Are you ready to listen?

1 in 36
Do you see that?
Do you comprehend it?
Does it matter to you?
Are you ready to listen?
Are you ready to understand?
Because you don't.  You don't understand it, unless you are one of us.  Unless you live with it, day in and day out.  You don't understand.  You think you do, but we can tell you don't.  And you need to.  You NEED to understand this, because it's going to affect your life too, and your childrens lives.  Even if they aren't one in 36, they are getting a world that will be changed by it. 
Think about it.  1 in 36.  If it was 1 in 36 with chicken pox, people would freak out.  If it was 1 in 36 cars recalled, there would be an uproar.  1 in 36 dead...it would be on every news station all day long.  But ...crickets.  1 in 36 with autism...and no one says a word.
And I think it's because you. don't. understand.
You think autism is the 4yo who knows every dinosaur and their dining habits.  The teen who is a "bit socially awkward".  The guy at work who doesn't realize no one cares about his ONE hobby.  Those are the faces of autism to you.
Well, it's time to talk.  My son has high functioning autism.  High functioning.  Sounds great, huh?  Yeah.  Let's talk.
This is the face of high functioning autism.
It's making grilled cheese multiple times a day for weeks because he doesn't eat anything else...for weeks.  It's buying cheese in 5lb blocks and being worried you will run out.  It's buying bread a dozen at a time because you go through a loaf a day just on him.  It's a fridge full of yogurt and a half dozen bags of frozen pineapple because that was his last food, for 3 months...and then one day, he wouldn't touch it.
It's wondering what sleep is, for him or you.  It's being glad he's finally old enough that you don't have to stay up with him 24 hours a day for a few days at a time.  It's worrying that while you sleep, he will decide to cook his own darn grilled cheese.  It's being thrilled if you get 4 hours sleep without him waking you up.
It's meltdowns in the parking lot of the grocery store.  It's calling the sheriff on your 12 year old, because you can't get him calmed down and he's becoming dangerous to himself and others.  It's taking him to the ground and sitting on him to keep him from hurting you and the staring bystanders.  It's sobbing as a kind stranger lays on the ground next to him for 20 minutes trying to help you calm him.  It's taking him to the ER where he is restrained and sedated...and it's waiting for the hospital to find a placement in a psychiatric hospital for stabilization.  It's visiting him there on Christmas.
It's being thrilled that THIS TIME, the hospital they get him into is only an hour from home, because last year it was 3 hours each way.  It's being overjoyed that THIS time, he's only there 4 days, as opposed to 10 last year.  It's considering that to be improvement.
It's spending a ton of money on gas to go to therapies and counselors and such.  It's not doing fun family activities because he gets overwhelmed so easily...and because you can't afford them.  It's always keeping a bit of money hidden for more bread and cheese, or whatever the next food is he eats.  It's keeping snacks in the car, because when he's hungry, it's NOW, not "when we get home"...and HE is who the jokes about "hangry" are about.  It's worrying about getting together with friends, because he might have a meltdown.  It's not HAVING friends...because most people can't handle it.  It's being afraid the internet will go down because that's his soothing mechanism.
It's hearing people say things like "he melted down over that? Sounds like an overreaction"..."Just tell him no.  He's spoiled"..."you are too hard on him"..."that kid needs a good spanking"..."I would never let MY kid act that way"..."He will eat when he's hungry.  No kid will starve themselves"..."You can heal him with this diet/oil/supplement/vitamin/therapy/exercise/meditation/discipline"...
It's knowing that the only people who understand are other autism parents.  Even your family, much as they love him...they don't get it.  It's being utterly alone much of the time.  It's not having a church community because he can't handle the noise.  It's not being able to participate in normal "kid" activities like sports, clubs...because he may meltdown. 
It's worrying that ...maybe this is it.  Maybe your life will always be one meltdown after another...one grilled cheese after another...one hospitalization after another...until he's an adult and it becomes jail...or worse.  It's worrying that one day, it will be a phone call telling you he threatened to shoot someone and got shot himself, maybe by a cop...because he had a meltdown and no one knew he had autism.
1 in 36.  It's 1 in 36.  Seriously.  Do you hear us?  Do you understand?  Do you care?

The car guy

My husband is a car guy.  Driver, fixer, lover...of all things mechanical.  I...am not. We have worked out a very good division of labor regarding cars over the years we've been married.  Basically, he does the labor, and I do any necessary division, lol!  
Ok, actually, my job is to tell him if the car makes any odd noises or does something unusual.  Luckily, I rarely have to do this anymore.  Now that he's retired, I drive less.  We go almost everywhere together, and even 75% crippled, he's still a better driver.  So he usually hears the weird sounds and such.
Praise the Lord, too, because the conversations were usually...well...long.  
"Honey, the car made a really weird sound today"
"What kind of sound?"
"Um...like...a...uh...noise"
Sigh.  "Ok...where did the noise come from?"
"Well...uh...not inside the car.  I know that!"
Longer sigh.  "Ok...from the engine?"
"Um...probably."
"OK, what were you doing when it made the sound?"
"Well, one of the girls was telling me about a book she's reading, and I was yelling at the boys to quit burping at each other, and trying to remember if we had sour cream for your tacos tonight...by the way, we are out of sour cream..."
Very long sigh...then with slightly gritted teeth..."I'll listen for the sound while I go get sour cream".
And amazingly enough, he could always figure it out.  I'm so lucky to have him. If I had to tell that story to a mechanic, they'd be busy writing notes on their clipboard.  "Got a live one here.  Charge her double for the ozzoboznot".

Reflections

I remember when she was a tiny baby.  She was so small and new, and there was so much time.  It seemed it would be several lifetimes before she was grown and gone, longer than years...almost forever.  And I needed to teach her to sit and walk and talk and...
I remember when I had 3 under 8...4 under 10...and life was so busy.  There was the cooking, the dishes, the laundry, the cleaning...and all around making sure they did enough pages in this workbook, spent enough time on that curriculum.  I had to be sure they learned enough of the right things, you know.
I remember when I had my first teenager... people telling me how sorry they were...how hard it would be...  others telling me how teens were.the easiest bestest things ever.  And there I was, stumbling through a minefield carrying fine China and wearing a blindfold.  So worried about letting her make mistakes that I never let her make good decisions either.
And now...forever away is here.  She has grown fine wings in spite of me, and is on her own.  An adult. ..married...and now to be a mother.  And I look back and see that I should thank her.
Now I know that forever passes so quickly, so I snuggle this newest baby of mine extra long.  He will learn to sit and stand and walk...but I won't waste time worrying at it.  I will enjoy this fleeting forever.
Now I have children at home from almost 16 down to 6 months...and I know it will all get done.  If we eat sandwiches some nights and relax...if we pull clothes from the clean laundry for a couple days...if we don't sweep often enough...it's ok.  And the workbooks and curriculums don't matter.  They will learn the right things at the right times...for them.
Now I know to relax the grip on that teen.  Let her make the mistakes.  Take off the blindfold.  Enjoy watching them become adults, and be a cushion when they need a soft place to fall.
Thank you, my firstborn.  You got stuck with a newbie, but you taught me well.  Maybe your siblings should thank you, too.  Good luck on that one!

Group B Strep...a different story

I shared this on a group I am on for mamas, for a mama making the decision whether or not to treat for being group B strep positive in pregnancy.  I left a lot out.  So much of the details...they are burned into my memory, but I'm not sure everyone wants them.  Some things...change you.  Forever. But I just wanted to share it publicly, in case it helps someone.

Ok.  here is our GBS story...it's a little different...
I was never GBS+ except with #4, out of 6.  I struggled with it.  Almost fought the test, as I'd never done it before and thought it was silly.  then almost refused the antibiotics.  I'd been with a midwife till midway through and had to switch to a obgyn for financial reasons, and was very unhappy about his rules.  but the abx were NOT optional, and dh wasn't ok with me refusing them, either.  So, I gave in. 
Less than a month later, dh got sick.  Really sick.  We spent a month back and forth to drs 2-3x a week.  Misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis.  it was bad.  He lost 40lbs in a month, was in a wheelchair, a dr accused me of overmedicating him (almost suggested munchausens!)...when they finally caught it, he was going septic.  Turned out, he had a UTI/kidney/prostate infection that had abcessed into his back/hip/SI joint/thigh bone...and it was Group B Strep.  It was bad.  He spend 11 days in the hospital, 3 surgeries, came home with a wound vac and a PICC line.  They almost amputated his right leg.  He was told he'd never walk again, never work again...he did both.  Took him 8 months to get back to work, but he did.  He fought to keep working for 7 years, but a year and a half ago, went on permanent disability. 
Group B Strep scares me.  I am SO GLAD God put me with an OBGYN who would NOT ALLOW me to skip the abx, because I would have.  And if it could do such to my fully grown husband, who was pretty darn healthy (he was diabetic at that time, but completely diet controlled, physical job, active guy...)...what would it have done to my baby.
DS1, that baby, does have Autism Spectrum Disorder...specifically Aspergers.  Did the antibiotics cause that?  I don't know.  I will never know probably.  But would I change the choice I made for the abx?  Never.  Is it the right choice for you?  I don't know.  I really don't.  But really pray about it, and talk to your husband, etc.  Because it CAN be a huge decision.  Dh still has battles with it.  he gets UTIs several times a year, and about half are GBS.  He is just recovering from one now, and was almost in a wheelchair again for a few days. 
Hugs, and praying for your decision.  I don't share this to scare you, but to tell you honestly what a rough bug it is.  If I can prevent one other mama from thinking "Group B Strep?  What?  Oh, no big deal" the way I did...I will.

One more step

One more step.  Take one more step.  Where?  Wherever.  Wherever God is leading you.  Maybe you know where, maybe you can’t see the path ahead.  Doesn’t matter.  Take that step.  He’s there ahead of you.  He always goes ahead of you. 

We’re moving into a house finally.  Well…sort of.  After 13 months (approx.) in the RV, with 6 kids and numerous animals, we found a house to rent, and started getting ready to move in.  You know, paint and stuff...  And then the toilet broke and flooded the house…so we’re back in the RV for a couple months…with 2 extra kids, because we’re also informally fostering 2 little girls.  So there are now 10 of us in the RV, lol.  And the RV is a huge mess because we moved half out and then back in…and Megans car broke down…and money is tight as always…and Steve is now diagnosed with migraines on top of everything else, and they cause him to vomit frequently…  And people keep saying “I don’t know how you do it” and things of that nature, but you know what?  I don’t do it.  I don’t have to.  Because there are some things I know for certain, and one is that when I get to the end of myself, that is where I find God. 

Every single time.  He’s never failed me.  He’s never been late.  He’s never stopped off to get a coffee on the way.  When I run out of patience, or strength, or energy, or anything else, God is there to lean on, and to fill me up. 

People say “God never gives you more than you can handle”, but that’s not true at all.  He very deliberately does.  He gives you what you can’t handle…alone.  He gives you enough to take you to that breaking point, and then He picks up the pieces and puts you back together better and stronger with Him.  He’s done it for me so many times that I can’t even tell what parts are new and what are old and where the glue begins and I end.  And every time, I’m better, I’m stronger, I’m more like the me He wants me to be.

Honestly, it doesn’t get any better than that.  Than to know that He’ll be there, every time I need Him.  And to that there’s nothing to fear in that next step.  So go on, take the step.  He’s waiting for you.  I promise.  Much more importantly…He promises.

a mad passionate love affair

I am madly, passionately, insanely in love with the South.
You see, we're new here, so I'm shocked by this.  I expected to like it, but not to feel this intense..."rightness", right from the start.  Like coming home, where I'd never been before.  Like the entire area was saying "there you are, we've been waiting for you", as we drove along.
I love the people.  Everyone is so friendly...they wave as you drive by, even if they don't know you.  They smile and say "hi" as you pass in the store.  They chat everywhere.  It's wonderful.
I love the accents.  From a light touch, to an unintelligible, thick as syrup drawl, I love it.  It's musical.  It's beautiful.  It's contagious, and the kids are already teasing me about mine.  It's only sometimes, but yes, Ah'm developin' it.  And I'm thrilled!
I love the weather.  I love thunder and lightning, and rain.  It's like fireworks, but better.  I love that it's random, that unlike CA, where it almost NEVER rains in the summer, here it rains whenever the heck it feels like it.  I find it fascinating.
I love the humidity.  Yes.  I said it.  I admit, there have been a few days here and there that have been oppressive, but for the most part, it's just nice.  I love that it's not dry all the time.  My skin loves it.  My lungs love it.  It's awesome.
I love the green.  Everywhere, green.  Trees, bushes, grasses, everywhere.  Green...and flowers!  Beautiful flowers.  It's like spring, all summer long this year. 
I love the water.  There is just water everywhere.  Creeks, rivers, ponds, springs...so much water.  I thought northern CA was wet and green... Boy, I knew NOTHING! 
I love the religion.  It's so different here.  There are churches EVERYWHERE, and everyone talks about church.  One of the first things people ask, after your name, is where you go to church.  Stores have signs about Jesus, clerks tell you to have a blessed day, billboards, bumper stickers...Jesus is EVERYWHERE!
I love the wildlife!  We see deer, squirrels, racoons, turtles, birds of all shapes and colors, and the BUTTERFLIES!  Amazing.
I'm sure there's more, but my dessert is ready, and I'm tired.  Hugs, all!  I hope you are as blessed where you live as we are here.

This is my mission field

Sometimes, it seems like the entire Christian world is all about missions.  Uganda.  Haiti.  Mexico.  Romania.  Talking about missions.  Funding missions.  Sending their kids on missions.  Going on missions themselves.  And I start to feel like...less.  Less of a Christian, because I haven't been on a mission.  Can't afford a mission, haven't sent my kids on missions.  I get jealous of the whole idea.  A trip to another country, to help people who NEED me.  People who need JESUS.  And I could be His hands and feet, and help them.
But I know, this IS my mission field.  THIS is where God has placed me, where He has called me.  I am to be His hands and feet here, to children.  My children (where I fail daily, as I'm sure Jesus never shrieked at someone to "STOP HUMMING OR I'LL TIE YOUR LIPS IN A KNOT"), and to other children around us.
And right now, I KNOW that I am where He wants me.  We live in a neighborhood full of children, some of whom seem to REALLY need someone to love on them.  And to bake cookies for them.  Have snacks after school for them.  Hand out lollipops to them.  Have a basket of crayons, and a stack of paper on the table for them.  And when I see my daughter, out on the lawn fixing bikes for the little guy next door, or another of the kids asking if he can share his toys...I know that this mission field is more for us, than them.

This is me...

I have trouble posting frequently.  Maybe you haven't noticed...yeah, right.  I have tried, and tried, and I have finally figured out WHY I struggle with it.  It's because I'm boring.  Yes, you heard me.  Boring.  Our life...it's not really exciting.  Just normal, everyday stuff.  And I'm honestly not sure anyone wants to read that much about it.
I have bloggers I follow, and they are all really great.  Thought provoking.  Inspirational.  Motivating.  They make me excited to read the next post, but our life...it's really just life, you know?
We're not out changing the world.  We're not busy with activities.  I'm not the woman everyone wants to be.  And my kids aren't the homeschoolers who have graduated college at 7, speak 5 languages fluently and invented somethng that saves lives in Africa. 
I'm the mom next door.  The one who bakes too many cookies and hands them to any kid in the yard.  Exercises sporadically.  Spends too much time reading, or playing on my phone, while watching the kids hunt for bugs and fall off their bikes.  The one who doesn't get up when her kids fall, even when they're hollering (Hey, there's no blood!).  The one who lets them ride around the neighborhood, without following them herself. 
My kids are the loud ones.  Every neighborhood has some.  You know, the ones constantly yelling and laughing and fighting and in general being...kids.  They read...even though sometimes I have to argue to get them to.  They leave toys all over the yard...and bits of paper...and rarely wear shoes.  Their clothes are often stained, and they're dirty, a LOT.  They catch bugs and bring them to me, and we identify them (after a girly screech, lol), and sometimes, we keep them a while.
I pin lots of recipes, and craft ideas, and educational stuff.  A lot of it is "wouldn't it be great if we...?"  Oh, yeah, it would, but my kids don't WANT to learn to sing the presidents in order, or make a paper mache model of the solar system with size and topographical accuracy, or ...any of the things the "good homeschool moms" do.  And I probably won't really make those cool rooms for them.  The themed ones, with the cool crafty decorating stuff, and it all coordinates.. 
So, this is me.  And it's the best me you're getting.  SO get used to it, and maybe I'll remember to post me a bit more often.  But no promises, because I might be busy reading to kids, or baking junk food, or killing zombies with pea shooters...you know, important stuff!

Settling in

So, it's been a bit, I guess.  Things have been crazy, but good.  We're at a really nice campground, which we are enjoying greatly.  Cheap, lots of room for the kids to run around, a creek to swim in, even a donkey to pet.  We need to work on getting into a better routine, and we're working on finding a church home, but...it's going.
The kids enjoyed VBS a lot.  And they did the library reading program.  Got lots of great prizes.  We're working on using those, slowly, lol.  Still need to get stuff out of storage, but we've got to wait for dryer weather for that.  Really...not much going on.  But, I'll try to post more often again.  I promise!

reposting

Somehow managed to delete this by accident!

Albuquerque, NM

Memorial Day 2013!

Got to Alb in great time!  Nice drive.  Leaving early works well, and having the kids eat breakfast in the car.  Will do that again for sure!  Setting up the RV is down to an art.  Takes us..under an hour, I think.  Then the kids swam for about a half hour, but it was too windy and chilly.  So I did laundry, and then we decided on a treat…eating out!  We went to Golden Corral. First time for all but Steve and Mariah, and WOW, were we thrilled!  Everything was good, and we ate till we were stuffed, then home to put the kids to bed.

Next day, we decided on the Albuquerque Bio Park.  Zoo, Aquarium and Botanical Gardens.  Well, it was AWESOME!  A bit spendy, but SO worth it.  We never even MADE it to the Botanical Gardens, either, except the part where the train does a loop through, lol.  The zoo was awesome.  Really nice habitats, where you could really see everything, but the animals looked like they had plenty of room, and stuff to do.  Running water, like streams, in every enclosure.  Lots of baby animals.  Giraffe, Orangutang, prairie dogs, elephant…  The reptile house is big, with LOTS of awesome stuff.  Mostly venomous, which the kids loved of course.  Wolves.  So much!  And then you ride a train (included if you buy the combined ticket for all 3 attractions) the 2.5 miles to the aquarium.  Again, WOW.  Really great, especially once you get to the bottom level where they have the shark tank, with the sea turtles.  Everyone was in awe.  Lee was the first one around the corner to see it, and just started yelling “Mommy!  Sharks, I see sharks!  Daddy!  SHARKS!”  It was really great.

Next day was boring really, lol.  Groceries and such.  Stopped at Camping World for some roof patch, walked through a nice motorhome.  A Seneca.  Maybe someday…  And with that, New Mexico was over!

Amarillo, TX

Thursday, we left Albuquerque for Amarillo, TX.  Not a bad drive, left early with muffins for breakfast in the car.  As we got into Amarillo, we saw Cadillac Ranch!!!  Steve was thrilled, as that was on his bucket list.  SO we parked the RV at the park (not a fancy place, lol, but cheap) and went to Walmart to get some spray paint then back we went.  Sprayed cars, lots of pics, great time was had by all.  Then we decided to splurge on a burger place I’d heard of but never been…Whataburger!  Oh, very good.  We enjoyed that a lot.

Sherman Tx

Friday, May, 31.

We decided NOT to stay in Amarillo another day.  Nothing we wanted to see really, and my good friend was having a graduation party for her daughter the next day that we wanted to get to.  Long drive, but we made it all the way to Sherman in about 6 hours.  The drive was beautiful!  We thought Tx was all desert, but turns out it’s got some amazing gorgeous green areas.  Especially fell in love with St Jo, which looks like a movie set town!

 Set up in record time, then off to visit!  Had a wonderful few days visiting a friend I’d never before met in person.  I’m going to miss her, and her whole family.  They were lots of fun!  After worrying that it wouldn’t be “the same”, finally meeting in person, it was better.  Just like being with family.  So comfortable, joking and laughing and relaxing.  The kids got along great, too.  It was a wonderful break from our travels.

Sunday the 2^nd we decided to go into DFW.  The kids had specially requested a trip to the McDonalds shaped like a Happy Meal, so that was our lunch destination.  Funny for looking so odd on the outside, the inside was fancy shmancy!  Crystal, wood seating, nice…very little plastic.  And the play area was much bigger than we were used to!  The kids had fun for a bit, then we headed out to see the cattle drive in Forth Worth.  Got there in time to walk a bit, see the shops, buy postcards, see the train…and the cattle drive.  Smaller than I’d hoped, but still worth seeing.  Those longhorns are gorgeous!! 

After some shopping and visiting, Tuesday morning was it.  Time to go.  Hugs and love to my friend and her family.  We all made friends, even Jack, who is hard to win over!  And Sasha now wants a piano…and Mariah wants to join Civil Air Patrol after visiting it with my friends girls…

West Monroe, LA

Another longer drive, but such gorgeous scenery!  The green, the trees, the vines…  Beautiful!  I love trees and green, so we are definitely getting into my kind of environment!

The park here is nice enough.  Would be better if the pool wasn’t out of commission.  They found a crack in it just this week, so no swimming.  Waaah.  Especially with this humidity and heat!  We will adjust, I’m sure, but it is a HUGE change! 

Got here and set up, and just hung out in the trailer in the a/c for the evening.  Just too hot to do anything.  Then, after a good nights sleep, we were off and running!

First was Duck Commander.  We all love to watch Duck Dynasty, so getting to take pics here, and get a shirt for Dad and his collection, was a big deal.  Sadly, none of the stars were there, but we didn’t really expect them to be. 

Next was the farmers market.  Not huge, but nice.  Got some delicious peaches, green beans for dinner, and fresh (not roasted) peanuts.  Very different, but not bad.  Mariah LOVES them.  Cool to try new stuff, you know?  And again…those peaches! 

Last but certainly not least, the Beidenharn Museum!  Neat place.  First, it’s a coca cola museum, since the Biedenharns were the first to bottle coca cola.  They even sell Coke in bottles for .05 each during the tour, from an old fashioned vending machine!  That was awesome (though I paid for the caffeine that night, let me tell you!).  During that part of the tour, they explain all about the bottling, how it came about, how they do it, etc.  Neat.  Second part of the tour is the gardens, and then their home, which has been kept as it was decades ago.  Gorgeous, and the ladies doing the tour had great stories to tell!  And then lastly, Emmy Lou Biedenharn had a Bible collection, which you get to tour.  Awesome.  Had a leaf from a Gutenburg Bible, lots of old and unique Bibles, etc.  And some other cool stuff, like ancient greek jugs, Biblical coins…neat stuff.

After that, it was time to come home for a late lunch, and relaxing again.  The kids rode bikes around and read and such.  Nice day.  Its awesome to be out of the wind finally, so I can grill.  Steaks were delicious for dinner again!

That night, I was up for hours, and was treated to something new.  A Southern storm!  Lightning.  Thunder.  It went on for hours, with some rain in there, too.  Gosh, that was amazing!  Loved it!

The next day was Thursday, and it seemed like a good day to hang out and relax (and do some laundry), since it seemed more storms were coming.  None ended up hitting us really, but the kids rode bikes, played pool, watched a movie and we all generally did nothing for the day.  After an early bedtime, it’ll be time to head to Mississippi in the morning!

The end of the journey

Lake Okatibbee, Meridian, Mississippi

Lake Okatibbee was a whim.  In looking at rv parks along our route, I couldn’t find anyplace that looked awesome, but this looked ok.  Steve likes lakes a lot, and it had a small water park nearby, so…why not?  Well, when we got off the freeway, and the GPS said 25 miles more (the internet said 9 miles off the freeway), I got nervous.  Thought about finding a different park…was afraid we were getting lost…the roads were narrow, and up and down and twisty…but we stuck it out, and are SO glad we did!  One of the best places we stayed!

First, it’s very treed.  It’s on a lake, in the woods, big spots, lots of room and peace and quiet.  Little swingset, not much to speak of.  And the lake is DOWNHILL (more of a cliff than a hill), at least in the area we were in, which made me nervous.  But it was so beautiful and relaxing.

So, Saturday morning, we went to town first.  I had found out about an old working grist mill at an old general store, so we made a drive.  The store was awesome, and the lady running it was great.  Told us lots of stories about the history of the store and such.  Unfortunately, due to new govt regulations and insurance, she can’t run the gristmill much anymore, so we didn’t get to see that.  And she was out of hoop cheese, which we’d wanted to try.  But she had fresh roasted peanuts, and soda in glass bottles, and fabulous history to share, so it was worth it.

Then, after a stop for groceries, and lunch at the RV, we went and spent a couple hours at the water park.  2 of the slides were closed, so it was only $5 per person, as opposed to $9, lol.  But it was WONDERFUL!  Even Steve and I played in the water, and Jack started to enjoy it, too.  Everyone slid and splashed and laughed for a couple hours, and got worn out. 

Dinner and bed rounded out our day, and we all slept well before getting up Sunday morning to finish our trip to GA!

Rome, Georgia

So, we had decided to get to GA.  It was time.  We went straight through Alabama, with some adventures where the freeway was closed.  Spent all day in the car, saw some gorgeous scenery, and then…there we were.  Rome.  Finally.  Hugs and love all around, so glad to see our friends!  Now to start learning our new home, and enjoying our new life!!!  It’s the end of the journey, but the beginning of another big adventure!

If you’ve followed this far, thank you for joining us in our journey.  I’ll try to keep posting as we settle into our new life, lol, but can’t promise to be very frequent.  I’ll do my best!

Catching up!!

Calico Ghost Town

So, we left Bakersfield and headed up 58 to something we had just heard about a couple nights before.  Calico Ghost Town, near Yermo, CA.  Wow, well worth the stop.  One night at their campground, which was just ok, but the ghost town itself was great.

We got there mid afternoon, and went up to the ghost town as soon as we were set up.  Tons of old buildings, some original to the town, some not, all restored beautifully.  A tour through a real mine (wish it was longer, but it was great anyhow.  A  place to pan “gold” (fools gold of course, lol).  A mystery shack, which, cool though it was, I’ll probably never do again.  I got SO sick in there.  I get carsick too, badly, so maybe it’s related…?  We had sodas in the saloon…some great sodas, in real glass bottles.  I loved my Shirley Temple soda, and Mariahs Dodge City Sasparilla was a real hit.  Both made with real cane sugar!

The kids also got to do leather stamping projects in the saddlery, for only about $2 each for the leather.  And some of the shops had some great stuff! Hard to leave, but it closes at 5, so leave we did.

After a good nights sleep, we went back up after breakfast.  Rode the train, and went into the woodworking shop, which was full of some of the best stuff ever.  Wooden toys…iron “bar puzzles”…tons of great stuff.  I really would like Steve to make me a picnic gear carrier like I saw.  For eating outside on the patio, it carries 3 bottles (ketchup and the like), paper plates, a paper towel roll, etc, with a nice handle for easy transport.  Really loved that! 

Then, it was time to go, though I suspect Lee would have stayed forever if he could.  Especially in the mine, which was Tonys favorite place.  Mariah loved the mystery shack (I was the only one to get queasy!)  Lee loved the leatherworking (may have to get him some leatherworking stuff eventually).  Sasha lovedit all, and Megan really enjoyed the shop selling the leather jackets and such, for the smell!

Needles, CA

Last stop in CA! 

Well, on the way to Needles, we lost our alternator, about 80 miles west of Needles.  Man, there is NOTHING out there!  NOTHING!  Even the rest stops were closed!!  But we made it to Needles, to our campground, and got set up anyhow.  Got a new alternator the next day, in Fort Mojave, AZ, and discovered that the prices were SO MUCH CHEAPER over the border!  Wow.  Total sticker shock at how much cheaper, especially the gas.  Did some grocery shopping, drove through Bullhead City, AZ and Laughlin, NV, and did a LOT of swimming for a few days.

The kids are really getting into swimming.  Mariah swims underwater.  Lee and Tony jump in and go under, and Sasha even dunked her head before we left the last day.  The only one NOT in the water is Jack.  He’ll put his feet in once in a while, but that’s it.  Not interested at all.  But he doesn’t complain about the life vest, so that’s fine.

Best of all was the daytrip (afternoon trip? Lol) to Oatman, AZ.  Old gold mining town on old Route 66.  They havea gunfight, which was cute, at least once a day (twice when the weather isn’t too hot), lots of cute shops (more Sasparilla, yum!), and best of all, wild burros roaming the streets!!  Seriously!  Some of the shops sell burro feed, so we fed, and petted, and fell in love.  One of them tried to steal the bag with Steves new t-shirt, lol!  Lots of great pics there. 

Flagstaff, AZ

So we left Needles about 7pm, after 3 days.  Nice place, would go there again, but preferably when it’s not so stinking hot!  Left at night to drive in the cooler weather to Flagstaff.  Good choice.  That heat, plus the climb in elevation, while pulling a large RV can be tough on the van.  This was perfect.  We left Needles about 7pm, at 92 degrees approx.   got to Flagstaff about 1115 pm…at about 44 degrees!  What a shock, lol!!!  Pulled into Camping World for the night, and went to sleep.

Morning came, and we got what we needed at Camping World (would NOT recommend that one!  Not thrilled with them), then off to Walmart for some groceries, Jiffy Lube for an oil change, and Bashas for produce.  Nice prices, and those cantelopes look delicious!  Looking forward to dinner!

Winslow, AZ

So, weleft Flagstaff, and after another hour or so drive, we got to Winslow, AZ.  Yes, such a fine sight to see…  Need to take some pics of the kids at “Standing on a corner” park downtown before we leave.  Homolovi State Park found, we parked, hooked up, had a late lunch and then went to the visitor center. 

The rangers are VERY friendly and helpful.  We bought some inexpensive field guides to Southwestern snakes, insects, poisonous creatures and cactus.  Lee is obsessed with cacti!  We have already identified one of the ones near the visitor station, as well as the 3.5 foot gopher snake we saw.  Looking forward to seeing the ruins tomorrow, and hoping the wind dies down some.  It’s nasty!  But the ruins look awesome, and I’d hate for the kids to miss that. 

Saturday morning came, bright and sunshiny early.  Not much of a morning person, lol.  But we got up and moving anyhow!  After breakfast, we headed out to Homolovi II, one of the ruins here.  Wow, it was really spectacular!  Something about holding pottery shards that were made and used by people approximately 1000 years ago…  Tony was in love with it, too.  He just kept moving around yelling “Mama!  Pottery! More pottery!”  The rangers had encouraged us to let the kids climb, go in and out of the ruins of the house, handle all the pottery shards they liked…  Just don’t take any with us.  We gave Tony a quick pat down before getting in the car, to be safe, lol.

Next was into town, for a Native American art and dance festival.  Sadly, we didn’t get to see any dancing, but the art was fabulous, and there was a newsletter about the Petrified Forest, which prepared us for what we wanted to do the next day.  After taking the kids home, I ran back to do some laundry at the Laundromat.  Then after dinner, we capped off the day with a drive to the Little Painted Desert state park.  It’s a spot where you can see out into the Little Painted Desert, and as promised, it was spectacular at sunset!  You can’t see it during the drive, and you turn into the park…still can’t see it…drive to the parking area and there it is.  Incredible.  I made the kids stay in the car, as it’s rather steep, but they got a good view from where I parked, and I got some wonderful pics. 

Sunday was the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.  Not too bad a drive from Winslow, and lots to see on the way.  We saw a motel that’s all teepees (the kids thought it was the Cozy Cone from Cars, lol!), and lots of dinosaur statues, as well as the Cholla power plant, which is coal fired.  Neat to see.

The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert were awesome.  Again, lots of great pictures.  The museum was neat, and just seeing and touching all those amazing things God made…  wow.  I don’t even know any other word but wow.  He is so amazing.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it's early to rise, pack and go.  It’ll be quite a drive to Albuquerque, where I’ll finally have internet, I hope, and can post all this, lol.  Looking forward to wifi…a swimming pool…a playground…  Not sure what we’ll do, or if we’ll just hang out and relax for a day or two.  Either way, it’s another adventure!