Day 31: Bucket List

There are places I haven't been that I'd still like to go (my "bucket list").

I want to ride through the Appenines of Italy on a motorcycle with my husband.

I want to go to Comicon and Dragoncon.

I want to go to Angkor Wat, the World Heritage Site.

I want to go to Hawaii and see a volcano and try surfing.

I want to take Caleb to swim with dolphins.

I want to go to New York with Eli again.  The last time we were there, he was 11.  I want to go back with just him and attend theatre.

I want to go to Tennessee and ride the Dragon Tail with my husband on our morotcycle.

I want to go to Busch Gardens and ride the roller coasters there.

I want to take my grandkids to Disney World.

I'd like to go with my brother on a mission trip to Nepal.

I want to go to Australia and see the Great Barrier Reef.

I'd like to go and stand on the Equator and on the Prime Meridian.

Really, my bucket list is kinda endless.  I can see some of my list happening, while other will likely remain forever dreams.  I hope I never lose the love of travel.

Day 30: Traveling in a U-Haul Truck

My oldest son, Eli is turning 24 in about a half an hour.  He and his wife, Sarah, are finally moving out into the world on their own.

So far, they've lived in our basement,  temporary base housing in Fort Lee, Virginia, in the barracks at Fort Hunter-Liggit, California (just Eli - Sarah stayed with us during this time), and with his cousin in Savanna, Texas.  Now they are going to move into their very own apartment in Plano, Texas.  They are both excited and terrified.

They came home this past weekend and boxed up all their stuff that's been sitting in our basement for the past couple of years.  Its all now sitting in the garage where my husband's truck normally sits.  Tomorrow, we'll load it all up on a U-Haul truck and Saturday we'll drive it down to them.

We'll meet them at their new place.  Their new lease starts on April 1.  We'll be their first guests.  It'll be a long day in a U-Haul truck, but worth it to help send our children into adulthood.

Day 29: Travel by the Numbers

1- Number of times I've had my luggage lost on an airline flight

2- Number of times I've been to Europe (London & Barcelona)

3- Number of times I've been to a Disney (2x Florida, 1x California)

4- Number of times I've been to Savannah, Georgia (3x in June, 1x over New Year's)

5- Number of major bodies of water I've been in (Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Lake Michigan, Balearic Sea

6- Number of US Mountain Ranges I've visited (Rocky Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains. Ozark Mountains, Boston Mountains, Ouachita Mountains

7- Number of states surrounding Missouri I've been to (Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas)

8- Number of states I've been to for gymnastics (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida)

9-Number of US Forts I've been to (Fort Smith, Fort Pulaski, Fort Jackson, Fort Scott, Fort Knox, Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Gibson, Fort Riley, Fort Sill)

10- Number of amusement parks I've been to (Hershey, Silver Dollar City, Six Flags, Frontier City, Bells, Worlds of Fun, Cedar Point, Universal Studios, Disney, Celebration City)

Day 28: Glamping

Every summer my husband I go camping with our friends.  We go out to a nature retreat in Kansas about three-and-a-half hours from here, usually leaving on Wednesday and coming back on Sunday.

We have a large, orange tent.  There is both a front and side entrance, and a covered porch/entrance area.  It's large enough to house a queen-sized blow up mattress that we put up on camp cots.  Inside is also a five-foot table that we put our camping tubs under, with the table surface for our counter-top. There is room enough beside the bed to set the bedding tub up as a night table.

Outside we have an orange pop-up awning we use as our kitchen area.  We set up two more five-foot tables with our kitchen tubs and ice chests under; on top of the tables we have a small, propane grill. One of the tables is kept strictly for prep space, the other for eating from.  Underneath our entire personal area we put down tarps to protect against potential rain.

Personally, I prefer climate control, room service, and white-sand beaches.  My idea of "roughing it" would be Motel 6.  Sleeping in a tent in the wilds of Kansas is not usually my idea of a good time. But our friends have funny ideas of camping as well, and the experience isn't as bad as it could be.

Deborah is the organizer of our weekend.  Each year she is looking for the "next big thing", the newest way to make our camping trip less like camping.  Last year she really pulled off a doozie.

Outside of her tent (a large, white tent with three rooms) she has a kitchen with running water that is pumped in from storage jugs.  She also set up a jumbo circus-style tent for our group to gather in. She has music piped in by satellite.  There are several box fans and oscillating fans.  Assorted rugs cover the grass and dirt.  For your sitting pleasure there are rocking chairs, bag chairs, and outdoor couches.  This past summer there was even an 80-inch television that she brought out just for "movie night", complete with popcorn.

In front of the "social tent" there will be a volley ball net for afternoon play.  Deborah is a very social person, and she will venture into other camping areas and invite other campers over for a friendly game of beach-ball volley ball.  She keeps an ice chest stocked with water balloons so that we can defend our area should we get attacked with water guns (and yes, it does happen!).

There are tiki-torches marking pathways all around our compound.  We each go out at dusk and light the torches that lead to our personal tents from the social tent.  There are five to eight personal tents that make up our area.  Then we move out to the camp fire to sing songs and make s'mores.

As much as I moan and groan about camping, I wouldn't miss the  "glamping" trip with our friends for anything!

Day 27: Traveling with Mr. Kevin

I was shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of our friend, Kevin Owen.  I can't not talk out the heaviness inside my heart.

I have actually known Mr Kevin for a long time.  He was, even when I knew him back when, acting as a father figure to children who needed him.  He was helping parent three sisters on the gymnastics team the Mr G and I coached.  He traveled with our group on these sport trips.  We went to Atchison, McPherson, Salina, and Pittsburg, Kansas as well as in our area of Missouri.

I particularly remember one trip to Salina, Kansas.  He sat with all the parents, cheering loudly for not just his girls, but all the girls on the team.  I don't know why, but I have a very specific memory of him at this meet.  Those girls are all grown now with families of their own.

It was nice getting to know him over again when I came to work at the middle school.  He had to re-introduce himself to me since.  I hadn't recognized him - he was 15 years younger when I knew him before!  He had dark hair and a dark beard!  It was nice to see him in an environment where he had such a positive influence on young people again.

I will miss him much.

Day 26: The Ballet

Today I took a trip to Tulsa to see Swan Lake.  I went with my choir club friends from school.  It would seem we have started a tradition!

Last year we went to Springfield to see Wicked.  It was a wonderful afternoon with a wonderful bunch of girls who enjoy theatre as much as I do!  We had lunch out, a bit a shopping, and a great show.  We had such a great time we decided to do it again.

This year we opted for the ballet.  Tulsa Ballet Company was putting on Swan Lake, so that was our choice.  We left this afternoon from a central location in Joplin and drove to Tulsa.  We got to the PAC in time to attend a pre-show visit with the choreographer.  He talked in heavily Italian-accented English about all the different interpretations of Swan Lake, why there are so many, and which variety he prefers.  He pointed out some things we should look for in the performance.  He was so charming!

My favorite character from the ballet was the Sorcerer.  He was such a talented dancer!  His leaps and jumps exhibited so much more height and control than all the others.  The girl who danced the Swan had beautiful lines and showed her range in both the technical and emotional performance.  The costumes, especially of the Black Swan, were exquisite.  I was even impressed with the control shown by the Corp de Ballet during the long periods they had to pose completely stock-still while others danced.

After the performance we had dinner at an Italian pizzeria that also served gelato before driving home.

I can't wait until next year's day at the theatre!

Day 25: Travel Souvenirs

When I travel, I like to collect mementoes of my travels.  My favorite baubles are collector pins.

I have been collecting pins since I was very small.  My parent's saw this as a good alternative to the teeshirt; teeshirts were pricy and not long-lasting.  

Unfortunately, I lost my original collection to fire.  I had Disney pin, Silver Dollar City pins, Universal City pins, Six Flags pins.  Pins from Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago, St. Louis, Orlando, Barcelona.  Harley Davidson pins from almost every place we'd ridden.

I also had a nice collection of Olympic pins from the 1980 boycotted Moscow Olympics to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.  I had mascot pins, event pins, country pins.  Summer games pins and winter games pins.  Sponsor pins, like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Kellogg's, and Nike.

Restaurant pins, city pins, special event pins;  you name the pin type, and I probably had it from one of my travels.

Its been six years since the fire and I am starting to rebuild my collection.  Friends and family have been helping; they bring me pins from places they visit they know I've been before.  And, of coarse, I am adding new pins from new places I roam.

I've got enough pins again that I'm now looking for a pin collector's book.  I am starting to be excited to play with my pins again. 

Day 24: Traveling Down Memory Lane

My baby, my Caleb, my youngest child turns 20 years old today.  He arrived quite by surprise: he was five weeks early.

Due to our time in the hospital after his early birth, I was concerned that we would not bond.  Garold was the first to hold him and feed him.  Both sets of grandparents had held him.  Most of our extended family and friends had held him.  He was four days old before I got to hold him.

We bonded just fine.  In fact, for the first five months of his life, Caleb would barely go to anyone else but me.  When he was five months old I had to go out of town for a conference for four days.  When I came back, he wouldn't come to me except for food for over a week.  He eventually forgave me for my abandonment, but it was a long time before we were close again.

Today we are close again.  I have been fortunate that Caleb and I travel well together.  Our trips together have ranged from a bike ride to the creek to build a dam, to the amusement park to ride roller coasters, and even to London for a week.

I can't wait to see what the next 20 years bring!

Day 23: A Change in Travel Plans

We had great plans for the day.

Caleb came home last night after bible study so we could get an early start today.  You see, he has Thursday's off at college - no classes!  His 20th birthday is tomorrow, March 24, but he has classes, so we would not be seeing him.

We planned to take him to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas today to see the Frank Lloyd Wright home they have there, and to tour the museum build to examine the architecture of the structure.  There is also an interesting display of how the structure was planned and built to fit in seamlessly with the natural landscaping of the area.  This was a perfect outing for celebrating his birthday with him.

Caleb is a construction management major.  He is also hoping to add a theatre minor.  His dream job is set design/building for film, television, or broadway.  He is very talented in design and drafting, and often spends his spare time designing things for fun on his computer.  He was very excited to go to such a great facility and explore the architecture.

Let me emphasize the had in the statement "we had great plans for the day".

At 6:20 this morning I got a phone call from a 417 number I did not recognize.  Normally, I do not answer calls from numbers I do not recognize; nine time out of ten they turn out to be somebody trying to sell me something.  But at 6:20 in the morning, I reasoned the might be important.

One of my two elder aunts, Aunt Betty, was on the other end.  She was at Freeman East, and could I please come there immediately and sign a paper so she could have a procedure?  My early-morning foggy-brain replied "What?" while my vocal chords came up with a most intelligent "Ummmm".

Then a nurse came on the line, and told me that the signature was not so that Betty could have the procedure, but that the procedure, a colonoscopy, required anesthesia, and she would not be allowed to drive for 24 hours.  Further conversation revealed that Betty had shown up to the hospital with a pillow, blanket, and the intention of "sleeping it off" in her car for a couple of hours, then driving herself home!  I assured the nurse I would be there as soon as possible.

My Aunt Betty is fiercely independent and set in her ways, but usually in a polite, Southern, lady-like manner.  In the coarse of the day I learned she had told no one of her visit to the hospital for an outpatient procedure, even though she was told when it was scheduled that she would need someone to drive her home and be with her for a few hours at the least.  She didn't think it was anyone's business the doctor was looking in her bum for cancer and she is perfectly capable of looking after herself, thank you very much!

She came out of her procedure arguing loudly with the nurse, the tech, and even the doctor!  The doctor kindly told me that anesthesia sometimes make people more aggressive, especially if they are fixated on something before going under, and that she should return to normal after an afternoon of sleep.  She argued with me about driving her home.  I had to take her keys!  She argued with me about me being at her house "babysitting" her.  She argued with me about laying down to rest.

As soon as she settled she was sound asleep.  She slept until almost three o'clock, and it was a good, restorative sleep.  She woke in a better mood and no memory of being feisty all morning.  She normally is a very sweet person.

Caleb dealt with the change with good grace.  He and Garold picked up my car from the hospital, then picked my up this evening.  We got him birthday ice cream and sent him back to school with a hug.  I hope he is learning that sometime you make sacrifices for the ones you love and that life doesn't always go to plan, but its all okay in the end.

Day 22: Mundane Traveling

Today was filled with chores.  Bleh.

Most of these chores required travel around the area.  As much as we've been gone lately, these were small trips we could not put off any longer!

First stop to check on grandma.  At 85, she is still fiercely independent.  Sometimes I think we check on grandma more for our peace of mind than hers!

Stop two was in Carthage.  We went to the motorcycle shop to pick up a birthday present for my oldest son, Eli.  He wanted a new helmet of the "skid lid' variety.  They are very hard to come by and we were lucky to find one in his size!

Stop three was still in Carthage, at Liberty Tree.  Caleb and Garold had gone to the gun range last Saturday while I was in Kansas City so now we had to replace the ammo they used.  Of coarse, you can;t just go into Liberty Tree and pick up ammo; you have to look at the guns and talk firearms with the staff.  I did pick up a new running shirt, though, bright pink, with built in holsters on either side, just the right size for my LCP!

Last stop was Walmart.  I needed lubricant for my paper shredder.  They make specially oiled sheets of paper to feed through your shredder to keep it running smooth.  I couldn't find the special paper, but just as well as the employee we talked to said they were quite expensive.  He then told us that they used plain, old vegetable oil on the shredder in the back!  Not quite that adventurous with my electronics, I went for a silicon based spray.

Not a very exciting day of travel for me, but still a day of travel.

Day 21: Albuquerque

I spent a few days in Albuquerque, New Mexico about 20 years ago.  I was going out to see a friend from high school get married.  Never having been to Albuquerque, I decided to go early and see the sights.

My work friend, Shawna, took a few days off and went with me as my "plus one".  I am fine to travel alone, but the trip was so much more fun with a playmate!

We had a huge layover in Dallas so we rode around on the monorail in the early dawn waving at flightline workers.  We started touring right away, finding our way into old downtown within an hour of checking into our hotel.  Lunch was on the porch of a big hacienda-style restaurant, with more fried ice-cream than actual food, and exploring the shops and museums there.

That night we found our way to an audience-participation showing of Rocky Horror.  Its fun to throw rice and shoot water guns as part of the movie!

Next day was the wedding.  It was outdoor and on the patio of a local bed & breakfast.  Afterward, we headed out for Sandia Peak and the Sandia Peak Tramway.  Shawna and I hiked all over the top and had a thoroughly wonderful time.  The weather was perfect for hiking, warm and sunny.  We descended the mountain at sunset, then turned in early in anticipation of an early flight home.

Our flight home was a bit of an adventure as well.  On the last leg, from Dallas to Tulsa, we were flying on a rather small plane and open seating was being used.  We went to the back for the bench-style seating.  There were already two gentlemen there, and they both asked if we really wanted to sit there with them.  Shawna made a joke about the movie "Con Air" (which had been out for just that summer) and went ahead and sat.  Then one of those gentlemen rattled his chains at us and we realized that we had just sat next to a convict and a US Marshal!  I do believe that was one of the most unusual plane rides I have ever taken.  Unbelievably, we shared a laughter filled, pleasant afternoon of conversation with people we would not have met otherwise.

Shawna now lives in Florida selling real estate to wealthy retirees.  I think it might be about time for a visit!

Day 20: Evacuation Routes

Today we made the trip home from Mena, Arkansas.  We started out headed east towards Hot Springs, then turned more northeast to travel through the Ouachita forest high in the Ouachita Mountains.  We headed back west at Russellville, then north at Clarksville for a final ride through the Ozark mountains before heading home.  (seeing our day reduced to a paragraph gives no scope of time; this ride took 343 miles and eight solid hours of riding on a motorcycle!)

As we rode west from Russellville to Clarksville, we passed by Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' nuclear power plant.  Highway 64, the road we were on, passes right by the entrance and serves as the official evacuation route should a disaster occur.

It made my husband and I laugh to realize this was the THIRD evacuation route we've been on in our travels together!

The first evac route was in Georgia, on highway 80 from Tybee Island to Savannah.  That one is a hurricane evacuation route.  Our first time there we were chaperoning eight gymnasts from land-locked Missouri for a morning at the beach to see and swim in the ocean.  You can bet they picked up on the evacuation route signs first thing!

Our second evac route was in Washington on highway 410 on the way out of Mount Rainier National Park.  This one was an evacuation route in case of volcano eruption!  To us, the threat of eruption seemed real enough.  You see, we visited the park on a clear, cloudless day, a rarity in the area, we were told.  The park ranger at Sunrise Peak told us the small "clouds" over Mount Rainier were actually volcano puffs, called pyrocumulus clouds, caused from the intense heat of the volcano and the presence of moisture over the volcano.  Moreover, we were told that Mount Rainier is an ACTIVE volcano, currently at rest between eruptions.  The last eruption of this particular volcano was 1894-1895, so I'd say they are probably due!

We are very glad to be home where we do not have to worry about evacuation routes!

Day 19: The Smell of Spring

here on the eve
of the first day of spring
high in the mountains
far from home
I sit on the porch
at the sun country inn
resting
at peace
the end of hard day's ride

I breathe deep
of the fresh mountain air
and close my eyes as I recall the scents of the day

burning wood
fertilizer
fresh mown grass
cattle
chickens
pine trees

I fall asleep to my
scent-fueled memories

Day 18: Traveling with Friends

Today I am taking a trip with one of my bestest friends.  Jo and I have been friends for about 15 years now.  We have been taking trips together for about that long as well.

We started out as coaches together and our first trips were either coaching or training trips.  Sometimes we'd travel with gymnasts, but most of the time it was just us traveling together.  We haven't coached together in a very long time, but we've remained besties.

At least twice a year, more if we can manage, we plan a "play date" together.  We've been all over the country.  Today we are going to Kansas City.

We'll drive up and yak all the way.  The drive time is for catching up.  When we get to the city, we'll have lunch then go play.  Sometimes we go to our favorite food and cooking stores.  Other times we might make a tour of museums.  If the weather is good we might visit one of the cities' outdoor shopping centers.

In the evening we'll be heading out for a concert.  Pirate Music!  The Musical Blades have just cut a new album and tonight is the CD release party and concert.  All our favorite pirate people will be there.  We will sing along loudly with our old favorite songs.  I can't wait to hear the new material!

Day 17: New Year's Eve

Caleb and I took a trip to London over Christmas break 2014-2015.  We were there for sports, of coarse, cheerleading this time.  Caleb had qualified as a high school All-American Cheerleader and as such got to participate in London's New Year's Day Parade.

We left Kansas City the day after Christmas and arrived in London with around 1,000 cheerleaders, dancers, instructors, sponsors, and parents.  We spent each day touring the city and surrounding area, and each evening the cheerleaders would practice their routines and stunts for the parade.

The event sponsors had a New Year's party arranged for the cheerleaders and dancers, which left me with time on my own to ring in the new year.  Earlier in the evening Caleb and I had been to Piccadilly Circus to enjoy a bit of New Year's Eve out with a foreign crowd.  As I sat in our room looking out the window I decided I was not going to sit in one of the world's most famous cities and miss ringing in the New Year.

Our hotel was right next door to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.  Traffic was closed on our street and there was quite a crowd gathering on the bridge.  I went out and joined the throng!

I had never been in such a large and energized crowd before!  Even though it was quite cold out, I didn't have to worry with a heavy coat since there were so many people squished up on that bridge.  Movement was next to impossible, and yet people managed to move around.  People were so friendly!  You couldn't move around or get passed by without getting a hug, high-five, or friendly back clap from total strangers.

There were also so many languages!  In addition to European-accented English, I was able to identify Russian, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.  There were many slavic and asian languages I heard but could not identify.  The countdown to midnight was enthusiastic from all voices, no matter the language.  Of coarse, language didn't matter at all once the fireworks started, because "oooOOOOooo" and "Ahhhhhhhhh!" sounds the same in all languages!

Day 16: Wandering Around Pitt State

Today we went with my baby on a college visit to Pitt State.  We did the official college tour back in October.  Today's visit had a different purpose.

We had a 9am appointment with the Office of Disabilities and Student Support.  We went in ready with our list of questions.  Unfortunately, the girl we met with didn't have a lot of answers.  We did get many forms filled out and a list of paperwork we need to complete the process of getting Caleb's educational plan in place at his new college.

Unsatisfied, we took our list and started exploring on our own.  One of the skills we've developed as a family of travelers is the ability to wander about and our own and find things for ourselves, so off we went!

We visited the financial aid office and got help accepting a scholarship Caleb was awarded for good grades in junior college.  We visited housing and learned about the different options available and what might be the best fit for Caleb.  We visited admissions and got Caleb signed up for fall enrollment and an appointment with his future department for enrollment advisement.

After lunch we visited the Construction department.  One of the departments teachers sat with us and showed Caleb which of his classes would transfer (all of them!) and what classes he would need to take to complete his degree.  Turns out he'll have about 15 hour a semester to finish in two years.  Caleb is also interested in a minor in theater.  His dream job is set construction for film & television.  The construction department was unsure about this, so we were off again to the theater!

We wandered in to the new theater and asked our question to the box office girl.   She made a quick call and we were led to the "back house" area to meet with instructors there.  They were able to answer all of Caleb's question, gave us a tour of the theater, set building facilities, and prop building areas.  They also recommended Caleb for a job in the department!  Turns out they like to have actual construction majors on hand.

Finally, on the way home around 3:30pm, we drove past what looked like a shrink-wrapped UFO. The news report tonight said it was an X-47-B navy drone on route from Maryland to California.  Still looks like a UFO to me!

Day 15: College Travel

Tomorrow we will be traveling a short distance to take our youngest son for a college visit.

We took the traditional visit last fall with the tour of campus and the hard sell.  Now that he's been accepted, we'll be visiting to make sure his educational plan and other consideration are in place before classes start in the fall.

I've been lucky; neither of my children went very far from home for college.  I went farther away for my first semester of uni.

After being told I was too short (and half blind to boot!) for the Air Force Academy, I set my sights for the University of Denver.  I was young and ready to leave the nest, ready to explore the world.  Before I could leave for college, in fact, before I even graduated high school, I started dating my husband.  Once I had decided that he was IT, Denver seem much too far away for my studies.  I eventually settled on Oklahoma State University.

I made it one semester in the dorm at OSU.  With my husband living in Joplin and working in Carthage, our weekly commute ate up a significant portion of our limited time together.  Phone calls just barely got us through the week, so one of us traveling at the weekend was an inevitability.  I made the drive so ofter I believed I could do it with my eyes closed. (And to the understanding OkHyPo that pulled me over with regularity, I promise my eyes really were open all the time!)

Our original timeline had us getting married after I graduated.  After a couple of weeks, we moved our date up a couple of years.  By the end of September we decided to get married at semester break! College travel for me was at an end.

Day 14: I Have Been to the Top of the Mountain, and it is Good

I have been to the Top of the Mountain.  Several mountains, actually.

One of the first was Pike's Peak in Colorado.  My first time to the top was in the cog train that starts in Colorado Springs.  Next time up was during a college visit to the Air Force Academy.  My daddy took my on this trip.  We had rented a blue Toyota Corolla and he let me drive to the top...brave man! My goal is to next make the trip on a motorcycle.

I've been to Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on a trip to California when I was in Junior high. I remember staying in a tent in Yosemite National Park and the campfire sings around the fire each night led by the park rangers in the shadow of El Capitan.  Unforgettable was the hiking, from the bottom of Tunnel View to the top of Yosemite Falls.

I've been to Sunrise Peak on Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in the Cascades in Washington.   We were able to drive to the top and spend the day hiking around the trails there.  This was one nervous mama running around my ADHD youngster.  I was so scared he'd fall off the mountain!

On a trip with my daddy and oldest son Eli we were able to ascend to the tops of Montserrat, Tibidabo, and Montjuic in and around Barcelona, Spain.  Montserrat boasts a Benedictine monastery with a rare black madonna, and is the region of the world where stories of giants originated.  Tibidabo has an amusement park where we rode in an open-gondola TALL ride that terrified me we went to high!  Montjuic is known for its fountains, so visited at night to see the water and light shows.

I've ridden along the ridge of the Boston Mountains in Arkansas, the Ouchita Mountains in Oklahoma, and the Ozark Mountains in Missouri.  I love motorcycle riding to the tops of mountains with my husband!  If the weather cooperates during spring break, I'll be able to add another mountain peak to my list of motorcycle rides!

Day 13: The Big Easy

One of the most memorable trips I have taken with my family was to New Orleans.  Once again we were on a gymnastics trip for Caleb.  He had qualified to Regionals, the highest level of competition he could attain at his age.  A rarity this time is that we all got to go!

We drove down to the Big Easy on Thursday and got into town in time to explore the city by night. Caleb and his teammates had an open workout session on Friday morning and competition on Saturday around noonish.  That left us with lots of time to explore the city both as a family and together with his gymnastics team. 

Caleb had been competing with the same group of boys for a very long time so we had actually traveled together with some of these families before.  He still remains close these kids, Preston and Jakob, even today.  Eli had even formed a close friendship with Preston's older sister Mary Jean.  These five kiddos were together quite a lot for five or six years and I believe they feel as close as siblings.

We made the most of our time in New Orleans.  We ate beignets at the famed Cafe DuMond, took a ghost tour, ate seafood, and danced and sang in the streets.  The gymnastics meet just happened to fall in the middle of the New Orleans Jazz Fest.  We finished our trip with a trip out to the swamp to ride in an airboat and look for alligators and see the Spanish moss hanging off the Cypress trees.  

One of my favorite pictures from that time is one where Eli was taking the picture of Garold and me, and unbeknownst to any of the three of us was Caleb hiding behind the Cypress tree we were posing in front of.  He manages to poke his goofy, grinning head out from behind the tree at just the perfect moment to be in the picture.  I still smile with fond giggles every time I see this picture.  It brings back such good memories of a good family trip!

Day 12: Concert Travel

My husband and I love live music and have traveled all over for the love of it!  As we added to our family over the years we passed on the same joy to our children.  Some of our exploits to date have included being in a Shinedown video and both boys being singled out for recognition by the band on stage (Eli at an R.E.O. concert and Caleb at Five Finger Death Punch).

One of my most favorite concerts we've traveled to was to see Linkin Park in Kansas City at the end of January 2011.  At the time, it was Caleb's favorite band.  He was in the 8th grade.

Me, my husband, and oldest son Eli all decided it would be fun to surprise Caleb with the concert.  We were luck and the concert just happened to be the same weekend as the Kansas City Co-Ed gymnastics meet, so we had a reason to get Caleb to the city without suspicion.  He competed on Friday, so it was no big deal to tell him I needed to be back there for a Saturday night session.

It was fun on the drive up to the concert.  Caleb heard they were giving away tickets on the radio and said how cool that would be if we would win them.  We were driving right next to the concert venue, with a giant picture of the band on the front marquee and he still didn't have a clue.  It wasn't until we had parked the car and I gave him our tickets that he figured it out!

The outfit he had chosen for the evening was so unique he got his picture snapped and put on the jumbotron of fans during the concert.

The two of us had a fantastic time that night.  That concert trip remains one of the top two trips I have taken with Caleb.