tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18337920314889386332024-03-08T10:00:39.829-08:00American Kitsch 66Diner, Drive-In and Diving our way across America in 8 weeks on a family road trip.Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-71523952307855627502013-01-16T04:03:00.001-08:002013-01-16T04:03:24.789-08:00Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-16561583022446045872011-07-15T13:26:00.000-07:002011-07-15T13:26:45.422-07:00Skating in Sacred City<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">To try and stay in reasonable roller derby shape, I put some feelers out and tried to get in touch with roller derby leagues in the places we’re staying for more than one day at a time. One of the leagues that gave me permission to practice with them was the Sacred City Derby Girls based in Sacramento.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sacred</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">City</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> practices 4 times a week. They have a warehouse that they rent and have totally made their own. They practice there, but hold bouts at a local skating rink with a wood floor. They put in their own sport court for the warehouse. (It could have just been me, but it felt a lot smaller than our track.) They have a kitchen with a beer tap, sink, water coolers, microwave, coffee machine, fridge. They also have a vending machine that has regular stuff like power bars, gum, energy drinks, and chips, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">but also has crew socks, Chapstick, and bandanas.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> They also had several couches, a couple of bathrooms, an area that was upstairs that had a Bowflex and some stationary bikes. They also had big benches lined up in rows for skaters to put on their gear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I signed a waiver to skate with them and asked if I could take some pictures. They allowed me to take some, but not of their white board which had some strategy stuff on it. They said they are pretty secretive about what goes on in their league and don't share with other leagues which they admitted could be good for them and bad for them because then other leagues didn't share with them. I'm kind of surprised they let me skate with them!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">They said I should have brought shirts with our league logo on them to sell. They would have bought them. DARN!!! I wish I had thought of that:( Next time I take a cross-country trip, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sacred</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">City</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> is ranked in WFTDA as 8th place in the west for the first quarter of 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUQYpsoFbSo/TiCccQanCkI/AAAAAAAAA9g/34frx9kXqiI/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUQYpsoFbSo/TiCccQanCkI/AAAAAAAAA9g/34frx9kXqiI/s320/IMG_4498.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Tgq9Hzb21E/TiCcnIqiasI/AAAAAAAAA9k/A_GB2Yqsin0/s1600/IMG_4499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Tgq9Hzb21E/TiCcnIqiasI/AAAAAAAAA9k/A_GB2Yqsin0/s320/IMG_4499.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQUnHR7fbnY/TiCcybSOrdI/AAAAAAAAA9o/jEUgfzQ3Ymw/s1600/IMG_4500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sQUnHR7fbnY/TiCcybSOrdI/AAAAAAAAA9o/jEUgfzQ3Ymw/s320/IMG_4500.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGbRgfxZM2Q/TiCc_3dzQhI/AAAAAAAAA9s/4Y6RF_sqNOY/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGbRgfxZM2Q/TiCc_3dzQhI/AAAAAAAAA9s/4Y6RF_sqNOY/s320/IMG_4502.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It felt pretty great to skate with them. The practice was fairly easy because it was their fresh meat and fast track (advanced fresh meat) combined practice. They warned me that the next practice (fast track only) would be much harder.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This practice was conducted by Malevolent, a B-team skater from Sacred City. In roller derby there are several types or levels of teams. A recreation league team is purely for intra-league bouts two teams within the same league skating against each other for promotional bouts. B-team skaters are more advanced and sub for A-team skaters as alternates and often travel to compete, but are not as competitive as A-team skaters and their games do not count as far as rankings. A-team skaters are the all-star traveling team that skates against other leagues in competitive bouts for ranking. Rankings only come into play once a league is a registered member of WFTDA or another roller derby association.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I practiced again with them on July 6. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WOW! Fast track practice with </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sacred</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">City</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> last night was HARD!!!!! It was way harder than our league practices, even when some of our whip crackers are coaching. Part of it could have been because their warehouse doesn't have air conditioning and part of it was because it was 3 hours long.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We had 10 minutes to work on whatever we wanted at the end of practice. I chose to ask one of the coaches for help with my backwards skating. I learned a lot since she used to be an artistic roller skater.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The team also stretched as a team at the end of practice and did a hands in with a "</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sacred</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">" shout. Shadow Soldier stuck a sweaty sock in there instead of her bare hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In other notes, if Coach Shadow Soldier was trying to explain something and skaters were talking, she made us all do 10 push ups off the track. Sherlock Home Slice was also coaching, she went around and critiqued everyone and kept telling us to lower our butts, face forward with our chests up. They were both drill sergeants on the track. But saying that, when I tried to buy a Luna bar after practice out of their vending machine and it got stuck despite some hard booty blocks to the machine by me, Sherlock Home Slice put some money in it and said the league could pay her back to get the Luna bar out. I bought a shirt, they've got labeled bins of shirts according to size, all styles mixed together and Shadow Soldier threw in a bunch of stickers and two pins for free. She also works at Cruise Skate shop in Sacramento and recommended the Heartless 93's for me since I like a slimmer wheel and faster skates.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On July 9th I skated with their fresh meat/fast track skaters again. This practice was much harder than the other Saturday practice. They had an A-team skater called Kneel and Weep coaching and she was almost as tough as Shadow Soldier and Sherlock Home Slice. We started off without our skates doing floor work which is something completely new to me. Our league is always on skates during an official practice. We also worked on a lot of the more difficult stops in derby as well as how to most efficiently skate around the track. I learned a lot in this practice as well. It helps to skate outside the league because everyone does things differently.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Next week I'l be skating with Garden Island in Kauaii. I've been trying to contact them and one of their skaters happened to be skating with </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sacred</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> last night so I got the info on when and where their practice is. The week after that skating with Bay Area Derby with hopefully a practice with Santa Cruz and the Sac </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">City</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Rollers if I can fit it in.</span></div><!--EndFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-64592329799796003492011-07-13T01:14:00.000-07:002011-07-13T01:43:17.484-07:00Irreverent Italian<div class="MsoNormal">July 1, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We took off for Sacramento stopping first at Seton medical center where my mom works as a lab tech. She analyzed Aidan's urine. Ian dropped his test tube into the toilet and fished it out with his bare hand, urine was contaminated. She also showed the kids some bacteria under the microscope and introduced us to some co-workers<br />
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<br />
Donut Time<br />
1235 Linda Mar Shopping Center<br />
Pacifica, CA 94044<br />
(650) 738-9888<br />
<a href="http://www.debwong.com/donutime.html">http://www.debwong.com/donutime.html</a><br />
<br />
was our next stop. My buttermilk bar was too dry, but the apple fritter was a thing of beauty. It had crisp edges, a moist chewy center, and lots of apple pieces. Emma ordered a custard-filled bar and the shop owner filled it right there in front of us.<br />
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Going through Bay Area traffic was bad, but not as bad as L.A. and the drivers are less aggressive in Northern California. We stopped at UC Davis. Collin went to UC Davis as a freshman in college and play soccer there. Their workout facility was awesome, way nicer than any other I’ve seen including Bucknell which also has a great facility.<br />
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More miles of California traffic fun later we made it to Elk Grove where Collin’s parents, John and April, and brother Aaron and his family live. We unloaded our stuff in their gorgeous house and set off for:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Buca di Beppo </div><div class="MsoNormal">1249 Howe Avenue</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sacramento, CA</div><div class="MsoNormal">(916) 922-6673</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.bucadibeppo.com/">www.bucadibeppo.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">for April’s birthday dinner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The place was a riot! It had kooky and irreverent photographs covering the walls as well as a room dedicated to the pope. You get to walk through the kitchen on your way to the table. The bathrooms had old advertisements for stockings or beauty aids. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The food was delicious and almost too filling. The meals are served family style. We ordered:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mozzarella Garlic Bread—mozzarella cheese melted on top of Italian loaf brushed with garlic-infused olive oil, Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4y7Crp1axWM/Th1QTl6NwrI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/cGGYf3JLJ4g/s1600/IMG_6227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4y7Crp1axWM/Th1QTl6NwrI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/cGGYf3JLJ4g/s320/IMG_6227.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Chicken Carbonara—Tender chicken breast, prosciutto and peas with imported Italian spaghetti tossed with creamy Alfredo sauce.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chicken Saltimbocca—Sauteed chicken breasts layered with fresh sage and prosciutto, topped with artichoke hearts, lemon butter sauce, and capers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqLFZeJyNfM/Th1PwlT2AcI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/68fNtnR0ueI/s1600/IMG_6230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqLFZeJyNfM/Th1PwlT2AcI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/68fNtnR0ueI/s320/IMG_6230.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chicken Marsala—sautéed chicken breasts and fresh mushrooms in a sweet Marsala wine reduction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Baked Ziti</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few of us ordered flavored lemonades. I ordered raspberry, Collin ordered strawberry, and Ian ordered purple pear. Ian’s was the best, it was really sweet and refreshing with a beautiful purple hue.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQVwQ71jH3Q/Th1QnQSjubI/AAAAAAAAA7c/JvzZDeimTyg/s1600/IMG_6210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQVwQ71jH3Q/Th1QnQSjubI/AAAAAAAAA7c/JvzZDeimTyg/s320/IMG_6210.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorites were the chicken carbonara and the chicken marsala. The chicken carbonara was very creamy with crisp prosciutto and fresh peas, kind of heavy to eat with all the other stuff. The Marsala wine reduction on the chicken was really sweet and the mushrooms were really plump and tender.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We also had chocolate cake for dessert. The waiters sang to April and came in carrying the cake and candelabra instead of sticking candles in the cake.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-27519732098741645812011-07-13T00:21:00.000-07:002011-07-13T00:23:24.385-07:00Getting our bellies jellied<div class="MsoNormal">Note: these posts will probably not be in sequential order all the time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Jelly Belly Factory</div><div class="MsoNormal">Solano Business Park</div><div class="MsoNormal">One Jelly Belly Lane</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fairfield, CA 94533</div><div class="MsoNormal">1-800-953-5592</div><div class="MsoNormal">JellyBelly.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">July 7, 2011--It was busy today! The wait to get in for the free tour was 2 hours. The kids were getting kind of squirrely because we were waiting for so long. We saw the guy/gal dressed up in the very cherry Jelly Belly costume and Ian ran up to him/her and hugged him/her really hard thinking that the suit was made of foam, but it was actually one of the kind of made of parachute material with a fan to blow it up so he scared the Mr. Jelly Belly. We took turns waiting in line while the rest of us went in the gift shop and tried different flavors at the sample bar. I chose mango chili, crushed pineapple, and mango to make their pineapple mango salsa “recipe.” You were allowed to try three different flavors. They put the beans into your hand by using a scoop that only had room for one bean. There were mosaics made of Jelly Bellies of Ronald Regan, Princess Diana, John Wayne, Elvis, Amelia Earheart, Donald Duck, and lots of presidents. The tour was pretty cool. We learned the history of the Goelitz Candy Company and how Jelly Bellies were invented. We also saw how Jelly Bellies were made from start to finish. The tour guide passed out free samples of Jelly Bellies in their various stages of production and a small bag of assorted flavors. So even though we had to wait in line for a couple hours, the tour was totally neat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are 50 official flavors: berry blue, blueberry, bubble gum, buttered popcorn, cantaloupe, cappuccino, caramel corn, chili mango, chocolate pudding, cinnamon, coconut, cotton candy, A&W cream soda, crushed pineapple, Dr. Pepper, French vanilla, green apple, island punch, juicy pear, kiwi, Sunkist lemon, lemon drop, lemon lime, licorice, Sunkist lime, mango, margarita, mixed berry smoothie, Sunkist orange, orange sherbet, peach, pina colada, Sunkist pink grapefruit, plum, pomegranate, raspberry, red apple, A&W root beer, sizzling cinnamon, sour cherry, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry daiquiri, strawberry jam, Sunkist tangerine, toasted marshmallow, top banana, tutti-fruitti, very cherry, watermelon, and wild blackberry. My favorites of these are toasted marshmallow, lemon drop, Sunkist grapefruit, juicy pear, cotton candy, coconut, and watermelon. My least favorite flavors and tutti-fruitti and island punch. The four most popular flavors are very cherry, buttered popcorn, licorice, and juicy pear. They also had some funny bean boozled flavors that look like regular Jelly Bellies: skunk spray, pencil shavings, rotten egg, toothpaste, canned dog food, barf, booger, moldy cheese, baby wipes, and centipede. Ian’s favorite is watermelon, Collin’s is juicy pear, and Aidan’s is red apple. April’s favorite are the chocolate dipped flavors.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Collin’s mom goes whenever she has grandkids visiting and said that usually the wait for the free tour is only 15 minutes. That must be when school is still in session. Now I’ve eaten so many jelly beans that I feel a little sick. At least I know that they try to use as much natural flavoring as they can in the slurry that makes up the center and the coating.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were all pretty tired so April picked up some sandwiches from:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr. Pickles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6350 Folsom Blvd., #300</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sacramento, CA 95819</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(916) 454-3706</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://mrpicklesinc.com/main.php">mrpicklesinc.com/main.php</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They were super fresh, hot, and awesome. I ate the Tuna Tuna two days after it had been bought and sitting in the fridge and it was hands down the best tuna sandwich I've ever had. Here are the ones she ordered:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BLAT</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">triple decker of bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Mr. Pickle</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">chicken breast, bacon, avocado, and jack cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tuna Tuna</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">tuna salad with swiss cheese, avocado and cucumber</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I think I'll go there again the next chance I get so I can try some different ones. I really love their San Francisco style bread.<br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-60737839349349336442011-07-07T20:58:00.000-07:002011-07-07T20:58:35.540-07:00Crepes, Surf's Up, Barbara's Fish Trap, Adobo, Fire, Charades<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 30, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next day we woke up to the smell of crepes. My mom always makes crepes when we visit or she comes to see us. We also shared some of the Danish pastries we picked up in Solvang and some yummy muffins Teela made: raspberry macadamia and banana ginger chocolate chip.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">After breakfast we went to Montara beach to watch Teela and her boyfriend Paul surfing. Paul is really into it, Teela just started. The kids had fun playing in the sand and running away from the waves. We forbade them from getting in the water because there is a very dangerous undertow there. There were a lot of jellyfish washed up on the shore. I was showing one to Ian and he squished his fingers through it as he picked it up. Blargh!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">My mom treated us to lunch at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Barbara’s Fish Trap</div><div class="MsoNormal">Princeton by the Sea</div><div class="MsoNormal">281 Capistrano Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Half Moon Bay, CA 94018</div><div class="MsoNormal">(650) 728-7049</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The place was super busy, cash only, and the waitress was kind of crabby and kept saying, “If everyone could stay behind the captain!” We ordered our food to go and ate it outside on some tables overlooking the water where a bunch of boats were docked. We ordered clam chowder, corn fritters, fish and chips, calamari, and crab cakes. Everything (except the clam chowder) was deep fried and delicious. The clam chowder was awesome. It tasted really fresh and did not have any milk fat in it, a change from the usual clam chowder. You could tell the clams were authentic because they still had a little sand in them. It still had a delicious creaminess without the dairy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mom made dinner later of adobo (Filipino chicken dish with potatoes and vinegar, stinky but delicious), green beans, squash, watermelon, pineapple sprinkled with salt, and rice. We ate outside in the front. Afterwards, we made a fire in the fire pit using my mom's old tax return stuff as kindling. Aidan had lots of fun reading the amounts on the checks before throwing them in the fire. We roasted a few marshmallows. Then we played charades. My mom and the kids really got into it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-77267867680562598142011-07-07T20:18:00.000-07:002011-07-07T20:18:35.868-07:00Eating our way up the California Coast<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 29, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the morning we went to:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Paula’s Pancake House</div><div class="MsoNormal">1531 Mission Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Solvang, CA 93463</div><div class="MsoNormal">(805) 688-2867</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.paulaspancakehouse.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The place was totally decked out Danish style from the decorations to the waitresses uniforms. The waitresses themselves were all Latina. I ordered the Danish pancakes with cinnamon apples, syrup, and butter. Collin ordered French toast made with sourdough bread which he said was excellent. Their syrup was watery but very good, it was also light in color. I suspect that it’s not maple syrup, but sugar syrup. My Danish pancakes were scrumptious, I loved the cinnamon apples. They were kind of tart, but sweet and cinamonny at the same time. Collin ate the rest of mine, it was so big I couldn’t finish it. They also had a fresh squeezed orange juice machine just like they do in Spanish cafes. We all had fresh squeezed orange juice and it was soooooooooooooo good. Collin felt like he was back in Spain, which is his happy place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I went next door to </div><div class="MsoNormal">Olsen's Danish Village Bakery Coffee Shop</div><div class="MsoNormal">1529 Mission Drive</div><div class="MsoNormal">Solvang, CA 93463</div><div class="MsoNormal">(805) 688-6314</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.olsensdanishvillagebakery.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To buy some treats for my mom and my sister, Teela. The bakery was really Danished-out this time, the owner, Susy, was working and she really is Danish. Again, everyone else working there was Latina. I got some pastries, almost all of them were almond flavored or had marzipan in them. I was tempted to buy a Danish cookbook, but the first recipe I saw when I opened it up was pickled herring with sour cream sauce. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3-4SRT1ovo/ThZqgv7_nQI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/9MOMiVDCR_0/s1600/IMG_4012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3-4SRT1ovo/ThZqgv7_nQI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/9MOMiVDCR_0/s320/IMG_4012.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hy_wUf6NZGo/ThZqj_KIF4I/AAAAAAAAAyU/fTjPJbw2Znk/s1600/IMG_4015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hy_wUf6NZGo/ThZqj_KIF4I/AAAAAAAAAyU/fTjPJbw2Znk/s320/IMG_4015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The town of Solvang is totally cute. I loved driving through and seeing all the Danish style buildings with fake storks perched on top, a bar named The Little Mermaid, the little mermaid statue in the middle of town, and Danish flags flying everywhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our next stop was Santa Barbara where we walked around downtown with Jim. We stopped at the historic courthouse, which is about 160 years old. The kids had fun running around the grassy area in the center while Jim and Collin went up to the tower to look at the view. I was kind of fascinated by the elderly woman dance troupe that was practicing dance numbers to Proud to Be an American and YMCA. They were pretty cute with their brightly colored tutus, leotards and leggings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stopped at the mission and laid on the grass in front while Collin looked around, I was feeling kind of ill. There were some really creative chalk drawings sponsored by local businesses on the grounds outside the mission itself. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hmsz60WHM9Q/ThZugbvF5HI/AAAAAAAAAzs/f24PeqCoZX8/s1600/IMG_4089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hmsz60WHM9Q/ThZugbvF5HI/AAAAAAAAAzs/f24PeqCoZX8/s320/IMG_4089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">UC Santa Barbara was next our (early) college tour for the kids.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SyA3S4I9nIo/ThZu22IxazI/AAAAAAAAAzw/7lmsjmb7KLI/s1600/IMG_4096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SyA3S4I9nIo/ThZu22IxazI/AAAAAAAAAzw/7lmsjmb7KLI/s320/IMG_4096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">San Louis Obispo was awesome!!! We first ate what Gourmet Magazine called the “world’s best fries” at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bel Frites</div><div class="MsoNormal">1127 Garden Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">San Luis Obispo, CA 93401</div><div class="MsoNormal">(805) 784-0422</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.belfrites.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">They serve the fries in paper wrappers inside a spiral cone shaped holder. We chose lemon pepper seasoning for one order of fries with red pepper aioli to dip it in. The other order was Jamaican jerk seasoning on the fries and curry mango chutney to dip it in. We all chowed down on those delicious fries and also each did a drawing about our experience and put it up on the bulletin board. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5xRSo3kwazk/ThZvbvuUEVI/AAAAAAAAAz0/byFuejLIWkE/s1600/IMG_4100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5xRSo3kwazk/ThZvbvuUEVI/AAAAAAAAAz0/byFuejLIWkE/s320/IMG_4100.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SE_zXN0Exx8/ThZv7pUGuGI/AAAAAAAAA0c/lEmW8g7lG7U/s1600/IMG_4115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SE_zXN0Exx8/ThZv7pUGuGI/AAAAAAAAA0c/lEmW8g7lG7U/s320/IMG_4115.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After that little amuse bouche, we had what Collin said was the best meal of the trip at </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Big Sky Café</div><div class="MsoNormal">1121 Broad Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">San Luis Obispo, CA 93410</div><div class="MsoNormal">(805) 545-5401</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.bigskycafe.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The place was moderately priced, had a blue painted ceiling with stars on it, and a very strange photo essay featuring a monkey and a naked man and woman near the restrooms. Collin ordered the lamb kabob and ginger eggplant pita which was grilled lamb skewers marinated in Turkish seasonings, served over ginger-harissa eggplant and lemon-tahini salad with tomatoes on grilled flatbread. I ordered the grilled cheese, eggplant, and chipotle sandwich: Cheswick, N.Y. white cheddar on Pure and Simple sourdough with roasted eggplant, red pepper relish, and a smear of smokey chipotle chilies. It was good, but a little too greasy after all those fries. I should have gone with a salad instead. Aidan ordered a turkey burger, Ian got a hot dog, and Emma ordered buttered spaghetti with parmesan. The kids’ fruit cups were obviously real fruit as opposed to canned. The server was very friendly and we talked a little photography talk since he had the same camera and Miche bags since I had mine with me and his girlfriend really wanted one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ySKxnb2ywbU/ThZwbQPLGKI/AAAAAAAAA0g/6t-wyPBcc_4/s1600/IMG_4116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ySKxnb2ywbU/ThZwbQPLGKI/AAAAAAAAA0g/6t-wyPBcc_4/s320/IMG_4116.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v6RN7xSOE0Y/ThZwyQJQ97I/AAAAAAAAA08/k7wWYu6OdJc/s1600/IMG_4124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v6RN7xSOE0Y/ThZwyQJQ97I/AAAAAAAAA08/k7wWYu6OdJc/s320/IMG_4124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Right next door to Big Sky Café was: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tropical Chocolates</div><div class="MsoNormal">1127 Broad St. #A</div><div class="MsoNormal">San Luis Obispo, CA 93401</div><div class="MsoNormal">(805) 540-7077</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.tropicalchocolateco.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">They had some really exotic flavors and were all beautifully handcrafted and painted. It was kind of pricey, the smaller chocolates were $2 a piece and the cake balls were $2.50. We ordered a salty caramel dark chocolate, a dark orange sunset, milk chocolate macadamia nut, coconut milk chocolate, and green tea ginger milk dark chocolate. Pricey, but delicious chocolate bliss is always worth the dinero. We enjoyed them by a little creek that had the San Juan Bautista de Anza historic path next to it and the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vs1iHsmUiGU/ThZyx1-ZKQI/AAAAAAAAA10/KrAUdL2OtsA/s1600/IMG_4157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vs1iHsmUiGU/ThZyx1-ZKQI/AAAAAAAAA10/KrAUdL2OtsA/s320/IMG_4157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bubble Gum Alley on is on Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo. People come and stick their chewed up bubblegum on the walls of the alley. Some people just stuck the gum on the wall. Others spelled their names out with gum or gum wrappers. Collin stuck his gum on the wall with a penny in the middle. I blew a bubble and stuck it on the wall. We seem to be leaving our mark in a lot of places.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">While looking for a public bathroom, we ran across a little museum about the town that had a cool kids room where the kids could stamp aluminum foil and type on an old-fashioned typewriter. I enjoyed looking at an old Sears Roebuck catalog.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The view up the coast was GORGEOUS! We stopped at the Hearst Castle gift shop for a pit stop and then stopped around San Simeon to watch the elephant seals blubbering around on the sand nearby. Some were fighting, others were sleeping, and some were slowly making their way in and out of the water. It was awesome to see them up close in their natural environment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nE00-gLoIn0/ThZ2JtCKPKI/AAAAAAAAA3M/mkdmzI2WTTs/s1600/IMG_4274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nE00-gLoIn0/ThZ2JtCKPKI/AAAAAAAAA3M/mkdmzI2WTTs/s320/IMG_4274.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We were afraid of running out of gas, so we stopped for gas in Gorda-by-the-sea. Gas was a whopping $5.39 a gallon, but the sign at the gas station said that the next gas station going north was 40 miles away. We stopped for dinner at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">r.g. Burgers</div><div class="MsoNormal">201 Crossroads Shopping Village</div><div class="MsoNormal">Carmel, CA </div><div class="MsoNormal">(831) 626-8054</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.rgburgers.com/">www.rgburgers.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was just OK. I got a falafel salad. The falafel was spicy, but without any real flavor, the salad was just iceberg lettuce and tomato (burger toppings!). I should have ordered the pulled-pork sliders. Ian and Aidan had turkey and beef sliders. Emma had a turkey sandwich with fries. Collin hoofed it over to the grocery store and had crab roll sushi. I wish we had joined him and skipped the restaurant.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_Nw44V7h2I/ThZ2vzKax5I/AAAAAAAAA3k/fu7T0P5kEy8/s1600/IMG_4279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_Nw44V7h2I/ThZ2vzKax5I/AAAAAAAAA3k/fu7T0P5kEy8/s320/IMG_4279.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We finally arrived at my mom’s house in Montara around 11 p.m. My sister, Teela and her boyfriend, had waited for us until about 10:50 p.m., so we just missed them. We had a joyful reunion with my mom with lots of hugs and kisses. My mom, of course, had some snacks ready and waiting for us when we arrived: Ube Crackers and other Asian craveables. We finally beached ourselves like the elephant seals we had become from all the food we ate today and went to bed around 12:20 a.m. after shooing Teela’s cat Meesi out of our room. </div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-33724353694177777322011-07-02T08:30:00.000-07:002011-07-02T08:30:00.673-07:00Disney Pin Trading Mania and Fountain Valley<div class="MsoNormal">June 28, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Disney Pin Trading Mania</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We rose pretty early because we only had one day at Disneyland. We ate breakfast at a chain called:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Coco’s</div><div class="MsoNormal">12032 Harbor Blvd.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Garden Grove, CA 92840</div><div class="MsoNormal">(713) 750-7477</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.cocosbakery.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was right down the street from our hotel. I ordered the California omelet with jack cheese and avocado. The buttermilk biscuit that came with it was horrible! It was rubbery, tasted like day old Bisquik and was obviously microwaved. My omelet was pretty good. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The kids were, of course, super excited to get to Disneyland, not just to ride the rides, but to do some Disney pin trading and Vinylmation trading. Our friend Jacquie from Lewisburg turned us on to the pin trading. People have lanyards with Disney character pins on them. You can trade them with a cast member wearing a similar lanyard. You can trade up to two pins with the cast member. They have to give you whatever two pins you want and accept whatever two pins you offer in exchange. You can also trade with other non-Disney cast member pin collectors, but they don’t have to trade with you and will only do it if you have something they desperately want. Jacquie and her family are really into the pin trading and collecting certain sets. They order a huge bag of random Disney pins off of eBay, keep the ones they like and bring the rest with them to Disneyland to trade with cast members. Before we left on our trip, Jacquie gave us some spare pins so that each of the kids started out with 20 pins. Poor Aidan left his at the Brian Head cabin and Emma managed to lose half of hers between Lewisburg and Disneyland (don’t ask me how). Ian had all his pins (he’s pretty responsible). They were also able to trade Vinylmation figures, which are Mickey Mouse shaped, but with different characters or designs printed on them. It was pretty exciting for them to trade both items. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">April and John stayed at the same hotel and took us to Disneyland. Collin and I were freaking out when we went into the parking garage because of our Thule space case. I was so scared that it was going to scrape the garage ceiling or get knocked off completely! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Disneyland make $4 million a day on ticket sales alone which explains why our tickets were so darned expensive at $80 a pop.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We took a pretty laid back approach to Disneyland. We tried to get fast passes for rides we really liked, sometimes we were successful, other times our fast pass said we could ride Star Tours at 11:30 p.m. (by then we would have been in Fountain Valley). So we rode Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command. We also ate lot of JUNK food, traded a lot of pins and some Vinylmation figures, and watch Bill Hill and the Hillbillies. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bill Hill and the Hillbillies was such a fun show. The musicians in the band were truly talented and acted very hokey and silly. The kids thought it was hilarious and so did we. It was also nice to sit in an airconditioned place out of the sun while eating ice cream. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Food-wise, we did things a la carte and didn’t bother eating at a restaurant. We had some kabobs, fresh fruit, cookies, churros, and ice cream. I felt a little sick after all the junk food and rides combined.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We called it a day around 5 pm, said goodbye for now to Collin’s parents and fought traffic all the way to Fountain Valley.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fountain Valley</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We showed up a titch too early. Mal, Melissa and their kids were still at their daughter’s birthday party. Oops! But not five minutes after pulling up to their house, Mal showed up with some of his kids. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Their house is awesome! They are remodeling the yard and did some of the downstairs. It looks like a cross between Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Mormon Chic. (I’m totally jealous.) Um, did I mention that the beach is literally 5 minutes away and that Mal goes surfing whenever he wants to? Our kids were really excited about their playroom, which is gigantic and loaded with toys. One thing thing Mal and Melissa’s kids don’t have is any kind of video games which makes at least one of them totally obsessed with video games on people’s phones. Collin made a friend by hiding his phone and giving their son clues to where it was.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After we put the kids to bed without dinner (they didn’t say anything, so neither did we), we stayed up pretty late talking about old times. Mal and Melissa are friends of our from our college days, specifically when we all got engaged. Between our three apartments in the same complex, we had 5 different couples get engaged in the same year. BY-Woo, no joke.<br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-1256133346500293142011-07-02T01:52:00.000-07:002011-07-02T08:22:38.065-07:00Blueberry Hill to Santa Monica: the end of Route 66June 26, 2011<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Sunday morning we ate a little breakfast and hung out with Ryan and the kids while Mical went to church. We visited Katy, Justin, Charlotte, and baby Johnny at Justin’s parents’ house which was only about 10 minutes drive from Ryan and Mical’s. It was so fun to see Johnny. He has these juicy little lips that he pokes out and the tiniest toes. Ian said he was the cutest baby in the universe. Aidan, Emma, and Ian played with Charlotte while Collin and I chatted with Katy and Justin. They suggested that we get some pancakes from:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Blueberry Hill</div><div class="MsoNormal">1280 South Decatur Blvd.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Las Vegas, NV 89102</div><div class="MsoNormal">(702) 877-8867</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.blueberryhillrestaurants.com/">www.blueberryhillrestaurants.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We called in our order and Collin, Justin, Aidan, and Charlotte went down the street to pick it up. Katy said that there are a couple of mean older waitresses that don’t have much patience for rowdy little kids, so they usually get stuff to go. We ordered the strawberry pancakes and the blueberry pancakes. Katy and Justin got the Bonanaza Special: two extra large eggs, ham or strips of bacon or two sausage links and your choice of two buttermilk pancakes or hashbrowns with toast and jelly for $6.79. Katy told us we should get the old fashioned buttermilk pancakes: five light and fluffy homemade pancakes topped with butter and served with warm maple syrup.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We should have listened! The strawberry pancakes with pretty good, but really nothing special. The blueberry ones were fine, but the topping was not “warm, fresh blueberry compote.” It was most likely blueberry pie filling from a can. Kind of disappointing. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I like their philosophy of not using pre-made package mix or preservatives and that they’ve been using the same recipe since 1966. But it was hard to taste that through the gelatinous blueberry topping. I’m totally willing to give it another try the next time I’m in Las Vegas. We brought the pancakes back to Ryan and Mical’s and I scrambled up some eggs to go with them for lunch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mical gave me a trim at my request. I usually have Collin do it and thought I’d give an almost professional a go. It only took her about 10 minutes and she blended my hideous bangs that I cut myself into the rest of my hair. She also did Emma’s nails with neon green polish topped with silver crackle polish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gpXxrTOFidc/Tg7WDENAQkI/AAAAAAAAAtM/86kMOljwZEg/s1600/IMG_3695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gpXxrTOFidc/Tg7WDENAQkI/AAAAAAAAAtM/86kMOljwZEg/s320/IMG_3695.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We took some pictures together and then set off on our way to Southern California. It was about a 4 hour drive through some kind of ugly landscape. We saw the biggest thermometer in the world in Baker: the gateway to Death Valley. The kids had fun spitting on the blacktop and watching it evaporate quickly. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we hit Orange County, we were kind of hating being in the car. The traffic was horrible. We saw about 10 aftermaths of recent accidents. It was hot and seemed to take forever to get to the Santa Monica Pier which is where Route 66 ends. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Santa Monica Pier was wildly crowded. It was full of people strolling, performing, eating carnival food, and just plain gawking at each other. The pier has an homage to Route 66 towards the end. We wanted to buy t-shirts, but they were a huge ripoff, so Collin says he's going to make some. We'll see;) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We ordered a chicken Caesar salad, turkey burger, hot dog, and corn dogs from Inky's. What we really wanted was the original Hot Dog on a Stick lemonade, but we were unable to find it. We let the kids choose to either play a carnival game or get a treat. Ian was disappointed when he shot a basket that bounced off the rim in a carnival game. Aidan and Emma opted to get treats after observing Ian. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We left after the sun had fully set and drove towards Anaheim. We got a little lost and ended up in a really bad neighborhood because our GPS, bless Sally's soul, lead us astray. We finally reached Garden Grove where we stayed at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resorts</div><div class="MsoNormal">12021 Harbor Boulevard</div><div class="MsoNormal">Garden Grove, CA 92840</div><div class="MsoNormal">1-866-442-7375</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.anaheim.crowneplaza.com/">www.anaheim.crowneplaza.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was by far the nicest hotel we stayed at during this trip. They provided lavender linen spray to help you sleep! We really only slept there after getting there so late. But the beds were comfortable and the hotel was really close to Disneyland, super clean, and had a very polite and helpful staff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-2757293023928617842011-06-29T08:03:00.000-07:002011-07-02T01:05:43.545-07:00Zion National Park to Las Vegas<div class="MsoNormal">June 25, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It takes a long time to get a bunch of kids and grown ups out of the house. When we finally got there it was already 1 p.m. We hopped on the shuttle and it took us to the Riverside Walk Trail. The shuttle ride was pretty hot and crowded. There driver could both hear and see what was going on the shuttle. She kept asking people to not put their hands outside the windows. When Aaron asked if Royal, who was sick, had had anything to drink. The driver came over the loudspeaker and said, “There is no drinking on the shuttle!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bEFwFUkdSQ/Tgs-d5X0iFI/AAAAAAAAApk/nzRZdpBX5VI/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bEFwFUkdSQ/Tgs-d5X0iFI/AAAAAAAAApk/nzRZdpBX5VI/s320/IMG_3524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aidan got pretty carsick once we got to the trailhead and needed to have his shirt and hat wetted to make him feel better. We walked to the river and cooled off our feet and legs. The cousins were throwing giant rocks into the river. Collin urged our family to take off on the trail and leave everyone else to their own devices. The trail was kind of similar to a hilly sidewalk. We saw lots of interesting plants and a few lizards, squirrels, snakes, tadpoles, and lizards. The snakes were eating tadpoles in the river. The squirrels were eating food that people had dropped. There was a really shady area by the river where a ton of people had stopped to cool off. Some adults were jumping off a rock into the river and getting swept downstream by a pretty strong current. On the shuttle ride back we happened to see Collin’s family seated in a café near the Emerald Pools trailhead. We hopped off the shuttle and joined them for some lunch. I had a black bean burger that was pretty good. An interesting thing about the café is that they don’t sell bottled water. Instead they have faucets that dispense mountain spring water from the park. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A couple of friends from college happened to be at the park at the same time. We met Shauna, Doug, and their kids in the visitor’s center. We hadn’t seen them in 7 years. It was great to catch up and make plans to stay a night with them in Colorado on our way back to Pennsylvania. They want to take us to Crave, a restaurant that serves a burger with donuts as the bun. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Two take home lessons for Zions</div><div class="MsoNormal">1. It’s too hot in June</div><div class="MsoNormal">2. You need more than one afternoon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a quick stop at Sol Foods Market to buy some host gifts, a straw hat for me, and ice cream for all. We drove three hours to Las Vegas, Nev. to stay with Ryan and Mical. You have to cut through Arizona to get to Nevada from Southern Utah, weird, huh? We forgot about the time change and told them we would be there at 8 pm, but actually got there at 7 pm. We hadn’t seen them in 4 years. Their youngest son’s middle name is McKinney to honor his and Collin’s friendship. Ryan works in construction and Mical just finished cosmetology school.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We ended up getting take out from Olive Garden (no pictures or descriptions, everyone has been to Olive Garden). We stayed up pretty late watching videos of my last roller derby bout, Ryan beating someone up during a fight club match during his UVSC days, and a tape of his mission to Guatemala. Collin and I slept on an air mattress in their living room next to Ian and Aidan in sleeping bags. Aidan and Ian started out in Cole and Caden’s room, but found it too hard to sleep with four boys in one room. Emm and Madison slept in Madison and Callie’s room. They have two French Mastiffs: Ginger and Joba. They plan to eventually breed the dogs. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-373165265544474752011-06-26T12:23:00.000-07:002011-06-26T12:23:28.543-07:00Gone Fishin'June 24, 2011<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we went fishing at Panguitch Lake. We rented a boat and borrowed some fishing gear and set off after some trout with Aaron at the wheel. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the wind was blowing so hard we all had goose bumps. We caught four fish: 2 rainbow trout, 1 cutthroat, and one brown trout. There was also one we had on the string tied to the boat and broke loose when we had the boat going full throttle. There was a rainbow trout that we had almost in the net, but we caught another fish at the same time. The net we tried to use wasn’t big enough, so a 2 ½ rainbow trout got away. Most of the time we spent on the boat was just relaxing and taking in the scenery. Aaron taught Collin how to tie fishing knots and bait a hook. The guy at the bait shop gave us some garlic pickle juice to dip the worms in and that seemed to be the winning combination for bait. All the kids helped watch the poles and grab the nets.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aaron brought them home and gutted them. April baked them in the oven after stuffing them with onions. The fish was pretty yummy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span id="goog_149256840"></span><span id="goog_149256841"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Everyone got pretty sunburned from being out on the boat all day.</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-51314387697733961742011-06-24T21:13:00.000-07:002011-06-24T21:13:44.633-07:00Disney's The Little Mermaid, the Musical<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 22, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nPN9zsfREE8/TgVdWnfg_hI/AAAAAAAAAkU/UvmRIW2Z2gE/s1600/IMG_3211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nPN9zsfREE8/TgVdWnfg_hI/AAAAAAAAAkU/UvmRIW2Z2gE/s320/IMG_3211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">April, Kirsten, Ollie, Lily, Charlotte, Kendall, and Gage took off for St. George around noon to shop at the outlet stores, grab some lunch, and play at the water park. Collin, the kids, and I stayed home and cleaned cabin. April offered to pay the kids $10 each to do a list of chores. Afterwards we let them play in the water park:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hidden Valley Park</div><div class="MsoNormal">3505 South Barcelona Dr.</div><div class="MsoNormal">St. George, UT</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Their baby cousins were running around naked while they wore bathing suits. They all thought it was really funny when they sat on top of the water spouts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oTWaSqSL5k/TgVcaDp5UgI/AAAAAAAAAj4/B-6_enPFSNo/s1600/IMG_3216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oTWaSqSL5k/TgVcaDp5UgI/AAAAAAAAAj4/B-6_enPFSNo/s320/IMG_3216.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We dried them off and went to:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chuck-O-Rama</div><div class="MsoNormal">127 Red Cliffs Drive</div><div class="MsoNormal">St. George, UT 84790</div><div class="MsoNormal">(801) 637-4464</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> chuck-o-rama.com</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chuck-O-Rama is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a great restaurant to take a big crowd, especially if you like fried food and meat. There were also some healthy options like salad and fruit, but most of it was comfort food. The rolls and fried scones were really yeasty and soft. The salad bar had regular salad stuff and then some mayonaisey salads with pasta or potatoes. There was a meat board with roast ham and turkey. You could get scalloped potatoes, kielbasa, Jell-O, cinnamon pull-apart bread, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, sweet and sour chicken, cornbread, etc., The dessert bar had soft serve frozen yogurt with toppings, pumpkin roll, brownies, black forest cake, berry topped white cake, rice pudding, bread pudding, peach cobbler, apple crisp, yellow cake with raspberries topping, and rocky road cake. The rocky road cake was my favorite dessert. It was served warm so the marshmallows with nice and gooey and the cake was dense and moist. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wouldn’t normally choose a greasy, all-you-can-eat buffet, but it was perfect for our group of 6 adults and 12 kids. Everyone found something they could eat and the buffet price goes by age. It was a little chaotic to be constantly getting up to fill plates and get drinks and wipe gooey faces.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our next stop was:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuacahn Ampitheater and Center for the Arts</div><div class="MsoNormal">1100 Tuacahn Drive</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ivins, UT 84738</div><div class="MsoNormal">(435) 652-3200</div><div class="MsoNormal">www.tuacahn.org</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">to see the Disney’s the Little Mermaid, the Musical. The setting was absolutely gorgeous with the red rock cliff wall behind the stage and a waterfall flowing behind it. At the beginning of the play, the waterfall flowed onto the stage and flooded it as Prince Eric’s ship came into view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the actors that were supposed to be sea creatures were wearing metal Heely’s to make it look as if they were gliding through the water. All the mermaids had tails from below their waists down to their bottoms and sticking out behind them. They had black skirts on to cover their legs. Scuttle flew across the stage by way of wires and crashed into a cliff face, the stage crew fired a feather cannon onto the stage. Flotsam and Jestsam were my favorite characters. The eels had lights on their arms and tails. Some extra eels glided onto the flooded stage on longboards.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There were a few changes to the story that deviated from the 1989 movie version. Ariel got her beautiful voice from her dead mother who was killed by Ursula who is King Triton’s sister. When Poesidon died, he gave his trident to his son, Triton, and his magic shell to his daughter, Ursula. Also, when they killed Ursula, there wasn’t this great battle, Ariel just stole the trident from her and stabbed her and threw her magic shell in a hole. When Ariel is on land and mute, she can sing out her thoughts if no one else is around. There were a lot new songs, most of which I liked.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">They used some kind of cool effects. There was a rain curtain that they projected images onto like a rolling surf or bubbles. They set off fire works after the show and used some fireworks to symbolize lightening striking the mast of the ship. Ursula was on some sort of scooter or peddled device on wheels. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite line from the play was when King Triton said, “As long as you live under my reef, you’ll follow my rules!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Eric didn’t look anything like the Eric in the movie and he was not really leading man material in the looks department. He was a good actor and had a great singing voice. When he first started singing, Emma leaned over and whispered, “No offense to anyone, but I think Prince Eric is pretty UGLY.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a part when Ariel and her father were hugging and saying goodbye to each other. Emma started crying (and so did I).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-83548851619804264422011-06-23T10:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T10:00:22.963-07:00Ride 'em, Muleboy<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 21, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We farted around the cabin this morning a little and then went to Bryce Canyon. We went to the visitor’s center and watched a movie about Bryce Canyon. Usually, the entrance fee to the national park is $25, but since the first day of summer, we got in free! John very generously paid for us to take a 2-hour mule ride into Bryce Canyon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Canyon Trail Rides</div><div class="MsoNormal">(435) 679-8665</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="ttp://www.canyonrides.com/bryce_canyon_rides.html">www.canyonrides.com/bryce_canyon_rides.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You could only go on the mule ride if you were 7-years-old or over and weighed 220 pounds or less. Each rider cost $50 to ride. The younger kids who couldn’t go on the ride were pretty upset, especially Charlotte. She screamed for a long time without ceasing because she wanted to ride the horsies so much. April, John, Kirsten, Gage, Lily, and Charlotte went to a couple of the lookouts and hike around a bit while they waited for us.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The rest of us saddled up on mules chosen for us by the cowboys. Collin remarked that he was surprised that there are still real live cowboys in the world today.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ian’s mule was named Alice. She was 30 years old. Ian felt thirsty the whole time, but the ride was still awesome. His mule was led by our guide, Cole, for the entire ride.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aidan said he almost died four times while the horse was trying to eat weeds on the edge of the cliff. His mule’s name was Lisa. She was very stubborn. Whenever a fly landed on her back she would shake it off and it was really creepy, he thought she was in shock or something. She stopped to eat about 10 times. Aidan doesn’t think they feed the mules very well because why would they be trying to eat if they had been fed well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ollie’s mule was named Sir Henry. He kept saying he wished he had his iPod touch and a bed. He and Aidan kept grabbing pine needles from the trees they passed and throwing them in the air.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kendall’s mule’s name was Winchester. First she was scared then she liked it. She felt a little calmer and trusted her horse. Kendall didn’t exactly trust her horse and she felt a bit too high. Then she felt a lot better. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Emma claimed to be a born mulewoman. She said she had been horseback riding twice (I have no recollection of her ever riding). Her horse was named Priscilla and she was pretty gentle. She almost fell off a cliff, so that was pretty scary. But after a few minutes it felt like she went horseback riding every day. Priscilla was very disagreeable because she was a teenager. Emma got really scared because they’re trained to go really close to the edge of the cliff so it was pretty freaky, but she felt better after our guide, Cole, assured us that they wouldn’t drag us off the cliff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Collin’s mule was named Dixie. He loved the views and asked our guide Cole a lot of questions. It made him want to be a cowboy until his bum started hurting. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I loved the mule ride through Bryce Canyon. I took tons of pictures, but didn’t turn my shutter speed up high enough and so some of my pictures turned out blurry. My mule, Keystone, was a big time snacker and constantly took me to the edge of the path to stretch his neck out and grab some weeds and scare the heck out of me. I felt pretty comfortable on my mule and it did follow directions if I showed him who was boss. After about an hour, my bum knee really started to hurt. We also all got a little sunburned in spite of wearing SPF 50. Some of the cool formations we saw were a hollowed out section called the naked lady of Bryce Canyon, the Queens’ Garden, Sinking Ship, Wall of Windows, and hoodoos that looked like ancient cities as far as the eye can see. We also saw a large area in the canyon that had tons of trees that had been struck by lightening, all in the same spot. It was awesome! I can totally see why my derby wife loves horseback riding.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cole said that he was giving us a cowboy souvenir, the soreness in our bodies for the next couple of days. One of the other guides called one of the slopes on the switchback where all the mules would stop to pee and poop “Perfume Point.” Our guide made a joke that they had been asked to prop up one of the falling rocks and as we passed by, we saw a tiny stick almost bent in half.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was really surprised that kids as young as 7-years-old and people who had never been on a horse were allowed to go on a 2-hour ride on really steep switchbacks on a bunch of stubborn mules. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the mule ride, we went to one of the lookouts, Bryce Point. Most of the people there were foreign. There was one guy who was riding his bike all around Bryce Canyon. He was sweaty. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stopped for some ice cream at</div><div class="MsoNormal">Prairie Dog Gifts</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ruby's Inn</div><div class="MsoNormal">26 South Main</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bryce Canyon City, UT 84764</div><div class="MsoNormal">1(866) 866-6616 </div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.rubsinn.com/old-bryce-town.html">www.rubsinn.com/old-bryce-town.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0e774a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> and to look around the shops in Brian Head that all had false fronts. I had huckleberry ice cream. There was a really cool statue of an Indian Chief with feather shaped lollipops in his head dress. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">For dinner, we had pizza at: </div><div class="MsoNormal">Pizanos Pizzeria</div><div class="MsoNormal">259 South State Highway</div><div class="MsoNormal">143 Brian Head, UT 84719-8001</div><div class="MsoNormal">(435) 677-3341</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://pizanospizzeria.com/">pizanospizzeria.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>The pizza was awesome, but one of the owners was really rude and asked us to do take out instead because they were doing construction. His wife was really nice and made sure we had everything we needed. We ordered 2 large pepperoni pizzas for the kids<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and John, and they ate all but two pieces. For the rest of us, we ordered a veggie pizza with olives, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, spinach, and red onions. The crust was really crisp on the bottom and chewy on top, just how I like it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-31036800247881065612011-06-21T20:46:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:46:59.911-07:00Cedar Breaks Junior Rangers<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 20, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we went to Cedar Breaks to look at the view of all the beautiful red stone that has been sculpted by erosion. Aidan and Ian were sworn in as Jr. Rangers after completing several activities in a manual. Emma opted not to become a Jr. Ranger, but to make ice cubes out of snow. John let me borrow one of his lenses and I shot a ton of pictures. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We went into Cedar Breaks town proper to buy some sweats for Ian and I, to eat lunch, and do a little grocery shopping. We were going to eat at Sizzler, but there was a terrible car accident and we were unable to cross the street. We ate at Gandolfo’s Deli instead. Collin and I used to eat there a lot when we were in college. I always order the Godfather (hot breaded chicken cutlet, tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, butter, salt and pepper on a white roll). Collin ordered the Urban Cowboy (chicken, turkey, pepper jack cheese, bbq sauce, lettuce). Emma and Ian split a meatball sub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">John bought cinnamon rolls and bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. The cinnamon rolls were good, but don’t even come close to the ones from The Donut Shop in Sepulpa, OK. After buying groceries, we tried to find some pants for Ian and I, but right when we were about to check out, Aidan threw up in the middle of the floor! Collin hustled him off to the bathroom and I informed some employees that cleanup was needed on aisle 9. Collin was so mortified that we left the store without the pants! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We rendezvoused with Collin’s mom, sister and her kids, and Katy’s kids in Parawon, UT. What a joyous reunion was had across from the T/A truck stop. Everyone was hugging, smiling, and laughing. Emma was so happy to see grammy that she cried. The kids started running around in a field together while we waited for the cars to get filled with gas. We headed to the cabin in our little caravan of three. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we hit the cabin, the kids went crazy playing with toys and each other. It was really chaotic, but tons of fun for the kids. After dinner the kids played hide and go seek in the dark. Then the boys got in their bunks and the girls got in their bunks and aside from the littlest cousin crying and wanting to go home, all was peaceful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-42461786089843084962011-06-21T20:16:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:16:52.991-07:00Snow in June<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 19, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We bid a sad adieu to Diamond Valley and drove to Snow Canyon to hike and collect Moki marbles, naturally occurring, small round rock formations that burst from the Petrified Dunes. The park ranger kind of rained on our parade by telling us that there were hardly any Moki marbles left because people were leaving the national park with pocket loads of them. That pretty much killed my brilliant plan of collecting a giant bag of them to display in an apothecary jar on the shelf in our living room. Fun fact: Moki marbles have been found on Mars! We had a picnic lunch of cooler food (peanut butter, grapes, string cheese, etc.,) and then started hiking around the gorgeous and treacherously windy dunes. The boys really enjoyed the hike, but Emma complained that she liked to get her exercise in the hotel room. I guess she’s more of an indoor person. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRDj6uGnwMw/TgFaWYqgZrI/AAAAAAAAAfE/_7BRi8XaMnM/s1600/IMG_2800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XRDj6uGnwMw/TgFaWYqgZrI/AAAAAAAAAfE/_7BRi8XaMnM/s320/IMG_2800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I really enjoyed taking pictures of the landscape and breaking in my new Chaco Vibram Z2’s. Best summer outdoor shoes ever! I was able to climb around and scramble up and down the rock formations without worrying about slipping or stumbling. It’s hard to go back to flip-flops after experiencing what true foot comfort can be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FV5M1TaOKqA/TgFWL14780I/AAAAAAAAAdA/A3wSV7DhKSE/s1600/IMG_2696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FV5M1TaOKqA/TgFWL14780I/AAAAAAAAAdA/A3wSV7DhKSE/s320/IMG_2696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">After several complaints from Emma, we got in the car and drove toward Brianhead, UT, stopping in Cedar City for gas at Cedar Nut and Candy Company, home of the ugliest sweatshirts in the universe. I felt really bad for a lady who, just after purchasing a huge bag of Skittles, spilled the whole bag on the ground. My kids asked if the candy on the ground was up for grabs . . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOvvo1A0iRI/TgFbHHrQe9I/AAAAAAAAAfI/8b_-JBJYrGc/s1600/IMG_2809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOvvo1A0iRI/TgFbHHrQe9I/AAAAAAAAAfI/8b_-JBJYrGc/s320/IMG_2809.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The drive to Brianhead was pretty twisty and the altitude was very hard to adjust to. I got winded after going up a flight of stairs and we all felt a little nauseous. Brianhead is Utah’s highest elevation ski resort at 9,800 feet. We are staying with Collin’s family at his sister Katy’s in-law’s cabin (did you get that?). Katy and Justin had their baby, Johnny, 3 weeks early and were unable to join us for our (hopefully) annual McKinney Family Reunion. We met Collin’s dad, John, at the cabin and settled in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 40 degrees! I found some giant Uggs in a closet and was very close to wearing some hideous tight ankle sweats because I was so cold. It has been snowing on and off for a couple of days.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZuPv-DL6Fo/TgFb7stiaoI/AAAAAAAAAfc/OP125TbowTY/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZuPv-DL6Fo/TgFb7stiaoI/AAAAAAAAAfc/OP125TbowTY/s320/IMG_2823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YTKzRpehAbo/TgFcD0iqrgI/AAAAAAAAAfg/YDRYRNXJP7c/s1600/IMG_2825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YTKzRpehAbo/TgFcD0iqrgI/AAAAAAAAAfg/YDRYRNXJP7c/s320/IMG_2825.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70X44l6F3cM/TgFcMYz41VI/AAAAAAAAAfk/7SgEPNMReGQ/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70X44l6F3cM/TgFcMYz41VI/AAAAAAAAAfk/7SgEPNMReGQ/s320/IMG_2826.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The cabin is awesome, minus the dead animal heads and skins everywhere. It’s huge with 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and three living rooms, vaulted ceilings, and 5 of the bedrooms have a TV in them. The kids have their own TV room downstairs where their bedrooms are. There is a girls’ bedroom and a boys’ bedroom. Each of those has a triple bunk bed and a regular bunk bed. It’s decorated in a very woodsy, fisherman, hunter style with carved wooden animals, antler chandeliers, and all sorts of animals decorations including cast iron toothbrush holders shaped like moose. There are plenty of toys and books for the kids to entertain themselves with. It looks like it’s going to be an awesome stay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-73096704210211303182011-06-19T11:20:00.000-07:002011-06-19T11:20:03.144-07:00Chickens and Bees and Pot Bellied Pigs, OH MY!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 18, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We woke up super early, ugh! It’s hard to sleep in when you’re in an unfamiliar bed and when your 12-year-old son is kicking you all night. The hotel here has a deal with Denny’s right next door to give discounted breakfasts to guests. I’m not a huge Denny’s fan, but that seemed to be our only option. The service was super slow, it took 20 minutes just to get our waters to us. They forgot Emma’s order, dribblers, and forgot Collin’s turkey bacon. The rest of us got our food together, but it still took a long time for it to arrive, but the time Collin’s turkey bacon and Emma’s dribblers were ready, the rest of us were totally finished eating. Everyone has eaten at Denny’s so I won’t describe our food or post pictures of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The pool looked really inviting so we went for a looooooooooong swim and Collin took a nap before hopping in the car for a 5 hour drive to St. George, UT where we’re staying with Russ and Nancy, friends of ours from Cambridge, U.K. I planned to sleep in the car. I got a lot of work done last night, but didn’t get into bed until 2:30 a.m. and slept really fitfully. Our drive through Arizona and Utah was full of stunning scenery with all the red rocks and bright blue sky.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stopped in Kanab at a grocery store and ate a picnic in a gazebo next to a church. Russ and Nancy live in Diamond Valley, about 20 minutes north of St. George. All the streets in their neighborhood have semi-precious stones as names. Russ and Nancy have chickens and beehives. They get a dozen and half eggs per week from the chickens and have a freezer full of chickens for eating. Their honey is amazing! We all stood in the garden and picked fresh peas off the vine and ate them. They were really sweet and crunchy, even Emma (our vegetable hater) loved them. They also have a small orchard with apricot, apple, and cherry trees. They yard is filled with wildflowers and gorgeous rose bushes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O8st9FN6_Qk/Tf4u_1Ii4-I/AAAAAAAAAbs/zviFap5HbpM/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O8st9FN6_Qk/Tf4u_1Ii4-I/AAAAAAAAAbs/zviFap5HbpM/s320/IMG_2573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Russ and Nancy made fry bread for dinner with turkey chili and all the fixings. They were absolutely delicious and kicked the Navajo taco's butt that I had in Tuba City, Arizona. Russ made the dough from scratch and fried each one. I piled my fry bread high with chili, cheddar cheese, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream. The fry bread was hot and chewy and crispy on the edges. Russ got the recipe from a kindergarten cookbook which a Navajo girl in his class had contributed. For dessert, Nancy made loads of chocolate covered strawberries which we completely pigged out on. Afterwards, the kids watched a movie while the parents chatted into the night. Everyone else went to bed and Nancy and I stayed up chatting for a few hours until Alex got out of bed a few too many times. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">June 19, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Russ and Nancy made malted waffles for breakfast along with fresh scrambled eggs from their chickens. Everything was scrumptious. The waffle batter had to raise for an hour before being made into waffles by a professional grade Belgian waffle maker. The following toppings were available: fake syrup, real maple syrup, butter, homemade raspberry freezer jam, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, and honey from their own bees. We stuffed ourselves with gorgeous food made by fellow foodies. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alex and Rosie spent the time following Emma around and telling her all sorts of interesting tidbits about their lives. Nancy and I took their Havannese dog, Penny for a walk around the neighborhood. Penny only likes to do her business on really nice gravel, no common dirt, grass, or weeds for her. On the walk we saw several horses, a goat, chickens, lots of dogs running loose, and even a potbellied pig. Nancy has mastered the skill of staring down big scary dogs so they leave her and Penny alone. We also passed a bunker that a very conservative guy built and stocked with guns and food. When he moved away, he tried to get his 10 kids to dig the bunker out of the ground, but was unsuccessful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fVG6X_2sHWc/Tf48DV6HLQI/AAAAAAAAAcg/mgoDES5FTDc/s1600/IMG_2596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fVG6X_2sHWc/Tf48DV6HLQI/AAAAAAAAAcg/mgoDES5FTDc/s320/IMG_2596.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aidan and Ian practiced piano on Russ and Nancy's beautiful black baby grand Yamaha. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Russ gave us a very thorough explanation of the beekeeping process. Russ and Nancy have 4 colonies of bees which adds up to 100s of thousands of bees. Russ put himself on the police call list for when people call 911 in a panic about "killer" bees on their property. They have chosen to raise their bees organically by not using pesticides and not feeding them high fructose corn syrup. Russ is into getting feral swarms and helping them adapt to a new queen. Russ has also constructed his own bee vacuum tp help transfer bees from hive to hive or wild environments. In one of his beekeeping exploits, Russ was trying to put a box on one of his hive to catch the honey from his very first hive. His experience in his own words:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal">"My first colony, big strong hive and go out there to check on it and wanted to put a box on there to catch the fall flow. They just started rising up, (honey I tasted was from the meanies) they put out alarm pheremones, I swear I could smell it. I put on my suit and feel them stinging me through my socks, I hurried nd put the hive back together. I ran away. I went out there to put the box on, I didn’t even light my smoker. They were waiting for me and they were getting my ankles and I ran around screaming, I can hear several chasing me. Horses bucking, The chickens started squawking, killed 3 chickens, they probably had heartattack. Chickens get scared easily. Counted 30 stings on ankles, couldn’t put my socks and shoes on. I bought some rainboots, if I every work on that hive, I put on all my gear. I would love to transport them to Pine Valley wearing beesuit so they can be by wildflowers." </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-71043636429930145482011-06-18T10:29:00.000-07:002011-06-18T10:29:35.429-07:00Tinkertown<div class="MsoNormal">June 16, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Quinta in Amarillo, TX had a Texas-shaped waffle iron so Collin had a couple of Texas waffles.<br />
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We stopped Wal*mart to get a couple of cans of spray paint. The whole family still had the itch to do some tagging so we returned to Cadillac Ranch and took turns spray painting “Lewisburg,” “Bucknell,” “Aidan M.,” “SVDV” (with a roller skate) and “McKinney 2011.”<br />
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After we got the graffiti out of our systems we hit the road and drove toward Adrian, Tex., human population 300, bovine population 28,000. Emma, Ian, and Collin won Cows and Churches, Aidan and I decided not to even try to catch up. At lunchtime we stopped at: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Midpoint Café</div><div class="MsoNormal">1,139 miles from Chicago and L.A.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Adrian, TX</div><div class="MsoNormal">(806) 538-6379</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">which is geographically the exact halfway point on Route 66. The décor was adorable with Formica topped, chrome legged tables, black and white checkered floor, and a counter with stools that spun. The food was kind of overpriced, but it IS in the middle of nowhere so I don’t really blame them for charging so much. Collin had a club sandwich, which was giant. The kids and I each had a BLT without mayo. The sandwiches were decent, but did not achieve a state of culinary nirvana. I shook a little Texas salt on mine: salt, garlic, jalepeno, The pies however, were slices of baking wizardry. Collin had chocolate chip pie a la mode (giant warm chocolate chip cookie pie), Aidan had peach cobbler which he declared to be the best he’d ever had, “Except yours and Grammy’s, of course, mom,” he was quick to add. Ian had lemon mereinge, but only had a few bites, it wasn’t what he expected. I had coconut cream which was, bar none, the best I’ve ever had. The crust was not too heavy, not too crumbly, the coconut cream filling was thick and coconutty with big chunks of shredded coconut mixed in, the whole thing was topped with a generous amount of whipped cream. Aidan, Emma, and Ian kept wanting bites of my pie, which I was jealously guarding. We had made a deal with Emma that if she ate all her BLT, tomatoes included, she could have her own piece of pie. She wasn’t able to eat her tomatoes so we said she could have a few bites of everyone else’s pie. So Emma had a few bites of Collin’s, Aidan’s, and my desserts, and then she had all but two bites of Ian’s, so somehow Emma, who didn’t eat her tomatoes managed to get more dessert than everyone else! <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The kids started bickering so we proclaimed enforced naptime. The kids all slept until we got to:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tinkertown</div><div class="MsoNormal">121 Sandia Crest Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sandia Park, NM 87047</div><div class="MsoNormal">(505) 281-5233</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tinkertown is a museum containing over 1,000 small carved and painted wooden figures all created by Ross Ward, a former circus poster painter. The building is made of glass bottles and bicycle wheels with concrete. The entire museum had license plates, funky posters, and penny arcade machines. Aidan had his fortune told by a gypsy similar to the one in the movie Big. His fortune said he was unlucky in love (totally true, he was asked out and dumped by the same girl three times this past school year alone). There was a spot where the kids could write a message and put it in one of the bottles. Tinkertown was simultaneously cool and creepy, it had a LOT of clowns—not my favorite in the world. There was a sign that said anyone who could sing the 50 Nifty United States song would win a prize. Aidan sang it and won (trumpets blaring) a Tinkertown sticker. He was slightly disappointed, but the Tinkertown owner did write his name down in a book with the town he’s from and told him to keep singing because he has a beautiful singing voice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">After Tinkertown we arrived at yet another La Quinta, this time in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was definitely a step down from the one in Amarillo. This one had a screw missing from the lock on the door, a huge crack above and below the deadbolt indicating that someone had tried to break the door down, the toilet ran all night, and it had permagrime in the bathtub. Collin took the kids for a swim in the pool so I could get some freelance writing work done. Then I fell asleep for 12 hours.</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-36811539710088291942011-06-18T01:44:00.000-07:002011-06-18T20:22:55.123-07:00Fry Bread Power!!!<div class="MsoNormal">June 17, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">La Quinta did have a continental breakfast which is a huge time and money saver and usually everyone can find something they like. After checking out, we headed to Old Town, where:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The American International Rattlesnake Museum</div><div class="MsoNormal">202 San Felipe N.W.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Albuquerque, NM 87104</div><div class="MsoNormal">(505) 242-6569</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.rattlesnakes.com/">www.rattlesnakes.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">is located. The museum has over 50 kinds of snakes, mostly venomous, as well as other desert dwellers like the Gila Monster, turtles, scorpions, tarantulas, and toads. Snakes totally give me the willies, I kept involuntarily shuddering as I got up close and personal with all the different varieties of rattlesnakes. Some were housed together and lying in a sinister pile of poison, not unlike the rattlesnakes in the stomach of the corpse in the abandoned mine in a scene from True Grit. The kids absolutely loved it, especially when they each got a rattlesnake temporary tattoo at the end of our visit. Ian liked the Colorado River toad best. Emma liked when the blue-eyed copperhead was following her movements with its head. Aidan’s favorite part of the museum was the white snake that followed his face up the glass. The director, Bob Dyers, told us to say hello to Clyde Peeling from him the next time we got to Reptileland in Allenwood, Pa., and we’ll get a great personal tour from him since he and Bob and buddies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We walked around Old Town for a bit and stopped in:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">San Felipe de Neri</div><div class="MsoNormal">2005 N. Plaza Street Northwest</div><div class="MsoNormal">Albuquerque, NM 87104</div><div class="MsoNormal">(504) 243-4628</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">a 300-year-old church showing off New Mexico’s Spanish Colonial roots. We also popped into some of the shops to look at souvenirs. Ian keeps finding pocketknives with his name on them (literally) and begging me to buy one for him. Maybe I should and then give it to him for his birthday. Emma and I would have liked to buy some beaded moccasins, but decided not to. <br />
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After so many days of overloading on grease and carbs we decided to eat lunch at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sweet Tomatoes</div><div class="MsoNormal">4901 San Mateo Boulevard Norheast</div><div class="MsoNormal">Albuquerque, NM 87109</div><div class="MsoNormal">(505) 888-6131</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">which is a salad bar, buffet-style restaurant. It is an all-you-can-eat chain that has make your own salad ingredients or freshly made salads. I had (my favorite) dried cherry, blue cheese, mixed greens, red onion, and pecans, with sour cherry vinaigrette. I also had some clam chowder and cherry nut muffins with whipped honey butter. The kids all said it was their new favorite restaurant. They all ate a ton of salad before they hit the rest of the buffet. Emma had mac and cheese, Ian had meatball soup, Aidan had pizza. We all ate soft serve for dessert. Our meal at Sweet Tomatoes cost us half as much as our meal at Midpoint Café and we got double or triple the amount of food.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Travel Tips</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1. </span></span>Have a bunch of quarters ready in one of your cup holders for toll roads, penny arcades, and gumball machines.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 2. </span></span>Use the suitcase you previously emptied to store your dirty clothing until you can launder it. This will keep it from stinking up your clean clothes.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 3. </span></span>When going to an all-you-can-eat buffet, have everyone load up on salad first to make sure they eat their veggies before letting them loose on the breads and desserts.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 4. </span></span>Keep a well-stocked first aid kit in the car complete with Gas-X, Pepto, Neosporin, and lots of Band aids. You will need ALL of the above. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 5. </span></span>It’s not a bad idea to bring a small bottle of Poo-pouri or air freshener on </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">your trip. Five people all sharing the same bathroom after eating at greasy spoons . . . </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 6. </span></span>Charge the batteries to your camera every single night or you might miss </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">some spectacular photo opportunities like I did today<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:(.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We drove six hours from Albuquerque, NM to Tuba City, AZ to stay in the only hotel we are paying for so far on this trip:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Moenkopi Legacy Inn and Suites</div><div class="MsoNormal">US 160 </div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuba City, AZ 86045</div><div class="MsoNormal">(928) 283-4500</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.experiencehopi.com/">www.experiencehopi.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The hotel is kind of unique in that the Hopi nation has repeatedly refused to put casinos on it’s land and instead opted to build a hotel for visitors at the entrance to the Hopi nation. The hotel itself is really beautiful in its mixture of Native American and modern American design. The pool was warm and clean and we also enjoyed soaking our aching muscles in the hot tub. There were free cookies up for grabs at the front desk, but since we were sneaking Ian in, he didn’t get one.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wanted some authentic local food and ordered a Navajo taco from:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hogan Restaurant</div><div class="MsoNormal">Main Street & Moenave Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuba City, AZ 86045</div><div class="MsoNormal">(928) 283-5260</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was scrumptious! The fry bread was chewy without being too oily. It also had refried beans, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, jalepeno peppers, and salsa. It was huge, but that didn’t stop me from eating it all. I also ordered a 20 oz. coke so I could stay up and get some work done. Everyone else ordered food from Subway which I won’t lower myself to write about.<br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-12537961895215056372011-06-16T10:15:00.000-07:002011-06-16T16:58:10.382-07:00The Donut Shop<div class="MsoNormal">June 15, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><br />
</u></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">When Aunt Shelly heard we were on a food crawl, she told us we HAD to go to <b><i><u>THE </u></i></b>Donut Shop in Sepulpa, OK, where she hales from. I started snapping pictures as soon as we pulled up to The Donut Shop and two men were out front one sitting on a motorcycle and the other clad in Harley Davidson gear and eating a donut. Brian, the first man mentioned, and his wife Jennifer own the shop. I told him about our Route 66 food crawl and told him I’d be writing about his shop on my blog. It’s a small, no frills place with the friendliest service and the best donuts I’ve ever had. We ordered a maple pinecone which looked like a brain, a cinnamon rolls an apple fritter the size of a salad plate, a cream filled long john (Shelly’s favorite), cake sprinkle, a couple of raised, and a crumb donut. The maple pinecone was slightly doughy in the middle and a little crunchy on the outside with cinnamon lightly threaded throughout. The apple fritter had real apples in it, not canned pie filling, and they were a bit sour which contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the glaze. I loved the cinnamon roll. It was the polar opposite of a gooey Cinnabon-style cinnamon roll (which I also like). It was drier, but not too dry. The cinnamon and butter within the roll had formed cinnamon and butter chunks that crunched when you bit into them and they were lightly glazed, not frosted. Completely different, totally delicious!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Collin’s description of the donuts: an authentic mom and pop donut shop. Each donut was handcrafted with love. These donuts were not mass-produced, they were individually made. They tasted fresh, the cake donuts had the perfect crispiness on the outside. The apple fritter was just right amount of moist. I could tell just on looks alone that they were going to be good. A table of about 12 older men were sitting down together talking shop (agriculture) and eating donuts. I had that feeling that they were regulars. Our family groaned in gluttonous ecstasy as we savored those heavenly donuts. . . mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On our way out, Brian asked, “Y’all like cake donuts? These will be good down the road,” and put 6 cake donuts: blueberry, chocolate cake, and old fashioned. He also gave us a bag of 8 meat rolls with some mustard packets, He told me to friend him on facebook and gave me his email address. I gave him my blog address and told him that he would be getting a great review. Aidan and Ian both wolfed one down as soon as we got in the car. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ApoDvxrZs_4/TfoA_QJI6WI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/Vn9GSbMmHTA/s1600/IMG_1976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ApoDvxrZs_4/TfoA_QJI6WI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/Vn9GSbMmHTA/s320/IMG_1976.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We drove through Sepulpa and lost our way a little and Collin asked a friendly cop for directions back to Route 66. The policeman said, “Route 66 is cool as hell.” Then he followed us for several miles, our own police escort through Sepulpa, OK.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had to swerve out of the way for a turtle that was crossing Route 66.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why we are loving traveling on Route 66:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">No tolls roads.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Beautiful scenery without billboards (except in towns).</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have the road to ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The people we meet along the way are very helpful and friendly.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For example, when we stopped in Stroud, OK we visited</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Curious Gifts</div><div class="MsoNormal">105 West Main</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stroud, OK 74079</div><div class="MsoNormal">(918) 968-9255</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The owner, Larry, gave us a each a free pen and asked us to sign his guestbook. The shop was a curious mix of objects for sale. Aidan and Emma bought A. Lean driver’s licenses. Emma bought a pair of Route 66 earrings. I bought a thimble and Collin bought postcards. There were a lot of antiques mixed with Happy Days signs, Route 66 paraphernalia, and ocean and fishing items. There was also a pair of skateboard kneepads. The owner said his wife, Maxine, was usually there, but she was taking “Momma” to the grocery store since Momma was 92. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Across the street from Curious Gifts was:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rock Café</div><div class="MsoNormal">114 West Main Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stroud, OK 74079</div><div class="MsoNormal">(918) 968-3990</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This Route 66 relic was built out of paving stones from the original highway and the café in the Disney/Pixar movie cars was modeled after. There was also a Granie’s gift shop, which looked a lot like the one in Cars as well. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We’ve been playing cows and churches, a game Leni and Danny Gibson told us about. The teams are split down the middle of the car. If you pass cows you gain as many points as there are cows, if you pass a church, you lose all your points and start over from 0 again. So far, Aidan and I are winning, but there sure are a lot of churches on Route 66! We are listening to the sound of cicadas and enjoying a warm breeze as we drive with the windows down and sunroof open on the mother road.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next stop was: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Old Round Barn</div><div class="MsoNormal">P.O. Box 134</div><div class="MsoNormal">Arcadia, OK 73007</div><div class="MsoNormal">(405) 396-0824</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Round Barn was built in 1898 and is the only truly round barn in existence. It was constructed so precisely that in the loft, you can whisper and someone standing across the barn on the other side can hear you perfectly. The kids had a great time whispering, clapping, and singing to test out the acoustics. The gift in the bottom was a mix of handmade cards and signs, racecars made from coke cans, carved wooden figures, and unusual Route 66 memorabilia. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We also visited: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pops</div><div class="MsoNormal">660 West Highway 66</div><div class="MsoNormal">Arcadia, OK 73007</div><div class="MsoNormal">(405) 928-7677</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pops is a diner/soda shop that carries over 600 different flavors of soda and has a giant soda bottle complete with straw outside. We each picked out a soda: black berry cream, caramel cream, Bug Barf (kiwi pineapple), Toxic Waste (blue raspberry), and Moxie for April. Collin’s grandfather on his mother’s side used to drink Moxie. We all had a lot of fun trying to pick just one soda and some of the names and flavors were really quirky.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We missed seeing Catoosa the Whale and the giant ketchup bottle. We drove through Oklahoma City, the state capitol and then continued our long, hot drive towards Amarillo. Along the way we saw the Gold Dome and plenty of old timey restaurants. We saw a very strange Autopsy mobile that advertised private autopsies and franchise opportunities. We passed the Big Texan, a restaurant that offers a free 72 oz. steak, provided you can finish it. If not, it costs $55. We stayed at La Quinta in Amarillo and went for a swim right away in a nice cold pool that was so chlorinated that we all had red devil eyes after swimming in it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We asked around for a good BBQ place and the hotel clerk and Walgreens cashier recommended:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rudy’s Texas BBQ </div><div class="MsoNormal">3751 West Interstate 40</div><div class="MsoNormal">Amarillo, TX 79109</div><div class="MsoNormal">(806) 677-7452</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A do-it-yourself place, with very good pulled pork and other meats. They gave us samples to help us decide what to get. Collin and I shared a pound of pulled pork and a three bean salad. Emma and Ian had ribs. Aidan had a brisket sandwich. Rudy’s BBQ Suase came in two flavors: original and sissy. The kids thought the sissy was too spicy. I like the original. The meat was really tender and juicy. Everyone really liked their dinner. Well, actually, Emma opted to share our pulled pork and let Ian have all the ribs. His face was so greasy that when he wiped it afterwards the grease went through and stuck the napkin to his face like a greasy paper beard. We had ice cream novelties from the freezer case which we ate outside.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cadillac Ranch was our last stop for the night. Ten Cadillacs ranging from 1949-1961 are half-buried nose down in the ground six miles west of Amarillo. They are covered with graffiti. Stanley Marsh III, an Amarillo helium millionaire, commissioned the Ant Farm, a San Francisco-based art collective, to buy and plant the cars. Collin and the kids had fun trying to find spray cans with enough paint in them to write on the cars. Collin almost succeeded in spelling out LEWISBU . . . There is a sign leading to the cars stating that vandalism is prohibited by Texas law, but it seemed silly since people had graffiti the entrance to the site as well as the cars themselves.<br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-90605353372952590152011-06-14T22:11:00.000-07:002011-06-15T16:21:45.897-07:00Reality Check<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">June 14, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This morning dawned gray and rainy. Collin took off to grab some donuts from:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Donut Dive-In</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">6525 Chippewa Street</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">St. Louis, MO 63109-4106</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(314) 645-7714</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Everyone really liked the donuts. Emma said they were delectable, especially the caramel ones. Collin said, “As a lover of all things donutty, I thought they were delish. I personally thought the glazed, raised and the sprinkle donuts had good texture and flavor.” Aidan thought they were kind of dry. I thought the buttermilk bar was good, but not as good as one I had from a bakery in Salt Lake City, UT. We had to keep them in the oven so the dogs wouldn’t get them. When Collin threw the box away, the dogs were both standing there looking at Collin and Amanda gave the following commentary as if the dogs were speaking,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“So Collin, what are you doing with that box? Any crumbs left? We’ll take the papers, we’re not picky. Come on, don’t just throw it away!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We had a nice chance to talk with Amanda over donuts and herbal tea where she described her very interesting and complicated job.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The bathroom door didn’t have a lock and right when I was about to get in the shower, the door swung open and Lizzy, the golden retriever, pushed her way into the bathroom. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of Amanda’s kids! When I got out of the shower, Buddy, the pit bull, jumped in the tub and started drinking from the tap.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The rubber hit the road around 11 a.m. We stopped at Meramec Caverns. They had an awesome Zip Line, but none of our kids weighed enough to go on it. They were UPSET! Collin and told them that if they eat more, we can come back sometime. We were going to go in the cavern, but it was pretty expensive ($20 per adult and $10 for each child), plus the tour would have put us behind an hour and a half. The gift shop was pretty cool, all sorts of ktischy wonders in that place. We let the kids throw rocks in the river for a while and watched people zooming across the zip line.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We finished the book <i>Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare</i> by Darren Shan and there were some really sad parts in the book, almost all of us were crying. I even got teary eyed and choked up as I was reading out loud.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">On our way to Joplin, MO, we received an email from Aidan’s middle school telling us that a student had died suddenly and that counselors were available should the students need them. The boy who died was a friend of ours. Collin had gone on a kayaking trip with him, our children sang a song at his baptism, and we would all stop and chat with him when we saw him around town. He is our friends’ nephew. We were all naturally devastated by the sad news. Our children cried a lot. Aidan felt regret that he hadn’t gotten to know him better when he had the chance, but felt comfort in knowing that his friend went to heaven.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We stopped in the 1960’s era Joplin Municipal Building, to see a mural by artist Thomas Hart Benton depicting life in Joplin at the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. It was the last work he completed before he died. Then we drove down one of the streets most devastated by the recent tornado. It was sobering to see an entire block completely razed to the ground. Stranger still were houses standing completely undamaged in a sea of rubble. Many businesses had signs stating that they were still open. It was heartening to see that people still had that fighting spirit and were carrying on with their lives in the face of disaster. It made us all feel really grateful that we live in an area that historically doesn’t have freak natural disasters. We are so thankful for what we have. So not the happiest day on our trip, but that’s life. Every day can’t be fun and wonderful. Plus, the sad times really make you appreciate the good times.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Claremore! We arrived at Collin’s uncle Steve and his wife Shelly’s house around 7 p.m. They have 3 kids at home: Nick, Maison, and Taylor. Aidan, Emma, and Ian played Wii with them. Steve recommended a Mexican place called: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">El Maguey </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1958 South Highway 66</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Claremore, OK 74019</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(918) 314-7677</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">right across the road in a strip mall. The chips were hot, super thin, and crunchy. The salsa was super fresh. Emma tried salsa for the first time, but it didn’t float her boat. Everyone else loved the chips and salsa. Collin ordered the Rancherita (one chicken burrito and one chicken enchilda topped with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and cheese). Aidan and Emma split a steak quesadilla. Ian ordered grilled shrimp and rice, topped with cheese. I ordered la Bandera (three enchilada topped with our three sauces, one chicken, one cheese, and one bean served with rice and beans), I also ordered a side of guacamole and sour cream. Collin and I shared an horchata. My cheese enchilada toped with cheese sauce tasted like fake cheese, otherwise, everything was sabroso. The food was totally authentic. All the workers there were Latina and very nice.We all practiced our Spanish a little. I ate WAY too many chips. I could barely eat my real meal because I pigged out on chips and salsa and drank so much horchata. There were a few moments when I thought I might throw up from stuffing my face.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7EpnTGQTRKc/Tfg93yYE_vI/AAAAAAAAALQ/tZ_zXnwqQgQ/s1600/IMG_1780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7EpnTGQTRKc/Tfg93yYE_vI/AAAAAAAAALQ/tZ_zXnwqQgQ/s320/IMG_1780.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNw4FGScAmo/Tfg98JQicGI/AAAAAAAAALU/1ZI6F8XGWJQ/s1600/IMG_1784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNw4FGScAmo/Tfg98JQicGI/AAAAAAAAALU/1ZI6F8XGWJQ/s320/IMG_1784.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Lightning split the sky as we rolled ourselves back to Steve’s, almost too full to walk. Steve and Shelly have a family tradition with their kids of watching America’s Got Talent. Steve and Shelly's dog bear was really friendly. Collin and the kids loved petting her. Shelly said they should rename her Pig Pen from Peanuts because she sheds so much.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Tomorrow, more donuts, this time from the Donut Shop in Sapulpa, Okla., Shelly's hometown. They are sold out be 10 a.m. every day so we're going to have to get an early start.</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-53680922944230717622011-06-14T08:18:00.000-07:002011-06-15T16:26:47.304-07:00Grease Overload<div class="MsoNormal">June 13, 2011-Day 3</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Awoke to tons of chirping birds today at about 6 a.m. I slept fretfully between Aidan and Ian who kept trying to make an X over me with their bodies. When it was light enough, I took a shower, got ready, and worked on some articles. C and R’s basement bathroom shower has the best water pressure I’ve ever experienced. The lighting in the bathroom is also very flattering. Collin and R went golfing Illinois State University golf course. C had made whole-wheat waffle batter the night before. She really is that perfect Mormon housewife I always wanted to be. I had a hot, crispy waffle with brown sugar syrup C had made. C’s family usually eats waffles with applesauce on them. Collin had one with strawberry jam on half and applesauce on the other half. My kids stumbled out of the tents around 8 a.m. and had waffles. Then I made them each take showers, they didn’t complain for once because of the awesome water pressure. Aidan, Ian, and I all practiced piano. C took her kids to swim lessons while my kids and I took down the tents, rolled up the sleeping bags, and packed up the car. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Travel Tips:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1</span>. </span>Instead of packing a suitcase for each person, pack a couple of outfits for everyone in several suitcases and label them according to the days you need them, if there’s a pool, throw in bathing suits too.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2.</span> </span>Have an open basket that contains family toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, sunscreen, lotion, and medicine) and bring the basket in every time so that each person knows where their toothbrush is and no one has to dig around inside a suitcase to find it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">R and Collin went to the Illinois State University golf course. Ideal conditions, pristine fairways and greens, excellent company=manly bliss. Collin refused to allow me to post his score. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">C packed a picnic lunch and we went to Funks Grove. Within Funks Grove is:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sugar Grove Nature Center</div><div class="MsoNormal">4532 North 725 East Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">McClean, Ilinois</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Funks Grove is the “largest remaining intact prairie grass grove in the state of Illinois. It has four dedicated nature preserves and has been designated as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior. More than 5 miles of maintained trails take visitors through prairie, forest and river habitats. The center has interpretive exhibits, sensory displays, and live animals.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a really cool play area with a small creek, forts, zip line, a giant hole with a sign that read “Dig to China,” and several trees with ladders to climb. The kids could have stayed there and played all day. We left around noon and made our way to Springfield, Illinois and visited Lincoln’s tomb. We made sure we rubbed the nose on the bust of Abraham Lincoln, we read in a guidebook that it gives you good luck. We walked through the tomb itself and saw lots of statues of Lincoln and where he and his wife and all but one of his sons are buried. The kids didn’t love the cemetery. They kept seeing tombstones with last names of people they knew in Lewisburg and which made them sad. We left the cemetery and headed for the Cozy Dog, home of the original corndog. The place was full of awesome kitschy souvenirs and memorabilia. Collin insisted on ordering me a cozy dog (even though I really wasn’t interested). I took two bites and just didn’t love it. Corndogs fall into the category of strange meats for me. Ian ate 2, Collin ate 3 1/2 , Emma had 1 ½ , and Aidan had one. The fries were pretty good, but nowhere close to Yanni’s. Everything in the restaurant was covered in grease, the ketchup and mustard bottles, the salt and pepper shakers, EVERYTHING felt greasy. I was shaking Cozy Dog Grill Salt all over my fries and then noticed that it had MSG in it. We all felt like we had large greasy lumps of lard in our stomachs. We asked Ian how he liked the corndogs there and he said they were his 6<sup>th</sup> favorite, Wal*mart’s being his 1<sup>st</sup>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We made our way to Brian and Amanda’s in St. Louis and met them at a local park where they were watching a baseball game. Our kids got along great from the start. Emma started running around with a big group of girls, I kept hearing them say, “Emma, come over here.” She’s our little social butterfly. Our boys took a little longer to feel comfortable with Aiden and Freeman. Aiden has a broken arm from sliding into home during a little league game, Freeman has a broken leg from playing soccer. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Background info: we met Amanda at BYU, her Aiden is a year older than our Aidan and part of why we chose his name. We used to have a lot of play dates and babysit each other’s kids. That was about 10+ years ago. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Brian and Amanda took us to:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dewey’s Pizza</div><div class="MsoNormal">124 N Kirkwood Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">St. Louis, MO 63122</div><div class="MsoNormal">(314) 821-7474</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was really fun to be able to watch the pizza being made behind a glass window. The Dewey’s crew twirled dough in the air, made faces at the kids, and threw flour at the glass in front of their faces. The wait was a little long, maybe ½ an hour or more, but we really wanted to all sit together. Dewey’s lets you order half and half pizzas so we ordered an X-Pepperoni and Hawaiian pizza for the kids to share. For the adults, we ordered a half Edgar Allen Poe (olive oil, mozzarella-fontina blend, mushrooms, roasted garlic, kalamata olives, goat cheese, and fresh tomatoes and parsley added after the bake) and half Wild Mushroom (olive oil, minced garlic, mozzarella-fontina blend, mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, capers, and roasted red peppers). Brian ordered a side macadamia and strawberry salad with poppy seed vinaigrette. Collin ordered a side Greek salad (field greens and romaine lettuce with kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted whole garlic cloves, red onions, cucumbers and feta cheese, drizzled with roasted red pepper vinaigrette). I ordered a side candied walnut and grape salad (field greens and romaine lettuce with candied walnuts, red grapes, gorgonzola cheese, and a citrus basil dressing). My salad was awesome! I loved the combination of the herby dressing with the salty cheese, juicy grapes and sweet, crunchy walnuts—fantastic! The crust on the pizza was chewy with a little crunch on the outside and lots of air pockets, exactly how I like it! Both pizzas were delicious, but I liked the wild mushroom slightly better than the Edgar Allen Poe. That’s just personal preference talking because I love me some mushrooms of any kind! The waitress did try to take Amanda’s plate before she was done eating and if looks could kill . . . that waitress would have been dead and buried. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To feed our gluttony further, we stopped at:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mr. Wizard’s Frozen Custard</div><div class="MsoNormal">2101 South Big Bend Boulevard</div><div class="MsoNormal">St. Louis, MO 63143</div><div class="MsoNormal">(314) 781-7566</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">for dessert. The place was hoppin’! It reminded me of the Freez, but it was (dare I say?) better. You could get a milkshake, a sundae, or a concrete. A concrete is most similar to a Freez, Blizzard, or McFlurry. But the name “concrete” is a misnomer, it was soft and melted pretty quickly despite the cool weather St. Louis was having. I had the banana cream pie (vanilla custard with real bananas and crushed Nilha wafers) and it was delicious, but melted way too fast. I definitely prefer frozen custard to soft serve—sorry Lewisburg Freez devotees, but frozen custard is just always going to be superior with its richer flavor and superb mouth feel. There were lots of tables outside, but no inside seating. The parking lot was full so we had to park in the lot of the store next door. The lady taking our order was very patient as she took 8 orders from us (Collin and Amanda decided not to get their own). Emma and Charlotte had hot fudge and brownies, Ian had cookie dough, Brian and Freeman had chocolate dipped vanilla frozen custard, Aidan had a brownie shake, and Aiden got a concrete vanilla custard with brownie. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was really confusing to have the two Aida/ens together. Every time we asked our Aidan something, Aiden would answer instead. We tried calling them “Den” and “Dan,” but that really wasn’t any less confusing. Aiden seems SO old to me, the last time I saw him, one of the only words he could say was “dlink” for “drink.” The two Aida/ens used to go to the Little Gym together in Orem, UT as toddlers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all started watching the Pink Panther in the living room and Freeman wanted to make us popcorn with his new movie size/style popcorn maker complete with a 2-year’s supply of popcorn. He and Ian went into the kitchen and made popcorn for everyone and then Freeman said, “Just so you know, the butter’s kind of not that good.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The boys slept in the living room on the couches and air mattress, Emma and Charlotte slept in her room, and Collin and I slept in Aiden and Freeman’s room. In twin beds like a couple in the 50’s. Aidan crept up this morning around 6 a.m. and told us that he had thrown up and gone to the bathroom twice, and hadn’t slept all night. We let him fall asleep in Collin’s bed after taking a couple of Pepto and grabbing a bowl from downstairs. Methinks the combination of corndogs, fries, pizza, and milkshake was too much for his stomach. We have been supplementing all the junk food with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but maybe not enough or maybe he is really sick. This morning, Lizzy, Amanda’s golden retriever, pushed our door open and got in bed with me and started licking me (and my laptop). They also have another dog, Buddy, a black pit bull that Amanda rescued from a shelter. Both dogs are really sweet. Buddy started grooming Lizzy while we were watching a movie last night. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we’re heading to Claremore, OK, near Tulsa to stay with Collin’s uncle Steve.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TavH2aPVGdU/TfdmqXlLY1I/AAAAAAAAADU/-cPSWrqCMEw/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TavH2aPVGdU/TfdmqXlLY1I/AAAAAAAAADU/-cPSWrqCMEw/s320/IMG_1760.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-26095955305671345642011-06-12T20:39:00.000-07:002011-06-15T16:26:01.224-07:00From Ohio to Illinois<div class="MsoNormal">June 12, 2011—Day 2</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We got up late and barely made it to the continental breakfast. They had the usual bread, bagels, and pastries, cold cereal, yogurt, juice, and a bowl of apples and bananas. They also had hot sausage and make your own Belgian waffles. Collin and I both wished they had had eggs since neither of us are sausage fans. Too many carbs, not enough protein<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:(</span>. The Ramada worker in charge of the continental breakfast was really nice, she came around asking us if we needed anything and brought us some more apples.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stopped at a gas station for a potty break and to eat some p.b. and j.s and watermelon. The kids beg me every time we go to a convenience store to let them use their own money to buy treats. I always tell them no because it is such a struggle to get them to eat healthy food. I have to give them a number of watermelon chunks to eat or carrot sticks, they are always trying to get by on the least amount of healthy food they can manage (except Ian, it’s never a struggle to get him to eat healthy food, 1 out of 3, I guess it could be worse). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To avoid an overload of technology during drive time, we’ve limited the kids to 1 or 2 movies in the car (the first one has to be watched in Spanish and if we don’t get to the second one in English, well that’s ok with me). They also get an hour of tech time where they can play Gameboy, apps, or listen to iPods. The rest of the time I read a book outloud (currently we’re reading Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare) or they can entertain themselves by reading their own books, drawing, playing with toys, MadLibs, or puzzles. Or, my favorite, they can take naps.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have 7 hours to drive today to stay with R and C in Bloomington, ID, right outside Normal, ID where R teaches at Illinois State University. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Travel Tips:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1.</span> </span>Break up the movies and technology so that it seems more special.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 2. </span></span>Play catch or tag at rest stops and potty breaks to stretch your legs and relieve boredom.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 3.</span> </span>Keep the Capri Suns in front of the car, away from kids, or they won’t be hungry for healthy food when you offer it.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 4</span>. </span>Have a back up plan if your car GPS decides to go on a break.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> We passed a roller skating rink called Skateland and Collin told me to close my eyes so that I wouldn't try to make him stop there. We also passed a house with a GIANT cross in the front yard. I hope those people are Christian or if not that they got a really good deal on their house.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We got a little lost trying to find R and C’s house since our GPS decided it wanted to take a break from our relationship. Luckily, the maps app on my iPhone did a bang up job of getting us exactly where we wanted to go. R and C have a beautiful 100-year-old piano which I took advantage of by making Ian and Aidan practice as soon as we brought our bags in. R and C have an awesome raised bed garden in their backyard with the biggest strawberry crop I’ve ever seen in a residential yard, I believe the berries are early globe variety. The also had some vegetables, two blueberries bushes, two apple trees, a peach tree, and a red currant bush. C makes really great homemade wheat bread and strawberry freezer jam. (Watch out Sarah Mc., I think Collin may have found a new favorite strawberry freezer jam maker.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Their three boys were super cute. Although, I got on F’s bad side by trying to smooth down his adorable cowlick. He kicked me and then went around saying, “I don’t like that girl.” He hit me every time he walked by me (while I was practicing piano, washing dishes, sitting on the couch, etc.,) and told me not to eat all the Parmesan cheese at dinner. Note to self: some kids don’t like strange women to touch their hair. Their son S liked me fine, he had me hold his stuffed puppy for him so he could play with my kids unencumbered outside. C made some really yummy spaghetti and meatballs. I ate BEEF and it tasted good. Yay for me! She also made strawberry/raspberry shortcake for dessert using strawberries from their garden augmented with strawberries from the grocery store. R speaks Spanish to their kids exclusively, I really admire him for that. C is trying to finish her dissertation with a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and an 18-month-old. Our kids had a lot of fun playing with their three boys. Emma was doing her little mama thing with the youngest. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EYiwLuLg3TU/TfWCHOSI1eI/AAAAAAAAADE/AiCYlUt8Yl8/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EYiwLuLg3TU/TfWCHOSI1eI/AAAAAAAAADE/AiCYlUt8Yl8/s320/IMG_1516.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrKbnV3Ir3k/TfWCWg3ulnI/AAAAAAAAADI/X5xGFILYWus/s1600/IMG_1518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrKbnV3Ir3k/TfWCWg3ulnI/AAAAAAAAADI/X5xGFILYWus/s320/IMG_1518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vBxHwxyjXg/TfWCzfL5V5I/AAAAAAAAADM/1IBWFcs1BfQ/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vBxHwxyjXg/TfWCzfL5V5I/AAAAAAAAADM/1IBWFcs1BfQ/s320/IMG_1502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yqtcb3X8onQ/TfWDOc2F3iI/AAAAAAAAADQ/6qxj6eYm1fQ/s1600/IMG_1505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yqtcb3X8onQ/TfWDOc2F3iI/AAAAAAAAADQ/6qxj6eYm1fQ/s320/IMG_1505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Collin set up our tents in the backyard and all the kids were playing in them. A, the 18-month-old, managed to get a leetle bit of poop on the memory foam we line the bottom of the tent with. But it wasn’t that much and it cleaned right up. I washed the dishes. After such a delicious meal, I felt I had to make a small contribution besides the hostess gift we brought from Lewisburg. Tomorrow, Collin and R are golfing while C and I take the kids to Funk’s Grove and Sugar Creek Nature Center. The last time we saw R and C was at a 60’s theme Host a Murder party we had in Provo, Utah eight years ago in our BYU Masters Program days, so it has been really fun hanging out with them again after so long.</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-13334520881386323532011-06-12T19:44:00.000-07:002011-06-12T19:44:08.407-07:00And we're off!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">June 11, 2011—Day 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dycfav0EJrg/TfVugonV06I/AAAAAAAAABg/289aaB6A5N0/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dycfav0EJrg/TfVugonV06I/AAAAAAAAABg/289aaB6A5N0/s320/IMG_0091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FVm6tuAgqOY/TfVunxZO2dI/AAAAAAAAABk/w_2ZS_30nvY/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FVm6tuAgqOY/TfVunxZO2dI/AAAAAAAAABk/w_2ZS_30nvY/s320/IMG_0092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kHHKHEBOq-w/TfVuv6iSXeI/AAAAAAAAABo/hTSuoyLYX-k/s1600/IMG_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kHHKHEBOq-w/TfVuv6iSXeI/AAAAAAAAABo/hTSuoyLYX-k/s320/IMG_0093.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mbe3ugxW0SA/TfVu2MCDNWI/AAAAAAAAABs/tA6miDgxGLg/s1600/IMG_0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mbe3ugxW0SA/TfVu2MCDNWI/AAAAAAAAABs/tA6miDgxGLg/s320/IMG_0095.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h23AM_7NL0s/TfVu8oVyrnI/AAAAAAAAABw/k_1lRR_QRaI/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h23AM_7NL0s/TfVu8oVyrnI/AAAAAAAAABw/k_1lRR_QRaI/s320/IMG_0096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">We started out the day kind of late, not leaving the house until 11 am. We stopped by Jacquie's house to pick up Disney pins for trading when we spend a day at Disneyland on the 27<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We filled up the tank at Sheetz in Lewisburg, using our 20 Weis points. Gas was at $3.69 (without the Weis points). About 15 minutes into the drive, Ian said, “Are we to Ohio yet?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JBZAXPfpiM/TfVzcBfAdMI/AAAAAAAAACc/il1CQy95048/s1600/IMG_1459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JBZAXPfpiM/TfVzcBfAdMI/AAAAAAAAACc/il1CQy95048/s320/IMG_1459.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KovrxGOTdUQ/TfVz82HIDkI/AAAAAAAAACg/2NscKb2SlLk/s1600/IMG_1494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KovrxGOTdUQ/TfVz82HIDkI/AAAAAAAAACg/2NscKb2SlLk/s320/IMG_1494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The first stop on our trip was JoJo’s in the Emlenton Truck Plaza, home of the <s>Worst</s> Best Apple Pie. The story is that the pie there used to be bad, the owner changed the recipe for a contest and won the contest, her last name also happens to be Best. JoJo’s had everything from mud flap girl lug nut covers, to jars of Route 66 Trucker Treats (Mudflap Mushrooms, Hilly Billy Beet Pickles, Breaker Breaker Bread and Butter Pickles, and Go Juice Garlic Stuffed Olives), sleeveless denim shirts with the armholes pre-frayed, showers, and a gumball machine that was taller than me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things were pretty expensive in the store, a plastic container of Wet Ones cost us $4.19, at the grocery store the same product is $2.29. We ate a picnic lunch of hummus, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and watermelon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Travel Tips:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1.</span> </span></span></span>Buy everything you will need in the car on your trip before you leave. That way you can avoid being overcharged at truck stops and convenience stores. It was not fun to pay almost double what I should have for baby wipes.<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Keep your kids close! Truck stops and gas stations are ideal locations for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>kidnapping. Parents and kids are distracted by all the interesting food and gadgets in the store. The freeway is just a stone’s throw away. Those places are always filled with unsavory characters. Just always be aware of where your kids are, especially if your family splits up to go to the bathroom and/or back to the car.<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bananas ripen at light speed in a hot car.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We are playing the license plate game and managed to sight license plates from 26 different states on our first day. We also saw more than 20 dead deer in various states of decomposition. I’m not an animal rights activist by any standards, but it does seem very disrespectful to leave all those dead animals along the highway. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From there we drove to the Ramada in Columbus, OH. We had to sneak Ian in because they only had a 4-person room available. That’s usually how we roll. We were disappointed to find the room hot and muggy. The pool was also NOT swimmable. They hadn’t gotten it cleaned for the summer yet. The kids had already changed into their suits when Collin came back and reported that it was green with algae. I am probably going to send in a formal complaint saying they should have told us when we booked the room that the pool would be closed. The five of us were hot and irritable having been cooped up in the car for 6 hours and were on the verge of a riot at that point. The room itself was clean and nice, however we kept leaving little surprises for each other in the toilet until we figured out that you had to hold the handle down for a long time or flush it twice to get everything to go down. The air conditioning in the room was hard to work. If we turned it off, it was too warm and sticky in the room, if we turned it on, the room transformed into a meat locker. We also could not get the WiFi to work, so frustrating!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We decided to escape the room and forage for food. We first tried to go to a Japanese steak house, but one of their chefs had just quit and they were short staffed. They told us the wait would be 45 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t wait so we hit the road again. The kids begged us to take them to Subway (especially Emma and Aidan), but instead we found a great little hole-in-the-wall Greek place:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yanni’s Greek Grill and Deli</div><div class="MsoNormal">6196 Cleveland Avenue</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Corporate Exchange Plaza</div><div class="MsoNormal">Colombus, OH 43231</div><div class="MsoNormal">(614) 890-4775</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It didn’t look like much from the outside, but when we walked in the place was packed. Emma got her picky on before we even sat down, but we told her to think positively about the food until proven otherwise. The restaurant was a long skinny space with tables packed together so tightly there was barely room to walk between them. The counter had a cool carved wood façade on it and the cooks behind the counter were hopping back and forth between the grill and counter in a blur. Our server, Andrea, seated us beside a mural of a Greek shepherd. It was really hard to decide what to order. Everything on the menu looked delicious. I really wanted the dolmades, but they had beef in them<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:(</span>. We ordered a plate of kalamari to share. Aidan pronounced it “heaven in a squid.” Emma didn’t care for it. We also ordered small gyros for the kids (pitas stuffed with beef, lamb, and lettuce, Ian’s also had creamy garlic sauce). Collin ordered chops with rice pilaf, a pita, and a side salad. I waffled between the spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese wrapped in filo dough and served warm) and the saganaki (seared kaserri cheese, served with pita bread and a lemon wedge). I went for the saganaki and also ordered the horiataki (a tomato and cucumber based salad, with green peppers, onions, feta cheese and kalamata olives, topped with homemade vinaigrette and pita bread).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The saganaki was delicious. They way they seared it almost tasted like they had breaded it. I drizzled the salty, simultaneously crispy and oozy cheese with fresh lemon juice and ate it with warm chewy pita bread. Emma tried it and said, “That’s not food, that’s perfection!” The kids ordered Sprites that were HUGE, Two adults could have shared one happily. They really liked their gyros, which came with a side of phenomenal fries. The fries were kind of dark, very crispy on the outside and mealy on the inside with just the right amount of salt. Collin’s lamb chops with small and meaty and minty and tender to the max, the rice pilaf was good. He proclaimed everything to be delish. When the server came back to clear up the table and ask how our food was, Ian said, “The food here is a miracle!” and put two thumbs up. He also said he was so glad we didn’t go to Subway.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We got some dessert to bring back to the hotel: kourabiethes (almond cookies), baklava, Yanni's special baklava and galaktobouriko (pastry with custard). Everything except the almond cookies was just a different variation of baklava. Collin and I both liked the regular baklava best. Emma liked Yanni’s special baklava, which had chocolate ganache on top. Aidan loved the kourabiethes, but I found them too be a little too dry and crumbly. Ian wasn’t in the mood for dessert.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3GD_wx28jI/TfVl4T-e3DI/AAAAAAAAAAc/XOHXwAYeNes/s1600/IMG_1448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3GD_wx28jI/TfVl4T-e3DI/AAAAAAAAAAc/XOHXwAYeNes/s320/IMG_1448.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833792031488938633.post-66837506896583056472011-06-10T23:50:00.000-07:002011-06-10T23:50:36.949-07:00The Journey BeginsTwo foodie parents, two picky kids, and one foodie kid on a westward bound quest to eat at as many hole-in-the-walls, greasy spoons, and kitschy kitchens Route 66 has to offer.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Meet the whole fandamnly:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Collin:</b> a hardbodied soccer-playing, donut-eating, Spanish professor at a small liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Won't eat:</b> mayonnaise, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, or butter (unless it's baked in something). </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Loves:</b> a good burger, DONUTS, and toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with strawberry freezer jam on La Brea Bakery organic wheat bread.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Tara:</b> a roller derby skating, book-loving, mah jongg playing, freelance writer and photographer. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Won't eat:</b> mayonnaise or beef and/or strange meats (blood sausage). </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Loves:</b> ICE CREAM, ethnic food of all kinds, vegetarian food, pasta, cheese, and pulled pork sandwiches.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Aidan</b>: an iPod touch obsessed, airsoft gun toting, water balloon lobbing, spitball shooting, sweetest 11-year-old boy in the world. (PICKY EATER) </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Won't eat:</b> cheese (unless it's melted in something), tomato sauce, or beans. However, he will force most anything down by filling his mouth with water, carefully inserting dreaded food, and swallowing. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Loves:</b> MEAT, cold cereal, Sticky Bun milkshakes from the Freez, ice cream sandwiches, and raspberry yogurt.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Emma</b>: an art-crazed, teeny-tiny figure making, makeup sneaking, doll loving, storytelling, adorable little bookworm. (EVEN PICKIER EATER) </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Won't eat:</b> anything with sauce (unless it's cream or cheese based), vegetables (especially cooked ones), beans, most meats, anything that "looks yucky." Will sit alone at the kitchen table 3 hours after everyone else has finished eating rather than eat 5 green beans.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Loves:</b> cheese, pasta, ice cream, and all junk food, especially CHOCOLATE and baked goods. Thinks she has become less picky because she just started eating Spicy Nacho Doritos.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Ian</b>: a Wii playing, school-loving, soccer practicing, hot dog eating, frog-obsessed, will-try-anything-but -Cheerios gourmand in the making. (BEST EATER IN THE FAMILY, hands down) </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Won't eat:</b> Cheerios and most cold cereal (except Frosted Miniwheats and Cinnamon Life), he actually screams if a Cheerio rears its ugly head and won't sit next to anyone eating Cheerios. He also doesn't care for mushrooms. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Loves:</b> hot dogs, especially corn dogs, MEAT, goat cheese, Pad Thai, Indian food, sushi, beans, lemon flavored Italian ice, and on and on. He describes himself as an omnivore.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How our journey began . . .</b></div><div><br />
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My husband and I spent a year drooling as we watched Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. Envying Guy Fieri and his comrades in the field as they sought and devoured all things smoked, baked, battered, and fried before our very eyes. We'd stumble in a zombie-like fashion into our lowly kitchen around midnight and stuff our faces with whatever was close at hand, often something uninspiring like a bowl of Rice Krispies with sliced banana and skim milk. I'd blink blearily mid-bite and groan, "Where am I? Why am I eating these slops?" We were in the depths of despair as we watched Food Network stars moaning in ecstasy as they crunched into onion rings and wiped BBQ sauce off their faces with the backs of their hands. It was pure torture, but we kept watching, drooling, and jonesing. The midnight zombie eating continued. So many wonderful things to eat, but they're all so far away, sigh . . . so yummy . . . want to eat . . . but miles and miles stretch between us and the food . . . sigh.<br />
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The catalyst that set us in motion was this: we went to check on our young son who we thought was watching cartoons in the basement. Instead we found him wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and salivating as he watched The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Fried. He looked up at us with his big brown eyes and asked, "Can we eat there sometime?"<br />
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"Enough is enough! We can't take it anymore! <b>For the children!</b>," we cried. As fate would have it, we had a family reunion out West coming up in a year. Collin hatched a brilliant master plan to drive from central Pennsylvania to Chicago and gorge our way across America via the mother road. (I think he's an evil genius, but you didn't hear it from me.)<br />
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Stay tuned, we hit the road tomorrow.Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646632140176093540noreply@blogger.com0