Day 6: Trippin' out with the Rawlings

The Zoo.

We went to the North Carolina Zoo today. It is crazy big. We went to Africa and by the time we arrived it North America we were pooped. Yes, you read that right we had to walk from Africa to North America. Okay, maybe that's just how they name the separate areas, but they really are quite spread out. The animals have plenty of space to roam and so they can be quite far from the fence that you walk by. It was really cool though. What wasn't cool was the temperature. It was in the mid 80's. That's getting a tad hot. Last week I was in snow and today I was frying. Walking in that kind of heat is tiring especially when the kids are whining. All the kids are a little on the tired side by this time. There were a few emotional moments today. There were a lot of people as well since it was warm and it is spring break here. Still, I'm so glad we went because I love looking at animals I don't usually get to see.

My favorites were the lions. I WANT A BIG KITTY. I can't wait for the whole lamb lying down with the lion thing.

Since we were hot and tired we skipped most of North America. On the way home the Westbrooks picked up pizza from Little Italy. It was really yummy.

I finally finished my book today. It was so good. I loved it. I was reading the last Fablehaven book. It was intense and way more than I could have imagined. So fun.

Last night we had Corbin stay in the hotel with us and we sent Sophia to the Westbrooks and tonight we have Hero and they have Orion. I love that they get to know their cousins better. That has really been such a special part of this trip. I'm so happy that we will get to see them again in the summer. I was saying to Kenneth how different time is for kids and adults. I haven't seen Dave, Aenea's husband, for 5 years, but it feels same as always. However, 5 years in a kid's life is a huge chunk of time. They can go from being little kids to teenagers in that time or from babies to being Kindergartners. So amazing.

Haiku for today:
Steaming heat, burn, burn.
Must remember the sunblock.
Sticky, sweaty, hot.

Day 5 Trippin' out with the Rawlings

Today was another beautiful day here in North Carolina. We were in the 70's and it was so pleasant. I soaked up that vitamin D like I haven't had it in 5 months, oh wait, that's true. I was saddened to hear that I was missing out on all the fun weather in Utah, bummer.;)

The fun activities planned for today were real bbq and playing at the park. I just did some research on bbq, because I have never had the kind of bbq I had today. Here is what I learned.


The third type of sauce in terms of the evolution of sauces, is Light Tomato sauce. This sauce is (or was) little more than Vinegar and Pepper with tomato ketchup added. This occurred after tomato ketchup became a readily available condiment around the turn of the last century; that is, around 1900. It was a simple thing to take the tried and true Vinegar and Pepper and add some ketchup, which brought a little sweetness and other spices to the mix. That style of sauce is most famous in North Carolina in the Piedmont region of which Lexington, North Carolina, is the acknowledged barbeque center. It is also popular in the upper middle part of South Carolina and in the South Carolina Pee Dee region which is the upper coastal plain area of the state. 

We went to a Lexington bbq place, but it's here in W-S, to pick up our food. We all had bbq sandwiches and hush puppies. Does everyone know what hush puppies are? They are fried cornbread balls. The sandwiches had slaw on them. That was so tasty together. I really liked it. It's different than the bbq sauce sold in the stores, which is the 4th sauce called, Heavy Tomato Sauce.  Most Americans are familiar with that sauce. It's so popular because it's so sweet. We ate at the park and then the kids played. It was gorgeous. It was the perfect temp. and I pushed the kids on the swings for a little while and then read in the pavilion, just enjoying the warm breeze. I also thought about all the status updates I read that morning that said there was snow in Utah. I was not missing it.

We ran some errands after that and then went back to the house. More reading for me. A call from my wonderful friend while I took a walk around the block in my bare feet. Then so yummy Mexican dinner and a dessert of Dunkin' Donuts. Are you kidding me? Who would not love this day? It was such a delicious day.

Haiku for this day:
Barbeque is good.
Dunkin' donuts are tasty.
Not returning thin.

Day 4 Trippin' out with the Rawlings

Morning was more of the same routine, breakfast, homework, showers. I did take Ian and we went down to exercise while the other kids started on showers and homework. That was a nice change and felt somewhat normal.

We went to Aenea's and had lunch. The kids played and I read and started some laundry. I ended up leaving the laundry. Do not fold that laundry, Aenea. I will fold it when we get there tomorrow.:)

We headed out to the Children's Museum. We bought a pass to a museum in Dayton, Ohio which through the reciprocity agreement with other museums should get us into museums and zoos all over the country, except for in our home state. It pays for itself quickly though. The museum today would have cost us $49 and the zoo later in the week would cost us $50.

The kids had such a great time running around and playing with all the stuff. I love seeing the cousins play together.

I sat on a bench and read. That's how I do Children's Museums. Ian had a gaggle of girls following him. They were all under the age of 5, but they loved him. He would growl at them and chase them and then they would chase him and try to get him. So cute.

The adults wanted to go out tonight for dinner. The grandparent Westbrooks came over to watch the kids so we could go out. That was so incredibly nice of them. We ended up going to Cha-da Thai. It was so good. I ate way too much, my tummy is still full many hours later. Kenneth will have a nice Thai breakfast with the leftovers.

It was another lovely day. N-night.

Haiku to this day:
I love to eat Thai.
Tom Kha Gai is the best soup.
It fills me with bliss.

Day 3 Trippin' out with the Rawlings

Ahhh, time to breathe a little. How I wish I had been able to sleep in, but with 5 kids in one room, it gets a little noisy. I decided to get their loud whispers out of the room and hopefully let Kenneth sleep a little longer. It was again your typical continental breakfast arrangement, except this time the waffle batter was available. Oh, something that is nice is the fact that we have a fridge and microwave in our room. I was not expecting that. So I can keep my berries in the fridge and enjoy my cereal and berries every morning like usual.

One bathroom for 7 people is a joke. Here it is:  What do you get when seven people use one bathroom? I have no idea, but I'll tell you what you don't get. You don't get out of the hotel by 10am. We spent the morning getting ready and doing homework. Oh, another nice thing, the shower. It has one of those heads that you can change to different settings and we did not run out of hot water even after all of us showered. That is nice.

We finally met up with Aenea around 11:30. Did I say already that all times in these posts are approximates? Well, they are. Her two youngest we have not met previously, except Kenneth has met Bastian, second to youngest. But cutie baby, Beckham, is new to all of us. They are so adorable. I will make sure and post pics later. You will see, they are little model babies. We hung out at her house the rest of the day. Her house is really nice and in a new neighborhood. We had real food lunch and dinner. Thank you so much, Aenea. Real food is awesome. The kids watched a movie and we chatted while we waiting for her older kids to finish with their snow day make up day. When they got home from school joyous noise was everywhere. It was so cute and awkward for a few minutes, but that quickly passed and they were soon playing and loud. I was able to get a little reading done during the afternoon. That was nice.

It rained in the afternoon, but passed and we were able to walk around the block in the evening. The weather is so pleasant and the trees are blossoming. There are cherry trees in bloom all over. So beautiful.

We needed to stop at Walmart and pick up a few things I forgot to pack. We missed our turn and ended up in downtown Winston-Salem. I love sightseeing like that so I don't mind getting lost every once in a while.

Now it's time to sleep and I'm really going to try and forget that it's still early in Utah and surrender to my fatigue.

Haiku to this day:
What a sweet spring day.
I sank in red mud, but lived.
Cherry trees bloom sweet.

Day 2 Trippin' out with the Rawlings

Day 2

The motel last night was fine, but my head was dizzy and my body ached. Let's just say I've slept better.

7:15 - central time zone Wake up. I wake everyone up and tell them to start getting dressed so we can go get our continental breakfast. I give the top athlete a back rub while everyone gets ready. As I said, he did an amazing job and as can be imagined his body is paying for it today. All of our bodies are worn out today. I can tell our psyches are suffering today as well.

7:45 - Breakfast consists of your average variety motel breakfast: bananas, cold cereal, juice, boiled eggs with the yolks cooked green, muffins, danishes, a waffle maker with no available batter, and bread for toasting. Thankfully, I packed portions of my high fiber cereal and some berries. The kids loved it and I was happy with mine. Kenneth had a banana.

8:15 - Back in our room we are able to hold a small Sacrament meeting. It was very nice. I don't like traveling on Sunday, and I would have been very sad to miss the sacrament today.

9:00 - We are off. I don't think we are in quite the same high spirits as yesterday, but here we are all the same. It turns out that Missouri is rather nice. Trees, water, farms, grass, rolling hills. I think I like it after all... at least in the spring.

12:00 - Lunch is more of the same. Peanut butter sandwiches. Oh, the cries of joy that ring from the back of the car. The whining is beginning, “Stop touching me.” “No, it's not.” “Stop it.” “He's cheating.” So I remind them that they do not want mommy to lose it and start taking away privileges. They quickly zip it. I tell them that if they have something to say that is mean or whiny they need to keep their mouth shut.

Another Haiku to Missouri

You are not so bad.

I didn't expect to see

So many fair things.

1:00 - Illinois is wet today, also flat. It was amazing driving over the Mississippi River. I am having so much fun showing the kids these new sights. They love it. Dylan just keeps saying, “That is awesome!” as he takes pictures out the window.

2:00 - First stop for the day. Don't you love the “dispensers” in the gas station restrooms? They make me so mad. I really hope the kids don't notice them, but I know the taller readers will read whatever comes into their line of sight. Back in the car we are listening to Harry Potter. Thanks, Amber.

2:30 - Never mind, they want a movie. Prince of Egypt.

Haiku to Illinois

Land of Lincoln here.

Today is rainy and wet.

Gray sky and green grass.

3:00 - Blackout. I can't sleep in the car. I can't think, “Oh, I'm tired. I should try to sleep.” If I sleep in the car it's because I have passed out. That's what happened. I still came out of blackness every 10 min to close my mouth and pick my head back up. After 45 min. I was able to be fully awake, and I feel so much better. I did miss the entrance to Indiana though. Welcome to Indiana. I really like southern Indiana. It is beautiful, though it's raining pretty hard today. It's greener already. After a winter feast of Utah brown this green is such a feast for my eyes. The trees do not have leaves, but the ground is starting to be emerald green. I love all the trees, even bare, lining the road. The farms are everywhere and of course I'm romanticizing the thought of living amongst all of this beauty. I wish the camera could capture what I am seeing, but zipping along at freeway speed is making it difficult.

Haiku to Indiana:
All I see are farms.
Am I a farm girl at heart?
I like to dream, yes.

4:30 - Kentucky. I've never seen this side of Kentucky, Louisville and the Ohio River.

6:30 eastern time zone - We are trying to eat according to the local time in order to combat jet lag. So 6:30 is dinner time. More of the same is what it is. As I watch the restaurants along the side of the freeway I am dreaming of what foods I will eat this week. Restaurants I've seen that I haven't seen in 13 years: Bob Evans, White Castle, Waffle House and Hardee's. Yes, I do know that Hardee's is Carl's Jr. and I do see Carl's Jr. all the time. Not that I want to eat at any of those places. I just really want real food.

7:00 - Lexington and I-75 ,which makes me think of Ohio, which hurts my heart. We are just a few hours from Dayton and I am sad that we are so close and not able to go there. I can't believe that it's been 13 years since we lived there. The last part of Kentucky is very hilly.

Haiku to Kentucky

Carpets of green grass.

Horses grazing everywhere.

Sweet, sweet Kentucky.

8:45 - West Virginia. We are just across the river from Ohio. That is killing me. We are so close and we can't go. The pain is dulled by West Virginia, because, hey, it's West Virginia, and the fact that my bum is numb. As we drive by the houses with the warm glow of lights inside I am really wishing I lived here right now for the simple fact that I would be home. NUMB BUM!! What do Missouri and West Virginia have in common? “Adult” Superstores. I was surprised and disappointed to see them. Toll roads, I am not a fan. San Francisco, Chicago, New York, I can understand, but Middle of Nowhereville, West Virginia, I don't get and it irritates me. Many things seem to be irritating at the moment. The shiny newness has worn off and we seem to be a little more snappish than usual. Pray for strength to make it the last 3 hrs.. Serenity Now!!

Haiku to West Virginia (Virginia with 3 syllables)

Hi, West Virginia.

Jennifer Garner lived here.

I'm glad that I don't.

11:20 - Virginia. We drove through the longest tunnel I can remember. It goes under a mountain. Fog greets us on the other side welcoming us to Virginia.

Haiku to Virginia

Happy to see you.

Tonight it's just a drive through.

We will be back soon.

12:45 North Carolina. Turns out by the end of Virginia I was not very happy. The fog was so thick it was scary. We were on a stupid back road and at times we could only see a car length in front of us. There were deer on the side of the road and we hit a possum. Yes, that's correct, we killed a possum. Then it started to rain. Rain with fog. Really? Is that necessary? One isn't enough? It's not complete without both? Really?

Haiku to North Carolina

Finally we are here.

Coasting in on fumes of gas.

I want to sleep now!

Totals for day 2

Total stops: 3

Total states: 7 with an honorable mention to Ohio

Total hours of gaming: 0, no games on Sunday

Total states with rain: 7

Total miles driven: 1,032

Our endurance was seriously put to the test today. We are here and I am done.

Day 1 Trippin' out with the Rawlings

Note: These posts will not have pictures for now and do not judge the spelling, grammar, or punctuation. I'm tired. This one is long, but I had a lot of time to write. I can't promise the same for any following posts.

Day 1

5am – The alarm goes off. We decided last night at midnight that we would give ourselves an extra hour since we went to bed so late. I shower and then get everyone else moving. Dylan of course cannot find the shoes he was wearing when he went to bed. I'm guessing he packed them without us knowing and then we packed the bag in the car top carrier. Nothing is coming out of there today. Oh well. Screaming Mommy is here, because how do you lose shoes that you were wearing right before you got in bed? Sophia finds him some other shoes. Time to go, we are only ½ hr later than we wanted to be. Excellent. We kneel down for prayers and Kenneth asks Screaming Mommy to pray, nice. I pray that we can be nice, but mostly me.

6:30 – We are off. A few times I say things like, “Crap, I forgot ________.” or “Shoot, I was going to bring __________.” Always followed by, “Oh well.” and the thought that anywhere we go they will have a Walmart, right? I forgot my pajamas! We have a schedule... it's more like guidelines really. We start with quiet time. We are all really excited though. We got the most recent Phoenix and the Killers albums for our traveling music. The first song from the Phoenix album comes on and Dylan says, “This song is perfect.” So true. It's a great “We are on our way for a super fun and long family vacation” song. As the sky lightens I hand each child a travel journal I made for them. It has paper, games and colored pencils. Come on, how cool is that? I even bought treats for the winners of the games. After a quick game of car bingo, the journals are discarded for excited watching of scenery. You know how it is the first few hours, just excited to be in the car and on the way. We finally eat breakfast an hour before the schedule says, because I am starving. Yummy Probars and bananas.

Haiku to Utah:

Utah is my home.

The sky was clear this morning.

We will be back soon.

9-The kids are now allowed to play games on their gaming systems. Zombie quiet ensues for the next 3 hrs. I selfishly love this time because no one is calling my name and Kenneth and I can chat and listen to music. I love it. About the time they started playing, the weather turned nasty, so it was a good thing that they were zombies and that they were quiet. Also, during this time Kenneth introduces us to Salt & Pepper Pistachios. I was skeptical because I'm not a big fan of s & p chips, which Kenneth loves. I try them and they are amazing. I'm not kidding, so very tasty. Have you had them? If you haven't you must. They have onion and garlic powder and lemon juice besides the s & p. That's why they taste so good. Did you know that it is really hard to stop eating pistachios?

12-lunch. As marathon drivers we stop for gas, that is it. You are allowed to use the restroom at that time. We do not stop to eat. We already stopped for gas and potty earlier. Thus, lunch is pre-made pb&j or pb & nutella sandwiches, grape tomatoes and healthy crackers. By the way, Mom, Kenneth says that he likes your crackers better.

Haiku to Wyoming:

Wyoming, yo, sup?

Your weather is horrible.

What is up with that?

1:30 - Enter Nebraska, so very windy, just like weather.com said.

2:30 - Still flat and windy. The wind is so noisy. We did just pass the world headquarters of Cabela's. I know, super exciting.

3 – Starting to feel sick. Too much rocking with the wind. Also, we are playing a super competitive and cut throat game, Cow Counting. Kenneth has killed my cows 2 times now. He's evil.

4 – Stop for gas. Time for a movie. Star Trek. We've seen it enough times that we could still enjoy listening to it. Sophia's never seen it and from what I've witnessed she's still not seen it as she was coloring in the back.

6 – Dinner, Can you say repeat of lunch? The kids want to scream. Imagine how they will feel about it after dinner tomorrow night. I don't think it will be pretty.

6:30 – Kenneth says that if this was a sport we would totally win. Which sport? Marathon driving. I know that we would be competitive, but since he said it's not safe for the kids to pee in a bottle because they have to stand up I know he's not really dedicated to the sport.

Haiku to Nebraska:

You are flat and yellow.

I like the farm houses.

Stop the wind right now!

8 – Enter Iowa. We are only in Iowa for 25 minutes.

Haiku to Iowa:

Iowa was dark.

A few lights in the distance.

But, mostly darkness.

8:25 – Enter Missouri, or as I like to say Misery, not because I don't like Missouri, it just sounds good. Though I've been to Missouri in the summer and it really was miserable. It's also dark, but it holds such promise. Our destination is less than an hour away. I could cry with joy.

Haiku to Missouri:

You are where I stop.

Just for the first nights sleeping.

I love you for that.

Totals for Day 1

Total stops: 3

Total states in: 5 (Honorable mention to Colorado because we were only 2 miles away at one point and could see it.)

Total hours of gaming: 6

Total number of hours the schedule lasted: 1.5

Total barfs: 0

Total times Dylan asked how much farther/longer: too many to count

Highest point in altitude today: approx. 8,700

Lowest point in altitude: approx. 800

Total miles driven today: 1,053

Big props to Kenneth for being such an amazing athlete in marathon driving. He is a crazy awesome driver and my favorite road trip companion. Big props to my kids. They really are the best travelers I know. There were no fights, the whining was minimal and they were very cooperative. We'll see what Day 2 brings.

This and That Creations

I think most of you are familiar with the blog, This and That Creations. Christine, the creator of this blog, is celebrating her 10,000th hit by giving stuff away. That's one of my favorite kind of celebrations, the kind where cute things are available for the winning. If you haven't visited her blog before you really should. She has some great ideas for decor and so many cute vintage finds to share. Besides you might win something.