After not getting to bed until after 11 p.m. and having spent the entire day either walking or screaming, we were all exhausted. I couldn’t even bear to wake the kids and let them rouse on their own schedules. By 11 a.m. everyone was awake again. It was also nearly 100°F outside. Somehow we’ve landed […]
Day Five: Day of Rest Read More »
When I was just barely six years old we moved from Sacramento, CA (near my father’s family) to Newberg, OR (to be near my mother’s family). I don’t know how soon it started, but it became a tradition that nearly every summer, I would go down to Sacramento–first with just Marcella, then when Stephanie was
Day Four: Screaming is Fun Read More »
Odometer Reading: 367 As soon as the sunshine slipped through the trees, I got up, rolling my sleeping bag and getting the kids to walk up and do the same. I had hoped that the chill of the morning would keep the mosquitoes at bay for a while, but, again, as soon as I opened
Day Three: Leaving the Desert Read More »
Odometer Reading: 174 Despite turning the heat on the yurt (what a lovely invention) it was still a bit chilly in the high desert when we woke up sometime after 7 a.m. I made some hot cocoa for the kiddos (cooked on the propane burner instead this time!) and found an intriguing entry in our
Day Two: Rocks and Mosquitoes Read More »
We’d been planning a road trip since last summer and I got the crazy idea that we’d merge it with a visit from my sister’s family. So when my sister flew home, she took only her son, leaving her daughter for us to bring home via our meagerly planned road trip. So today, we loaded
Day One: Heading South and East Read More »
We’re nearly ready to head out on our way to eastern Oregon this afternoon. Of course, we have a few last minute things to finish, but on the whole we’re prepared… with a color-coded map so Stuart can be my map reader/sidekick, cards with driving instructions, and others for the campground reservations, and journals for
As the trip draws closer, things have changed. Sort of like my life. I plan with high hopes, but things never seem to work out like I wish they would. And so it goes with our summer vacation. What originally was us getting to see the Grand Canyon at long last, will now not even
let the packing begin Read More »
The chaos of summer has struck for certain these days. We are in and out of town like crazy. I had the pleasure of spending four days at a beach cabin with a good friend of mine. Then a week later I joined him for three days of camping at the Prineville Reservoir. Just yesterday,
traveling close to home Read More »
Sitting side by side in the back of the taxi, we are heading back from Sam Son. I know I don’t have enough money in my purse and already it’s taken several phone calls, undercooked chicken and a sunburn to get us this far. The are exhausted but not asleep. I stare out the window
And that I seem to have in spades. I had, what some might describe as an insane, drive to get us to Vietnam. Twice. And now it’s on for the book. It will get finished. I will have a rough draft done by the end of summer. SheWrites has just announced a new contest for
It takes passion, they say Read More »
