Amber Leigh Loves all 3: Road trip!

Last week we got one of those "dreaded" phone calls. Chadd's Uncle Phil called to tell us that Grandpa Smith had passed away. Although he was sick for quite a while, it did seem quite sudden and out of nowhere to us. I wonder if this is always the case when an ill relative lives so far away?

Chadd was out of town at a business conference in San Francisco and had been since the previous Saturday. Our phone call came on Monday afternoon. I called Chadd to tell him the sad news and we began making plans on how we were going to get to Oklahoma in a jiffy without going broke in the process. I'm not sure if any of you have checked the cost of flights these days, but with 5 people traveling, an airplane was out of the question. Yowzers!!!

I spoke with my wonderful mother in law who was up for accommodating the kids and me as our half way point between here and Oklahoma City. Chadd was able to get a flight from San Fran to Oklahoma City on Thursday and like magic, the universe aligned and the viewing and funeral were on Thursday and Friday respectively. I am not sure how I would have swung it if the funeral had been the next day or even the following day but something tells me there were multiple forces directing the timing of everything.

I am sure most of you are thinking, "Driving 12 hours in a car alone with three children? Are you nuts?" Yes, yes I am and the best part is that I LOVE road trips. With my kids, without my kids, I LOVE them. I am not quite sure what it is, but any opportunity to go on a road trip and I am all over it. Perhaps it is escaping the monotony of daily life and getting to explore new places? Or it could be the carefree feeling of not having anything else to do at the moment except to drive. In any event, I love it.

I packed up the van and got the activity bags loaded up with all sorts of activities like Brain Quest, coloring books, leapsters, flash cards, LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER and of course Avery's homework for the week. I brought along scooters and Rollerblades so that once we arrived in Kansas City(halfway point)the kids could play on them at Grandma's house. I even brought along my computer in an effort to let the kids watch movies since we do not have a video player in our van.

Our drive was great and we arrived in time for dinner at Grandma's house. My in laws live in a very nice neighborhood that has continued to be built up over the years. Multiple families with young children have moved in and now my kids actually have play mates in KC at Grandma's house. Avery had a blast with her new friends as well as Bennett and Bria. Grandma even bought razor scooters for them to play with at her house so next time I won't have to haul ours with.

It just so happened that my mother in laws brother and sister in law needed a sub for their volleyball game on the night that I had got into town. I was able to play Volleyball with them and see some of Chadd's cousins as well. I had a blast playing with them and being able to catch up and see one of the cousins who is pregnant for the first time. Someone posted on my facebook status that travelling stinks and road trips are even worse when it is for something like a funeral, but I disagree. I knew that no matter the reason behind this adventure, we would have a great time being in great company.

We left by 8:30 the next morning to make our way to Oklahoma. The trip was pretty uneventful minus the part where my phone GPS decided to crap out on me as I entered the city and had no idea which direction to go. I quickly realized that even though my phone couldn't connect to bing maps, I still had step by step directions...phew!

We arrived at the hotel, unpacked and let the kids go swimming to burn off some energy. I am so thankful that we found a place with a pool. The kids needed it(and so did I). Much to my dismay, the kids all had some sort of funky reaction to the chlorine in the pool. Bennett and Bria much more so than Avery(perhaps the benadryl from Grandma's house helped)? After what seemed like forever trying to help clear their eyes, we were ready to head to the viewing and see Chadd's Uncle Phil and Aunt Shelly.

We went out to this fantastic Mexican Restaurant in Oklahoma City to celebrate being together. Avery caught wind that it was recently Shelly's birthday so she talked to the waitress and had the staff come and sing Happy Birthday to Shelly complete with a sombrero and all. It was fun and Shelly really enjoyed Avery's "surprise."

Friday morning, we got up and ate a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. We were shocked that the continental breakfast came complete with waffles, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, gogurts, eggs, bacon,, sausage and a whole bunch of other things...included in our $70/night charge. Things sure are cheaper in the south! The kids swam a little bit and we all got ready for the funeral.

The service was lovely and Uncle Phil gave a eulogy that was incredible. He is a very gifted speaker. I learned a lot of things about Grandpa Smith that day and I am grateful that I was able to be there to hear how he enriched other peoples' lives with his kindness, generosity and musical talents. We had a gathering at Phil and Shelly's afterwards and it was nice to be able to visit with all of Chadd's cousins whom we rarely ever see. Chadd and his cousin Corey were talking about a time years ago when they buried a time capsule out on the farm. They were so interested in remembering the details surrounding the contents, the burial, the un-burial and re-burial of this thing that Corey actually drove to the farm to try and dig it up. We never heard whether or not he found it but it is no surprise to me that such memories were brought up. I come from a very large extended family and I have grown up attending A LOT of funerals. What I know is that some of my best memories, however morose it may be, are of hanging out with all of my cousins that I would otherwise never see. Funerals have a way of bringing people together, as they should to remember the loved one we have lost and to make new memories for those of us who remain.

We said our goodbye's and drove to Guthrie where Chadd's other grandparents live out on a farm miles and miles down this roller coaster road. Something that just baffles me is all of the red dirt in Oklahoma. It is everywhere. Last year, I ran on one of the dirt roads and completely turned my white shoes pink from the sand. Since I got new running shoes recently, I knew there would be no running for me out on the farm.

Chadd's three aunts and grandparents all live on the same land out at the farm. When we travel to Oklahoma to visit, we usually stay with Chadd's Aunt Jackie and Uncle Phil. They have this darling house with the perfect guest room and they are the most gracious hosts. We always have a great time staying with them. We made it just in time for dinner and were surprised with a bunch of family members who we did not know were coming. It was wonderful to be able to visit with everyone.

Chadd's youngest cousin, Justin lives on the farm and our kids absolutely love him. Each time we are there he shows the kids something new and interesting. Last trip he showed the kids on the four wheeler. This trip, he showed us the three wheeler, a scorpion and he almost caught a lizard for us. We went exploring on the farm being careful to keep an eye out for tarantulas and scorpions(scary but true).

With all of the old rusty tractors, trailers and buildings on the farm I was able to get a few really great shots of the kids. I only wish that I had an editing program to spruce them up a bit....a girl can dream :)

We left on Saturday to head back to Kansas City. Avery couldn't wait to see her new friends as well as the twins. We made it back and had another lovely evening with Grandma Fowble.

The trip home on Sunday was....long. It is always more fun to be driving away from reality instead of back to it. We had a great time in spite of the circumstances and I am so thankful that everything worked out so well. I am already looking forward to our next road trip back to KC for Thanksgiving. The kids are just as excited as I am.

Here are a few more pictures of our trip.

There are numerous dogs running around the farm and my twins just love them. Bria was always hanging out with one of these little buddies.

Benny on the big tractor

The girls walking down the path that leads to never never land full of wild boar(seriously).

Justin and the three wheeler

These huge grasshoppers were everywhere and Bennett had this amazing ability to catch them mid-air. He spent most of the day running around concerned that his "pet" was flying away!