Actually, I already went back to Cali... The kids, Missy and I are back from a 17 day journey across the United States to California (and back). It was QUITE an adventure. I'll talk more about that in a minute....
I love the month of August... It's the final part of summertime, my birthday is in August, it's the start of a new school year (for many children- our kids will start next Monday) and it's still really pretty here in Tennessee. This August was a whirlwind and just beyond packed full. Still a great month but soooooo busy.
This is going to be a BIG post. I have a lot of photos, a lot to say, a lot to share and so much flowing through right now. Generally, I prefer my weekly posts so they are not so long and I don't lose people who enjoy reading our happenings. So, sorry for the long post once again and I'll work on getting back to weekly, more manageable updates.
As I sit here in my craft room/office making calls to our health insurance company, home insurance company and tidying up my email, etc. I am reflecting on the past month and all of those we care so deeply about and who care so much about us.
August started off as a nice, pleasant month with a few bumps and scares. We have been getting a lot of lovely treats from our garden and we went to the farmers market the first Saturday of August. My birthday was the 5th (thank you for all of the wishes and gifts, you guys, I definitely felt loved and so special). On the 4th, I thought the world was going to end. Lol (ish). Eric and I were so tired on the night of the 3rd for whatever reason that we both just crashed hard. Eric fell asleep on Harlans bedroom floor while putting him to bed and we both forgot and left Callie outside for the majority of the night. It's no biggie (now) and she is fine (now) but I felt bad. It was very moist out that night. I woke up at 4am and realized I had forgotten to bring her in and went to get her. The next morning when Tristan went to feed the dogs, she couldn't walk. The poor girl was so stiff. I gave her a pain pill and she ended up resting most of the day and was fine. Then, I was checking one of our cats (Felix) who had been scratched on his face and noticed his whole face on the left side had burst open. It was disgusting. After that, I was checking the little girl cats (Millie and Rosie) because they had ear mites and I had been cleaning them. They had the most disgusting infections in their ears! I had to go buy yeast infection cream because as it turns out, all of the the scratching and bacteria turned into a yeast infection in their ears. They're like 90% healed now. The worst thing though was one of our horses, Reese had to be "rushed" to the ICU after an emergency vet visit and bad lab work. She had separated herself from the rest of the horses, had diarrhea, was eating weird (and barely eating) and was lethargic. She spent 10 days in the ICU and we still don't know exactly what was wrong with her. Her labs are normal again, her manure is back to normal and she's back to her sweet personality again. She had to be in isolation because we all had no idea if she had anything contagious. Initially, she was presenting as having Equine Potomac Fever but that was negative. I felt pretty strongly that she had strangles but the vet assures me that she's confident that was not the case. Anyway, she did say it is possible for them to get a "bug" and it appears to be out of her system. Thank God. Meanwhile, Eric and I are going to be out holding "will work for...." signs to pay the vet bill. I did go visit her and spent a little over an hour brushing her and talking to her the day before I left for CA. I reassured her that she was not abandoned and would come home soon. I did a bunch of crafting to prepare for our visit to California and we spent a lovely evening outside enjoying the cool air before the humidity and August heat kicked in. The best part about the beginning of August was that our friends, Andrea and Ivann texted a few nights before I left for the trip and offered to babysit the kids while Eric and I got to go on a DATE! They are so thoughtful because they knew how long I'd be gone so they wanted us to have some time together. It was so much fun. We went to a local Hibachi restaurant then grabbed an ice cream and sat by the Tennessee River and talked. It was amazing and we can't thank them enough for their generosity.
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| My birthday gift from Gramps |
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| Some keychains I made |
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| One of my gifts from Lily. It says "I love Turtles". |
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| Another gift from Lily. She's turning out to be quite thoughtful. |
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| Birthday breakfast. I made it because Eric is against making French toast, even for me for my birthday. |
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| Felix's head... yuck... |
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| Craft room chaos! |
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| So many projects... |
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| An engagement and housewarming gift for Andrea and Ivann... |
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| I gave the other horses grain after Reese left because Patch was heartbroken and beside himself. |
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| Poor Reese all loaded up to go to the Hospital... |
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| Pillows I made for the back porch sectional... |
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| Water balloon fun! |
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| My bed the night before my trip... I think they knew I was leaving. |
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| Garden bounty... |
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| We really enjoy eating sliced tomatoes with a little salt. |
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| Yes, I am 90 years old and use tablecloths and placemats. I change them weekly to a new "theme". I enjoy it. |
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| Grown by me in my garden... |
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| Best farmers market ever. They even had a local biker club there (retired Military and Police- so we were instantly into it) serving food for donations to provide Christmas to local families in need. |
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| From Celece for my birthday. 💜 |
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| Stuff for making keychains... |
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| Some souvenirs that I made for my Sister to give to her friends back in Idaho... |
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| Shirts for the boys... |
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| For Andrea and Ivann's new house... |
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| For my nieces... |
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| Sweet Callie after her pain meds kicked in.... |
I knew I would be leaving for California in August and finally firmed up my dates and decided to drive out there and take all of the kids with me to see family and friends. We left on the 10th and got back late on the 26th. We also took Missy who has separation anxiety and is a good traveler. Plus, I just figured even though she adds that level of stress caring for another individual, she is also that extra level of protection. A couple of days before I left, Gramps informed me that he'd be tagging along to go back and grab one of his trucks. As it turns out, he was very helpful and I liked having him along for the ride (mostly). We decided to really make the most of the trip since this is like a big thing for us and we met up with Jess and Declan in Albuquerque. We spent two nights there with them and enjoyed the beautiful Albuquerque zoo. They actually had to drive two hours to meet up with us and got to the hotel within minutes of our arrival. The first night we spent in the pool, dealing with my screaming, exhausted, overstimulated toddlers and eating at the Sawmill Market. The following day we went to the zoo. Gramps stayed back since it was predicted to be a 93 degree day. Missy was able to stay with him. The hotel was gorgeous and had a beautiful outdoor dining area (huge) and beautiful pool. The balcony, however, was my worst nightmare. Harlan could fit through the slats and so could Missy. We were on the 9th floor so I was in a panic. Nolan was able to reach the sliding door locks as well as our front door locks so I wasn't able to sleep at all. He was happiest when I let him play with the key card and unlock our door. Gramps was supposed to have an adjoining room but did not BUT he was right next door. I am fairly certain that our other neighbors wished we would lose our voices and/or leave early. We did neither of those things. As usual, I LOVED seeing Jess and Declan (although we missed Tristan and Callan) and we had the best time together. She is so thoughtful too... Having just returned from a road trip herself, she had these little toys that she had also bought for her boys as 'prizes' for their trip and brought some to the twins as well as all of their favorite snacks. She's special and a keeper for sure!
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| We stopped for blue raspberry freezes in New Mexico... |
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| Texas rest stops are THE BEST.... |
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| I wish this didn't move but here we all are in the penguin exhibit at the Albuquerque Zoo... |
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| Mexican food on the veranda... |
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| Saying good-bye outside of the zoo... |
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| The carousel is always a favorite... |
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| Jess and Declan. Watching the most playful Asian Elephant.... |
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| Mama Peafowl and babies (2).... |
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| This mountain lion was massive. Look at his arm muscle. |
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| Polar Bears! This was the first time my kids have seen polar bears... |
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| Alligator snapping tortoise.... |
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| Fricken anaconda... |
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| Riding the komodo dragon! |
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| Penguins!!! |
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| Pool time. Just waiting on Tristan... |
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| Texas rest stops.... 💙 |
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| This was a viper of some sort and was actively eating a mouse or rat. I almost dropped dead from fear. |
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| Terrifying balcony... |
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| View of the veranda... |
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| Old Albuquerque Hotel pool... This is the drop that my kid and dog would have faced. UGH... |
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| Not even close to being safe enough for me. I'm not even a super overly cautious person but it was very dangerous. |
After New Mexico, we headed toward California. We made it to Visalia and stayed the night there before heading to Placerville to my Sister, Brother-in-Law and Mom's place. I was an emotional wreck when I saw them all. Just driving up there had me fighting back tears. I guess I was in denial of how much I really, deeply missed everyone. The kids were all beyond happy to be out of the car and be settled for the next 8 days and they were SO HAPPY to see Auntie, Uncle and Grandma. My mom, Kelsey and Martin went out of their way to accommodate us and had all the dinners and snacks planned and we were immediately comfortable there. Missy had spent a bunch of time there with her dog cousins before we moved so she knew the rounds and was so stinking cute playing and running around and so comfortable too. It felt so good to be with them again and hug them and talk to them in person. I started to make a few plans to see people and my Mom and Kelsey had a big barbecue planned for the Sunday before we left. Well, the night we got there, around 7pm, the Caldor fire started nearby. Their house is literally on the Placerville/Somerset line and the fire was only a few miles away. We didn't know until the next morning when we were socked in with smoke and haze. It was awful. We spent the day just hanging out and the smoke partially cleared away for the kids to swim and play outside. Monday was much the same. I was able to take my mom to an important doctor appointment that she had while Kelsey, Martin and Gramps stayed back to prepare in the event of an evacuation. Tuesday got a little scarier and the fire moved closer. We were struggling to sleep and getting scared as the winds shifted and the fire raged. I went to Placerville to go shopping on Tuesday and as soon as I parked, I got the call to go back and pack up. We wanted to wait until it was mandatory because of looting (which was already becoming an issue for some nearby residents) and we got all packed up. As evening approached, we unpacked the essentials and basically slept minimal hours. Wednesday, I decided that my Mom, Kelsey and Martin would feel less stress if we were not there to worry about and the kids were cooped up inside due to the air quality so we packed up and headed to Valley Springs to my Brother, Jeremy and sister-in-law, Katelyn's house. We cancelled all of our other plans to see our other family and friends and said a very emotional goodbye to Kelsey, Martin and my Mom. I debated with myself for hours on staying or leaving and I just felt that they would have an easier time evacuating if we were not there. It was such a hard decision. Kelsey and I cried so much saying goodbye and I felt horrible for them after all they had done and all the plans that had to change. I feel disappointed for my Mom and wish I had gotten more photos and all of those things. I didn't get to see my nephew, Stephen or my cousins and their new home. Just so much sadness and disappointment. However, we were safe and as of this moment, Kelsey, Martin and my Mom still have their home and are not under mandatory evacuation orders (although the fire is less than 2 miles from their home). When I was driving home from "shopping", I could see the fire over the ridge by the Cosumnes River and the line of evacuees was sobering. It was hard to drive by homes and see people loading up everything they could and their animals. We spent the afternoon getting cat and dog crates ready and prepping their camper. Luckily, Gramps stayed back to help drive out a vehicle or whatever was needed. We convinced him to donate his truck since it needed some work and I was scared for him to drive it across the country back home. He bought a nice little Honda Pilot and drove that home. It was so nice to see all the work that Kelsey, Martin and my Mom have put into their home and how beautiful it is. I cannot thank them enough for everything they did for us while we were there. It was still absolutely perfect because we got to see them even if our time was cut short. PG&E turned off their power the next day and smoke got worse so they eased my guilt of leaving by telling us we made the right decision. I have to say that Kelsey is such a loving Auntie and so good with the kids. It really warms my heart to see her with my kids. My mom is such an amazing grandma and already sent the kids books that they were telling her they wanted to start reading and shoes for Tristan (who ruins a pair per week). We love them so much.
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| This was my favorite time of the day many days after being cooped up in the car with 5 exhausted, over-stimulated kids. |
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| Kelsey's floor.... This is very rare. |
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| Auntie helping create some crafts with Lily... |
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| Grandma helping the kids with lunch... |
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| Air tanker... |
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| Uncle Martin playing with Tristan... |
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| Nico had a bad fall right before this picture but got back up and rode around some more... |
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| Nolan got stung by a wasp on his lip! |
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| Cooling off. Thank God for this pool. The kids lived in it for a few days.... |
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| Poor visibility, smoke and bad air quality from the fire... |
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| Driving into CA... |
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| Packing up... |
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| Grandma was in her doctor appointment and they slept... It was heavenly... |
After we left Kelsey's place, I had considered stopping to see Stephen but I was sobbing and had just loaded the kids up again and thought that I'd better just head to Kate and Jeremy's place. We got there and it was another emotional reunion. Jeremy got home from work about 10 minutes after I got there and we chatted while Kate was putting Nora down for a nap. They were so good to us as well and so accommodating. Kate is an awesome cook and we were well taken care of. I love watching the kids play together and they love one another so much. Kate was also gracious enough to keep the older kids the following day while the twins, Missy and I went to Lodi to see my Aunt and Uncle. It was so wonderful to see them again too. The twins fell asleep only a few miles from their house so we chatted outside in the driveway while they slept. When they woke up, we chatted in the back yard while the twins played. Then we walked to a little burger shack and got the twins corn-dogs and walked across the street to Lodi lake where the twins played on the playground and we were able to visit a bit. After about an hour or so, we walked back to Uncle Doug and Auntie Ann's house and let the twins play for a few minutes. We then headed back to Valley Springs just in time for Madison and Holland's soccer practice. The kids all played on the playground and we had a lot of fun watching the girls. I loved seeing Kate, Jeremy, Madison, Holland and Nora. It was really hard to say goodbye and in that moment, I wanted to extend my trip and stay the weekend with them. Madison even made me a paper plate face to hang up in the house. I already miss them so much and want to see them again. As usual, we didn't take enough photos...
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| Madison, Nora, Lily and Holland |
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| My mom sent bath bombs with prizes in them to the girls so they took as many baths as possible! |
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| After soccer practice |
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| Love Kate! She is such a good mama, Aunt and sister-in-law. |
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| Nora walking Missy. |
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| Soccer practice! |
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| Uncle Doug and Auntie Ann's back yard... |
Friday morning, we left Valley Springs and drove to Santa Barbara to see Aunt Leslie and Uncle Brian! We were supposed to see all of these family members at the barbecue my Mom and Sister had planned so we decided to see them anyway and make it work. Plus, they were all so wonderful about me and my hoard bombarding them. I love driving into Santa Barbara. It is so pretty there. I am not a city girl by any stretch and not a big fan of the ocean but I sure do appreciate it's beauty and the surrounding beauty. Seeing Leslie and Brian was amazing as well and another emotional reunion. It was super cool because after a few minutes it was like no time had passed at all even though we had gone the longest we have ever gone without seeing one another. Leslie is an incredible host and we had so much fun. They really know how to show us a good time even though we didn't really go anywhere. We walked to a local elementary school and played on the playground (twice), Brian took the boys fishing in the ocean, we went to the beach and played and swam, we ate so well, we watched Paw Patrol, we played in the backyard, visited with more family (Loren and Julie came by to see us), we painted and crafted, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and we just hung out. The first night while I was unloading the car, I had the twins in the bathtub and heard Harlan screaming and ran in to find Leslie trying to comfort him. He slipped trying to get out of the tub and slammed his teeth through his lower lip and loosened his two top teeth. He's fine now and luckily, didn't play with his teeth and they tightened back up. He recovered well and the rest of the visit was great. Tristan got to clean a thresher shark that some guys had caught in the ocean and was thrilled. It made his month. They also caught a spider crab. Leslie and Brian are just amazing and we love them so much and can't wait till their October visit here in Tennessee!!
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| Uncle Brian enjoying the swings... |
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| Nico found crab legs in the ocean... |
Monday morning, we left Santa Barbara and drove to Williams, Arizona. If you have not been, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting. It is an adorable Route 66 town off of I-40. You can go to the Grand Canyon from there and Bearizona is like 5 minutes from where we stayed. It was such a good experience, especially after the emotions of the past week. We decided to make the most of our trip and went to BOTH Bearizona and the Grand Canyon. Then, we continued northeast to Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky then HOME TO TENNESSEE. We went that far north because I wanted to see states I have never been to before (Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky). I'm good now.
Bearizona is a drive-through and walk-through wildlife park and is amazing. I think it's pretty obvious that we really enjoy zoos, wildlife and animal viewings of all kinds. We have been to Bear World in Rigby, Idaho and this is very similar. I loved it, although I was anxious to continue our drive home. So, Tuesday was filled with Bearizona, the Grand Canyon and making it to Moab, UT. The Grand Canyon was spectacular and breathtaking. I loved it so much. We left the Grand Canyon and headed to Moab, Utah. We have stayed in Moab before and loved it. We think as far as western states go, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are probably the most gorgeous. Montana too. The hotel front desk clerk left the pool open until 11pm for us since we arrived so late and we got to go swim for about 35 minutes. It was awesome. Our room was incredible. Nolan insisted on sleeping on the couch cushions from the hide-a-bed and was so adorable in his little make-shift bed. After leaving Moab on Wednesday, we drove through Colorado and all of the beauty that is I-70. We went through the Eisenhower tunnels and made it to Salina, Kansas that night. It was a pretty scary venture though, because, at our final rest stop in Kansas, I started noticing some bad looking skies in front of us. I made a comment to the kids and Lily came to me a minute later and said "they're announcing that we will be having some bad weather". I was super confused and realized that over the loud speaker on the rest stop building, they were preparing us for a major thunderstorm and possible tornado. The kids had just started running around and were playing a game of freeze-tag and Missy was just rolling and getting excited to be out of the car. I was planning on putting the twins in jammies and snacking but that all changed when I heard the warning. "60mph winds, golf sized hail, storm moving at 30mph, deadly lightning, get to the lowest level of your home and get all animals inside or they will be hurt or killed". The storm was traveling toward I-70 in-between mile markers 28-68. We were at 48. As we were listening, I looked up and the lightning was basically right above us. So, we all loaded up in a big hurry and gunned it down the interstate to Salina where we stayed for the night. Far from the storm. I had called Eric and he checked live radar and assured us we'd be fine. Thursday morning, we headed out and made it through the rest of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. We made it home that night at 11:15pm and it was the greatest feeling ever. We had two major storms in Missouri, too. The thunder was shaking my car and we could barely see. Visibility was also super low in Tennessee near Nashville when we were nearing I-40 as we drove into yet ANOTHER storm. We are so grateful to be home safely and I am happy to report that we had zero issues (theft, kidnappings, accidents, etc) on the entire trip. I didn't forget any kids or dogs or grandpas anywhere and we are all here safe and sound. Eric's quiet 17 days is over and it is amazing to be back together again.
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| We liked seeing Harlan Street... Lol. |
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| Eisenhower tunnels! |
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| Colorado speed limit is 80mph! That is so right up my alley!!! |
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| Our room was amazing! Nolan's little bed was adorable. |
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| Swimming in Moab, Utah. |
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| The enormity of the Grand Canyon took my breath away. |
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| These Jaguars were INTENSE. My heart was thundering even though I knew we were safe. They are so powerful and magnificent. |
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| Bull Elk. |
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| This little black bear cub was named Rosco. He may have been abandoned or his mama was killed, we don't know but he was super playful and adorable. |
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| Reindeer. |
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| Bobcat. |
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| This is a black bear playing in a big tub! It was super cute. |
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| White Bison. |
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| Timber wolf. |
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| Playground and Pizza in Williams, Arizona. It was great! |
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Tristan is "sleeping". He refused to try to sleep so I "made" him. He ended up actually falling asleep for almost an hour.
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Overall, our trip was amazing and I actually loved it, despite the very real fear I was feeling for Kelsey, Martin and my Mom (and still am feeling). I truly loved every second with them and plan to do the trip again but with Eric next time. The kids were very well behaved overall and I am very proud of them. The exhaustion I felt and am still feeling was overwhelming although not as severe as when we moved to Tennessee. I am so thankful for the family we have and for our friends who completely understood when I had to cancel our plans. Of course, I feel terrible I couldn't see everyone but when safety was beginning to become a factor, our plans changed.
Here are some "stats" from our trip:
-13 states
-17 days
-5 kids, 1 dog, 1 adult and all returned (and Gramps)!
-over 5,000 miles traveled
-3 large storms and 1 tornado warning
-1 major fire
-1 big downpour entering CA
-1 HUGE sandstorm immediately after
-no theft, no weirdos, no accidents
-minimal fast-food and eating out (I had to have In & Out and was disappointed)
-tons of wildlife and animals
-5 pools
-5 playgrounds
-1 ocean
-LOADS upon LOADS of snacks
-countless big-rig horns (the kids started a contest and Tristan won)
-1 major poop incident by Nolan (5 diapers in like 2 hours. He ate a bag full of magnesium gummies).
-1 allergic reaction by Missy (same stop as the poop incident. While I was changing Nolan, she got bit by horse ants and her paw was a mess). I had to buy imodium AND Benadryl in the same stop in AZ.
-carseats washed 2x
-my car has been washed and vacuumed 3x since returning home
Overall, I'd say it was a success!
Anyway, that is my massive post... If you stuck with me, thank you! We love you all so much and are so grateful to you all.
Congrats to the Stigall family on welcoming their new baby boy, Luke! We are thrilled for you all and can't wait to meet him at some point in the future.
If you all want any recommendations or insight on anything specific from our trip, feel free to email or text me. I always like answering your questions and filling you in.
Stay safe everyone!
