Gas Prices

I was glad to see that gas prices were down, even in California. I was quite surprised that most the gas stations charged you $0.10 more per gallon if you used your credit card. If you paid with cash, it was cheaper. I didn't know if that meant you had to start handing them $20 bills or what.

In the financial course I took from Dave Ramsey, I learned that you should use your debit card as a credit card to protect you. Dave doesn't even know his PIN so I figured I could do the same. Our trip to CA was the first time that I wish I knew my PIN so I could pay less for gas (and maybe a few other times when I wanted cash back). I purchased gas the first time and after that Ryan used his debit card so we could get the cheaper rate.

Anxiety

Our morning started out normal: 15 minutes late to breakfast with some dear friends followed by leaving their house 15 minutes late to the airport. And since we were late, why not stop at the local chain coffee shop to say goodbye to another dear friend. (Nicole says I can't post this picture because its a horrible one of each of us: she just finished working her 4am-9am shift, I went to bed with wet hair and packed my stuff so I look horrid and Kristine wasn't prettied up for a picture either).

Leaving town about 20 minutes late, we weaved through traffic to get to the airport. The airport is one place I will not arrive late to. Anxious about being late, I returned the rental van while Kristine drove off with her car seats and Ryan and the kids sat on the sidewalk with all of the luggage. I ran through the airport to help Ryan get the luggage to the ticket counter to find out that a guy was already helping him. I quickly dug through my wallet to find $4 to tip the guy and quickly started to check in for our flight. A bit more drama unfolded when one of our bags was too heavy (by 5 lbs) and we had to shift things around. My anxiety continued to build as we made our way through the airport screening area where I had several bottle of juice, juice boxes and yogurt for the kids (which isn't exactly to their standard I think). Just as I was passing through the metal detector, a very nice lady pointed out that my keys were in my pocket. We can't have those setting off the detector, right? Only it wasn't that simple.

The keys in my pocket were from the rental van. I hadn't returned the keys and checked the van back in. Ahh, what was I thinking. I quickly grabbed up my new cute purse, told Ryan to go through with the kids while I ran in my socks (my shoes had already gone through the screening) to the rental car place. After returning the keys, I ran back to the screening place. And something else happened there. I wish I remember what it was but it had to do with Bethany and Scott being with Ryan. Who knows. By now I was sweating and feared being stinky. More anxiety. We made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare but there were a few minutes in there where things were pretty hectic! And that was the start of my 20-hour day!

...

and did I mention that I gained 5 lbs while on vacation?!?! Yeah, this morning I'm back to my post pregnant clothes and glad that I can breathe again and don't need to scrape my jeans away from my belly.

there were multiple pictures taken on vacation that I felt the need to delete because I look pregnant in them. I am NOT pregnant and would appreciate not looking that way. However, I did enjoy having a caramel frapp about every other day we were there.

Headed Home

We need to leave by 915am to return the car and catch our 1115am flight. We have two lay overs, one in Vegas and one in Denver before we get back to Iowa. According to Scott, we'll be flying on a little plane, then a big plane, then a little plan to get home. Our flight is scheduled to land at 1157pm. We'll have to find our car before we can load up and drive 2 hours home. Yes, it will be a long day!

***updated the morning after***
Flights all went well. We were delayed out of Vegas which was no big deal to us. Enjoyed the breaks in between flights when Bethany ran off some energy and Scott watched a movie. We actually landed in Iowa 20 minutes early. We were home and in bed by 3am. My legs and hips were so sore it took a while for me to fall asleep. I woke up at 630am and tried to sleep but finally climbed out of bed just before 7am and was only an hour late to work. Just pulled my contacts out since my eyes were bothering me - lack of sleep, maybe.

having fun in the sun

Today we went to the zoo. All Scott cared about was seeing the elephants. We saw lots of animals and endured the heat. We spent the evening with my dad, brother (and Sage), sister (and Kaleb & Ryann). It was good to see them again as we're nearing the finals days of our trip. we all seem to be having fun but Scott has no problem telling people he wants to go back to Iowa.

... and my son is pooping on the toilet, EVERY night. Yup, for some reason telling him that he can't snuggle before bed unless he poops has the child stripping his clothes off and heading for the toilet.

... he's also picking out his own undies and shirts to wear and finally showing some independence and dressing himself. He may not be a ninny-baby his whole life. Praise God!

a Few Fun things

The kids are hilarious. They make us laugh, often. The other night we put the kids to bed and decided to watch a movie in bed before we went to sleep. A few minutes later Scott was out of bed. As I tucked him back in, he said: "mommy, turn your light off, I'm tired and want to sleep". His door was shut, our door was shut, it wasn't really keeping him awake. Good excuse though for a 3 year old.

Another funny moment was when the recycle truck was dumping the canister (think big trash bin on the curb). We live in the country and don't have that so we made a deal out of it and had Scott watch how it worked. Only the truck grabber didn't get a good grab and instead of the top popping open, stuff falling out and the canister getting set back down, the canister slid right out of the grabber into the dump truck. The driver took out a piece of paper and peered at the house seemingly looking for the address before he drove off. Today there is a new recycle thing out front.

Bethany has a new nick-name. I know I don't like them but this is fitting. We've been calling her Bethany-zilla or boo-zilla cause she's into everything. I've found her playing in the toilet multiple times. Today I left the bathroom for a minute and when I came back she had dropped a phone in the toilet and was playing in the toilet water (Ashley, if you read this before I get to tell you, just know that we will be buying you a new one).

typing while she sleeps...

...and as long as she sleeps, I will continue... but if she stirs, I'll have to be done... the baby needs her nap!



we've been laying low, not running around as much to allow for naps. a few things to highlight:

• my cousin's house was robbedd in the middle of the day and she lives on the corner of a busy street. Cops think it was someone who knew she'd be gone, etc. Sad.
• Same cousin and I walked to Starbucks for a coffee. They charged me way too much for a newspaper. The next day I stopped in and let them know (not because I cared about a couple of bucks but because I didn't think it was right to charge $5 when the paper clearly said $1.50 on it). They gave me the $5 back and wouldn't let me pay the $1.50. I promplty appreciated that with the purchase of a venti caramel frapp.
• Went to my class reunion. What a fun time. I'll try to remember to make that a seperate post.
• Have eaten sweet bread from the mexican bakery almost daily since we've been here. Umm, good. A few other foods I like that I've had is chips and salsa and tri tip.
• Played at the park with the kids. It was a little rough going down the slide with Bethany... I kind of drug her down and around because her arm wasn't long enough, sorry dear.
• Have played my cousin's Wii a few times. It's fun. The safety strap is important but they warn for that. Based on the bruise on Bethany's forehead, they also need to warn about your little kids standing in your swinging bath. I clocked her good and felt horrible. Sorry Bethany, again.
• Scott has gone to "school" a few times here. My girlfriend has a daycare and they do school f0r 90 minutes each morning. He loves it and I love the art he's bringing home.
• Had lunch with Dad today. Before that we went to a store that I've always loved. They have hand crafted stuff from the developing nations. I love that kind of stuff and the total cost today proved it! They are part of Ten Thousand Villages and have some really cool stuff. Plus, I like what they stand for. (They have a few places in Iowa that are tied to them, so check them out online. You can search for the store based on your zip code.)
• Saw part of the group I used to study the bible with last night. It was cool to get together with those girls. Carol, who was our leader, continues to grieve the loss of her husband that died almost a year ago from a heart attack. He was my pastor right before I moved to Iowa. I have a great appreciation for both Carol and Dave.

I think that's about it for now. The rug rats are awake and its time to head out again.

California in pictures... so far

Okay, so I uploaded some pictures from my camera. They are most recent to oldest (all 3 days worth)... The kiddos with my precious Grandma. She has had two heart surgeries in the last few months and I thank God that I had another opportunity to spend a little time with her. We ate lunch with Grandma, my cousin and my dad at a local favorite, Sal's.

Yesterday we spent the day shopping. We saw a few people briefly (my sister, my friend Amy, my uncle James) but we mostly shopped. I added a cute purse to my collection (thanks to Renae for sending me a few recently). This can double as a diaper bag and maybe even an overnight bag! It was quite the bargain at $12. Got it at a store that sells stuff the local malls don't sell right away. I also bought some cute shoes there but found out they were different sizes when I tried to put them on today. Guess I'll be going back there!

The next few pictures are from our trip to Pismo. Not seen in these pictures are Ryan (he took most of them) and my dad (I should have uploaded one more). We ate at the famous "Splash Cafe", and played on the beach. To my amazement, the only shopping I did was for a bucket and shovel since the local Wmart didn't have one.

You can't tell real well from this picture but I drew Scott's name in the sand and then he sat in the "O" for a picture.

Probably one of the most exciting parts of our trip was surprising my Grandma and Aunt Janie in the Denver airport. They had a short, short lay over so we met them at the gate and walked them to their connecting gate. We stopped long enough for a hug and a picture. Grandma's face when she realized the wacko lady that was talking to her was me: Priceless!

WOO HOO!

I'm so stinkin' excited. We just purchased our airline tickets to California. We're going home for a full two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Arriving in CA: September 16th
Leaving CA: September 30th

Now the plans begin... Hume Lake, Friends, the coast, family.... woo hoo!!!!

Places to go, people to see

I'm excited to go home but I know this trip will be a little different than previous ones. The last time I was home was almost 3 years ago. Scott was 6 months old and I flew out for my brother's wedding and Ryan stayed home. I had a little one to take care of so I wasn't out as late or as often but Scott went everywhere with me and slept in his car seat a lot. This time, we'll be going as a family but there are still places to go and people to see. Here are a few things on my wish list:

• Seeing family: It's been 8 months since I've seen my dad. Last time I saw my brother he was getting married. By now, I have an adorable nephew I've never met. I also really want to see my grandma who has had two heart surgeries recently and my heart aches that I haven't seen her in almost three years. I also want to see some other official and unofficial family members that I miss.
• coffee with Nicole and Paul. They were my church/missionary buddies
• snuggling on the couch with Kristine. She is my forever friend and we have lots of fun memories together.
• Hume Lake and Buck Rock Lookout, maybe even a memorial bike ride. Hume is where I went to summer camp. And the ride from Buck Rock to the lake is rough (yes Tony, I would likely puke as usual) but in memory of a precious friend of mine who taught me a lot in his life and in his death.
• the class reunion of course. 10 years has passed, which doesn't seem like a lot when you're a mom to 2 kids.
• hanging out with Becky. A junior high and high school buddy that took a different path in life and we didn't talk for 6 years probably. Two of those years I prayed often for her and it was so good to get back in contact with her after she cleaned her life up.
• Riding wave runners on the lower river and/or heading up to the lake.
• Will there still be fresh fruit?
• Checking out the Fresno State campus, buying a new tshirt and visiting with Dr. Nef who I've kept in touch with over the years.
• Katie, Cori, where are you? Will you be in the area so we can get together while I'm home?

I'm sure there's more but my lunch is about over so I better head back to my office!

Trip to Californ-i-a

I started thinking more about the trip to California. Lots of stuff that I don't want to think about but I have to:

Airline tickets $475 x 3 persons (thank you God that Bethany is under 2) = $1425
Rental Car for 10 days (picking it up at 7pm, drop off at 9am counts as 2 full days) = $300
Mailing out clothes ahead of time (because you can't check squat for luggage anymore) = $50

We're looking at spending over $2000 easy and that won't even cover everything. We'll have food, fuel, and hopefully some fun packed in there to pay for. For trips like this, its too bad that we don't agree with debt. It would be so much more fun to plan if we could do everything the way we want and not worry about the price.

I'm glad that we won't have to pay for hotels or that would just add to the agony. Between family and friends, we should be good on space.

I can't wait to go home and see family and friends and check out a few places that I miss.

The Great North

We spent a long weekend up North over the Independence holiday weekend. Ryan's brother lives in the north woods and invaded his house for a few days. Because I'm so delayed in writing about our trip, I'll try to capture a few things with bullet points:
5 adults, 2 kids, 1 dog in one house. Thanks to Eric for opening his new home to us.

• We were able to meet Eric's new "friend". She might have been a bit overwhelmed by all of us but she was wonderful to get to know and spend a little time with.
• I don't eat organic. I did those few days. It was actually good.
• I love salsa and chips, don't like goat cheese or tomatoes :p
• I love to be outside and am a rockstar at horse shoes. Yes, us girls schooled the guys!
• I don't like mosquito bites on my kids!
• Scott loves parades but doesn't like the siren noises from the fire trucks.
• Scott is a smart little boy and doesn't take him long to figure out that he doesn't want you to "share" with him if all you're going to do is ask for a piece of candy back.
• My skin appreciated a little sunshine.
• Bethany has no fear of large bodies of water.
• Both kids learned that inhaling water isn't a good thing.
• Scott has a new best friend, his Grandpa B. Sorry Ryan.
• Driving in pounding rain makes me nervous.
• Never follow a load of round hay bales too closesly. They do come off sometimes. (thankfully it wasn't our car that had to learn that lesson)
• My father in law really likes to eat at Culvers.

Here are a few pictures:

Bethany and her Unky Eric

Kelly and Bethany cooking green beans in cocunut butter... umm, good

Scott with his new best friend, Grandpa B.

Thank you Eric for opening your home and letting us take over for a few days. I understand that it can be quite a lot to have a house full for a few days. Not only that, but I also understand what it costs to feed a family for a few days. I appreciate your willingness to provide for us while we were there. It was so good to be welcomed into your home, meet Kelly and spend a few days with you. Thanks for introducing us to your church family and friends too. It helps to put faces with names. We look forward to our next visit.

Trip to Galena

Life is typical for me... super busy. However, I spent a few days last week atthe Eagle Ridge Golf Resort in Galena, IL. It was a good time to hang out with my hubby on someone elses dime. A few thoughts from that trip:

1. When you leave the breastfed baby at home, you MUST take your pump with you.



2. When you forget your pump, you MUST go buy a new one.



3. When you buy a new one, you MUST go outside of your budget.



4. When I forget my pump, have to buy a new one and go outside of my budget, I am not a happy camper.

With that said, I have a rock star husband who drove back to town to make the purchase while I showered and got ready for lunch. What guy do you know would make that purchase? Yes, reason 4 million that I love him!

It was a quick and quiet few days. I mostly played on the internet and listened to my ipod while Ryan was in class. We had a fancy meal Thursday night and sat with two other couples that were fun to chat with. Friday we ventured through Galena but it was cold and we didn't stick around long. We headed home to see our little ones instead which was a lot of fun.