What We're doing

Day Two of the Quest For Tranquility

While I love the frugality of parking at truck stops to sleep, the activity level, even in the middle of the night, it high.  After a restless night for me, and luckily a restful night for Matt, we embarked on the second leg of our journey.

I've made it no secret that I find Indiana the most boring state to travel through.  I thank my facebook friends for humoring me through it yesterday. ( I can do that on my cell phone) You can follow along too, if you'd like via Twitter on my sidebar.  The kids, on the other hand, had a great time playing their Gameboys.  We keep them in the bus and the rule is that they only come out while the bus is moving.  

It was rainy and dreary but that enabled us to find the leak in our windshield that was causing our instrument panel to cut out!  

 We stuffed rags around the leak  and caught the drips before they could do more damage.  Eventually the wires dried and the speedometer started working again.

After Indianapolis (and a nap for me) things started to look a little better.  Green grass, budding trees... dare I say, it was pleasant!

At fuel stop the boys ran around outside and picked me some flowers.  They also asked if I would pay for these.

Kentucky and Tennessee passed by without incident and as we reached the Alabama border my fatigue was getting the better of me.  100 more miles I kept telling myself... I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep!

Birmingham arrival: 9:30pm

Miles traveled: 610

MPG: 9 (!)  Best yet!

Internet: Paid for 24 hour of WiFi

275 Miles to go!

Cya there!  

Journey to the Redneck Riviera - First leg

Friday

Packing took a little longer than usually due to my sickly state (and a 24 hour bug that plagued some of my most helpful workers) but all was accomplished by 6pm. 

We departed at 7:30, drove without incident through Milwaukee, Chicago and parked 18 miles south of Gary at our favorite truck stop, the Flying J.

Travel time 5 hours

Miles 268

MPG 8.26

State of the bus: still relatively orderly

State of mind: still sane

Now my least favorite part of the journey: INDIANA.  

My first attempt at mobile blogging

Alabama here we come!

Olympic Schedule Wreaks Havoc On Children

Thanks a lot Olympics.  Because of you were low on sleep, crabby, weepy,  defiant,  disheveled, and unaccomplished.

Super Bowl IX

Way back in January of 1997 the Packers made an appearance in the Super Bowl.  I had no doubt in my mind that they would win.  It had been 29 years since they had earned the right to participate.  The early years for the Packers had been full of opportunities, winning the NFL Championships in 1961, 1962 and 1965 and then the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968.  Some might say success seemed to come easy for the team then and in that season, they were smoking!

I remember like it was yesterday...the excitement and anticipation of returning the Lombardi Trophy to the city whose coach had been memorialized forever in the name.

I was pregnant for the 5th time but we hadn't told anyone yet.  We had suffered through 2 miscarriages the year before, one at 8 weeks and the second, after a heartbeat and 11 weeks.  We were undergoing progesterone treatments to try to increase my levels.  When the conventional methods were proving to be unsuccessful and injections from the doctors office were not frequent enough, we started daily injections at home.


I remember like it was yesterday...the excitement and anticipation of having another baby to hold.  And, simultaneously, the fear that, once again, we might not.

The Packers won the Super Bowl and our pregnancy was successful.  It was a great year.

The next season when the Packers entered the arena once again,  the excitement was dampened by the realization that we might not win.  Back to back victories were rare happening only 3 times in the last 31 years.

That year, after we lost, I formulated an opinion that I still hold today:

It's easier to not make it to the Super Bowl at all, than to make it...and lose.

The disappointment is so much greater.

What are you talking about?

Pregnancy.

Our "glory years" have been followed by a long, disappointing losing streak and, reproductively speaking,  we've made it to the Super Bowl for the 9th time...

...we've done all we can do in preparation, the coin has been tossed, the ball is on the field, the game has begun...

...and I'm afraid to lose.

Untitled

Sunday was Hailey's birthday.  My first born is 18.  It seems like just yesterday that she was a wiggly newborn and I was a brand spankin' new Mommy without a clue.

I've learned a lot in the time that has past between then and now. 

How to properly burp, change and feed an unwilling infant.  How to safely buckle, curb and constrain an unruly toddler.  How to successfully guide, teach and counsel a crushed teen.  Sometimes all in the same day.

I've also learned compassion, patience, and unconditional love.  I've learned about heartache, rebellion and unbridled joy.

I've practiced the 5 second rule with nookies, noodles and nectarines.   I've tackled mountains of laundry,  traveled miles in carpools and participated in unnumbered discoveries.

Countless times over, the lessons have played out in our home for all to see my success as well as failures.

I am so humbled by God's blessings.

So to commemorate this momentous occasion of 18 years of parenthood, we decided to give Hailey a gift she had been begging for.

And the rest was a blur...

Need a closer look?

We'd appreciate prayers for a keeper if you wouldn't mind.