Well as most of you know the kids and I drove solo from CO - CA. Sounds easy enough, but what an ordeal. An hour into the trip it starts off with the realization that I forgot all and anything for Chesea to do. So I stopped in Durango and bought a few things only to get to the car and discover Sam had a blow out. After 8-9 days of no BM he finally has the poop of a century. And I learn it got all over my shirt. Take care of that. 1 hour of road travel down only 19 more to go.
.5 hour later- Kyle has to go. We stop! .5 hour later Chelsea chirps in she has to poop. (as you all know they can never go at the same time and make it easy for us. If you ask them why they did not go 5 minutes earlier you will all receive the same answer, I did not have to go then) So somewhere outside of Cortez, close to Dove Creek I have (correct that "had" -wallet got stolen. More about that later) pictures on the side of the road of Chelsea sitting atop the luggage rack with her blue porta potty trying to Poop. I think we stopped 5-6 times for false poop stops. I had to nurse Sam ever couple of hours. And then came all the monsoons. Now for those of you who don't live in our neck of the woods these things are like mini typhoons (well don't take that too seriously as I really do not know what those are but it sounds good). The lightening and rain are so violent, it is the type of rain you get that makes your knuckles whiten and hold on for dear life, the type of rain and hail that beats down so hard on your car you think it is going to break the metal. The type of storm that makes your heart palpitate so hard all the meanwhile you are trying to hold your composure for your kids who are starting to get a little freaked out themselves. We crossed paths with a few of these. Sometimes the kids would be silent with fear and sometimes they were oblivious and carrying on LOUDLY. Moments when I would have to tell all the kids to cork it, moments I could not see infront of me too well nor well enough to see if there was a shoulder to pull over on and wait it out, a time where I called 911 for the first time in my life for a car that did a 180 and landed in the middle divider, a time where I thought I shit my pants. No, I was scared "shitless" for that to happen! All in all I made it thru. some where in Nevada Sam decided he had enough. He could not possible understand why he was stuck in the carseat all day and not in his usually place "my arms". The day lingered and night was definitely in the horizon. I contemplated staying in a town several hours before my anticipated stop but every hotel was booked. I feared the approaching dark and weather (I inherited that lovely night blindness my mom spoke all too often about when I was a kid, the nightblindness that I thought was a gimmick to not have to drive us around) if I pushed forward I had no other place to stay as I was entering that lovely stretch of the "lonely highway" (seriously that is what they call 50). But the kids were feed and still excited about our road trip and the adventures that await us so we went on. (really had no other choice) oh wait, let me take you back a moment. Dinner at Mc D. (UGH) Chelsea saw the big play apparatus (the ones I loathe as I think they are a breeding ground of bacteria, feces, vomit and gloom) So I decided it would be a good place to stop and let her blow off some steam. I think we were in the car for 10+ hours now. She was so excited she could not handle it. As she is climbing up the ball pit, the shit hits the fan. almost literally. the poop that we had stopped and hoped for all day finally arrives. So as I am quietly nurses Sam, she comes flying out of this plastic tunnel like a bat out of hell screaming she has to poop. There she goes past the Mc D patrons with poop down her leg. Fucking lovely. People commented how brave I was to make this trip alone, but all I could think of it what a complete and udder dumb ass I was. brave no! Stupid, possibly!! Poor Sam, his dinner awaits. There I placed Chelsea again on the luggage rack of my car and tried to clean up more shit. I tell you cleaning up 3 year old poop is not like wiping a babies ass! So there I bag up even more pooped on clothes to put in the car with us on our journey. (Truthfully I contemplated throwing them out) Back on the road we made it to our destination -right smack in the middle of Nevada. Austin!! and what perfect timing it was dark already and starting to rain again. This town has like population 10 and only 2 motels. The first one was a dive (we got to see the insides of several rooms when we drove in), only one smoking room available. I was freaking out. with people behind me I tempted fate and took a chance. I called the other motel. he had one room left as well. but his was a renovated room. Sweet. So there we sat in our newly redone motel room in a trailer while it rained all night and had not TV. Actually it was refreshing to be with the kids alone with no distractions!!
Got up bright and early and fled that peculiar little town of Austin, Nevada. Felt good to be back on the road. (or so I thought. Never did I know how many hours, traffic, road and weather conditions did I know lied ahead of me) Made it to my brother Doug and his wife Jean's house around noon. It was so nice!!!! I love them!!!! I really miss my family. (after 9 years of living outside of CA, it has finally hit me hard how much I miss everyone. But I hate CA and won't come back :( ) Turned around the next day and went to lake Tahoe. It was sooooo pretty. Totally different than how it was when my dad owned a house and condo up there. Totally beautiful and totally typical of CA. Too many, WAY TOO MANY, stinkin people. The traffic. In Tahoe??!?! Ugh. I had my first fender bender of my life. Never hit anyone and I rear end my brother. In his LEXUS and my new car!!! AHHHHHH looking for a beach, turning right on a corner of the road, he goes and I inch forward to get a better view of what was coming on the left corner from me and whack. I hit him. Luckily Jean was in my car (it was actually her car I hit) and she comments how I barely touched the gas. I know, but with the weight of my new Durango it felt like a lot. My brother got out of his car and gave me that look! You all know that one, the look one can give that makes you feel like the smallest peon alive. But fortunately both cars had not a scratch on them. (huge thanks to all those above me) Turns out kids ran across the road and Doug had to stop for them. (Still my fault though. :( I take pride in my clean driving record, now I feel tainted) But Tahoe was amazing. It is hard as hell trying to find a beach though. But my word what a beautiful place!! (Now I could live there, even though it is CA. But what would one do for work???) Went back the next day only to get stuck in Tahoe city traffic and then stuck on 80 going to their house. What should have taken 1.5 took 3+ hours. More poop stops on Chelsea's request none of which were successful. Damn it, that kids has my issue. will only poop at home or where you are very comfortable!! We ate like kings thanks to Jean (she is such a fabulous cook) and went to there local pond to swim, picked blackberies, went to a gold mine museum, went to the American River and swam in the cleanest, warmest swim hole (off course it had to be it was 109 out) while we watched kids jump off this crazy tall bridge and my kids body surfed down the rocks and jumped off the cliff. I had awesome pictures but the ass that stole my wallet also stole my camera chip out of my diaper bag.
And this is what we have been up to: Picking Pumpkins!
Chimney Rock Farms Pumpkin Patch, CO with the Lutheran School.
Getting a piggy back ride thru the corn maze.
I'll post more but I am tired ATM!!It's midnight here and tomorrow I have to work (and bring Sam Pray it will go smooth). UGH!!
this one below!!!
A very special weekend in my heart, this is the very weekend 10 years ago Mike and I hooked up. As well a special occasion for the kids. This weekend Kyle was @ boyscouts camping and Emma was with a friend. But Mike, Chelsea, Sam and I got up early, got a fancy coffee and headed out to watch some 28 or so balloons lift off!
Though Chelsea loves watching our local balloon touch down in the lake infront of the house I think she was alittle frightened of the noise and massive size as we walked around and under the many balloons! She kept insisiting she was hungry and tired, telling us she needed to go home to take a nap. (Chelsea = nap. NO!) We have since learned this is code for "get me the hell out of here" and words of plea when she doesn't want to be doing something. But not much later she became more comfortable and the false comments deminished. We enjoyed a nice stroll and AM together. Sam quietly watched in awe from the babyhawk carrier he was nestled in.
