I didn't know what it was. It didn't matter it kind of all looked the same, battered and fried. I am looking forward to some Alabama bar b Que now.
We then made our way through Louisiana and I was able to see New Orleans, even from the car you could still see the scars of the flood several years ago, and the Dome seemed to be etched into my memory courtesy of CNN so seeing it the first time in person was weird. Finally after a long car ride through Mississippi we landed in Alabama. The kids were so excited as were Gary and I. We got to the Gulf Shores KOA after 8:00 PM so it was dark and the bugs were in full force to welcome us. My first impression was. WE are very far out in the country, where in the world is the water? Supposedly it is only a few minutes away. We will see when it is light. Our little trailer is tipping currently and that is priority number one for Gary tomorrow. We are parked on a very sandy patch, no concrete just pure sand. We are hooked up at the site at the bottom of a slight hill so all the water runs our way. Oh lucky me with four kids and two dogs. God knows I have a sand aversion so this will test my soul. The humidity is horrible, thick as peas soup but it is something different and for that I am thankful.
Well this is home for four nights. I think we will really have fun. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the dock and see if we can spot some dolphins. I will take the kids swimming while we wait for our good friends to arrive and then we hit the white sandy beaches!!
Road kill sighting: one armadillo, one dog and one cat.
We have arrived, in one piece with all four kids and both dogs! Praise the Lord join me in the Happy Dance, Steph come on now....
The morning started as the brochure promised, coffee by the lake in Louisiana. I thoroughly enjoyed this even though it is not what you would imagine. Instead of sitting down as the sun came up, steaming cup of jo in hand, I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to tear down the trailer so we could make the gator tour on time. It was nice regardless.
We arrived at some lake I would not dare to spell, Awawatchhhhaaaa something and met Mr. Brian our chief guide. It was our family of six and seven other adults. Oddly enough we later found out the older couple on the boat were also desert dwellers not to far from us and they were grandparents to Ethiopian children. It truly is a small world. Anyway.... The swamp, bayou, lake was magical. It was so much of what you see on the movies. Cypress trees 500 years old, dripping with Spanish moss, Lilly pads floating with giant flowers that were to beautiful to be real. It was truly a forest under water. Apparently a swamp is a flooded forest that dries up, a bayou is a water way that has water flowing through it. We started on a lake then coasted for over two hours in between the two of these. We saw birds sunning, frogs, lizards, turtles and,...... yes we saw a few gators!! I realize my fear of the alligators jumping up onto the boat and attacking one of my kids was completely unfounded. I will however yell at my mom for letting me watch too many of those 1970 B movies that show insects and reptiles gone mad attacking innocent campers. We found a 12 foot alligator and she or he stared at us for some time, she let us watch her just a few feet away as she watched us then she disappeared beneath the green bayou. I have to admit the thought of those creatures swimming around under us did creep me a bit but I had my revenge later on ..... I ate one. Haaaa HHaaaa!! take that giant lizard, I am at the top of the food chain!!
Our guide Mr. Brian was a kind man, his cell phone never stopped ringing and he never hesitated to answer it. So here we are in the middle of what I consider no where and here is this this rock out ring tone and Brian conducting business on the bayou. It was a bit surreal if not annoying. The kids did well but after a few hours in the sun they were toast. When we pulled into the dock they were ready to get back on dry land. Nettie didn't really enjoy herself, she is never going to be accused of being a nature freak that is for sure, but I am working on her. As we pulled into port I overheard Mr. Brian talking with a few other passengers about how wonderful my children are. (Okay this is where I will brag shamelessly, skip if you must) I was pleased of course about this because in the beginning I had my doubts. Judah always surprises me though and for that I am thankful. Then the older couple from AZ came up to Gary and I and told us that when they saw us coming he thought to himself "OH crap" but he said our kids were amazing! He went on for several minutes gushing over them. I was especially pleased when Gary said, it is their mother that puts so much work into them! how nice. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the compliments because my darling children had run back to the trailer and were playing with poisionous frogs. Before we set off again we decided to let Abby and Judah take thier bikes for a spin down the dirt road into the forest, one side a swamp and the other side, to be honest I don't know. Gary told them to ride off and when he whistled to just come back. Well off they go, and go and go. Gary whistles, Judah at some point stops, but Abby just keeps on peddling until she is nothing more than a speck on dirt road dissapearing into the green curtain of forest. I went into full panik mode as Gary and I both screamed at her to stop, she just kept going. Gary ran over to Judah grabbed his tiny red bike and peddaled down the dirt road standing up, while I nearly passed out from adrenline rush I just had to turn around and not look. Logically I knew she was okay but in my mind I was loosing it. But before I turned around to not look I do remember yelling something at Gary that went like this "GO AND GET HER NOW, YOU CAN'T LET OUR DAUGHTER RIDE DOWN SOME BACK WOOD COUNTRY LOUISANNA DIRT ROAD, WHAT WERE YOU THININKING??" I felt bad later as some fisher men, local men, heard me screaming. They probably thought I was nuts. I was. Later Gary claimed he had everything in control and it was no biggie. Dads.
After this very cool experience we found a small, dirty authentic Cajun food restaurant. Mason and I really wanted to try some gator and possibly snapping turtle. We had a blast, Nettie drank hot sauce straight from a cup and though it burned her mouth she continued to do so. The floors were so sticky that my shoes nearly came off anytime I had to get up, the tables were equally sticky and I just prayed that all that hot Cajun food killed the germs. As we ate I tried not to picture the greasy man swatting flies outside the kitchen in the back of the joint. The food was all fried, and I ordered a sampler. I tried most of all Louisiana had to offer, craw dads, gator, jambalaya, catfish, sweet potato fries and a bunch of other stuff I didn't know what it was. It didn't matter it kind of all looked the same, battered and fried. I am looking forward to some Alabama bar b Que now.
We then made our way through Louisiana and I was able to see New Orleans, even from the car you could still see the scars of the flood several years ago, and the Dome seemed to be etched into my memory courtesy of CNN so seeing it the first time in person was weird. Finally after a long car ride through Mississippi we landed in Alabama. The kids were so excited as were Gary and I. We got to the Gulf Shores KOA after 8:00 PM so it was dark and the bugs were in full force to welcome us. My first impression was. WE are very far out in the country, where in the world is the water? Supposedly it is only a few minutes away. We will see when it is light. Our little trailer is tipping currently and that is priority number one for Gary tomorrow. We are parked on a very sandy patch, no concrete just pure sand. We are hooked up at the site at the bottom of a slight hill so all the water runs our way. Oh lucky me with four kids and two dogs. God knows I have a sand aversion so this will test my soul. The humidity is horrible, thick as peas soup but it is something different and for that I am thankful.
Well this is home for four nights. I think we will really have fun. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the dock and see if we can spot some dolphins. I will take the kids swimming while we wait for our good friends to arrive and then we hit the white sandy beaches!!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Frozen Gumbo and Marshmellow Eating Gators
We pushed on about four hundred miles after getting a late start in San Antonio. We arrived in Louisiana just before 7 pm. Plugged in the trailer and broke out fishing poles. Currently Gary and I are sitting on our fold out chairs about 20 feet from a 10 acre lake, the locals (being an eleven year old boy named Logan) say have gators swimming around in it. According to Logan they like to eat marshmallows and cantaloupe rinds. We met Logan and his sister Amber as we set off to fish, or at least show the kids how to fish. Logan helped them with worms and even caught a baby bass. I turned away as he yanked the hook from it's belly. However it did not detour my children who were fascinated by this little local boy. Mason especially was drawn to him and his colorful life. Apparently Logan's dad is seven foot tall, Logan's friend had his whole nipple bit off by an alligator and Logan himself wrestled without personal injury, a water moccasin. Logana also caught a shark killed a bob cat and traveled to London and was mostly Cuban. He said he wanted to be a scientist but he was not smart enough and his travel trailer was repossessed. He was a sweet little boy with about a dozen other tall tales. He followed me and Gary around anxious to tell us all of them, he even invited himself into our trailer and left us with his favorite recipe, fire eggs, cinnamon toast, sausage and syrup. His accent was enduring and he was very polite, calling us Mr. Gary and Miss Kim. He stuck around and roasted marshmallows with us and had some cantaloupe. He was not with his mom or dad at this KOA, I found out he lived just 15 minutes away and was here with a young man who he said was like a brother to him. I think these mild exagerations to put it nicely are a cultural thing. My mom being born in Arkansa has told some pretty big stories too, I alwasy believed them but now I question, did my aunt Rosie really get chased by a black panther? mmmmmmm
The air is muggy, my legs are an all you can eat buffet for these blasted mosquito's. Next to me is a lake and it is buzzing, little frogs, ducks and night birds gather and as I look out across the glassy black water I do wander if perhaps there are alligators in there. I am excited or as Nettie says "So Scited" as we are going on a swamp boat tour tomorrow. For two hours we will be in the deep swamps, where most swamp boats can't go. We will be with a local who will show us gators, how he collects their eggs and how to duck hunt. I wander how Judah and Nettie will behave for two hours while we watch birds and edge our way along waters that in some places are just two inches deep.
Mason is very excited and he is on vacation ready to live this time to the fullest, his plans for tomorrow are as told.
"I want to wake up, play some miniature golf, do some fishing and then hit that swamp boat tour." The child has little concept of time right now, or ever for that matter. Oh to be young and free of time constraints.
The other night he told that he would never take drugs or do awanna. (Mary Jane), Gary and I laughed so hard.
This morning we woke up to a grand Texas thunderstorm, it rocked out little trailer and questioned Gary of our safety, but apparently everything is just big in Texas and we were just fine.
We really have had a great trip. I have been keeping track of road kill for the last few days as I have found it easier to find than live animals. Thus far I have seen about 5 coyotes, 15 armadillos, 2 possums, 3 turkey vultures, 1 owl, and 5 skunks. I am looking forward to seeing some live animals tomorrow in Americas wetlands. This swamp tour has been featured on Discovery channel and in magazines. It is the real deal and we are hoping to see a Pilated Woodpecker. Gary and I have wanted to see one of those since we were in Bar Harbor Main but never got the chance. This swamp tour boast that their viewers will see gators up to 18 feet long! almost as big as the boat. Just had a moment of hesitation. Shake it off. Gators don't attack boats do they? I will google that one after this. This is the website of the tour we will be going on. http://www.champagnesswampstours.com/
The air is muggy, my legs are an all you can eat buffet for these blasted mosquito's. Next to me is a lake and it is buzzing, little frogs, ducks and night birds gather and as I look out across the glassy black water I do wander if perhaps there are alligators in there. I am excited or as Nettie says "So Scited" as we are going on a swamp boat tour tomorrow. For two hours we will be in the deep swamps, where most swamp boats can't go. We will be with a local who will show us gators, how he collects their eggs and how to duck hunt. I wander how Judah and Nettie will behave for two hours while we watch birds and edge our way along waters that in some places are just two inches deep.
Mason is very excited and he is on vacation ready to live this time to the fullest, his plans for tomorrow are as told.
"I want to wake up, play some miniature golf, do some fishing and then hit that swamp boat tour." The child has little concept of time right now, or ever for that matter. Oh to be young and free of time constraints.
The other night he told that he would never take drugs or do awanna. (Mary Jane), Gary and I laughed so hard.
This morning we woke up to a grand Texas thunderstorm, it rocked out little trailer and questioned Gary of our safety, but apparently everything is just big in Texas and we were just fine.
We really have had a great trip. I have been keeping track of road kill for the last few days as I have found it easier to find than live animals. Thus far I have seen about 5 coyotes, 15 armadillos, 2 possums, 3 turkey vultures, 1 owl, and 5 skunks. I am looking forward to seeing some live animals tomorrow in Americas wetlands. This swamp tour has been featured on Discovery channel and in magazines. It is the real deal and we are hoping to see a Pilated Woodpecker. Gary and I have wanted to see one of those since we were in Bar Harbor Main but never got the chance. This swamp tour boast that their viewers will see gators up to 18 feet long! almost as big as the boat. Just had a moment of hesitation. Shake it off. Gators don't attack boats do they? I will google that one after this. This is the website of the tour we will be going on. http://www.champagnesswampstours.com/
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
barely keeping my eyes open
All kids have been thoroughly rinsed and put to bed, one out of four brushed their teeth, which is not bad considering......at least I got to brush my teeth. I realized I also forgot our shampoo and conditioner and so for the moment we will all be using the curly headed stuff of Nettie and Judah. My eyes are on fire, my nose is feeling itchy and I am hoping that this is not a cold. Nettie is sneezing and has a watery nose and Judah has been sneezing for some time now. I have to admit as I said in the last post just an hour ago, this trailer is a mess! tooth paste in the sink, wet towels, and possible dog vomit on the bed, ahhh just like home. I am having serious trailer envy right now. We are surrounded by the big hitters, the coaches and fifth wheels that are so huge and luxurious they are hauled by big rigs. As I walk by them trying to imagine how it must be to own one of those, my mouth waters over the slide outs that takes them from being a home on wheels to a mansion on wheels in my opinion. Just a few days into this trip and I think I would prefer a motor home. Gary and I have debated on this for years, we have researched every option from tents to pop ups and fifth wheels. For now this suites us, but I am not sure for how long. As the kids get bigger we will run out of room. Taking long distance trips I think a motor home is the best way to go. I could actually work out while we drove! I am finding fitness is hard to do on the road. Sitting for endless hours, snacking even with the best intentions I am sure I was not created to eat that many nuts!! I haven't been monitoring my blood sugar, I missed my thyroid pill. I am off kilter right now and as organized has I thought I was I still cannot manage to find the things I need or keep track of where everything is or needs to be. I think this will be a good learning experience for the whole family, including the dogs! Okay off to bed. Tomorrow we will try for Baton Rouge, 400 miles.
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