A week with Nini & Papaw

August was slapped full of trips and fun! After my backpacking trip, I headed to Louisiana to pick up the boys from Nini & Papaw's. The boys were happy to see me, but I knew they had a great time while they were there. They had lots of stories to tell me about their new friend Jayden, feeding the donkeys, getting their first wasp stings, visiting the fire station, etc.

Knowing that the boys were in good hands and had lots of fun things to do, made it a lot easier for me to relax and enjoy my time in Yellowstone. I didn't have to worry a bit about them. Thanks Margaret and Alfred for taking such good care of them!

Nini & Papaw's

Darius' days off from the restaurant matched up with his days off from Delta last week, so he was finally able to use his flight benefits. We headed to Louisiana for a couple of days and enjoyed a nice visit with Margaret and Alfred. It was good to see Alfred getting around a little better than the last time the boys and I visited.

We had a little bit of time to spend with one of Darius' friends, John, and met up with him at his sister, Karen's, home where the boys got in some fun pool time. It just happened that his sister had a couple of boys that were older and had recently cleaned out a bunch of their old toys to donate. Karen and her husband, Steve, loaded the boys up with Legos, books, and stuffed animals. They were thrilled to say the least.

Margaret treated us to Johnny's pizza one night (the best pizza ever!) and made her awesome spaghetti sauce for us another night and sent us home with a big bag of the leftover sauce. She is also super sweet to have all the boys' favorites on hand when we come for a visit.

Instead of flying home, we were blessed to be able to drive back to Florida in a car that Margaret gave us a very good deal on! To be able to have a second vehicle now is huge. The past few months have been a challenge since Darius started working a second job. The boys and I have been limited in getting out, so to now have the freedom to get out (even for just simple errands) is a really big deal for us. Margaret, thank you again a billion times over for your generosity! You've lifted a big weight off our shoulders and we appreciate it so very much!

Trip to Louisiana & Arkansas

The boys and I had a short stay at home with Darius before we headed off on another trip last week. On Wednesday, the boys and I flew to Monroe, LA where we had plans to drive with Margaret and Alfred to a couple of family reunions on Darius' side of the family. This would be my first time meeting any of his family aside from his mom, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was feeling apprehensive about it especially since Darius wouldn't be with us.

After arriving we had a day and a half to spend in Monroe before heading out for the reunions. We took a drive to Alfred's home one afternoon to visit his neighbor's donkeys, two of which are little new ones, and we fed them carrots. The following day I helped Margaret out by doing some organizing and deep cleaning in her kitchen, and later in the day Alfred's granddaughter, Jennifer, came by with her identical twins, Olivia and Amelia. I made pizza for dinner and had a little time over dinner to visit with Jennifer and compare notes on raising twins. In the evening, Margaret and I packed up the truck and had everything ready to go for an early start the next morning.

The reunions were being held in Northern Arkansas, so the boys and I checked off another state on our list. Our drive took us through most of the state before we arrived in Pocahontas mid afternoon. I can't say that I fell in love with Arkansas' landscape along the drive, but once we got closer to Pocahontas, it started growing on me a little.

Pocahontas is indeed named after the Native American princess, and we passed a statue of her in Overlook Park. The county which Pocahontas is the county seat of, Randolph, includes delta land which is used for farming and rolling hills leading into the Ozarks which is used for cattle ranching. It had the same feel of the area in which I grew up.

Our first stop in Pocahontas was to Aunt Opal's home. Opal is Margaret's mother's sister, so that makes her Ben & Zach's Great Great Aunt....right? We'll shorten it, and just stick with Aunt Opal, and she is just as sweet as can be! She suffers from Alzheimer's, but it didn't seem too bad to me. I'm sure she struggled with figuring out just exactly who Ben and Zach were and why they were tearing through her house and what exactly they were talking about whenever they spoke. Living with Aunt Opal is her grandson, Jason and his great big gorgeous Rottweiler, Albert. He's only 2, so there was definitely still some puppy in that large package, and he loved to lick and knock the boys around.

Aunt Opal had no idea why this little guy was kissing on her!

Aunt Opal just had her hair done before we got there. Smelling her perm made me think of when my grandma used to get a perm.

After visiting at Aunt Opal's, we headed over to Uncle Gerald and Aunt Pauline's home in Pocahontas. Uncle Gerald is Margaret's mother's brother, so he has a bunch of great titles in front of his name as well. Both of them were super nice, and they were kind enough to turn us loose in an extra home they own in town. Jason brought Aunt Opal to the house and we enjoyed more visiting time with them that evening.

18 Days into 2012

I've been slacking....over half the month is already over!

The boys and I got bugs as the year started, and we're finally sounding human again first thing in the morning rather than that cough-up-a-lung sounding cough. I forget how really awesome it is to feel well until I get sick. Unfortunately I can be a really grouchy sick person, and I think Darius had about enough of me.

My parents came to visit and just left us yesterday. We really enjoyed having them stay with us, and the boys of course love the extra love and attention. We mostly just hung out and did what we normally do when they're not around. We visited the park, fed the ducks in our pond, had a pizza night with the Bacon's, and went to the Y. Mom gave the boys haircuts, Darius and Dad got a couple rounds of golf in, and Mom helped me with some sewing projects.

Haircut - Day 5

Turkey Lake Park - Day 6

Fishing Turkey Lake - Day 6

After the time we spent living with my parents in Cordova, we've come to really enjoy our visits from them. It's nice having them around, and we were sad to see them leave. And speaking of Cordova.... whoa that's a whole lot of snow we just dodged! I feel for what the residents are going through, but I'm so relieved we moved when we did.

Here's an old photo from the back porch of my parents house in December 2009. That's a lot of snow to me, so it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this amount is just a fraction of what they're up against.

During our visit with my parents we had to make a quick trip to Louisiana. My parents actually booked a cruise out of Cape Canaveral leaving the same day as we did, and returned the day after we got back. It was a special treat for the boys to see both sets of grandparents a day apart considering where everyone lives. It was a long drive there and back, and the trip itself was packed full. We enjoyed our time with Margaret and Alfred, and then we took the time to drive down to the Leesville area to visit with Darius' friend Randy. We finally got a chance to see the burger restaurant he opened a couple of years ago, and he treated us to lunch there. We spent the evening watching the Saint's game at his business partner's home, had some great barbecue, and shot skeet. I had my first experience shooting a shotgun, and it was fun!!

Louisiana - Day 14

After picking up my parents from their cruise, we headed over to Cocoa Beach. We spent a good part of the day there, and met up with my friend Lyndsay and her family in the afternoon for a few hours. It wasn't the best beach weather, but we all had a really good time.

Cocoa Beach - Day 15

Day 18 we dropped my parents off at the airport, and in the evening we had Lyndsay and her family over for dinner. They're here visiting Orlando for a week, and I'm so happy that we had the chance to meet up with them while they're here. I haven't seen her since her wedding and since then she's had a baby, who I was super excited to meet. She's got a great little family, and I really enjoyed our time with them. 

Roll the Credits

After making such a big move which involved such a long trip, I feel a great deal of gratitude for our safe arrival. I would feel like a jerk if I didn't give thanks where it was deserved all before, during and after our arrival...

Bill & Ann for the meals they brought us the last couple of days before we left Cordova, and for all the other things they've done and are still doing to help us out. They are such good people!

To all those people who helped us out by buying a bunch of our stuff before we moved...you all bought us a bunch of gas.

To Ben & Karla for putting us up and feeding us when our ferry cancelled.

To Subaru who makes a mighty fine Outback which got us here safely with no major problems.

To Garmin who puts out a great GPS which helped us find our way out of a very confusing downtown Edmonton late at night, and for helping us right all the other wrong turns we made.

To all our family in Utah that put us up, fed us, made the effort to meet up with us, took me to an awesome concert, and for all their prayers during our trip. As Zach would say..."I so love you....very much!"

To Tim the mechanic who fixed some minor things on the car while we were in Utah, one being the cruise control....so huge!

To Holiday Inn Express which is our favorite place to stay when we're on the road and we desperately need to wash a load of clothes, some of which are borderline ready to be thrown in the garbage.

To our family in Louisiana who also put us up, fed us, bought us pumpkins, and prayed for us on our trip. We so love you too!

To our awesome friends, the Bacons, who have anxiously awaited our arrival since we announced our move. For putting us up until we find our own place, for picking up all our stuff we shipped, for being the best friends we could ever ask for....we so so love you all too!

To all our family and friends who came along for the ride with us, followed our progress on the blog, sent us notes, wished us well in our travels. We appreciate all of you!

So many sincere thanks to all for whatever part you played, big or small, to support us in this move. Forgive me if I have missed anyone!

And last and most importantly, personal thanks to my husband for checking the oil each and every time we fueled up, for checking all the other fluids, belts and hoses. For making sure he did everything he could to keep us safe. For keeping the boys fed, watered, and entertained when it was my turn to drive. For making me laugh. I loved our time together on this trip!

And to the most awesome 3-year-old long distance travelers parents could ever hope for. Ben and Zach, you guys totally rock. The things your crazy parents subject you to! You roll with it whatever it is. We're so happy to give you the opportunity to play outside more often (in your bare feet without jackets or coats), to take you to the beach, to give you all the fresh fruit and veggies your bellies can hold....and those occasional trips to the golden arches. You are our super troopers and we love you most of all!

AK to FL - Day 11

Our super-duper-cross-country trip has come to an end! Our last day on the road was yesterday and the longest of our trip at 16 hours (yikes!), but it didn't feel like it because we knew it was the last day on the road, and the excitement of reaching our destination kept us going.

We woke up early and left Monroe around 6:30. We watched a gorgeous sunrise as we headed east on I-20 and made our way into Mississippi.

 

A little side story to go with the following photo. I'll go with the short version. Imagine 2 young men driving late at night, the driver nodding off and veering right onto a service road. Barely missing a large pole supporting a gas station sign, the car sails over this grassy mound and lands in a large pond (which used to be here) and begins to sink. Darius, one of these young men, kicks out the sunroof and they are able to climb out and kick off from the car as it sinks. True story.

Stuckey's has awesome saltwater taffy and pecan log rolls.

US-49 S to I-59 S to US-98 E took us from Mississippi into Alabama. Both of these states I had never visited before, and I really enjoyed our drive through them. It's a good country drive, Darius told me, and I agree.

USS Alabama Battleship in Mobile Bay.

After we made our way past Mobile, I-65 S took us to I-10 E into Florida. It was such a relief to cross the state line and it was such a great feeling to know that we had no more overnight stops and no more state lines to cross. We were home. Around 10:30 we pulled up to the Bacon's house and we'll be here until we find four walls of our own.

We feel so incredibly grateful and blessed to have made such a long trip and have everything go as smoothly as it did and to even have the opportunity to make such a huge move. We had almost perfect driving conditions over most of the trip and great road conditions. As much time we spent together in the car, we honestly enjoyed our time together as a family and only had a few snippy moments. I can't even begin to describe how well the boys did on this trip. They really made a tremendous difference in how well the trip went. What a great experience for all of us. I don't foresee us ever making quite as long a road trip in the future, but I'll definitely look forward to making some shorter ones in the future.

A trip recap is coming, but for now I'm going to get ready and spend some time with our friends and family in the warm Florida sun. 

AK to FL - Day 10

We took advantage of another easy drive we had ahead of us today and slept in this morning. Once we got on the road we headed east on I-35 to I-30 to US-80 to I-20 into Monroe Louisiana, which is where Darius grew up. We're staying here a couple of nights with Margaret and Alfred before we make our final stretch to Florida.

Leaving Texas was more interesting than entering. The flat landscape from yesterday continued, but there were a few hills and the addition of trees. Everything looked very dry, probably a lingering sign of a very hot and dry summer.

Our last stop in Texas just off I-20. Great BBQ sandwiches, huge gift shop, and awesome rocking chairs. I so wanted to strap one to the top of the car.

One thing we definitely noticed about Texas is the abundance of Highway Patrol! If you're going to speed along their roadways, I suggest you think twice. Out of any state or territory we've drove through, Texas by far had more people pulled over than all the others combined. Don't mess with Texas....so true!

As we crossed into Louisiana, Darius definitely got as excited as I've seen him on this trip. It's probably as comforting to him to be in his home state as it was for me to be in mine. It's also a great feeling to know how far we've come and that we don't have too much further to go.

The boys were talking all day (and yesterday) about how they were going to Nini and Papaw's house. It's tricky to explain distance and time to 3-year-olds, so we try to use broad terms and keep the info to a minimum. We also find that it helps to just agree with them because that's a whole lot easier than listening to them shout at us because we tell them something different than what they think, or they don't like our answers.

Sassy even in his sleep.

It's good to have another stop along the way to visit with family and break up the drive. We'll head out again on Tuesday.

 

Louisiana

We enjoyed warm weather in Louisiana for most of our stay. When I was packing for our trip, I had first packed a bunch of clothes for cold weather. I ended up checking the forecast before we left and realized I had to start over. It was so nice to be able to take the boys outside without being bundled up and just let them play and run around the yard at their Nini and Papaw's. We had the opportunity to take them to a park a couple of times and to the zoo.

During our week there we celebrated Darius' birthday, and after much persuasion he finally gave in and agreed to have a birthday cheesecake. He was glad he did. The boys helped him blow out his candles with much blowing and spitting. It was worth it just to see them in action. Margaret was good enough to watch the boys while we enjoyed a nice dinner out at the Warehouse No. 1. It was just as good, if not better, than what we ate when we celebrated my birthday there last year. We also took advantage of the time to do our Christmas shopping for the boys.

Before the trip I had wondered how we were going to get our Christmas shopping done. I had figured it would come down to one of us doing it on our own while the other stayed with the boys. I'm so happy that's not the way it happened. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to have the time alone with Darius to shop together. Thanks again Margaret! We ended up getting everything we needed and lucky for us we packed a few extra duffel bags for the trip home.

We enjoyed our trip, the time we had to visit with friends and family, and all the yummy food! We indulged at Johnny's a few times, Margaret treated us to her delicious spaghetti sauce and a fabulous ham dinner, I had my first Po Boy sandwich (so good!), and we had the opportunity to join Thomas and Annmarie for dinner one night and grilled up some salmon we brought with us.

 Our flights there and home again all went smoothly. It took almost 2 full days to get there, and then another 2 coming back. It's a lot of time confined to a seat, and I'm always amazed that the boys do so well with it all. We were glad to get home, but it was so nice to get away for a break! Thanks again Margaret and Alfred for the nice stay, and thanks to all Darius' friends we saw for the good visits! To all those we missed, we're sorry we didn't get around to see all of you. We'll catch you all on our next visit!

Break Time

Last Monday we headed out to Louisiana unexpectedly. I'll be honest, I had some concerns about traveling during the end of my course but planned on taking my material with me to work on it there and along the way. As we were headed down to Seattle on the last leg of our flight from Cordova I pulled out my things to work on my practice transcriptions. I was sick when instead of my CD with my practice reports on it I found a movie I thought I had returned before heading out to the airport. I mixed up the disks and dropped off the wrong one by mistake. I was pretty upset at first, since without the disk there was literally nothing I could do to work on the course, but by the following morning I looked at the mishap as a blessing in disguise. Instead of stressing out over school on the trip I was able to enjoy spending time with the boys, Darius, and his family and friends. The break was nice to have and much needed.

On the Bayou

Darius’ vacation time got switched from Dec. to Oct., so we visited Louisiana earlier this year than we had planned. It was mine and the boys' first trip there, and it was nice to see where Darius grew up.

We stayed with Darius’ mom and her husband Alfred (Nini & Papaw) in the same house which Darius lived in growing up. I got a kick out of looking through old photo albums. It was fun to compare Darius’ features from when he was young, with those of Ben’s & Zach’s.

The boys immediately made themselves at home. Zach found a Tonka ambulance that he immediately took ownership of, and Ben made quick friends with Papaw.

Margaret saved several things from when Darius was young. She has his old rocking chairs, Dapper Dan doll, rocking horse, and GI Joe doll and Jeep. Ben and Zach had fun playing with all of their daddy’s stuff.

Darius has a lot of friends that still live in and around Monroe. Unfortunately we didn’t get around to see everyone we wanted to. Sorry to those of you we missed! For the friends we did manage to see...thanks so much to all of you for having us over in your homes, or taking the time to meet us out, under short notice. We really enjoyed seeing all of you!

Darius made sure we took advantage of the shopping and eating options that were available to us. Margaret and Alfred were wonderful to watch the boys for us, while we got the shopping we needed to do out of the way. We ate great food from some of Darius’ favorite places. We must have had pizza/muffulettas from Johnny’s Pizza at least three times.

In Darius’ backyard there are three huge pecan trees, and we came at just the right time to gather the pecans that had already fell. Darius’ old hunting buddy, Barkley, kept us company while we picked up the nuts. Darius had told me before that his dog liked to eat pecans, and sure enough we could hear him cracking hulls as we worked.

On the last day of our trip, Margaret and I took the boys to the Louisiana Purchase Zoo. It had rained just before we went, and when we got to the zoo, there was only two other people that we saw there besides the zoo employees. It was so nice to have the entire place to ourselves, and it was the perfect sized zoo to get in and out before the boys lost interest. The boys enjoyed seeing all the animals…especially all the monkey exhibits.

After the zoo we stopped at a pumpkin “patch”. The boys had fun trying to move the pumpkins, splashing in the puddles, and playing with the wagons. We had hoped to find small enough pumpkins for the boys, that we could take home with us, but they were all sold out.

We had a nice stay in Monroe. Margaret & Alfred, thanks so much for all you did for us to make our stay comfortable. And thanks for watching the boys for us when we had shopping and errands to do…what a difference it made to be able to get things done in half the time.

Our trip home went well right up until the end. The boys did really well on all the flights, but unfortunately I picked up a bug along the way, and it wasn’t until yesterday that my voice came back and I started to feel human again. The boys ended up sick with me and we all missed out on Halloween. I did make an effort to make their costumes, but it was just one of those days that nothing would go right. It’s too bad…they would have made a cute Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum. I’m lucky that they’re still young and didn’t know what they were missing. Sorry little guys!