Wonderful Wanderings out West Part One

Wrap-up of Wonderful Wanderings!
23 days,
6500 miles,
6 national parks,
20 states,
lots of camping and hiking,
tons of audio books,
old friends,
new friends,
amazing memories

We left NC Sunday 12 June 2016 after James cleared and signed out on retirement/ terminal leave. We got on the road early and got to Mollie’s in time for a nice visit and even some Skipbo. It’s so nice to have dinner and breakfast included at the hotel. The kids love it! Monday morning Grandmollie was very happy to see us but she wasn’t feeling well so we had a quick visit and then left so she could rest. Instead of Checker board buffet, we went to Krystal’s for a quick meal and had room for a snowcone!  Everyone loved the carousel! V tried to catch the ducks and called  them “chickens.” Then C and I went back for another visit and more Skipbo. After the pool and dinner, K and I went to Grace Fellowship for Bob's (Ramona’s husband’s) memorial service. Afterwards, we took Mollie home for a visit and you guessed it- more skipbo! We also looked at some of her photo albums- next time we will take the Florida book. K was so sweet to volunteer to go to the memorial service so we got blizzards! Tuesday morning, we had one more visit with Mollie. V loved the “chicken” downstairs and Mollie loved V’s kisses and all of the kids’ hugs.

We made it to Texas in good time and even saw Janelle and kids on the road! It was fun to follow them back to their house. We enjoyed a good visit, bottle-feeding cows and goats, even got to milk 2 goats. Once the cows got in the horse pen and he chased them all over. We got to pet baby bunnies and went to the arboretum to hike and play. It was fun that the kids just picked up playing like it hadn’t been 2 years since we last saw them. Janelle gave me wonderful birthday presents- homemade goat soap and creams, table runners, chocolate, books, … so kind! I had a nice visit with her mom while the kids played basketball. Then Janelle and James took the boys to shoot a hog- they got to ride a Polaris too. While the girls and I (and V) got a movie and Sonic drinks!

hiking at the Arboretum

Taco soup lunch!

Worn out girl!

Morning kid hikes!

We left early Friday morning with homemade muffins, kombucha, and sauerkraut and drove to Aunt Penny and Uncle Joe’s house near Fort Worth. We enjoyed seeing their house and their Panama book and lots of family pictures. She packed muffins, sausage balls, juice and coffee and we had a fun trip to the park. Aunt Penny even made us a huge goodie bag of snacks, puzzle books, a gift card to Steak and Shake, even some clothes for me! A super nice visit!

Friday 17 June We drove to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It was hot! We had Arby’s on the road for lunch and wraps for dinner. It was really hard to go to sleep because it was so hot- 106 when we got there. I was a little worried about our trip but it cooled down some the next day. Early Saturday morning we hiked the lighthouse trail 6.5 + miles. The last part was really steep up but thankfully James found a better way down. The canyon, hoodoos, cliffs were beautiful. The kids earned their first junior ranger badges. We enjoyed our after dinner hikes- except for the biting flies.

We saw lots of animals: tarantualla, Texas horned lizard, roadrunner, race runner, tons of rabbis, turkey, biting flies, …

So fun to watch the baby birds at our campsite. The parents kept flying back to fee hungry babies.

our slide for life!

Sunday 19 June we drove to Albuquerque, NM and ha a delicious Father’s Day lunch at Questadilla Grill in Old Town. Our waitress was terrific- we got a bunch of different kinds of quesadillas, margaritas, and Mexican hotdogs. The kids loved dinner and swimming at the hotel. I loved a shower and  laundry. We went to a Native American museum (Blue star) where we saw Native American dancing and learned about Pueblos. V loved the dancing room.

Monday 20 June we left Albuquerque and stumbled upon Petrified Forest- so glad we did. It was beautiful! Kids did their junior ranger program and enjoyed a couple of hours at the national park. God is so amazing- loved the views!

We continued driving to Grand Canyon- amazing drive and the Canyon is magnificent. So glad I listened to James and we spent 3 nights. Our campsite had some shade and the kids did great helping set up. We’d cooked taco meat at the hotel and had taco salad for dinner after walking around Mathers Point for a bit. Tuesday morning we had oatmeal and then walked a lot of the rim trail. James, K, and C went 10 minutes down South Kaibab Trail. Then we took the shuttle to the yauapai Museum which was neat to see models and pictures of the canyon. It is so big, beautiful, and breathtaking! We went back to the campsite for lunch- we used our new hobo pie makers to make ground beef and cheese hobo pies. We went to a junior ranger program at El Tovar hotel and hiked some more. We went to another ranger program at the Shrine of Ages. The program was good DUDE- the acronym the park ranger used to explain God’s amazing creation. Deposition, Uplift, Down cutting, Erosion. We went back to camp for dinner- BBQ beef hobo pies and apple pies. Then headed back to the rim for sunset praise service. It took a lot longer to get there than we thought so we were late but the kids asked to go back the next night. More praise- yes! Kids went to sleep quick. James c,  V, and one big kid in the Kingdom 6 tent and the other 3 big kids in the 4 man tent.

Wednesday morning, we had a bowl of granola and then hit the trail. V and c rode in Ergo carriers and the rest carried camelbacks of water. It was pretty tough- the toughest 3 miles I’ve done but everyone did great. The pretty views and yummy snacks helped a lot. Going down was hardest for me bc I was a little worried about slipping/ tripping/ turning an ankle but the rest had tougher time coming up. We started down the same time the mule train started. The guides even fit the part with long mustaches and leather chaps. 

We saw lots more animals: big horned sheep, rattlesnake, elk, lots of mule deer and begging squirrels, and a few chipmunks. We had a snack at the ½ way point and Hello Kitty gummy bears from Aunt Penny on the long hike back up. We were tired when we finished but it was a great hike! We rode the red shuttle to Hopi point where we’d seen the sunset the night before. We looked around a bit- you could see the Colorado River better and then got back on the bus. V loved the shuttle rides- he would grin and grin at people on the bus. A mom of 10 kids said “why would we be surprised that the youngest of 6 kids would be outgoing!” We drove back to camp for a big breakfast of oatmeal, fried egges, pancakes, fried bologna, melon, and juice. V napped, James rested, while the rest of the kids played a buble game. Such a great trip! We wanted to got to the worship service on time so we had an early dinner- hobo pies and made a last trip to the visitor center. We heard part of  a ranger program on California condors and then shared 2 rootbeer floats. V hasn’t’ learned sharing yet but it was good! Amazing to sing praise songs beside beautiful canyon. College students from NPS ministry lead it each night. We got to camp and James made a campfire for songs and s’mores. Nice end to a great stay!

Beach trip

 We just got back from a wonderful week at the beach! We are so blessed. So thankful that we've been able to have such wonderful adventures!!

This adventure began with a day trip (for most of us) to near the exit for Hilton Head. We met my Mom at Sergeant Jaspar Park for a picnic. Five of us headed home afterwards and two excited boys went to spend some time with Nana and Papa. They had a blast- games, movies, zipline- so much fun!

 Nana and Papa drove back up on Friday so boys could play Saturday morning soccer games- their coach said they'd be in trouble if they missed :)

Soccer watching wears you out!

After the soccer games, we drove to Rick's Place for their Family Fun Day. We enjoyed a beautiful day, yummy food, a petting zoo, watching the ninja course, and then most of us headed to Myrtle Beach. James and 10U boys played a soccer game first. 

can't forget the face painting!

 We got to the beach in time to see a beautiful beach wedding and enjoy the amazing balcony.

Sunday morning we hit the beach!! I love the beach- so beautiful! This time we dug an aquarium- complete with sand dollars, hermit crabs, periwinkles, ... we sat and watched the animals for a long time.

 We got into our traditional routine- breakfast, games, beach, lazy river, pool, lunch, rest, repeat :)

This year we were excited to get to go to the Myrtle Beach aquarium- it was nearly empty when we got there- except for all the amazing animals! We even pet sting rays and sharks!

 KG saw signs and programs about the aquarium before we knew we were going to get to go and was really excited to pet the jellies and she did!! how cool!

 Wonderful, amazing trip!

 The kids had fun playing pool games

 The Fire pit was a hit again this year- especially with s'mores

 Even fit in some beach soccer practice & I didn't get pictures of the sweaty runners who went all the way to the pier!

 Love these cuties! I remember when K played on this slide when he was about V's size- 10 years ago!

 The juggling and magic classes were fun too!

 We've moved our cookout spot to right by the beach.

 So excited to get to link up with my good friend Heather! We had a super visit on the beach and got to share hotdogs and birthday brownies.

 We had a wonderful trip! So thankful!

Not the beach but just so cute!

Changes

One of our beautiful princesses has recently been rediagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis   We are praying for healing. We are also trying to make some diet changes to help her immune system. She was first diagnosed almost two years ago. I really didn't think about until as I was typing this that she had mentioned painful leg for months before her diagnosis. I assumed those were "growing pains" but now I see those are common early signs of JIA. In September 2014, she started limping some and saying her knee hurt. Then her knee got hot and swollen. I took her to the doctor who did lots of testing (which was pretty tough with James in Korea.) Her doctor referred her to orthopedics- we ran into a friend from USMA there! The Dr told me as long as she didn't get a fever they would just refer her for more tests. One Friday night, we went to a fall festival, put the kids to bed, and then I felt her hot forehead. 102 :(  I called my good friend Hannah who is a nurse and asked what I should do. She said if the doctor told you to go to the ER, you go to the ER and then came and spent the night with the rest of the kids. It didn't take long to see a doctor and she told me KG was going to be admitted for at least two weeks. When I said that wouldn't work because 4 kids at home, hubby in Korea, she said they'd call his unit and have him sent home. I said that still won't work (unless it has to) She said we'd only go home if she had evidence of another minor infection. I'd never been so thankful to get that!! After some crazy loopy medicine and OK results from her knee aspiration test, we made it home about 4 am. So thankful for good friends- Hannah who stayed overnight with kids and Hillegonda who took kids to church so KG and I could sleep!

A few months later, KG had a steroid injection/ aspiration which worked great!! So thankful to Grandma for watching kids so I could take KG to Chapel Hill. Dr Wu is super. We are so glad to have such a great doctor- although we were so thankful in May 2016 to be discharged from care because she'd had no symptoms since JAN 2015- her recovery following the aspiration was textbook 48 hours and back good as new!! This August she started saying that her elbow hurt, then a little later she said her ankle hurt so back up to Chapel Hill. At least we have a great Dr! and an even greater God who is a Great Healer!!

We are also thankful for the JA Power Pack KG uses her bear every night when she goes to bed and sometimes during the day. She also uses her homemade heat pack from Heather.

There is no verse in the Bible that says God helps those who help themselves but He does want us to take care of our bodies so we are going to make some change to help KG (and us too!)

First off we're adding more fermented foods and trying to add best foods for arthritis. Our first fermented food was sauerkraut- which the kids all loved! I need a bigger jar! Then continuing to improve our health!!  Here's some new recipes to try!!

Disney 2016

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World. We had so much fun.  We'd been once before with the kids. Here's a link to the post from that trip.  The kids were all so little then (KG was 6 months, T 2, C, 3 1/2, K 5) so this was a different trip but both were great! Before we went we did look up Janelle's blog to read about their trip since her kids were around our oldest kids' ages when they went. Here's link  to her trip. We did borrow her T-shirt idea and James made these great T-shirts with ACU fabric!

We had a great trip! We usually leave at the crack of dawn but this time K had an indoor soccer game so we left after the game. And we're so glad we did. What a great game! We got there a little later, but we still had Sunday to get settled in and get ready for a week of parks! We played some mini-golf, did some grocery shopping, went to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) and then hit the pool! Such nice pools- a ton of fun!

Monday we started off at Epcot which I learned is Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow- who knew? First we went to Mission to Mars where we got our first rider swap- so nice that we could wait once and all the adults ride once and the big kids ride twice! And c and V had fun playing on the completely empty play area inside. We had such a good time. We ate lunch in Japan and Morocco. The food was good both places but it was a little tough to share soup without extra bowls :) Everyone loved the Moroccan food. It was really neat to walk around the world in a few hours. You really felt like you were in that country!

Nana, Papa, and kids in Mexico!

Tuesday we went to Magic Kingdom which was crowded but fun. Our longest line of the trip was Dwarfs Mine Train- it was a fun ride. I didn't realize V was too little so I stood in line the whole time but we made it! Disney always puts some fun things in the waiting areas too to make the wait seem shorter. We did some splitting up and going different ways so that the roller coaster people could ride coasters, the short people could rest, ... We did use the rider swaps a good bit so the people who liked "Space Mountain" (and some other rides) got to do it several times! C had been saying we didn't need to go on Jungle Cruise but we went and he really liked it- so many funny jokes!! We waited out the storm in the tiki show. Then we enjoyed some sunshine for a while. I still liked "A Small World"
Papa got to be "that guy" at the laugh factory. V and I missed most of it but I heard it was really funny!

Love the Disney topiaries

We were excited to go to Casey's at the end of baseball season

We did get drenched on the way out- but a fun day!

James and I went back that night to nighttime Disney- it was packed! I was glad we didn't take kids at night because it was so crowded (and so late) but James and I had a good night!
(So did the kids since they were in the room sleeping :)

The kids were shocked that we ate dinner at 10 pm one night!

Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. The safari was really neat- we got to see a ton of animals. V loved dancing in the streets! Lion King was wonderful! Turtle Talk was fun! We all enjoyed the Dole Whip! Everyone loved the river rapids! Very fun!

The Dole Whip was a big hit with all!

Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios. The kids did the Jedi training- that was neat! The crowds at Hollywood Studios are different because they go up and down as the shows get out! The RockNRoller Coaster was a lot of fun (to most of us :) Some of our crowd went to Tower of Terror while the rest of us went to Beauty and the Beast show- which was really good! We also really enjoyed the Frozen Sing along show and everyone loved Toy Story Mania! Even V got to play!The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was neat too- and it was out of the rain!! We did go see the Fantasmic show at night- we were worn out but had a super trip!!

We spent Friday at the pool!  A great end to a great trip!