Thursday, June 12, 2008

Things I learned last week

  • When packing your vehicle for a cross country trip, keep a close eye on your 3 year old, she might leave your car door open which may result in a dead battery when you want to leave.
  • When jumping your car, make sure that all air, radio, and movie players are off before you assume you have a bad battery and spend 3+ hours looking for the right size wrench to remove said battery.
  • When taking your four children on a cross country trip, send your seven year old ahead with your mother and father in law. He’ll have the time of his life in the R.V.
  • R.V.’s are cool.
  • R.V.’s are scary in tornadoes.
  • Minivans are scary in tornadoes.
  • Tornadoes are scary.
  • If you are caravanning across the country with your mother, be sure her wiper blades are good before you leave, and don’t believe her when she tells you that they are working fine in the tornado you are leading her through.
  • It’s really easy to replace the wiper blades on your car.
  • When you accidentally drive into a sandpit, don’t panic and slam on the gas to get out, you’ll just dig yourself in. All the way.
  • Once you have dug yourself into a sandpit, it is nearly impossible to dig yourself out with your bare hands. Definitely impossible to do so, or attempt to do so, without being covered in mud.
  • The only way to get out of a sand pit, once you have dug yourself in, is a tow.
  • If you are lucky, two guys named Mike and Kevin will pull over in their giant truck, laugh at you for a second, hook up a chain, and drag your sorry behind out of the sand pit.
  • It is not fun to drive cross country covered in mud.
  • If your husband is not coming with you, it’s invaluable to have your little brother with you on a cross country trip.
  • When driving cross country, Ed gets tired of having to replace the binky over and over again.
  • When I grow up, I hope to be as hospitable and generous as my sister and the family that I am privileged to be a part of through my marriage.
  • Seriously, I made a good choice marrying into this bunch.
  • When driving cross country, it’s better if your husband comes with you.
  • But if he doesn’t, you’ll be all right without him.
  • Even if you drive though a tornado storm from Omaha to Kearny, into a sandpit in Nebraska, rear end someone in Rock Springs, WY, and have to find a mechanic to replace the rear wheel cylinder. You can do it.


Ed jumps into the pool while we wait for the car to be fixed.

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Our sleeping arrangements at April’s house. You can’t see her, but there is a nine year old little girl on the floor in between the two air mattresses.

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George, 6 weeks old.

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