Road Trip

Everyday is different, but this is an example of what we do. Our day started in Snyder, Texas where I discovered squeezable peanut butter (whoever invented this is a genius), Cracker Jill (What happened to Jack?!?), and dog-sized bags of cereal (do Texas children eat from bowls on the ground?).  We got our groceries and headed north to Lubbock. I had arranged for us to meet George Bush. As you all know, the great and honorable George hails from the state of Texas. I was excited at the chance to meet this icon and knew it was probably my only chance. One child was mortified, but I was in full excitement for this moment. The Bush was indeed iconic and I am forever grateful to have been in this inspiring presence. I snagged a picture and will always giggle when I look at it. It brings me forever joy.                                               ...

When we are young, we're told that we can be whatever we want to be. Reach for the stars! Everyone is a winner! You can do anything! Sure, it's true, but also, is it? I had a lot of fantastical dreams as a kid. First, I wanted to be a long haul truck driver. Once I realized that my reality would likely be wearing a diaper vs. the fantasy of using the radio to chat with friends called Ham Hock and Road Runner, I was out. I then dreamed of marrying Arnold Schwarzenegger. That bubble burst when I found out he had an affair. Infidelity was something I couldn't have between Arnold and I. Our true love story would never be. And so on, and so on. As we get older, our dreams get smaller when we start losing faith that everything is possible. Maybe not an astronaut now, just a pilot. Well, maybe not a pilot, but an engineer. Well, maybe not an engineer, but a... We sacrifice our wildest dreams for what we think is the safer bet. We stop going all in and end up folding too early. I w...

You can't schedule moments in life. There is no travel agent to guide you down life's calendar of events big and small. Mini moments are what shapes all of us. Magical, mysterious, magnificent, malevolent, and forever memorable. They tattoo our souls and mold us into the people we are slowly becoming. We ran out of gas today. We ran out of gas on a bridge. We ran out of gas on a bridge with a very small emergency lane. I am terrified of bridges. I kept calm in this moment knowing my children were watching every move I was making. I pulled over to the rail-thin portion of bridge that allotted me a sliver of safety. Three small sets of eyes watched me as I tried to figure out a plan of action. Truck after truck sped by making our small van wobble with the rhythms of fast-paced deliveries. An inch too far to the right for any truck, and our windshield would have been shreds in the wind. A foot to the right of a distracted driver and I wouldn't be writing this tonight. As my he...

Florida is not my natural habitat. The moment I drove over the state line, my stomach tightened into a ball of anxiety. All I could think was, "There is only one way out." Whenever I go into a movie theatre, I check my exits. If an emergency happens, how am I getting my family out alive? In Florida, there is only one exit and it's at the top. We were headed to the skinny, tiny, flaky, bottom of the state. In Florida, there is only one exit. I have been panicking ever since we arrived. Not only that, no one uses a blinker. I truly mean no one. I am the ultimate rule follower and blinkers are no exception. Also, while I'm at it, please give me breathing room while I drive. Tailgating is not a feature that calms me. This will not make me go faster when I'm already dutifully driving 9 miles per hour over the speed limit. And yes, I know 9mph over is technically not following the rules, but everyone knows that 9mph over the speed limit IS the silent rule. And while we...

It wasn't planned. We didn't even go looking for this. Video proof does exist, but it truly doesn't capture the full experience and some skeptics will say, "That's fake!". I swear on my children' lives, it's all true.  On the afternoon of June 11th, we had a very close encounter with the third kind. It probed the whole family and started with me. It analyzed us from all directions and only saw food. The middle child was a particularly tasty treat for this beast. Loren did his best at urging me to get rid of this creature invading our personal space. I was valiant in my efforts and pushed with all my might. The camel was gone. Oh yeah, it was a camel. What did you think I was talking about? You would be surprised how long and agile a camel's neck is. Those things have a nose for food and are surprisingly strong for docile looking creatures. I wouldn't say violent, but I can't say I wasn't nervous about being spit at and accidentally goin...

As children, the world around us fills our hearts with wonder. Wow, a moving car! Wow, a phone! Wow, ice cream! As we get older, our sense of wonder slowly disappears as we become more jaded and worn down from reality. It's a feeling that often nags me as I grieve that lost sense of magical joy that used to easily come. The synchronous fireflies of the Smoky Mountains reignited my sense of wonder. I know it's cliche to say words just can't describe this, but truly, words just can't describe what we saw. The closest thing in the moment that I could think of was having a front row seat to the world's tiniest fairy rave within a forest. In an instant, tiny bright lights would surround you, then a moment later, pure darkness. Then repeat. It was awe in its purest form.  Have we done other things? Of course, but also, it's hard to compare. Did I try Dude Eggs? Yes, they are gross. Did I try pickled peeps? Yes, they are also gross. Did I see the hole to hell? Yes, it...

 "Are we there yet?"      "No." "What happens if the statues come to life?"     "We give them cookies, they look hungry." "How do horses make babies?"     "Just like humans do." "Do all coffee places have women with green hair?"     "Yes." This has become a journey of many unknowns. We don't have a grand plan of exactly what we're doing, but we are working on the power of being flexible (something I'm not great at myself). Sometimes the weather does not cooperate. Sometimes locations are closed because of the day of the week. Sometimes you follow the wrong GPS directions because you aren't paying attention and have to turn around.  It was a slow start on this trip, with many attempts at coffee and screams of "I AM GOING TO POOP MY PANTS!". This was followed 10 minutes later at a rest stop with "I guess it was just a pee.", and me loudly proclaiming, "If you don't...

We are in testing mode. Testing....nothing to see here, just some testing. Keep moving along people, nothing to see.