the beach be awesome

Last weekend I attended a conference in Corpus Christi.  Dave and I decided that it would be easier for me to go by myself while he and my mom watched the kids.  Packing two small children into a very small car and driving a few hours to spend three nights in a crowded hotel room seemed like a daunting task.  At first, it sounded like bliss for a stay at home mom.  A weekend by myself in a nice hotel room with no one to share my drink with, no one to share my food with, and no one to share the bathroom with.  But, as I started to think about it I realized that also meant I would have no one to share any fun with.  I knew it wasn't going to happen the weekend before when I couldn't fall asleep one night because I was crying into my pillow just thinking about it.  I was positive they would forget me while I was gone.  I have never spent a night away from my kids!

So Thursday morning, we loaded up the car and embarked on what was supposed to be a three hour journey.  We soon learned that the major freeway to Corpus Christi was closed and we were sent on a detour that more than doubled the time we spent in the car!  There were tears and promises of candy and the beach and there was even, at one point, vomit but we finally made it to the hotel!

We stopped at a gas station along the way that had this little tiny toilet that Kate did NOT want to pose next to.

We stayed in a fun hotel that was more like a teeny tiny apartment.  There was a bedroom that was separate from our living area which was nice for putting Sam to bed on time.  There was also a free hot breakfast every morning and drinks and snacks in the evening.

Please, no paparazzi during breakfast.

My favorite part of our accommodations was a Diet Coke fountain machine in the lobby that I could access at any time.  Kate and Sam's favorite part was the pool.

I spent most of Friday in classes so Dave was on full time daddy duty for the day.  What to do with two bored kids?  Chuck E. Cheese of course!

Sleeping in the hotel room was definitely a challenge and we ended up playing musical beds every night.  Our main objective was to keep Kate and Sam separated so they didn't wake each other up.  Sam still woke up a few times every night.  I think he just knew he was in an unfamiliar place.  Dave and I took turns helping him get back to sleep while Kate took up an entire queen sized bed.  Dave finally ended up on the uncomfortable sofa bed in the living room after his sleep talking woke Sam up the first night.  It was crazy but we each managed to get at least a few hours of sleep a night.

On Saturday, I was done with meetings by lunchtime so we decided to make our way to the beach.  Getting two kids ready for the beach is exhausting!  By the time I got them in their swimsuits and sufficiently screened from the sun, about and hour had passed so we knew we had to hurry.  First though, we drove through Whataburger for lunch and a big giant drink to share.  As soon as we got to the parking lot, I put the drink on top of the car to help Kate out of her car seat.  In hindsight, I realize that was a bad idea.  At the time I knew it was a bad idea.  As soon as I shut the car door, our drink rolled off the car and exploded onto the pavement.

I think it was at this point that I looked up and saw dark rain clouds.  I should have just stopped right then.  I should have just called it a day and put the kids back in the car and drove to the hotel pool and said it was just as good as the beach.  But I was facing a motherhood dilemma.  All weekend we had been talking about the beach to Katelyn.  We had mentioned the beach no less than a thousand times.  It was our light at the end of the tunnel during the ill fated car trip.  It was the carrot we had used to ensure good behavior.  We had promised and Kate had spent the morning saying things like, "The beach be awesome," and "The beach be the best ever."

So, to be true to my word, I looked at Dave and said, "Let's do this."  We hurried along to the beach and found an unoccupied umbrella and threw our stuff down as I yelled like a madwoman for everybody to, quick, put our feet in the water.

The downpour started as soon as our feet hit the surf.

Kate was a good sport.  She didn't cry or even complain but I just couldn't take it.  I think I was more disappointed than she was.  So the next morning, we tried hitting the beach again before we left to drive home.

It was perfect.  We ventured over to the beach early that morning and got to enjoy our own private seaside because everyone else was still sleeping in.  Kate loved the beach.  To her, it was every bit as awesome as she said it would be.

Sam was not a fan.  He kept trying to eat the sand which, as everyone over the age of eighteen months knows, does not make a good snack.  He'll learn.

In the end, the drive home went much smoother.  The road was re-opened, the traffic was light, and the kids napped until we got back to our house.

Kate's right.  The beach be awesome.

this is JEOPARDY! (auditions)

One of the first things I learned from this experience is that JEOPARDY! is always spelled in all caps with an exclamation point at the end.

INCORRECT EXAMPLE:

"I really hate jeopardy because it is kind of boring."

STILL INCORRECT EXAMPLE:

"Sometimes I watch Jeopardy.  It's pretty entertaining."

CORRECT EXAMPLE:

"Sorry I left your party last night running for my car like a crazy person.  I realized that I forgot to set my DVR to record JEOPARDY! and I just can't miss that show."

I am not bothered by the unconventional grammar used to indicate JEOPARDY! in a sentence because that is basically pretty much how I feel about the show.  I LOVE watching JEOPARDY! and playing along.  I shout out all the answers even when I am alone.  When I don't call out an answer but realize that my guess would have been right, I always make sure to inform anyone in the room that I knew it.  There have been many times that I nudge Dave to say, "I already knew that answer.  I just didn't say it."

Last year, they were advertising for the online test that only happens a few times a year.  This piqued my curiosity as being on the show has kind of been a life long dream of mine.  So I signed up and encouraged by Dave, I sat down one night and took the fateful test.

It was tough and when the test was over I turned to Dave and said, "Well that was fun."  I really didn't think that I passed or anything.  I imagined an army of geniuses and bookworms taking the test on their fancy computers, sitting up straight in their private libraries or chemistry labs.  I did not expect a tired pregnant school teacher, sitting in her bed, dressed in her pajamas, taking the test on a computer that was literally held together with duct tape.

A few months later, I received an email inviting me to the actual JEOPARDY! audition!  I was so excited even to be nominated.  When I found out that the audition was taking place in San Antonio, I knew I had to go.

Poor Dave couldn't get the day off from work so my dad took the day off and I went with Baby Kate and my parents.  They picked me up that morning and we piled into the car for a fun road trip to the Alamo.

(The auditions were not held in the Alamo but that would have been really cool.)

My mom prepared really well and made a deluxe set up with a DVD player for Katelyn in the back seat.  She watched Shrek four times on this trip.

 

We stopped at Buccee's on both ways.  This is one of the biggest Buccee's I have visited.  Because of Spring Break, it was packed.  There was a line just to exit I-10 but because it was Buccee's, there was no line for the restroom.  I seriously love Buccee's.  If you have never been there, you wouldn't understand but in Texas it is more of a tourist destination than a gas station.  One does not simply drive by Buccee's without stopping for drinks and to sit on their luxurious toilets.

We made it to San Antonio with plenty of time for me to get changed and fill out some important contestant paperwork.  The hotel was really crowded and busy.  The auditions weren't heavily advertised but we knew we were in the right direction when the din of hotel guests faded into the quiet buzzing of brilliant minds.  When I caught sight of the other potential contestants I started to get nervous.

My parents and Katelyn wished me luck and then I waited to be called in to the audition.  The actually audition was really very fun.  The producers were so energetic and we all had a really great time.  One of my biggest goals in life has been fulfilled.

My parents walked along the River Walk with Katelyn.  They bought her frozen yogurt and took her down to the Alamo where they let her try on hats (one of her favorite things).  My mom told me she was having so much fun that she spent most of the time sitting in her stroller laughing out loud.

 
The don't tell you if you have been rejected.  You are put into a pool of possible contestants for the next 18 months as you sit by the phone night and day waiting for that magical call.  I would LOVE to be on JEOPARDY! but I'll just have to wait to find out.

After the auditions were over, we got back into the car (much to Kate's dismay) and drove back home.  Katelyn refused to take a nap for the entire trip so she was beyond tired and beside herself with exhaustion.  We spent the last 30 minutes of the drive singing "The Wheels on the Bus."

I had such a fun time!

where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

Baby Kate got a new cousin this week.  D's sister Tina and her husband Jon adopted an adorable little boy they named Maxwell.  When we found out that they would be meeting Max in Oklahoma, we knew a family road trip was in order.

We left very early Saturday morning.

We watched the sun rise behind the giant statue of Sam Houston.

We stopped in Dallas for some delicious breakfast.

We passed Robertson's Ham Sandwiches.

And we finally arrived just before lunch.  Little Kate was so excited to see her Grandma and Aunt Tina.  She has missed them and was loving all the extra attention.  She had a really fun weekend.

Max was still in the NICU so we each had to take a turn meeting him.  Katelyn was a little too young to be around such new babies so she didn't get to meet her cousin this time but she is looking forward to it.  Instead she waited out in the lobby with Grandma which she loved.

Before we could meet Max, we had to scrub in like we were going into surgery.  It made me feel like I was on Grey's Anatomy.  It was great.

Max is such a cute baby and we all loved getting to hold him!  We had a great time in Oklahoma.  It was so fun to see family, especially the newest addition.

deep in the heart of texas

so tired after thirty seven hours on the road

I finally made it back to Texas!

After weeks of D searching for a job, we decided that it would be best to move to Houston where he would find more and better opportunities.  When we first made the decision to relocate, I did my very best to contain my true excitement.  I wanted to be sure that D and I made this decision for the right reasons and not be swayed by my love of the Lone Star State.  Very quickly, however my real emotions began to seep out of every seam of my being.  It was like a nuclear meltdown of happiness!

I know I am sounding melodramatic but this was serious stuff.

Contrary to popular belief, Disneyland is not the happiest place on earth.  It is Texas.  Ask any Texan how they feel about their homeland and they will express true and unbridled love.  Display a Texas flag and we will stand and pledge allegiance.  Play some country music and we really can't help but tap a toe.  Offer brisket smothered with sticky sweet barbeque sauce and we will eat it.  Give us the option to move back home and we will jump at the chance.

In order to get down here, we had to endure a long drive in a tiny car with a crying baby.  We fit all of our belongings into a small U Haul trailer that our little car could barely handle.  We could only drive so fast so a journey that should have taken twenty five hours ended up lasting for over thirty seven.  To make matters worse, poor Baby K was sick with a cold and cried a lot of the time.

In order to feed little Katelyn, I had to pump milk in the back seat so that I could feed it to her from a bottle and save some time.  Several lucky truckers got a free peep show I'm sure.

I only got to ride in the front seat for about an hour and a half at the very beginning of the trip.  I spent most of the drive sitting in the back, holding a pacifier in Katelyn's mouth, singing "Old McDonald" and flashing the other vehicles.

Everyone said that we would never make it in just two days.  Little did they realize that this would just further my resolve.  I am stubborn like that sometimes.

Right before midnight on Thursday, we stumbled into my parents house.  The exhaustion of our trip gave way to excitement and we stayed up until three in the morning talking and laughing.

We are so happy to be here (some of us probably more than others).  D is still trying to adjust to the heat but Katelyn seems to love it and I feel right at home.  Now we are looking forward to happy Texas memories.

on the road again part two

Early Thursday morning, we packed up to get out of the creep motel and back on the road.  We had a seriously long way to go.  One of the first stops we made was in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  Every time my family makes this drive, we stop at the grave site of Billy the Kid.  We like to pay our respects to Billy by throwing pennies on his grave.

There are two different tributes to Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner.  The first is in the middle of the city and is the "official" Billy the Kid museum.  It was pretty big so I figured that was the place to stop.  It had been a really long time since I had visited Billy's grave.

We searched for the tombstone but couldn't find it.  It was early in the morning so the museum wasn't open and we couldn't ask anyone about the grave.  We decided we needed to drive on.  I was really sad because I had been telling D about this excursion for weeks.

d posing as a wild west outlaw

d was not happy about posing in the wagon

On our way out of the city, we saw a billboard advertising the "real" grave site of Billy the Kid.  We turned at the exit and drove for a few miles (enough to make us think that we were lost) until we finally found the site that I remembered.  It was like a ghost town - we were the only visitors ever it seemed.  We tossed some pennies on the kid's grave and took some pictures.

the elusive tombstone

the tombstone is locked because people have tried to steal it

note that this is authentic grave site of billy the kid

After that is was back on the road.  We were no where near Texas and we had a long way to go after that.  Finally we crossed the Texas border and it was time to celebrate.  Katelyn wasn't born in Texas but she got there as fast as she could.

finally made it to texas!

It was really sad every time we had to put Katelyn back into her car seat because very time we took her out, she would stare at us and smile.  She did not like being stuck in that seat for so long.  The rest of the trip was pretty much a blur but we finally made it to Houston just before midnight and were never so glad to get out of the car