Kyoto Trip - Take 2

We did half-day tours on two different days.

Wednesday afternoon our tour took us to the nearby town of Nara where we visited the Todaiji Temple, Nara Park, and the Kasuga Shrine.

Highlight: Biggest indoor Buddah in Biggest Wooden building. (Pretty darn cool.  Even Max and Sam were impressed!)  Totally worth the side trip out to Nara.  Also, the boys LOVED seeing the wild deer!Lowlight: Wild deer.  Nara Park is home to 1200-2000 wild deer.  That's a lot, fyi.

They're cute.

At first.

And then they ATTACK!!!!

Okay, maybe "attack" is too strong a word. But I like to approach wildlife. I don't like wildlife to approach me.

And I DON'T like it biting at my pants or trying to plow over my small children.

(Though, admittedly, it was incredibly amusing to watch Doug get stampeded after buying a packet of "deer cookies".)

Sure, he looks all cute an innocent as Max shows him a ninja star...but when his friends come over, all bets are off!

to be continued...

From Montgomery Alabama to Niceville Florida

Well, I made it! I finally reached my destination Tuesday night after what seemed like WEEKS of car travel. The boys and I are finally here in Niceville, Florida. (Right next to Destin.) We stayed in Montgomery, Alabama one night and actually got TWO visit's with Doug on Monday night and Tuesday afternoon. It was hard for me to leave him, but it was NOT hard for me to say good-bye to Alabama! That place made me sweat in a MOST un-ladylike fashion. In fact, I think it's fair to say 'ah wuz sweatin' lahk uh stuhk pig in Ju-ly!' (I must confess, I do like the quaint southern accents!)

(Seriously Alabama! What is your deal?!? Don't you know that 101 degrees with 100% humidity is NOT the way to impress tourists? And furthermore, have you no sympathy for the men and women who have to march around all day in the heat??!!?? Well guess what? You are NOT my favorite state! Take THAT!!!)

Anyway, my experiences of Tuesday are still a little too tramatic for me to want to blog about. Needless to say, when the woman in the passport office told me it would take 4-6 weeks for my passport to come, and that Yes, I'd have to travel to Japan alone with my three kids, without Doug, I about lost it then and there.

Fortunately, Doug's Major stepped in, helped me (us) to finish everything we needed to do, and I was able to leave Alabama and Maxwell Air Force Base behind me and finish my journey to the promised land of white sand beaches. (And more importantly, to the home of my BFF, Angelique who has gratiously taken me in...with my brood.) Which is where I am now.

I think it's safe to say I have a Major crush on Doug's Major. (But it's the strictly platonic, you- saved-my-life-and-sanity, extreme gratitude kind of crush! I have the same crush on our R.I. mechanic. Doug understands. He has the same crush. Don't tell him I told you.)

Anyway, it's good to be in a home again (not that the boys didn't LOVE Hampton Inn's breakfast buffet...) and it's FABULOUS to be with Ang. If only my scrapbooks weren't busy travelling around the world, I could show you a pleothora of pictures of Ang and I through the years. (We've been friends since middle school and were college roommates.)

But more on Ang later. It's late and I no longer drink caffinated beverages so I'm pretty darn tired. I fell asleep while tucking the boys in, missed my nightly call from Doug, and forced myself to stay awake just to update both blogs. Which reminds me: I updated Doug's blog with an e-mail from him. Check it out here!

Goodnight!

He's an Airman, not a Soldier

I'm not gonna lie. It's been a bloody long day. (If you're new to this blog, you should know that I don't count swearing in foreign languages as swearing. Although, in this case, it should definitely count as swearing. Because it really has been a BLOODY.LONG.DAY!!!)

It started at a Hampton Inn in Knoxville, Tennessee about 15 hours ago. And it's ending at a Hampton Inn in Montgomery, Alabama. And how we got from there to here, well...it's like I said;
Bloody!

But there was ONE (only one) absolutely, positively, fabulous thing that happened today.

But before I tell you what it was, I need to preface with a little history:
(I don't actually need to, but evidently I'm in an over-sharing mood because today I drank Mountain Dew. The pink kind. Yes, it was extremely disgusting.)

ANYWAY, I don't know about you, but I was not raised in or around "the military". My dad was never drafted into Vietnam, my grandpa never told war stories, (at least not to me) and as far as I knew growing up, "war" and "soldier" were terms associated with other people far removed from me. (I was in High School when I heard my Uncle's Vietnam story. Before that, I don't think I even knew he had been there.)

Fast forward to my early 20's. While living in Carlsbad, I had a few dates with Marines and even went on-base at Camp Pendelton once. (Eric, I still think you're a crazy stalker, I'm afraid of you, and I hope you never find me!) I remember thinking the Base was sorta creepy, but didn't think anymore about it.

So because I never dated a military boy seriously, I never considered being a military wife. Not ever in my entire life not even for a second!

When I married Doug, I thought I was marrying someone who wanted to be a Dentist. (A GENERAL Dentist to boot! None of this "2-year-pediatric-residency" nonsense!)
When Doug started considering the military as a means for paying for Dental school, I was totally opposed at first. It took me awhile (a long while) to warm up to the idea. (I'm still warming.) And frankly, I still think Military bases are a little creepy! (Which is unfortunate considering I'm about to move on to one.)

What I'm trying to say is...
There is nothing in my realm of experience, past or present, that could ever have prepared me for this:

or that...
Or this:
And yet, here we all are.

In Alabama.

Wearing camouflage.

(Hey, remember that 80's song "Camouflage" by Stan Ridgway? Yep. It's rad. I guess I do have some experience with Camouflage. It seems that 'Things are never quite the way they seem'.)

So anyway, it's like I said before. It's been a bloody long day. But seeing Doug, even in camouflage, made it all worth it.

The Mountain Dew has now officially warn off...

and I'm exhausted.

Good night!

NOT the Pelican State!

You'll never guess where I am right now.
I'll give you a hint: Davy Crockett.
(No, NOT the Davy Crockett in my UVSC Accounting class. The one I laughed at when he told me his name...and then I realized the was serious. No, I'm talking about the ORIGINAL Davy Crockett! King of the wild frontier!)

Not helpful?

How 'bout this: Home of the Grand Ole Opry AND Graceland.

Still clueless? (I would be...)
Okay, I'll just tell you!

I'm in Tennessee. Knoxville, to be precise.
And I got here by driving.
In my stalwart Grand Caravan.
All the way from Virginia. I mean Washington D.C. (Sorry Jenny!)
With all three of my sons...

And we all made it alive!!!

Yes, the first leg of my North to South journey is complete in just a SHADE under a decade. (Actually, it only took 10 hours, which is good considering it's a 7 hour trip and we like to stop for potty breaks every 10-12 seconds.)

***{Speaking of North to South, while staying at Jenny's we watched the movie North and South. A four-part BBC mini-series based on the Victorian Era book by Elisabeth Gaskell. It was so good. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOD!
Rent it and watch it. You'll love it. (If you're in to that...)
It inspired me to start a Victorian Era Author On-line Book Club. Want to join?}***

So anyway, back to my point.
We're here. We made it.
We're safe and secure at a lovely little Hampton Inn.
(I love Hampton Inn's...they always have pools AND hot chocolate in the lobby!!!)
This particular Hampton Inn has the added benefit of FREE Internet access.

This is a good thing because I'm wide awake.
Because I drank a Coke today.
On a SUNDAY, no less!
Yep. I'm a no caffeine kinda girl. (Chocolate does NOT count.)
It's a Mormon thing. But not all Mormons. (Definitely not all! Diane, you little Mountain Dew rebel!)
It's pretty much up to one's discretion.
In my family growing up, caffeinated beverages were strictly verboten. EXCEPT as a cure for excessive vomiting.
***{Did you know Coke is good for settling upset stomachs? It is. Just ask my mom. So the only Coke drinking I've done in the past has been to cure extreme nausea.
Which means I've had Coke probably less than 20 times in my 30 years of life.}***

But today I made an exception to my personal "only-in-times-of-vomit" rule and ordered a Coke float from Wendy's.
(When the only Coke you've had your entire life is associated with stomach flu, you need a little Frosty-action to help it go down easier. But yeah, it was pretty gross.)

So anyway, I drank it and it prevented me from falling asleep and I'm okay with it, and myself, and my eternal salvation, ALRIGHT?!?!?!

(Am I over justifying now?)

The only draw back is, it's 11 and I'm not the slightest bit tired.

So, now for the important stuff. How was it driving with three boys? Honestly, it wasn't too bad. My bum is numb and my nerves are a bit frayed, but all in all, they did alright and I did alright. Thanks in large part to technology. Here's how it went down: Max and Sam were in the back of the van, with Gabe in the middle. They have a little DVD player in back with them, so they kept busy watching Hairspray and Winnie-the-Pooh, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. (Eclectic mix, I know.)

Interspersed with these were a few books on C.D. including "Chocolate Fever", a "Magic Treehouse" volume, and one more I'm forgetting.

Add to that some souvenirs from our Saturday visit to the Smithsonian, two Kids Meal Transformer toys, occasional snacks thrown at them from the front row, promises of Frosty's for good behavior, and you get two relatively good boys.

Gabe was a little less content. He did quite a bit of sleeping throughout the day, but when he was awake, he got a bit restless. For the most part he was happy, but there were a few times I dislocated my shoulder to reach back and tickle him, feed him, or bink him. One time, I had to stop at a gas station and warm up a bottle of milk for him, but that was pretty much as bad as it got.

As for me, Doug kindly loaded my i-Pod with audio books which is how I kept myself entertained. (Right now I'm listening to "Pretties" by Scott Westerfield and it's definitely keeping me engaged.)

Speaking of Doug, he is still getting his bottom kicked at COT (Commissioned Officer Training). He's up at 4 every morning and is busy until 11 at night. They do a lot of running and marching when they're not in class learning about procedure and protocol. It sounds pretty dang exhausting and frankly, I think I prefer gallivanting around the country in the Caravan to getting screamed at all day and being forced to RUN.
Like I discussed with my SIL Beth this evening. The only way they could get me to run any significant distance would be to hold a plate of French Toast out in front of me. That MIGHT work, but no guarantees. (I'm allergic to exercise, you know.)

Anyway, tomorrow we're back on the road headed for Montgomery, Alabama and DOUG!!! He's been authorized to do a "hand-off" of some paperwork. That means I get to see him for at LEAST 10.3 seconds tomorrow!!! YAY!!!
They better give me at LEAST 10 seconds!) And then we'll finish up the rest of our trip to our final destination: Destin, FL.

Why there? Why not!

(Just kiddin'. I'll tell you later!)
I'm going to try to sleep off my Coke Float now.

Goodnight!

On The Road by Emily Kerouac

Well, we're here in WASHINGTON D.C. and I can't think of a better place to spend the 4th of July than in the Nation's Capitol! The only thing that could possibly make it better would be to have Doug here with us. (That's Captain Doug to you!) BUT, he's off learning to salute, march, stand in formation, and address everyone as "sir" or "ma'am". (See his blog post (written by me) for more details.)

So, how was the drive to D.C. you ask? Judge for yourself:

3:00 p.m. we leave the Miller’s house only 5 hours behind schedule. We always leave late so we weren't too upset about it. The Miller’s are our friends and ward members who were good enough to put us up for two nights in a row.

As we're leaving the Millers, Max starts his litany of questions:

Max: Dad, can we have the movie on?

Dad: No.

Max: Can we listen to Scripture Scouts then?

Dad: No.

Max: When can we turn on the movie, Dad?

Dad: Let’s wait until we’re on the freeway.

Max: Why?

Dad: Because it’s a long trip. We don’t need to start it right now.

Sam: Ahwha we on da fwee way yet?

Dad: Let’s play I Spy

Sam: I shhhpy wif my witto eye sum-ping wed.

Dad: is it James?

Sam: YEAH! It’s Games!

Me: is it Lightning?

Sam: YEAH! It’s Yightning too!

Max: Is it an Apple?

Sam: Yeah! It’s a wed appo, too!

---

later, we're playing 20 (to 2,000) questions. Doug is describing the Slip 'n Slide the boys were playing with at the Millers. After Max guesses wrong about 60 times, Sammy gets it:

Sam: Is it da fwip n’ fwide???

(Cutie-Pie!)

3:15: Doug lets Max turn on the movie. (Ahhh....peace!!!)

4:15. Someone forgot to use the bathroom before leaving the house!!! And it was me. (Whoops!) We stop at McD’s. We decide we may as well grab dinner to prevent another stop.

5:00: Back on the road in record time!

5:40: We pull over to the side of the road for a Sammy Potty Stop. The excessive luggage prevents Sam from standing and peeing directly out of the van. So Sam hops down onto the shoulder.

Doug: “Sammy, wait! Mom will help you.”

Mom hops out.

Sam pees all over mom’s foot and sandal. Darn that Daddy!

Me: “AHHH!!! SAAAAAM!

Baby wipes and bottled water are produced

5:43 trip continues.

6:23 Hit New York traffic, but it's not too bad.

6:38 Enter New Jersey

6:40 Pull over for Max to pee. I stay in my seat.

7:18 Pull over for another potty break. Sam doesn't bother to wait until the car is stopped. Paper towels and wipes are once again employed.

On and on until we arrive at Jenny's after 1 a.m. We have a special talent for prolonging all roadtrips by at least a few hours.

In other words, It's good to be here.

Too bad I have to drive to Florida in a few days.

With the boys.

But without Doug.

That should be fun!

PART 2 Trip to New York when I DIDN'T get to meet Glenn Beck!!!

***After seeing a few sites and grabbing some hotdogs and ice cream from a vendor, it was time for Karie and Lori to leave for their meeting with Mr. Beck.*** (Switch to 1st person narrative)

Karie and Lori drop us off at one of the (many) Central Park playgrounds and are gone. Suddenly I'm on my own with three rambunctious little boys in quite possibly the LEAST child-friendly city in the country.

Now, two summers ago when we stayed in the city for a week, I was alone with the boys all day while Doug was at "work". But then I only had two boys. And since I have two hands, that was okay. But now I have three boys (see where I'm going with this?) and I do not have three hands. (Nor did I bring the kid-tether a.k.a. kid-leash.)

None-the-less, things are going great. The big boys are having a blast and Gabe is loving the baby swing.

Even potty breaks are no problem. In fact, the big boys don't even bother to consult me when they need to go!

Then things take a serious turn. Sam needs to go potty.

Again.

But not "pee-pee" this time. If you see what I mean.

So we need to find an actual potty fast. I may let my kids pee in public, but I have SOME limits!

I look at a map posted near the entrance of the playground. I see "The Met". (cue spotlight and choirs of angels singing "Ahhhhhh!!!")

I think: "It doesn't look too far away. And I'll bet the bathrooms there are better than park bathrooms. Plus, I just want to go back to "The Met". (How hip am I for calling it "The Met"?)

Gabe and Sam are dumped into the double stroller, Max grabs on, and off we go. I walk about 10 long, hot blocks before asking someone carrying a museum bag how much further it is.

Answer: 12 more blocks.

Max is whining, dragging his feet, and begging to rest. We stop for a minute.

I think about giving up and heading back into the park to find a bathroom so I ask a vendor where the nearest restroom is.

He says--while gesticulating in a North-North East-South Westernly direction--"Over down der".

I ralley the troops and we keep going towards the museum.

Did I mention it was 12 more blocks?

Did I mention that Sam+Gabe+DraggingMax+Stroller+2 backpacks=MeTired?

Eventually, we make it to The Met and it is a beautiful sight to behold. All except the huge stone stairway leading up to the front entrance. That for me and the stoller...not so welcoming. Fortunately, they have a Wheelchair/Stoller entrance. (Possibly the only one in a 17 mile radius.)

Once inside we head straight for the nearest bathroom where Sam informs me he no longer needs to go #2. I believe his exact words were "No! I dough need to sit down! I dough need go poopoo's! Just peepee's, Mom."

WELL WE COULD HAVE JUST TAKEN CARE OF THAT IN THE BUSH!!!

But whatever. We're here. Where I wanted to be.
Except it's not even remotely close to anywhere the boys want to be.

And then, I'm blessed with a miracle. (Cue spot light and choir of angels singing "Ahhhhhh!")

Only I'm not going to tell you what the miracle is.

Yet.

Because it's 1:30 in the morning and, despite it being Mother's Day, I will have to wake up and go to church in a few short hours where I get to teach Max's class of 12-28 six-year-olds.

And because I'm so tired it's taking me an average of 14.3 minutes per sentence and I'm pretty sure my spelling and puctuation have begun to suffer horribly.

So as much as I wanted to finish this dang post, it'll have to be continued.


Again.




goodnight!