We were in Oregon and we were going to Aunt Sue’s house. When we got to Aunt Sue’s house, Aunt Sue had all this fun stuff out. My favorite toy was a big castle with soldiers and carriages and all sorts of cool stuff. My Aunt Sue also has a mini pool table. Jason (Aunt Sue’s son) and I played on Aunt Sue’s mini pool table. They had a bunch of cool Wii games and we watched Princess Bride. Aunt Sue’s husband, Marshal, taught us how to play “got you last.” That was a game were you touched another person and said, “Got ya last”. I had a great time at Aunt Sue’s house. -Caleb

We were at our friend’s house and we were getting ready to go to a place were daddy had some work. Then my mom said that the people weren’t ready so we would make a beeline to grandma’s house. All the kids (including me) were thrilled! We all jumped up and down. Then ran in the RV! We were SO excited. My mom said only six hours (well for us six hours wasn’t that much.) Us kids each took fifteen minutes with Jack. Then we got fifteen minutes in the front seat for a reward. By the time we got to about one hour left Emily and Rachel were playing this fun card game. I was in the front listening to Touch the Sky from BRAVE. After a little bit I went to the back of the RV and played their game. We had some dog playing cards. We would pass the cards around and grab the dog cards we thought would win. Then my mom would choose a category. She would close her eyes so she didn’t know who put each card down. Finley we made it to grandmas house. I was SO EXCITED TO BE HOME!!!

We were excited to see that Idaho was having a nice warm spell during the time we were going to be staying!! We loved seeing plowed fields and lots of open space in Idaho. We also loved that at every food place we went to there was the options for “tater’s” on the menu! Truly Napoleon Dynamite knew the Idaho culture.

We were thrilled to have my mom drive up to Idaho and spent a day with the kids and me. We went to a great museum in Mt. Pillar that taught about the Oregon trail. The museum typically does not offer tours on Friday but a tour guide agreed to come in on his day off and give us a personal tour!! It was totally awesome! Here’s our guide:

This guy took his job very seriously. I think he really wishes he had been on the Oregon Trail. He taught us about how to make guns, what the travelers took with them and what their journey was like. Even though I don’t think for a minute that we are traveling in anywhere close to the same circumstances as these early frontier’s folk I felt like I related to many of their circumstances more than I ever would have before.

At one point the guide had us seated around a campfire and was telling a story about a time when a bear came into camp. Right as he was on a possibly intense part a large noise came from behind us. The kids jumped up off the logs they were sitting on. Emily flung herself around by Grammy Ann but Caleb (followed by Rachel) jumped up and ran behind the guide. I was trying to keep Jack happy as it was past nap time and he was getting cranky so I didn’t have the tension building and didn’t react at all. It was hilarious to watch the kids! Caleb later explained his reasoning for going behind the guide; He was the one with the gun.

On our way back from Mt. Pillar to Pocatello we stopped in Lava Hot Springs and went in the hot springs. It was very fun. The kids were surprised by the heat and didn’t appreciate it as much as they thought they would. It was still a lot of fun though. They had a crank machine you could use to squeeze the water out of your swim suits. This was a big hit! I thought it was cool that the concrete ground was heated for winter use. It was a great adventure.

Our RV camp of choice in Pocatelllo was Cowboy RV. We left Caleb’s scooter here so that is probably what I’ll remember most about Cowboy RV. I also learned what a 5th wheel was finally and met a few nice people. It’s interesting to hear why other people are living in an RV. Most people want to be freed from the work and stress of owning a home and are close to retirement. One lady here had lost a close friend and she and her husband decided life was too short to spent it working full time to pay for a house so they sold it, and moved into an RV and travel a lot more now.

After Pocatello we spent a night in Idaho Falls where we tried to celebrate Saint Patty’s day. Looking back this was a turning point for our family. All this change has been exhausting and was taking a while to get used to. We had a “family meeting” after church and both the girls were in tears as they tried to talk through their feelings. Interestingly enough, looking back, I think this is when all the really unsettled feeling ended and we have been rolling pretty smooth (emotionally at least) since Idaho Falls. We had our family meeting in the parking lot outside the Idaho Falls temple. This was a coincidence since we attended church in the building adjacent to the temple. I keep kicking myself that I didn’t get a picture. Now we are making it a tradition to discover every temple we’re close to and get a picture.

We spent 3 days in Boise. We had a great time there. We got our school going full bore again which truly felt good to everyone (I think). Aside from Caleb’s pencil incident, which I’ll write about in a different post, things went really smooth and we enjoyed Boise. We got to see the temple:

We went to an awesome birds of prey museum! We got to see a bald eagle and different kinds of falcons, owls and hawks. The kids had fun dressing up as birds; especially trying on their different wing spans. They also bred California Condors there. They were incredible to watch fly! Their wings fold into 4th!

We were at Camping World. My mom was on the roof trying to put on new vent covers and I was inside helping her. I was on the bed. Then I jumped off and “fffft!!!” There was a pencil in my foot! I pulled it out pretty fast. I only saw it in my foot. Then I said, “MOM PLEASE COME NOW!!!” She was inside pretty quick. We looked on the Internet to see if there were any special things to do. It said “it’s just a pencil. It won’t kill you”. But the post that I like said “chicks like scars”. We put soap and water on it. Then I felt something stinging on the side of my foot. The pencil had gone through my foot! It went about an inch and a half through my foot. Here’s a picture of it like five hours after. – Caleb

We were in the mall when we found this little toy store. We went in. There was these cool stuffed animals. Then I found these cool Lord of the Rings and Hobbit games. Then I walked over and found a table top foose ball. It looked like this.

Me and my sister played each other. It was very fun! My mom said we could get it. So we bought it. Then we brought it back to are RV. Then I finished my school. After my school I started putting it together. Here’s a picture of the players.

-Caleb

Saturday night we had some last minute change of plans. We had to drive from Pocatello to Twin Falls where Brian was supposed to film in the late evening. We had planned to stay in Pocatello and Emily and I had been busy trying to make preparations for a nice Sunday and festive Saint Patty’s day.

We pulled in late to Twin Falla ID and a man was walking in the RV park. He stopped us and told us he thought our back tire (s) on the left were falling off. This was dismal news but we felt so grateful we were discovering such a thing while stopping. Another gentleman and Brian attempted to check it out in the dark and determined our tires were indeed loose.

Saint Patty’s day started with excitement. Leo the leprechaun had visited during the night leaving messages that made us all smile. Green shirts, which had been worn to bed to avoid midnight pinching, matched the green tablecloth, green plates and green pancakes.

While cooking pancakes I called Triple A. Things were looking good. We were thrilled when they arrived and found the tires to actually be intact and the tire cover only to be loose. We got ready for church and ended up in the ward building adjacent to the Idaho Falls Temple.

This whole time our traditional Sunday roast was slow cooking in the crockpot the yummy and familiar smells were helping us feel somewhat like it was Sunday and we loved it. After 2 hours of church we decided we better start driving since we had to make it to Boise that night. I thought we’d prepared the car for “take off” and I started driving to get us on the freeway. I notices the freeway entrance was on the opposite side than I would have expected and was busy looking to see how I might get over when I realized there was a red light right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes but realized quickly it was futile. There was no way the beast would stop. We were so blessed to cruise through the red light with no accidents!

The slamming of the brakes had caused large noise from the back of the RV and I could hear the family freaking out. The beloved family roast in the crockpot had not been secured properly and had flown across the RV throwing the cooked meat on the ground and splashing boiling dropping everywhere! Again I had to point out the miracle of the disaster – not one of the kids were touched by the boiling grease and the grease was lielterally everywhere except where they were. Jack was sleeping right in the line of fire and was specifically preserved.

I’ve been cleaning grease now for 2 days. If I didn’t have another “adventure” today I’d be starting to breath a sigh of relief. – Missy

After almost two full days on small highways we arrived in Farmington NM. It was so surprising to find a larger town like that in the middle of nowhere. We learned from locals that the town was there due to oil in the area.

The RV Park options were dismal. We had lots of good laughs reading the reviews but couldn’t pick our poison when it really came down to finding a place to stop. We were so tempted to try and move on but Moab was still 3 hours and we were too tired to feel safe driving. Luckily we settled on Mom and Pops RV.

We rolled in too late to really get a feel for the place but pop came out to meet us and made sure we knew water hook ups should be off at 10 or they’d freeze. We learned this lesson in Mississippi when we didn’t get a nice warning and woke up to frozen lines.

The next morning this kids and I went to meet Pop and check out what turned put to be the coolest display. Pop’s hobby is making small metal figures. He forms the model, heats the metal and then paints the figures. He’s constructed a whole city that is really detailed and SO cool to look through.

Here’s pop with the kids.

He was so nice to take the kids and teach them how he makes all his “toys”.

First you make the mold.

Then you heat the metal to at least 400 degrees. Up to 1,000 for small parts.

Then you pop them out and paint your army.

Pop gave each kids 2 complimentary figures. What a fun experience! Thanks Pops! – Missy

Mimi collected some moss in Georgia that she was determined to transplant to the heaven on Earth for moss, Portland OR. So for two weeks in our mini space I have babied along this moss which takes up a small part of the counter. Mimi explained to me that it’s not actually moss. Grandpa Rowley taught her it what it is but we can’t remember. We had a big disaster Sunday and the mods went flying through the car, got covered by boiling grease (more to come on that) and still seems to be going. Only 2 more days till Portland. Go Georgia moss – Heaven is close.

One night we were at Olive Garden while my mom and Mimi were shopping at Target. What I,well we, wanted is Lord of the Rings the Two Towers or Lord of the Rings 2 because we had already saw Lord of the Rings 1,the Felloship of the Ring. My mom texted us and it said,”I couldn’t find it”. Me and Nan,that’s what we call my sister Emily, were bummed. A few minutes later my mom texted us and said,”I fond them all three of them!!!”. We were so exited! We stayed up till min night watching Lord of the rings 2. I love remembering that night.

-Caleb

It was SO nice to Make it to Utah. We did a four day high speed journey from Georgia through Texas and then up from New Mexico to Utah. We really missed John, Kristine and kids as well as Scott and Jaime but were so glad to spent time with Mark, Jess, Emma, Ethan, Katie, New baby Blake, Grandma, and Great Grandma! I can’t believe I didn’t take any pictures of the fun! Lame!

I got to go to my favorite curriculum store – Love to Learn in Salem. We’re all hooked up with great reading and activities for the next several weeks.

We also got to spend an evening with our wonderful friends the Frandsens. We took the kids on a ride in the RV.

Amy even drove us! Go trucker woman!

Amazing Amy not only drives RV’s but is a great cook and filled our bellies with amazing creations. She inspired me to try and cook more on our voyage. Love great family and friends!!