Guest Blogger: EMMA HORINEK

This is a guest post from my daughter, Emma.  Twin A, fragile like a bomb, wild and free, but cares so deeply.  This is a recent photo of her with her sweet boyfriend, Austin, who helped fight the wildfires yesterday along the Oklahoma and Kansas border.  Emma is "#1" in the post I wrote about the craziness of yesterday.

Yesterday was a little grounding for me and made me remember to count my blessings. 

I experienced a fire, my significant other experience a fire, my little brother experienced a fire (and his baseball senior night!) and my other little big brother experienced a tornado. Then my mom and stepdad along with my sister, my littlest brother, and their dogs evacuated their house due to a wildfire. Finally, when we got settled in I saw the news that one of my friends from high school lost their house to a wildfire. All this, yesterday. 

So my story starts when I was on my way to Stillwater and Austin Spielman called me to tell me that he was needed to help fight a fire in Silverdale. He told me he just finished filling the water tank on his truck as well as the water trailer and he was headed out. When I arrive at my eye doctor appointment in Stillwater a tree had caught fire in the parking lot due to getting caught in a powerline and the power went out, I was not able to finish my appointment. (I am getting glasses tho) During this time my brother was fighting fires in Osage County. When I left the eye doctor, I called my mom to tell her what had happened and she informed me that she was evacuating with the rest of the Weaver household due to a wildfire in Guthrie, Oklahoma. I made it home from Stillwater and later on in the evening had dinner with Austin then we were relaxing at a friend's house and he got the call. He had to go back out. It was 4 AM before he got home and while he was out, I was looking through Facebook and found out about my friend. My big little brother was headed up to Memphis Tennessee for basketball and they had a couple of run-ins with tornadoes due to this crazy weather. 

Yesterday could have ended so badly for me and so many people close to me but I thank God today that it didn’t.

March 31, 2023 - The one with the weather

Today is April 1, 2023. April’s Fool Day. But yesterday really fooled us!!

Yesterday, the weather around here made for a Very Interesting day. Dry conditions and high winds in Oklahoma and Kansas, plus a storm front barreling east across the middle of the the country. Multiple Wildfires and Tornadoes along the way. My family was in the thick it it!!

#1’s SO was out volunteering to fight wild fires along the OK/KS border.  Started mid-afternoon and lasted through sundown. 

#3 travelled from OK to TN narrowly avoiding a tornado in AR, only to have one hit right by his Memphis hotel and knocking out power all night. (Still out)

#2 was with my in our far north Edmond / Logan County home when 3 wildfires were near our home. Two were within 3 miles, so we decided to grab some things, the Doxie babies, and evacuate. Spent 4 hours away from home - drove south to OKC to meet up with #4 and hubs. 

#4 and the hubs had their own adventure as this all broke out about the time dad got off work, so he came home for a few minutes - packed up essentials, then went back to get baby boy at the end of his school day. Took 1:10 to drive the 4 miles to the school due to evacuee traffic, after school buses and traffic, and road closures/detours. Once he finally had child in hand, he headed south to OKC to meet up with us and the dogs. 

We sat in the parking lot playing with very nervous dogs for about and hour, the started messaging our neighbors for updates. So many road closures and detours, it took a village of back road experts to navigate us back home. #3, the dogs and I went first to confirm the route, while #4 and hubs stopped to grab us dinner. By 8pm we were home and fed, and started unloading our lives from the back of our cars.  But, we didn’t unpack it all, because wild fires like to respawn. 

And respawn they did along the OK/KS border. #1s SO was back out in it in the middle of the night and finally got back home around 3:30am. 

#3 woke up in Memphis to the sound of fire truck sites around 6am, which was good because they needed to load buses at 7am to play a game at 8am (moved to a different hotel - one out of the danger zone - later that same day). 

#2, #4, hubs and I safe at home. Taking it all in. 

April. Please done be a fool!

Treat Every Day Like Chirstmas

It's Christmas time.  And right after that the New Year.  That means its time for reflection, new horizons, goals and dreams.  At the Weaver house, the winds of change are blowing pretty hard this season.  And we're looking forward to a NEW 2016 and all the change that it brings.  But today, I am reflecting on days gone by.  Memories of the people and places and things that made me who I am today and remind me of what Christmas means to me.

Take a look at this Christmas Card picture from our family in 2011.

What do you see?  Christmas greetings.  Adorable kids.  Fun photography.  A tiny baby fighting for life. Cute owl graphics.  Snow, ornaments, family names. A sweet card sent out with love and care to share with family and loved ones the blessings of the season.

Do you know what I see?  Something missing.  Each image shows me a memory, and a piece that's missing.  My sweet friend Gabi made this card for us.  She used those same owls on a sign that hung in our home, and then in my temporary hospital home that year to help keep me focused on a healthy baby.  She used them on a website that helped raise funds for our tremendous medical bills.  And she used them here to convey the hope and future of our family.  Lives get busy, and I don't see her as much as I used to.  I miss that... That bottom picture of the feet is missing somethings, too.  Our talented friend Beth took that picture on a HOT July day in Oklahoma just after we discovered we were having our fourth baby, and this was our Big Reveal image to share with everyone.  This was in the days shortly after we had lost my big brother.  (FYI - standing like that and getting that shot was INCREDIBLY difficult and sweaty - Jake was 4 and the girls were 9: wiggly). Beth has moved on to Texas and is raising her own family now.  We miss her.  This image shows the hope we had for the pregnancy - which was dramatically cut short.  I miss the expectation we had for a more normal gestation and infancy. (Don't get me wrong, so blessed by what we got instead, but I mourn the loss of a dream.) I miss being a family of 5.  It was different; Finn changed everything. For the better, of course, but a definite divergence from where we were going. And my brother Brian.  He wasn't here all the fun.  4th niece/nephew. NICU days. All the holidays, birthdays, milestones and moments from the last 4 years and 9 months.  He missed it all.  And I miss him. He should have been here for that picture, and all that came after it.

And up to the top 2 images.  So much missing.  How hard for those 3 little faces to have to deal with a family torn apart by 70 miles, illness, surgeries, stress and separation for a total of 5 months start to finish.  They were SO BLESSED by all kinds of surrogates to stand in our stead as I fought for 2 lives, Britt tried to be in two places and once and all things to several people, and then as Finn started his journey into this world.  But Emma, Lara and Jake were missing things, too.  Normalcy.  Mommy. Daddy. A brother they were only allowed to see through glass and touch with one finger for the longest time. A baby that didn't get to come home for Christmas. They weathered that storm so well.  Built resilience.  Taught them many tough life lessons.  They are stronger for it.  I miss those tiny faces and those effortless smiles.

And my sweet, sweet tiny miracle baby boy Finn.  He brought joy to our world.  And pain, and stress, and lessons, and LOVE.  So much love. From every corner of our universe.  So many people were touched by his presence, prayed for his life, and loved him without even knowing him.  He spent that Christmas in the NICU.  Santa came to see him there.  We had a Christmas lunch in the car consisting of Lunchables and Capri Sun after we had opened presents at home just so we could see him and hold him that day.  He was missing in our home that morning.  And for the entire 3 months he spent in the hospital.  He was missing from that sunny day picture at the top of the card.  And his siblings are missing from this picture of him.  So much separation!  But so much to be thankful for!  

2011 - NICU

2015 - Santa's Workshop

Little Dream Weavers - 2015
Emma (13), Jake (8), Finn (4), Lara (13)

As we get older and the kids get busier, we realize that the pictures of all 4 kids in one place at one time are going to get fewer and further between.  But we always have the memories.  The blessings. The lessons that made us who we are.  Somethings may be missing, but nothing is missed.  Every detail to our story has been written by the best Storyteller there ever was.  We celebrate His birth and what he did for our world this Christmas season, and EVERY Christmas season.  Thank you God, for sending your son, Jesus, to be our Savior.  And thank you for being a better Writer of my story than I could ever imagine.

Merry Christmas

My Town - Stillwater

HoCo 2015 - pomp sample

My son, Jake, is 8 years old.  His football team is 7-0 and hopes to be playoff bound next week.  He made a 103% on his last spelling test.  His biggest concerns are figuring out how to get us to agree to let him wear shorts even when it’s 45 degrees outside and who is bringing the football to recess.  Saturday, October 24, 2015 will be a day etched in his memory for the rest of his life.  He is at the age where he will remember.  He will recall where he was when he heard.  The weather, the time of day, the circumstances.  The emotions, the words, the cries and anguish.  The news reports, the tears of his parents, the stories from friends.  ALL OF IT.  Seared on his young, impressionable memory.  This day, his life, as well as the lives of HUNDREDS of others, has forever been altered.

Jake - age 8. 10.24.15

The first national tragedy of epic proportions that I remember was the Challenger Shuttle launch explosion from January 28, 1986.  I was in 5^th grade.  Mrs. White’s class at Wilkinson Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida (this was during the Ricker family’s “4 year vacation” away from Stillwater).  A friend and I had been sent from our classroom at the front of the school, around back to the art room to return some supplies.  It was a BRIGHT, cloudless January morning.  My friend and I took the “long” route – outside – to accomplish this chore, as fifth grade girls will do!  We were talking about the launch on the way back, and looked to the sky to see if we could see anything.  We saw what we thought was the smoke trails from the booster engines.  It wasn’t until we wandered our way back to the classroom that we discovered what had dreadfully happened!  The rest of the day was spent watching news coverage, crying, wondering why.  Our innocence was shattered.  I will never forget.

My family has been a part of Stillwater and Payne Country history since the very start.  My ancestors had the first general store, the first gas station, and an early mayor is among my esteemed relatives.  I was born just a few miles up the highway in Perry, but my parents were Stillwater residents at the time.  I attended Skyline Elementary, Sangre Ridge Elementary, Stillwater Junior High School (where my twins are now) and Stillwater High School.  My 4  children will be 4^th generation graduates of C.E. Donart/Stillwater High School.  Aside from a short time in Florida when I was a pre-teen, the 8 years in Dallas after college, and a year in Tulsa, I have spent the majority of my 40+ years living in this town.  Even when my address wasn’t in Stillwater, it was still my HOME and I visited often.   I have been to more Homecoming Walkaround and Sea of Orange Parade events than most of these current college kids have even been alive for!  I’ve been a participant, a coordinator, and a spectator of that parade more times than I can actually remember.  Homecoming is SACRED to my family and the parade was often the one time a year we could all get together and be a family as we all grew up and scattered across the nation.  Stillwater will always be HOME.  This is MY town!   “Where I was born, where I was raised. Where I keep all my yesterdays. Where I ran off 'cos I got mad, An' it came to blows with my old man. Where I came back to settle down, It's where they'll put me in the ground: This is my town.” (Thank you Montgomery Gentry for summing that up for me!  And no, I never came to blows with my old man, but I can recall a few times he would have liked to string me up…)

But for some reason, God has chosen this place I call sacred ground for some true tests of resiliency.  We’ve been here before.  This town has been brought to their knees many times.  Natural disasters.  A school shooting at the Junior High that we leaned was a horrific suicide.  And in the last dozen or so years, the OSU community has been shaken especially hard.  We were stunned by a plane crash in 2001 that killed 10 members of the Men’s Basketball family.  (I personally knew 2 members of that tragedy.)  Then, 10 years later, we were shocked again when 2 coaches and 2 others were killed in a plane crash while on a Women’s Basketball recruiting trip (I knew both of those coaches as well from my days in Athletics).   And now.  This.  Rocked to the core, AGAIN. Our beloved Homecoming parade marred by disaster.  Changed forever.  In a split second.   This unfathomable, inconceivable, horrible event.  I can’t call it an accident, I’m not sure it was.  But I do know what IS NOT an accident.  That it happened here.  In MY TOWN.

God said he would lead us beside StillWater(s).  And here we are.  Pulling together.  Holding each other up.  Praying.  Supporting – financially, physically, and emotionally.  Because that’s what MY TOWN does.  Better than most.  It’s the Oklahoma Standard.  And God showed us He did not forsake us in the midst of this heartbreak.  Even when it hurts, He is with us.  Even when we don’t understand WHY, He shows up in big ways.  He loves our souls, He heals our scars.  And to show that promise, He blanketed our whole state (and those that border us as well) with the most SPECTACULAR orange sunset I have ever seen.  He is BESIDE us.

Orange sky over Stillwater, OK 10.24.15

We knew several of the victims of this crash.  Some who died, some who are still in hospitals in critical condition, some who were treated and released, and some who just needed a bandage.  And a hug.  But most of all, we know STILLWATER.  We know this town from its roots.  And we know, we are ALL #StillwaterStrong.  The coming days, weeks, months will be hard.  My 8 year old will grow up a lot and learn some of life’s toughest lessons in the coming days.  And every year, when we go to the Sea of Orange Parade, we will be reminded.  Even though we won’t really need to be.  Because, we will REMEMBER.  That’s what we do.  In MY TOWN.

Some people call it the middle of nowhere; we call it the CENTER of our Universe.

#StillwaterStrong

I can't make this stuff up

That is something my brother used to say.  All the time.  Although, he typically exchanged "stuff" for a more colorful word.  And he was usually talking about bad drivers or the ridiculous laws that govern that state of Texas.  But he was so right.  I, seriously, cannot make this stuff up.  The last few days of our life have been an insane roller coaster ride.  And I want to tell you about it.  But please remember, I can't make this stuff up.  It's so crazy, it HAS to be real!

Dance recital weekend is always crazy.  It's just busy.  Last year, we had a tree limb fall at our house on Friday night while Finn was home with a baby sitter and the rest of us were holed up at the high school hiding from a tornado.  The show was finally called off, and they decided to have 2 shows on Saturday.  When we got home that night, the City utility workers told us to vacate because of the downed limb and the way the lines were we were, it created a fire danger.  Emma and Jake stayed with Nana because they were leaving for Texas Saturday morning to go see Kayleigh's recital.  The rest of us packed up for a hotel.  They cleared the tree, fixed the electrical damage and restored the power by sundown on Saturday.  I remember all this specifically.  But also, TimeHop Abe from my TimeHop App reminded me.  Everyday this week as the anniversary of these events occurred.

Fast Forward to this year.  Thursday dress rehearsal, Friday night performance, Saturday afternoon performance.  Baseball practices and games in between.  Family in and out of town.  Our dishwasher went out about 10 days ago, so we've been washing dishes by hand.  For six people.  Every night.  Oh, and I have a summer cold.  Sunday was the worst.  It is now in my chest, so I cough up a lung when I lay down.  Sunday night was bad.  Last night was worse.  I coughed my husband right out of my bed. And I have no voice.  It's tiring to talk, and when I do I sound like a tired old man. No one can hear me, let alone understand me.*sigh*

OK, all of that is normal and manageable.  It's been a mild Oklahoma May - no tornadoes, few thunderstorms,.  Drought like, even.  So, we were so glad to hear the rumble of the thunder and hear the rain late Sunday night.  But it just kept raining.  And blowing.  I'd call it a torrential downpour.  And I have a basement.  In Oklahoma.  Now, back up - we rent our residence.  Have for about 6 years now, and this is the 3rd location we've been in.  So, house related problems fall into the "SEP" category.  That's something else my brother used to say.  As in, "Someone Else's Problem." But, it's still a problem when you get up Monday morning and the bedroom at the bottom of the stairs is completely drenched.  YUP.  We assumed it was the sump pump failing - something else that happened about a year ago.  We called it in to the landlord, and then we started cleaning up the mess...

About 9am, the repair man came with the part for the dishwasher.  YAY!  He fixed it.  I can do dishes again.  GLORY!  Then we were about to ask him if he knew about the flood when he got a call from the office, telling him about our basement issues.  He went down to assess everything and came back to tell us the pump was functioning normally.  So, where'd all that water come from??? Oh yeah, the NEW CRACK IN THE BASEMENT WALL!  Are you kidding me? Can you say earthquake damage?  So, the other handy man came by shortly to wet vac what he could, and put down the floor drying fans.  Turned on the ceiling fans, and we were thinking another 24 hours would make a huge difference in the wetness in the basement.

Our day continued.  Decided Emma and Lara would sleep at Nana and Grandpa's again since those fans are loud and annoying.  Jake ended up at a friend's house for a sleepover somewhat randomly.  We put Finn to bed.  And I coughed my husband out of our bed.  But, I finally fell asleep.  At 12:23, I was startled awake by a ground shaking thud, and the sound of the power going out room by room.  The small lights from the clocks, TV, and components went out.  The fan above my head slowed.  It got really quiet.  And instantly hot!  I was up and off to find my hubby.  We ventured outside to see if it was just us or the whole area.  Just us.  With our tiny iPhone flashlights, we headed to the back yard and could see the power lines had been pulled out of our roof again.  Time to pack up the baby and find a hotel.

We were settled in and back to sleep by 2:30am.  Up at 7 to get the day going and see what we were up against.  We took Finn to Nana's, grabbed the girls to take them to camp for the day, and told Jake's host he would be there for awhile yet...  Then, we got to our house just as the tree guys were there to get the limb off the lines.  This was the first we had seen it in the daylight.  THIS LIMB WAS HUGE!!! At least 40 feet long, and about 2.5-3 feet in diameter where it broke off the tree trunk.  There are pictures below to give you an idea.  But the blessing in this is that we were incredibly lucky that there was no damage.  None to the fence on the south of our house.  Nor the long fence on the east along the alley.  And not so much as a leaf touched the garage.  AMAZING. 

The tree guys are coming back to remove the limb, and cut down the entire tree as this will just keep happening.  The electrician has been there - twice - repairing what he can with the meter and attaching the lines to the house.  Then the city can reconnect us.  Mid-morning, they told us we should be restored by this evening.  Fingers crossed.  If they get it done, I think I can save all my food.  In my 2 refrigerators... I sure hope I don 't have to start replacing food.  I just bought milk (at $4 a gallon) yesterday! I can't make this stuff up!

People keep asking me what made it fall.  I tell them, GRAVITY.  We honestly don't know,.  The tree appears healthy, but apparently it is not.  It was not struck by lightning...  Click on the photos to make them larger...

The base of the tree is just off the left edge; the guy in the light shirt on the right is near the "end" of the limb

Getting permission to cut.  You can see the power lines on the ground.

Hard to see, but you can see the pole on the house where the lines were pulled out. (Hi Pete!)

Where the limb broke off the trunk

My 6'2" husband standing next to the tree trunk

 

Me sitting on the limb about 10 feet down from the trunk...

Dream Weaver Road Trip

This past week, the Six Dream Weavers loaded up my parent's Tahoe (Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!), and hit the road.  For a true, honest to goodness, ROAD TRIP.  Not a long car trip to get to a destination and stay there for a few days, but a ROAD TRIP - with stops planned along the way to see sights and eat at fun places, and a constantly moving vacation.  We never stayed in one location more than 2 nights, and we never had more than a few hours between stops on the road.  It was fast, furious, and SERIOUSLY fun!  It was planned by our AMAZING leader, Britt Weaver, and we are all super impressed with his trip skills.  I was in charge of, well, not too much really.  In-car activities, and packing the diaper bag each day.  That's about it.  Everything else was up to Britt!  And it was AWESOME!

Some of the stops were altered as we progressed...

Let's start with the preparation.  A few months back, we decided we want to go West.  And that's the last I knew about it until a couple of days before departure.  Britt planned our route, stops, and length of stay.  He picked out restaurants, lodging, sites and activities - even planned to meet a few relatives and friends along the way.  He grocery shopped for snacks, crayons and markers, ear-buds, ear bud splitters, breakfast items, PediaSure for Finn, water to keep away the altitude sickness, and Diet Coke to keep Momma happy. He even made a binder with all of our itineraries, maps, reservations and tickets - divided by day with a list of each days times and activities.  IMPRESSIVE!  I cruised Pinterest (click for our trip board) for things to do in the car.  I made coloring books, car bingo sheets in page protectors, magnetic puzzles, and a magnetic tic-tac-toe board.  We packed crayons, markers, pencils, dry erase markers, and art supplies into hanging beauty bags for the kids to keep it all organized.  2 laptops with DVD capabilities, and 10 DVD's to choose from - along with inverter to keep everything plugged in and charged.  There were no "I'm Bored" calls on this trip!  And would you believe the "Sweet Clips" NEVER came down!  One flew off the visor at one point, and I wanted to revoke Finn's for peeing on me, but they stayed up!

Thanks, Mom for making all this cool stuff for us!

DAY ONE:
We left our home while it was still dark out, and while most normal people were still sleeping.  I was pleasantly surprised at how eager all of the kids were to get in the car!  Even Baby Finn seemed to know this was a good thing! Maybe because he was now forward facing in his car seat and the whole world was before him!  We were off for our adventure, and there was no stopping us now!

We had rain off and on for the first 2 hours of the trip, but it wasn't constant, and it would vary from a pretty hard, steady rain to a mere drizzle.  But, we were glad to be done with it not long after crossing over into Kansas!  We made our first stop just after we crossed over - at a QuikTrip in Park City, Kansas.  That place was BUSY!  And they were cleaning the women's restroom, so it was closed.  OOPS!  While I was holding Finn waiting for them to finish so we could go in, he peed.  Out of his overly full diaper he had on.  All over my side - down my shirt.  It was warm.  and wet.  And then it was COLD and wet.  But, I digress.  I survived, all got to go potty/get diapers changed, and got their first fun snack of the trip.  So far, so good!

Next up, LUNCH!  We traveled to  Hays, KS for lunch at a highly recommended local diner and brewery called Gella's.  They opened at 11, and we got there at 10:50, so I took Finn for a walk first.  He is very curious!  Once inside, we were treated to a fun, relaxed atmosphere and some great food!  And, on the way out, we ran into our first "friendly encounter!"  One of my brother's high school friends lives in Hays, and he met us for a quick hug and hello.

After some more car time, we made it to Goodland, Kansas!  Home of the World's Largest Easel.  Who can be that close to a remarkable site and NOT STOP? Of course we took a few minutes to explore and find all the fun "easel" facts we could! 

This was also bathroom break time.  We were pretty excited, being the Cowboy fans that we are, when we rounded the intersection and saw a "Cowboy Corner" convenience store staring back at us!

After another few hours in the car, we had made it to Colorado - and we were in a new time zone.  Britt had very carefully planned this entire tip, down to the quarter hour on driving days - about the half hour on activity days.  But you know what he forgot?  TIME CHANGE!  Which was good, we were a bit behind schedule the first day, but crossing the time zone time GAINED us an hour, and we were back on track!  Next stop - Strasburg, Colorado and the site of the Oklahoma State University plane crash in 2001 that killed 10 members of our Men's Basketball family.  We were humbled by the Colorado Memorial Site.  It was beautiful.  And sad.  And I am so glad this was a stop on our trip.

Our next destination Monday was our "home" for the next 2 nights.  We stayed at the Best Western Plus Plaza Hotel in Longmont Colorado.  Lara called the town Lugnut once - we laughed about that for days.  We got checked in, and unloaded the car...

Once we were settled in a bit and everyone had freshened up, it was time for our dinner adventure!  We were off to meet members of Britt's family he hadn't seen in 20 years!  We met them at the Red Robin in Westminster.  It was a great time getting caught up and meeting new people!  A great way to start our visit to Colorado!

That night back at the hotel, we had some "arranging" to do.  The room had 2 double beds, and a small (smaller than twin sized) sleeper sofa.  We put the girls in one bed, Jake and I in the other, Finn on a pallet on the floor, and Britt on the sleeper.  When we got up for the day the next day, the girls were the only ones still in their original sleeping locations.  LONG night...

DAY 2:
After breakfast at the hotel (which is a post all in itself.  Mediocre food, HORRIBLE location, careless staff, but it was included so we did it for 2 days), we loaded up and headed to Larimer county where we did a little nature walking and hiking.  We were on route to find "Twin Sisters Peaks" and also stumbled upon Lily Lake.  We walked up the mountain to the trail head of Twin Sisters Peaks, then crossed the highway and took a long, leisurely walk around Lily Lake.  It was just beautiful.  The scenery was amazing, we had a little chipmunk playing with us, and the weather was perfect.  AWESOME morning!

Next up - Estes Park!  We drove around this gorgeous little town for a bit, then made our way over to the Estes Park Arial Tramway.  We were getting hungry for lunch, but it wasn't very busy, so we decided to go for it!  Jake, Emma, Lara and I were super excited to go on it.  Britt, a bit more hesitant, was thinking he should keep Finn with him and stay at the base.  After all, it cautioned against people with respiratory issues (FINN!) from participating, but, then again, we had gotten the clear from Finn's pulmonologist and had been giving him the prescribed 3x a day breathing treatments...  Somehow, we talked him into going.  And he was glad he did!  It's a 3.5 minute cable car ride each way, and we spent about 30 minutes at the summit climbing rocks and feeding squirrels and chipmunks.  I even climbed to the VERY top - after the kids told me it was "easy!"  (Britt stayed closer to safety with Finn and the ground creatures.)  Easy to get up, not so easy to get DOWN.  Oh!  My aching knees...

After we got down off the mountain, we were STARVED!  So, it was time to seek out lunch.  After driving around for a bit more and seeing some fun places, we chose to pull in at the Estes Park Brewery.  The kids split a yummy pizza, Britt had a buffalo burger, and I had a Reuben sandwich.  YUM.  At this point, some weariness was setting in, and while we had planned on visiting the amusement area in Estes Park, we decided a trip back to the hotel for some pool time was a better choice.  We took a leisurely trip back to Longmont.  it included a stop by the Silver Moon Inn in Estes Park when we took off our shoes and put our feet in the VERY COLD river, and a  half way point snack break at the Lyons Dairy Bar for some cold and refreshing ice cream and shakes which we enjoyed on our way back to the hotel.  We rested for a bit, then the call of the hotel pool could not be resisted by the kids any more!  So, we changed, slathered and sprayed on the sunscreen, and hit the pool for a couple of hours!  Funny how all that outdoor physical activity makes you tired, so we went in to town for a quick dinner at Good Times Burgers - which we were NOT impressed with at all.  We went there because Jake uses the phrase "Good Times, Good Times" quite often, and we thought it ironic.  Oh well, it was better than nothing.  After that, we cruised the town of Longmont a bit, and found a nice park for the kids to play at until bed time.  Day 2 was a success.  And we had the sleeping arrangements figured out a bit better as well...

DAY 3:

Another less than stellar breakfast at the Best Western, then on the road again.  It was so fun to just put the kids in the car without them knowing where we were going or how long we would be in the car!  There was no "Are we there yet?" since they didn't know where "there" was!  They just played their electronics, watched movies, or did their activities (unless we told them this was God's creation and we couldn't believe they weren't watching every second of it! LOL!) until we landed in our next spot!  So, we broke out of Longmont, headed towards Boulder.  We wanted to point out the campus of the University of Colorado, and head on.  We stopped to get a drink in Boulder, and thought we were heading to Breckenridge.  But, we had GPS issues.  We were going completely the wrong way.  Went back to Boulder to start over.  More GPS issues.  And construction issues.  And we ended up wasting a complete hour trying to get through Boulder and on our way to Breckenridge.  SO FRUSTRATING!

So, our 2 hours planned in Breckenridge turned into "find a quick place to eat, pee, and get out of here!"  You see, we had an appointment later that afternoon with tickets we had already paid for, and we HAD to be there!  We parked just off main street, walked over, and quickly found a Chinese buffet!  Yup, our Breckenridge lunch was at the Jade Garden.  Sushi was good.  And they had tacos on the buffet.  Everyone was fed and happy - and we were back on the road!

Destination - Colorado Springs!  YAY!  We had finally gotten back on track and made up enough time that we had a few minutes to check into our lodging before we had to make our reservation.  WHEW!  So, off to the Sunflower Lodge we went!  This cottage would be our resting place for the next 2 days.  It was an adorable, quaint 2 room cottage.  The front room held the living room sitting area with TV and a full sized bed.  There was a galley kitchen with a full bath off of it, then the back bedroom had 2 full sized beds and a half bath.  SO much better for our large family!  Emma and Lara shared a bed in the back room, Jake got the other bed in there, Britt and I were out front with Finn on a pallet on the floor!  YAY!  Finally looking forward to a good night's sleep!

After we unloaded, it was off to Manitou Springs and the Cog Railway to the very top of Pike's Peak!  The kids were SO EXCITED once we told them were we were going and what to expect!  We were a little worried about our respiratory baby Finn and our asthmatic Lara, so we bought the canned O2 at the gift shop!  It was actually pretty cool, and I am glad we had it.  I think it helped at the top!  It is usually very cool at the summit.  Lucky for us, it was not that cool.  (Sarcasm).  I was still sweaty! LOL!  At the base of the 1.5 hour train ride, it was 70.  At the summit, it was 60.  And sunny.   My kids thought they were freezing, but Britt and I enjoyed the cool reprise!

Our train reservation was for 5:00pm.  And hour and a half up, 30 minutes at the summit, and an hour and a half back down.  We were desperately seeking dinner when we headed back to Colorado Springs.  And guess what we found?  SONIC!  A little taste of home never felt so good!  We took it to go and ate in our little cabin as everyone got ready for bed.  We ALL slept good that night!

DAY 4:
On our way through Manitou Springs the day before, Jake had spotted a pancake house not too far from our motel, and he declared that's where we would eat breakfast the next morning.  We got up and headed down the road to Uncle Sam's Pancake House.  It was a very good, but VERY expensive breakfast!  We tried Finn in a booster seat for the very first time.  Everything there was red, white and blue and very patriotic, including the booster seats, so we had to try one out.  It was a complete failure.  He would not stay seated in it.  Then when we tried to put him back in a high chair? Fuhgetabboutit!  Screaming and wailing and thrashing about.  But, he ate a great breakfast! And he's too cute to stay mad at for long!

Little did we know when we left the restaurant that out next stop would be the kids' FAVORITE stop of the day.  However, it almost didn't happen!  I take a small pill every morning.  I forgot to take it at the pancake house, and when we got to the car, no one had anything to drink with them.  So, I just stuck it in my mouth and swallowed.  Didn't think about it again for quite awhile.  When we arrived at our destination, Cave of the Winds, the kids were ready to get this thing started.  I, however, was beginning to not feel very well.  I felt like I had a baseball in my throat and I couldn't breathe.  We were about 30 minutes early for our tour reservation, so we had time to mill about and check out the gift shop.  My baseball was now a softball, and at this point I didn't recall having swallowed my pill dry.  I was getting scared, and Britt was ready to cut our losses and go find a doctor when I remembered my snafu.  Once I knew what it was, while I was still uncomfortable, my psyche was better, and I was determined to complete the tour.  Once we got under way, I completely forgot about my issue as I was awe-struck by the caves and cave formations.  Finn started out in a front carrier with Britt, but ended up asleep in my arms.  He had a bit of a rough patch in the middle of the tour, and I feel bad for other members of our group.  For them, it became much more bearable when he fell asleep, but now I was carrying 20 pounds of dead weight through tiny cave halls and up and down steep passageways and stair cases.  But, we emerged on the other side, victorious!  And we bought the picture to prove it!

Once we were back out in the day light, the kids saw the zip line and the "Wind Walker" structure and really wanted to try it out.  After some negotiating with mom and dad, they were presented with the arm bands that got them unlimited time on the Wind Walker, AND unlimited rides on the zip line "Batapult."  They were THRILLED!  Emma was up down and all around the Wind Walker with record speed and agility.  Lara was not quite as enthusiastic about it, but she was more graceful in her attempts at the obstacles.  Jake was, well, excited to be up there, but SCARED TO DEATH.  It took coaxing from his sisters up there with him, his parents on the ground, and the staff to get him up and around a few obstacles.  Once he got with it, though, he was a pro and LOVED it!  They spent a long time exploring there, then went over to the zip line ride.  We had definitely over-stayed our "scheduled" time, but it was well worth it to see their smiles and hear them tell about their adventures!

After we got the kids to leave Cave of the Winds, we headed back to Colorado Springs, and to the "new" part of downtown to see what it was like.  We were also looking for lunch.  We just happened to find a prime parking spot (hard to come by down there) in front of Einstein Bros. Bagels - so that was lunch!  YUM!  It was a perfect lunch to get us ready for our next stop - the US Air Force Academy!  One of my brother's good friends from early childhood is a professor there, so we met him and he showed us around a bit.  He told us about the dorms, the dining hall (all 4,000 cadets fed in 20 minutes!), and about the drills that were going on around us.  We toured the Chapel, and spent some time in the Visitor's Center.  Finn and I even got some Falcon gear to bring home with us!  From up on the hill, we could see the burned areas off in the distance.  So thankful the fires didn't get any closer to this beautiful campus.

As we drove back in to town, everyone was hungry... Again!  I had been told of an Italian restaurant in Old Colorado City that was excellent.  We found it, but decided the menu wasn't very kid friendly.  But right across the street was ANOTHER Italian restaurant.  We checked it out, and decided it was a good choice for us.  In the course of us being there for dinner, we discovered 2 other families from our hometown in this tiny Colorado Springs restaurant AT THE SAME TIME!  One of the men even worked in the same building I do.  What are the odds?  We actually met several Oklahoma families on our adventures.  Dinner was good, the service was excellent, and all the kids wanted to do after it was over was go back to Cave of the Winds!  Their wrist bands were good all day, ya know!

We went back, but unfortunately, the Wind Walker was already closing down for the night.  But, the Batapult was still open!  I think Jake and Emma rode it like 5 more times!  They were having a blast!  Britt even bought them a DVD of their last 2 rides.  It was a great evening!  And we were ready to get back to the motel and settle in for the night.

Day 5:
Time to load up ALL our stuff and ALL 6 of us in the Tahoe again!  We're off to another mystery destination!  We loved the bagels we had for lunch so much, and it was the least expensive meal we had all trip, plus we knew right where it was and that everyone would like it, so we went back for breakfast!  Due to our extended stay at Cave of the Winds, we had basically skipped over Garden of the Gods the day before.  I was a bit disappointed at this, so I batted my eyelashes at my husband, and begged him to please let us just drive through.  Even if it meant fewer breaks on the next LONG leg of our trip.  Of course, he can't resist me!  So, we recalculated the rest of the day, and allotted one hour for Garden of the Gods.

 

A bathroom break, trip through the Trading Post, and 2 hours later, we were ready to leave this amazing place!  WOW!  It was breath taking.  And beautiful.  And BIG!  We hope to go back someday and spend an entire day there.  Emma wants to take a horseback riding tour.  I want more time to just explore.  So glad we took the time to stop and check it out.

But now we were off.  This was a long driving day, and with the extra time I "negotiated," we had to make up for lost time a bit.  So, lunch was a stop at the McDonald's in Lamar, CO where we took a quick potty break then ate in the car.  We crossed back over into Kansas, lost an hour with the time zone change, and arrived in Montezuma, KS early that evening.  My extended family lives there, and my kids were SUPER surprised to see who's house we pulled up in front of!  We were greeted with warm hugs, homemade dinner, and a WONDERFUL place to sleep.  My Aunt's youngest grandchild was staying with her, too, and her son and his 2 kids came over, so we had a super fun evening after dinner just playing in the summer sunset.  This was the most relaxing time of the whole trip!

After some of the little kids went to bed, we decided we needed a cool summer treat.  And we knew just where to get it!  Another cousin runs the local Sno Cone place!  So, off to downtown (like 2 blocks down the street, really) to see what we could get!  Emma got grape, Lara got bubble gum, and Jake got Tiger's Blood.  I got the best hug EVER from my cousin!  And Finn got bites of everyone's!  A great evening was had by all, and a great night of sleep (mostly) was to follow!

Day 6:
Time to load it up and head home.  We didn't have a schedule this day, but we knew we wanted to try to get home before dark.  After a leisurely homemade breakfast, we casually got dressed and slowly packed the car up.  it was a wonderful end to a whirlwind trip, and while we were ready to get back home, we weren't quite ready to leave...  There was one more stop to be made in Montezuma, so after we loaded up and said our good bye's, it was off to the Gray County Wind Farm.  We had visited this landmark before - 5 years ago to be exact - when another cousin got married.  Jake didn't remember being there, and so this was like his first time.  Finn wasn't too impressed, but we snapped a few pictures, read the history of the site, and got back in the car for the trip home.

Of course, there were still stops along the way to entertain us on the way home.  First up was Greensburg, Kansas.  This town was basically wiped off the map by a tornado in 2007.  They have rebuilt, and the well is one of the main tourist attractions.  The Big Well is the world's biggest hand dug water well.  There is a park adjacent to the site, and we let the kids play at the park for a bit before we went over to check out the well.  It was a nice stop along the way!

 

We didn't find a lunch spot in Greensburg, so we headed on down the road to Pratt where a Taco Bell called our name.  At this point, everyone was a bit weary, and easy comfortable food was the way to go.  Finn tried to eat his spork, but all in all it was a good lunch.  And then it was time to hit the road again.  We were getting so close to Oklahoma!  Another bathroom/snack/gas stop in Wellington, KS and we would be on Native Land!

Oklahoma!  HOME!  We pulled into our driveway about 6:00 on Saturday night.  Hot, tired, and glad to be home.  But SO thankful for a wonderful trip and a great adventure.  On the last 2 legs of the trip, Britt and I came up with "awards" for each traveller.  Each of us got a "positive" reward, and a "wah-wah" award.  We had dinner with my parents and had the award presentation afterwards.  Here's how that looked:

Emma: Best Helper; Most Likely to TAKE CONTROL of every activity

Lara: Most Likely to Roll her eyes, Huff and Puff, Slap her side, Stomp her foot; Most Likely to Start a new Collection

Jake: Most enthusiastic; Most Likely to Ask: "Is it Raining?"

Britt: best Road Trip Planner EVER; Most Likely to use both your first and your middle name to call you down

Betsey: Most Adventurous Adult; Most Likely to be on her phone

And Baby Finn: BEST TRAVELER!!; Most Likely to Laugh like Perry the Platypus, then Scream like a Banshee

And, because he made this tip a laugh a minute and kept us in stitches, even when Bobby (his beloved Monkey since birth) went missing on Day 2, Jake the Snake gets an extra special award:

King of the One Liners!

We had a fantastic trip.  It was a great adventure, wonderful family time, and such a joy to see God's creations up close and personal.  We learned a lot about each other, about the logistics of a large family, and how to track down a missing lovie.  We laughed, we cried, we only yelled a little.  We confirmed that 11 year old girls can be downright ridiculous, 6 year old boys can be darned near disgusting, and even the cutest 21 month old will scream when in the car seat too long.  It was a blast.  I hope we get to do it all again someday.  Road Trip 2013 is in the books.  What should we dream about next...