Day three of our Journey....

Day 3 was our longest and most difficult yet. We started off with a really cool pit stop though- The Golden Gate Bridge! We left Philip's place at 8:30, stopped at the GGB for 30 minutes (parking meter said it was that long) then back on the road. We stopped in Stockton for a cat nap, a fill-up and a starbucks, then back on the road all the way to L.A.

Los Angeles was pretty exciting- mainly because all of the exit signs were for places we hear about on tv. It's like "Burbank? Wow, I could exit here and I might see famous people!" - I know, a little nerdy but who cares- it's my first time in California baby! We continued south and stopped off in Temecula, CA where the 3 of us crashed. Hard. We had been in the car for over 12 hours.

We got up this morning and had a lazy, not going anywhere kinda day. We visited (or in Isaac's case played chase) with old friends and just enjoyed a day to regroup. I did laundry, repacked my mess- I thought I was so organized when we left- it's incredible how messy things get when you are the only grown-up amongst 3 travelers. So for those of you who know Allison (and miss her as much as I have) they are doing well here. Their house is really nice- lots of large open spaces and a beautiful private backyard. The kids are great and love their school. Jenny is such a big girl now- she is like a little tiny Allison- so cute! Max and Carl (their bulldog) became fast friends. That big guy was so sweet and gentle with Max.

The bad news? It rained ALL DAY LONG here. And I do mean torential downpours. It's like "Welcome to California! ...No sunshine for you!"

Thank you to all of you for all of your prayers and words of encouragment- they truly do keep me going. This has become a bit of a faith journey for me. I have faith in the fact that the Lord is guiding my path back home on this mission. I have faith in the fact that He is watching over us every mile along the way and I have faith in the fact that your love and support will continue to sustain us until we return safely home to Washington.

A special THANK YOU to Allison and your gang. You have truly made us feel welcome in your home. We are truly blessed to call you our friends. May we all be so fortunate to have true friends like you. I am so happy we got to spend a little time together, I have so missed our conversations. The telephone is no substitute for enjoying a hot cup of tea and a late night gab session with you in person.

Until tomorrow when I will be posting from Flagstaff, AZ!

Day two of our Journey! Part two:

This was before the big yucky mess

Our hotel in Ashland, OR the Best Western Windsor Inn- highly recommended by the way! Great staff, nice clean rooms, the best continental breakfast!

Driving near Grant's Pass, had to stop and take a picture !

Yay! We made it to California!

We stopped off for our one hot meal at a place called Lumberjack's. It was this really nice little privately owned place in Redding, CA. Sort of odd that I chose a cold meal- but it was such a good salad! The kids enjoyed their mac-n-cheese as well. While waiting for our food Max was pretending to eat the crayons just to get me to grab his hand away from his mouth. It took me a few tries to figure out it was a game.

On the way out of the restaurant Isaac discovered their mascot and wanted me to take a picture of him with it. Max wanted nothing to do with this guy though.

We stopped off at a rest stop to once again "get the wiggles out". It was just a bonus that it was warm and sunny outside!

We drove into San Francisco at the most perfect time of day- sunset. It was so gorgeous! This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice!

Philip's apartment is directly above the white car parked on the street there- you definitely get the whole "downtown" experience there- not to mention the extreme bachelor pad found inside. You'd never guess that Philip doesn't spend much time around small children! I spent most of our visit repeating the phrases "No-no Maxwell", "Put that back where you found it Isaac!", "Uh-oh", and "not for babies, Maxie"...

In spite of that it was wonderful to see Philip again and to watch him spend some time with his little nephews. He even rented some kid movies that they watched on Uncle Philip's Really Cool entertainment system- large screen projector and all! Thanks for dinner and your hospitality Phil- Isaac is still talking about watching a movie on the wall!

Day two of our Journey! Part one:

So we got to start out today with a really big, really gross mess. Somebody please remind me why I thought having kids would be fun. This morning we got up after a nice comfy sleep and went together to enjoy what was by far the best continental breakfast I've ever seen at a hotel. It was really clean and organized and usually I find myself settling for the one thing that seems least yucky. This morning I had trouble choosing just one thing! Apparently so did Max because he had bits and pieces of lots of things, but the only thing he finished was a small cup of yogurt. Now most of you know how I feel about yogurt to start with, so what comes next was magnified times ten.

We headed back to the room and the boys got up on the bed and watched cartoons while I packed up and got ready to go. All of a sudden I hear from behind me: "Eew,Eew,Eew,Eew... EEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!! MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY! MAX IS THROWING UP!!!!" Sure enough everything he ate and some things I didn't recognize came back up all over the bed and the only clean outfit not packed deep in the back of the CRV. So one bathed Max, one ripped apart suitcase in the back of the truck, one sink full of vomit-scented clothes and one bathtub full of hotel bedspread later I finally managed to pack up the truck and get the heck out of that regurgitated strawberry yogurt-scented room. Sorry to be so graphic but I have to share my misery with someone.

Day one of our Journey!

Can't read it for the rain but the sign says "entering oregon"

We left at 11am (meant to leave at 9 am but that's another story...) from Renton and arrived in Portland, Oregon at 2 pm. We stopped for food, fuel and starbucks there. Note to self: must alot at least one and a half hours for a meal stop with 2 children in tow.

So we get one hot meal a day while all others are had in snack form in the car on the road. So where did we stop today? Where else? McDonald's! Why can't regular restaurants have playlands? Like a nice Bistro or a French Bakery... heck I'd even settle for a Subway with a place for the kids to run around and stretch their legs! So we get to McD's and the guy behind the counter is new- so while I wrestle with my wiggly 18 month old and try to keep an eye on my 5 yr old who wants nothing more than to find the entrance to the playland (it was sort of tricky) he managed to get our whole order wrong- even as I repeated everything 2 or 3 times. That crisis dealt with we head to the playland where the kids are instantly drawn to (are you ready for this?) the video games. It was like a free mini arcade in there and I was dumbstruck. They weren't running or climbing or sliding down slides...they were standing in one place staring at colorful pictures on a screen. Pretty much the same thing they had been doing in the car all day...save the standing part. So just for the record- I pick the place tomorrow!




We stopped at about 6 pm at a rest stop south of Eugene, Oregon so we could "get the wiggles out". It was dark and raining and people were staring, but we ran around in circles, played chase and danced to the music in our heads anyway! Then one more major snack (crackers, cheese, apple slices and milk) as we headed towards our nightime destination: Ashland, Oregon.

Why we didn't leave yesterday

" Mom's bag of tricks" - includes a new movie, a new toy each and several books and small toys that they already own to keep the kiddos busy on the road. One new bag for each day!
One last hug from daddy...

What one month of our lives looks like crammed into the back of an SUV.

See those two little puppy dog eyes staring out of the window? She jumped in the car when I was loading it and wouldn't get out. Her expression (yes our dog has "expressions" )was one of sadness and protest - she knew something was up. She didn't want me to take her boys away. I finally got her out with some cuddles and promises that daddy would be staying with her.

So I know I said we were leaving on Monday, but I lied, or rather I didn't....down that is. Wow. I am tired. I'm not sure any of that made sense...

So we got home from church on Sunday afternoon and instantly started packing and cleaning and tying up loose ends and quickly realized there was no way we would make it out the door at a reasonable hour with all we had to do. So Matt hit the road to Renton with the boys so he could get them to bed at a decent time. I stayed behind to finish up. I finally pulled out of the driveway at 2 am. I loaded up on Caffeine and headed south. It was 5 am when I arrived (had to stop for a power nap at a rest stop) in Renton. Fortunately I went to sleep instantly and by the grace of God both boys slept until 9:30. I napped when Max napped (Isaac watched the Polar Express for the 1,001st time) and then went to bed at a decent hour last night.

What does "or bust" mean anyway?

or collapse from the effort; - used in phrases expressing determination to do something; as, Oregon or bust, meaning "We will get to Oregon or die trying." -from the online dictionary

I couldn't think of a better blog name for this insane journey we are about to embark upon- though I don't think I would go so far as to say "die trying", maybe "dump 2 screaming kids on the side of the road trying" or "have a nervous breakdown trying"...

Any of you who check my blog regularly will know that I don't post regularly- however in this case I solemly vow to post each day of my journey to Oklahoma. Stay tuned!