As I sit here and reflect on my travels over the past 2 weeks I realize that I have been blessed to spend time with many family members and friends, see a friend get married, drink my favorite (and sorely missed) coffee, explore new parks with my boys, cook and bake in my parents' kitchen, and right before I leave I will get to see my cousin's new baby boy who was born yesterday. In life people often think of material things as the good stuff, and of course I am guilty of that, too. I haven't been shopping for new things, eating at fancy restaurants, or spending time at some fancy resort during this 2-week vacation. I've just been enjoying the above mentioned simple things...the good stuff, in my opinion.
I get to spend one more day and night in Des Moines after tonight. Then a quick stop in Kansas City - and I mean quick - like one hour. Then onto St. Louis where we will stay until our departure on Sunday night. Traveling so many miles in a car with two children may seem daunting to most, but it sure has been a pleasure for me! I am in hopes it will be an annual adventure for the boys and me!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sweet Corn Country!
We have made the trek three hours north of Kansas City and have landed in Des Moines, Iowa! The boys and I are taking over my parents home and the first thing on the agenda is to stalk local farmers to get our hands on that mouth-watering Iowa sweet corn! Iowa is such a pleasant, beautiful place. The community my parents live in is so peaceful - and the land is so flat. I forgot how flat! We are here for 6 days, then we will drive to St. Louis for a short overnight stay. The following evening we will begin the overnight drive to Greenville. 1100 miles thus far! Blake and Dane are enjoying their adventure!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Enjoying The City of Fountains!
We are in Kansas City! We arrived Wednesday evening and have been enjoying time with family and friends. The weather is absolutely perfect and all we have done is relax. Tonight we get to have dinner with all of my family...tomorrow I am going to a friend's wedding...Sunday I am having coffee and breakfast with my best friend before heading to Des Moines. It is my pleasure to blog just this. No illness, injury or anything out of the ordinary has occurred thus far. Here is hoping that is stays that way!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Meet Me in St. Louis!
The boys and I arrived safely in St. Louis this morning at 6:45am! We left Greenville at 9pm last night and stopped once in Clarksville, TN, for gas and did not stop again. Not once. I had a few moments of sleepiness, but nothing that eating sunflower seeds wouldn't cure. I hated to drive through Chattanooga, Nashville and parts of Kentucky in the dark. It is such beautiful scenery! I guess the only eventful thing that happened during the drive was when I realized when it was too late that my Garmin was taking me through the backwoods of Western Kentucky and up the far Eastern side of Missouri north towards St. Louis versus taking me north through Illinois and through downtown St. Louis. I had to navigate very dark, foggy conditions on mostly 2-lane roads and several large bridges that I have never driven on before. Being the only one on those roads around 3am was a little unsettling and I was thrilled to see the small southeast Missouri town of Sikeston and the signs for "throwed rolls," which is where I finally regained my confidence and set back in my seat to relax.
I MUST share that my two sweet boys were ROCKSTARS! Blake was probably lucky to sleep 2 hours, Dane 6 hours - keeping in mind they usually sleep 10-11 hours every night. Neither one cried, fussed, complained or showed any other signs of discomfort or frustration during the entire trip. We used the DVD player for 45 minutes of the whole trip, using music to entertain for the remainder. I was so grateful for their patience and so proud of them for being such troopers! I hope the return trip goes as well.
So far we have enjoyed time with Grandma Sonya and have missed Papa Steve while he is away for business. The boys adore their three dogs and have giggled and played with them the whole time. The boys and I had dinner with great friends from college tonight and enjoyed hearing about what is new in their lives and realizing how much we miss being close to them. I guess I should add that my children always keep me on my toes and once they see me relax they usually have a surprise for me. Well, this time Dane decided to wake up from his nap this afternoon with stridor and a barky cough...a.k.a. CROUP! So, we have also been to urgent care since we arrived and he is now on a steriod treatment. I am crossing fingers that Blake stays healthy and especially clear of croup. That is all for now! We will keep in touch during our travels over the next two weeks!
I MUST share that my two sweet boys were ROCKSTARS! Blake was probably lucky to sleep 2 hours, Dane 6 hours - keeping in mind they usually sleep 10-11 hours every night. Neither one cried, fussed, complained or showed any other signs of discomfort or frustration during the entire trip. We used the DVD player for 45 minutes of the whole trip, using music to entertain for the remainder. I was so grateful for their patience and so proud of them for being such troopers! I hope the return trip goes as well.
So far we have enjoyed time with Grandma Sonya and have missed Papa Steve while he is away for business. The boys adore their three dogs and have giggled and played with them the whole time. The boys and I had dinner with great friends from college tonight and enjoyed hearing about what is new in their lives and realizing how much we miss being close to them. I guess I should add that my children always keep me on my toes and once they see me relax they usually have a surprise for me. Well, this time Dane decided to wake up from his nap this afternoon with stridor and a barky cough...a.k.a. CROUP! So, we have also been to urgent care since we arrived and he is now on a steriod treatment. I am crossing fingers that Blake stays healthy and especially clear of croup. That is all for now! We will keep in touch during our travels over the next two weeks!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Homeward Bound!
The boys and I are gearing up for a road trip! When I say boys, I mean only Blake and Dane. Poor Matt and his chaotic schedule. When will HE ever catch a break?!?! I guess he is catching a little break having us out of the house for 2 weeks!
So...in three short days we pull out of Greenville headed back to the Midwest for some much-needed time with family and friends. It will be so wonderful to travel leisurely and have basically no agenda for two weeks. So, where are we going? Well, our first stop is in St. Louis where Matt's Dad and Step-Mom live and where many college and graduate school friends have settled. I am lucky to have outings scheduled with many of them, and will enjoy my time relaxing at the Hollenbeck house and pool! After our three day stay in St. Louis we will make the 4-hour drive to Kansas City. It will seem so quick after the 10-hour drive from Greenville to St. Louis! There we will get to see Aunts, Uncles, cousins, Grandparents, Great-grandparents and friends, many who have not seen Dane since he was an infant! I will also get to attend my friend's wedding in Topeka, KS, which means so much since I was worried I would not be able to living so far away. Following our 4-day stay in K.C., we will be off to Des Moines, Iowa! My parents live there and we will call it home for one week. We are excited to spend lots of quality time doing fun things like going to the zoo, water parks, shopping, visiting friends, and simply playing on the floor and reading books. We will then make the trek back to St. Louis for a short stay, then travel the 10 hours from there to Greenville to get ready for Blake to start school and for me to start itching for Fall to arrive!
So, off we go! I hope to return with fun footage of our road trip adventures...
So...in three short days we pull out of Greenville headed back to the Midwest for some much-needed time with family and friends. It will be so wonderful to travel leisurely and have basically no agenda for two weeks. So, where are we going? Well, our first stop is in St. Louis where Matt's Dad and Step-Mom live and where many college and graduate school friends have settled. I am lucky to have outings scheduled with many of them, and will enjoy my time relaxing at the Hollenbeck house and pool! After our three day stay in St. Louis we will make the 4-hour drive to Kansas City. It will seem so quick after the 10-hour drive from Greenville to St. Louis! There we will get to see Aunts, Uncles, cousins, Grandparents, Great-grandparents and friends, many who have not seen Dane since he was an infant! I will also get to attend my friend's wedding in Topeka, KS, which means so much since I was worried I would not be able to living so far away. Following our 4-day stay in K.C., we will be off to Des Moines, Iowa! My parents live there and we will call it home for one week. We are excited to spend lots of quality time doing fun things like going to the zoo, water parks, shopping, visiting friends, and simply playing on the floor and reading books. We will then make the trek back to St. Louis for a short stay, then travel the 10 hours from there to Greenville to get ready for Blake to start school and for me to start itching for Fall to arrive!
So, off we go! I hope to return with fun footage of our road trip adventures...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
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