Adjusting

It's been a few weeks since my last post.  I wanted to wait until I had something to write about and now I have a long list!

First off - our van.  After taking it to a mechanic and a body shop, we found out that the transport company most likely lost it off the trailer at some point.  The damage added up to almost $4000 to the front bumper, hub assembly and axle.  The hub and axle have been repaired at the companies expense and we are waiting for our appointment to have the bumper replaced (also at their expense).  I kind of feel like we are getting a new van!

The house - I started working on little things around the house.  There was some paint in the garage so I touched up the baseboards.  Next, the boys ceiling fans needed some attention and after taking them apart, we decided to replace them.  I also installed new smoke detectors in case my wiring skills were a little rusty.  I spray painted all the covers for the bathroom vents (yes all 5) and most of the furnace vents.  My last bit of spray paint went on the lights on the front of the house.  I did not take before and after pictures but it was not very exciting, it just gives things a little pick-me-up.  I also added numbers to the front of the house.  It was my first time drilling through brick and I realize I need an impact drill so I don't have to use one bit per hole! (hint to Steve)  Other than that, a few rooms got curtains to block the lovely overwhelming sun.

All of the little jobs went pretty well then I clogged the kitchen sink.  I should have learned 16 years ago that there are people who can have garbage disposals and there are those who cannot.  I am definitely on the cannot side.  After working at the clog for several hours and pouring several chemicals down the drain, I removed the pipes and used my snake with no success.  When Steve got home, we decided to look at the wet bar pipes on the other side of the wall.  We discovered that they were rusted and falling apart.  For the first time in my life, I conceded and called a plumber.  I tried not to feel defeated, after all we have a home warranty and we should use it right?!  He came out and fixed it saying that it was good that we called.   The sink started dripping the next day and after a return trip, the plumber said the garbage disposal needed replaced.  I was inclined to get rid of it altogether but, the home mortgage covered a replacement with installation.  Maybe I won't use it...ever.

My next issue happened with the refrigerator.  It was not closing properly and the water dispenser was leaking slightly.  I ordered a new gasket for the door and went to Ace for a small tube to replace the piece that was dripping.  Things did not go well and the door closes worse now.  In addition, I flooded the kitchen, dining room and garage overnight by putting to much tension on the water dispenser hose.  Oops.  Steve said that I need a job so I will quit trying to "fix" things.

Enough about my "money pit" issues.  We had two families come visit and swim.  Steve's co workers came and we had a really nice time visiting and getting to know them.  Steve's mom and step dad also came for a weekend visit.  It helped curb our loneliness a bit and it was fun to show someone the house.

Jazmyn heard back from a gym about a coaching job that she will try out next week.  Clarke continues to train for cross country despite the heat.  Blake had a week off of football but will start back on Monday along with band practice.  I went into a temp company and filled out paperwork, interviewed, and tested.  My plan is to start working in September after the boys get settled in school.  Steve leaves for his first business trip (since moving here) on Monday.  I am thankful he got to stay and get us settled in.  Hopefully all the major issues with the house and move are done.   I have learned to watch the weather and get around town a little as well as pump my own gas!

For our last bit of news, we have a new addition to the family - Introducing Link Bruno:

We promised the kids that when we got settled we would look for a dog.  Clarke really wanted a Siberian Husky and Blake really wanted a German Shepherd so we compromised and got a Australian Shepherd.  After looking through the paper and online, he seemed like a good choice.  We have only had him for 5 days but he is pretty docile.  He likes to play a little but cuddling, sleeping, and chewing on things are his favorite things to do.  The boys are learning the trials of potty training him and it is going okay (some days better than others).  I hope that by the time school starts in 17 days, he will be well-trained!

Tomorrow is "tax free" school supply day.  The boys register for school Monday. Jazmyn starts her job next week and Steve is leaving for Dallas.  It should be a busy week - the kind I look forward to!  I hope all of the friends back in Oregon are well.  We still feel like we are on a long vacation but it is about to get real!

Online!

The COX Cable guy was here for over three hours hooking us up yesterday.  We have a cable that crosses the back yard and will have to be buried.  Things are different here!  During the internet “blackout” we were able to get most of the house unpacked.  There are still mountains of boxes to go through in the garage.  These mostly contain holiday decorations, children’s toys, and keepsakes.  I am working on going through them one at a time and putting them in labeled plastic bins.  The idea is to get rid of enough and organize the rest so that we can park at least one vehicle in the garage.  They get hail storms here in AR and the hail is large enough to damage vehicles sometimes.

Speaking of vehicles – our van was picked up just before we left Oregon.  With daily updates, we were told it would arrive Sunday or Monday (the 30^th or 1^st).  On the 30^th, they could not get in touch with the driver.  We got the same story on the 1^st.  On the 2^nd, the driver was in Kansas and we were informed that we would get our van either that night or the next morning.  On the 3^rd, we were told that the driver was farther away than they thought and we would get it that evening.  The night of the 3^rd the driver broke down and the company was not sure when we would get our vehicle since the shop was closed on the 4^th.   On the 5^th we picked up a rental car at the company’s expense – an Escalade.   8:30pm on the 5th, I got a call from the driver and he delivered the van 5 minutes later (they were suppose to give at least 60 minutes notice and deliver in full daylight).  It has some damage to the front and back bumper.  As we were noting the damage, the driver became belligerent and out of control.  Thankfully, Steve kept his cool and tried to explain that we needed to note the damage for the claim and that no one was blaming him.  The driver continued his rant and left with unsigned papers 5 minutes later.  We need to take the van in for an estimate.  In the meantime, I get to drive a new Escalade with a sunroof!

We have been doing yard work in addition to unpacking and little home improvement projects.  Weeding, mowing, spraying for weeds and bugs, setting up the trampoline, caulking, and spray painting.  There is lots to do!  Steve and the kids have really enjoyed the pool.  It is a salt water pool so it is easier and less expensive to maintain.  Although we just found out that the cell need replaced to the tune of about $900.  Oh these little bumps in the road!  

When it's cool enough, we eat dinner outside on the deck.  There are lots of birds, lizards and rabbits to see.  It is quiet and peaceful here.  Most of the neighbors are retired and have lived here for a number of years.  They all seemed friendly and offered advice about living in the area along with invitations to ask for help whenever we need it. The weather is beautiful here.  Last week it was in the upper 80’s with little humidity.  The neighbors assured me that it is not typical AR weather and I should take advantage of it outside while it lasts.  It seems we "hit the jackpot" in terms of neighborhoods. One couple even brought over a lemon bundt cake!  

Blake started football yesterday.  I think he will enjoy it once he gets use to the weather.  This week it is in the mid-90's with quite a bit of humidity.  He threw up a number of times yesterday and he said his goal for today is to throw up only once or twice.  It's good to have a goal!

Clarke met with the Cross Country Coach and got a look at the school.  It is a little intimidating!  He started running last week, hoping to get in shape for the season.

Jazmyn has been helping to unpack and clean in addition to job hunting.  She has a few good possibilities.  I know that if someone would give her a chance, they would find out what a good worker she is!

Ariel is back at home in Newberg.  We all miss her terribly!  She celebrated her 22nd birthday and has been busy with home projects.  She just built a beautiful bed frame.  Check out her blog for more information on that. www.trekkerchick.blogspot.com

Friends and family have been asking for pictures of the house, so here are a few:

My side of the bathroom

Steve's Side

Our comfy "air mattress bed"

View from the french doors in our bedroom

Living Room

Just inside the front door

Kitchen

Breakfast Nook

Spare bathroom

Living Room

Dining Room

Family Room

Breakfast Nook

Game Room

Pool

Pool and back wooded area

Side Yard

My "Beach"

Steve thought I didn't have enough shells to fill this outside beach area - Ya right!

Lots of Work!

Day 8 - Finally "Home"

It was a LONG day of driving!  We left South Dakota after a quick breakfast and drove through Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas.  There are not many pictures of the day's journey.  Ariel takes a video at every state line but, other than that, we drove. 

Stopping for gas at a place in Nebraska was a little terrifying.  It was just a bit off the freeway, over the state line.  There was loud obscene music coming from a car nearby and shady characters lounging about.  We used the bathroom in the minimart and there was more alcohol than I have ever seen, along with various drug paraphenalia.  I seriously think the police should be alerted. Scary!

Our only other event of the day was a near collision with a deer.  We were driving about 75 down a freeway in Missouri and it ran in front of us.  I am so thankful Steve was driving!  He braked and turned a little just in time!

After driving by own new house to get the mail, we checked into the hotel (at 2:30am) where Steve lived for 9 months.  After 4400 miles, 18 states, and a lot of incredible sights, it was the end of an incredible journey - and the beginning of a new one.   I know it will take a while before this feels like "home".  We left behind very close friends and family, who I already miss!  I like the fact that we can stay in touch.

I was successful at getting all the utilities turned on in our name at the new house, except internet so I am not sure about posting for a few days.  Ariel will be here until Monday :( and we just might have to go to coffee so we can post our blogs.  Tomorrow is "move-in" day.  Deep breath!  Stay tuned!

Days 6 & 7

I'm posting two days together because we had a little trouble with the internet on day 6.  We started out in Utah and jumped in the car for a 5 hour drive to Yellowstone in Montana through Idaho and Wyoming.

One of the many beautiful views in Yellowstone

 We decided to got to Old Faithful first.  Since it goes off randomly and if we could have to wait as much as 90 minutes to see it, we wanted to give it as much time as possible.  As we were piling out of the suv, a lady in the parking lot told us it was estimated that it would go off in 5 minutes.  We all ran and got there in plenty of time to see it.

There she blows

We drove on to see the Mammoth Hot Springs.  On the way we encountered deer, bear, coyote, and bison.  One bison was blocking the road and we followed behind for quite some time until we found a way around.  The camera was handed to me as we drove by and because of my amazing photo abilities, we got a picture of the fleas on the bison's back side.  Unfortunately, you will have to wait to see that picture until Steve can download it from his camera.  Needless to say, no one asked me to take pictures after that.

Selfie of the four kids in front of Mammoth Springs

Bison in the road - My picture was way better!

Before leaving the park, we decided to go to a large waterfall.  I should have known that a waterfall would be located on a perilous cliff but, I never suspected we would have to drive on a road so high that we saw snow.  It was getting dark and because of the road construction, we did not make it to the waterfall in time to see it.  We decided Oregon waterfalls are probably much better anyway.  We left the park and made our way to a little motel in Cody, Wyoming.  It was very basic and a little "sketch".  Ariel found this cute little note in our room.

Ariel decided that she would leave a tip - "don't forget to look behind the door in the bathroom for the dirty towel that was left."

At 8am on day 7, we headed out for Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  Steve was super excited to see it.  

We walked up the path to the base and got a great view.  It was pretty amazing.

From there, we drove by the Crazy Horse Monument that has been under construction since 1948.  We decided not to drive into the park but we got a pretty good view from the road.

We arrived at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota at 8pm.  Everyone always says that it is not as big as you imagine.  I think I heard that too much because, by the time we got there, it was much bigger than I imagined.  

We got word from the movers that our things would be delivered on Saturday so we adjusted our route and decided to stay for the night in Rapid City, South Dakota.  We are in for a long drive today from here to Arkansas.
 

Day 5 - Long day and night

 We left on schedule this morning at 8am headed for Walnut Canyon.  It was only a 15 minute drive from Flagstaff.  We had a busy day ahead with lots of stops and driving so we limited our stay to 30 minutes.  Hiking down the Canyon and back up about half a mile made us all realize that we need to hike more and get in better shape! 

 

Our next planned stop was Meteor Crater.  It is nearly one mile across and 500 feet deep.  We drove to the entrance only to find that it cost $80 for us to see inside.  We decided that the outside view was good enough and continued on our way.

Winslow Arizona was our next quick stop.  We went to the corner and snapped a few pictures in tribute to the song by the Eagles “Take it Easy”.

We stopped for a quick bite at a little café in Holbrook.  The food was pretty tasty but also a little too spicy for me.

“Have you slept in a wigwam lately?”  Holbrook is also the sight for the Wigwam Motel made famous in the movie “Cars”.

Continuing on, we made a quick stop to view the beautiful painted desert, on our way to Four Corners.  Jaz was really excited to see the desert.  I’m not sure it lived up to her expectations.

The drive to four corners was long and rather desolate.  It sits on a large Indian Reservation.  When we arrived it was really windy.  We waited in line for about 45 minutes for a picture at the famous sight where four states touch. 

Leaving Four Corners at 8, we wanted to stop at the Utah state line.  There was a large rock the kids posed on.  Blake found a Geo Cache hidden in the edge of the rock.  It was a small capsule with pencil and paper.  There were a few names and dates (the last one was dated over a year ago).  He signed his name and replaced the capsule for the next “finder”. 

We wanted to stop for a quick bite on the way to the hotel so we could continue to drive.  We decided to make this a long travel day to shorten other days.  Just getting out of the Indian reservation took an hour and it was dark when we stopped for lunch at Subway in a little town in Utah. 

I am typing this entry as we drive to our hotel.  We hope to arrive in West Valley Utah (near Salt Lake) at the hotel around 2am.  Steve and I will get some rest and Ariel will add photos to my post  before we head out at 8. 

Thanks for keeping up with us and your words of encouragement.  This trip has been an exciting journey for us as a family.  It is helping to transition to a new life as well as giving us a chance to spend some time together.  It has been too long!  There are a few arguments but one hotel room and one vehicle force us to work out the disagreements.  We laugh a lot and have such a great time together, we are not anxious for it to end.

Day 4 - Arizona & Nevada

To give you a little insight about our days:

I wake up around 5:30 and Ariel and I go down to breakfast and update our blogs.  I write mine and she adds the pictures that she and Steve took on their phones throughout the day.  After everyone gets up and packed we load the and pray before we head out in the "suv".  We also each have "Buffs" that match what we all wear.  We thought about t-shirts but I didn't know how much we would wear them and that was a little too "matchy - matchy" for us.  The Buffs have been extremely useful for tying hair back, shading eyes for a nap, sweatbands, and decorative neck ware. 

Ariel made Jazmyn, Clarke, and Blake journals with various activities for the trip.  The each have two "fun facts" that relate to the events for the day and they read them to us while we drive.  Ariel updates us on our itinerary and reads information about upcoming sights.  Steve usually drives while I attempt to navigate. We drive a lot each day.  The kids sleep, use their journals, listen to ipods, and tease each other.  The trip is going really well, so far.  We usually get into the hotels late (between 9pm and 2am) and go right to sleep.

Now about day four:  We left Las Vegas after a rushed breakfast.  Our first stop was at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.  It was as massive as I remember seeing it when I was a kid. It was also extremely hot! We parked in an upper parking lot and walked from one end of the dam to the next and back again.

It's hard to get a picture of the whole thing, it's so big

In the middle of the dam is a marker for the state line of Arizona/Nevada.  Ariel decided to make a video of us dancing and jumping at the state lines.

 After touring the dam, we went to In-n-Out in Kingman, Arizona.  

Eating a quick lunch on the road, we headed to Route 66.  Hackberry was a tourist trap along the road but it had an cool assortment of nostalgic paraphernalia.  We all had fun looking and snapping pictures.  Clarke especially liked the license plates, hub caps, and old posters.

Those chairs were surprisingly comfy

Seligman was another little stop along Route 66.  It was one of the major inspirations for Radiator Springs from the movie "Cars".

In Williams, we looked around in some shops and then had dinner at a classic diner.

The Grand Canyon was our final stop for the day.  We got to see a friend who works there.  She gave us some "inside info" on the canyon.  We took the shuttle along the south rim to find the perfect spot for viewing the sunset.

Piling back into the suv, we traveled to our hotel in Flagstaff arriving at 11pm for a quick rest.