Road Trip Day Two - Fredericksburg to S. Padre

We left Fredericksburg by 6, so there weren't very many people driving in town. Gabriel shouted out at one point, "They are all going to work, and we are going to the beach!" Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

We had hoped the boys would fall back to sleep in the car, but they were just really grumpy. It was such a relief for all of us to reach San Antonio and go to breakfast at Taco Cabana. We sat on the patio and just let the boys run in the completely fenced off area while we enjoyed our breakfast tacos. It was at that stop that I realized that THIS is the way to travel on a long trip with kids. Just make sure they have some time to run around every two hours or so and they'll stay happy in the car.

One of the things I always look forward to on road trips is stopping for Chai at Starbucks. I don't usually treat myself at home because of time and expense. After breakfast Jav was sure we'd still see that beacon of a green and white sign while driving on the outskirts of San Antonio. After the houses started getting farther and farther apart, I gave him my Kevin face to let him know that I was worried he had been wrong. (Kevin, Steve Martin's oldest child in Parenthood, has anxiety issues and has this tormented look that he gets when his anxiousness reaches a peak level.) Finally we are driving through farmland again (thankfully, green farmland, making us think they had more rain between San Antonio and Corpus). But no Starbucks. Then through the outskirts of Corpus, where there are some really busy, fast food restaurant-filled exits, where Jav was certain there was a Starbucks. Nope. That was when my dream of Chai died.

We stopped at McDonald's for lunch, and they had a really cool play area with these giant instruments:

We hung out for an hour and a half. Plenty of stretch-your-legs time.

It was between Corpus and Harlingen that Jav saw a huge orange and white bird fly right over the car. We determined later that it was a falcon. After the turn-off for Padre the trip really starts to liven up again. Jav and I had our annual argument over how long that stretch of the trip is. I thought it was around two hours, but he claimed it was only 45 minutes or so. He was right. (Man, does it seem longer!!!!) Gabriel loved going past the giant souvenir shop with the life-sized dinosaurs out front. The owners have now added a giant King Kong in the back. Somewhere on this stretch Joel, having exhausted all of his toys and patience, just yelled out his scariest roar sound out of pure boredom. The rest of us almost came out of the car!

Gabriel also surprised us by asking if "everyone else" would be there when we got to our room at the beach. We asked what he meant, and realized why he was confused. We had told him that we weren't going to have his big birthday party the weekend after his actual birthday because we were going to the beach instead. He thought that everyone we were inviting to the party was now joining us at the beach! He didn't seem too disappointed, though, when we told him it was just going to be the four of us. When we started across the giant bridge to the island, a pelican flew out of nowhere and we ended up following him all the way across the bridge. It was as if he was welcoming us back!

After we unpacked the car, we headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week. After all that shopping we were hungry so we brought dinner back, ate, and then headed out to the beach. The temps for the first four days of our trip hovered around the upper 90's (ugh) still. So after dinner was a perfect time to go. Gabriel was so very excited to say hello to the ocean again. Joel wasn't sure. He would get really nervous and shake all over every time he could feel the undertow tugging him back out to sea.

We went back to the room and everyone slept really well. Even though I get nervous about it, I usually end up loving all of us sleeping in the same room. It's just so cozy and safe-feeling.

Road Trip Day 1 - Fredericksburg

We left Saturday morning by 7. I had wanted to leave by 5, but my body just wouldn't let that happen. We weren't but 8 blocks or so away from the house when Gabriel shouted out, "This is a fun trip, isn't it?" So funny. We stopped for our only big breakfast of the trip twenty minutes from home in Burleson to eat at Denny's. The kids don't really eat breakfast other than yogurt, waffles, bananas and dry cereal, and were bored before we even got our food. We realized that it wasn't worth the stress of trying to entertain them while we waited, but at least it tasted good for the five minutes that we were inhaling our food! When leaving, Jav took Gabriel to the bathroom and when they pushed the lever to flush, water started spraying all over Gabriel. He was literally soaked when Jav brought him back to the car. I know when I want to stay fresh and clean, a Denny's toilet shower is just the thing. So icky. We changed his clothes, washed his hands, and were on our way. What're you gonna do? It's a road trip!

We slowly made our way south, stopping to let Joel run (literally RUN) at certain gas station/convenience store stops that had big parking lots. One in Meridian has a particularly pretty field with a view and an almost vacant lot next to it. Perfect for standing far apart and letting Joel and Gabriel take turns running to us. They finally both fell asleep twenty minutes from our destination, of course.

A sideways shot of what I looked like most of the trip. I drove a little on the way home. More about that later. The thing I was dreading about this trip was having to see my beautiful state of Texas after falling victim to a drought for the last year. I tried to prepare myself, but it's just so awful actually seeing it compared to imagining. The Hill Country is supposed to be the hardest hit area other than West Texas. We saw no water in creeks, streams or tanks. Nothing. The Brazos was so far down I think you could have waded across at some points. The vultures appeared to be thriving, however.

And here is the reason for our sideways detour to Fredericksburg, minus a few people. This is my Uncle Robert and Aunt Lou. He is the last surviving sibling of my grandmother. We spent many fun summer trips to Fredericksburg staying with them, in the same house they are in today. He turned 90 this year, she is 88. They are both in excellent mental shape. Uncle Robert has some pretty severe physical things going on, especially affecting his circulation in his legs. He can barely get around, which just kills me to see because he was always so active. He played in amateur tennis leagues up into his 70's. He has a somewhat strong hint of a German accent, which I love to hear. She bakes, and is the one who made the homemade brown bread that I've written about before. They are such sweet, sweet people and I want to take every chance I can to visit them.

I'm so glad my boys have met them and heard my stories. Gabriel will remember them. I'm not sure about Joel. One neat thing that happened was that Jav had to take them in the backyard for a little while because Joel was going crazy. When they came back in Gabriel had counted the cement stepping stones, and I told him that was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. My cousin Laurie (their oldest daughter) visited for a short time also.

This picture means SO much to me. It's the oldest member of my family with the youngest. I get really sad sometimes that my grandparents never got to meet my boys, and vice versa. This is the next best thing.

Jo Jo and Daddy. The boys loved motel life. Eating in the same room we slept in, two TV's and one of them almost always on. Heaven! One of the strangest memories I'll have of that first day was just before going out for dinner we happened to catch Bye, Bye Birdie about halfway through on one of the movie channels. We'd never seen it, but were curious about it because of Ann-Margaret's song from I guess the beginning of the movie. It figured heavily in one of the Mad Men episodes, so we sat down to watch a little of it. Excuse me, kids, but What The Hell? Is it supposed to be funny? Does anyone from the town realized that their Idol can't really sing? We just didn't get it. Dick Van Dyke was slightly entertaining, but that was it!

We decided to drive by the Herb Farm where we got married, even though it was closed to visitors other than Bed and Breakfast customers. I wish we hadn't decided to do that. I was devastated to see what the new owners have done to the place. The entire wildflower field that used to have the big windmill in the middle is gone. The space where we had our ceremony is gone. The only garden with herbs growing in it left is the one by the storefront next to the parking lot. Every inch of space is covered with a tiny bungalow type bed and breakfast. The windmill sits in the center of all the buildings. So wrong. The bungalows are so close together you don't have any privacy.

When Gabriel was 6 months old or so, we took him there and took pictures of each of us holding him at our favorite spots, and had hoped to do the same with Joel. We had even entertained the idea of hiring our photographer, who lives in Fredericksburg, to take some pics of all of us there. Now we never will get to do any of those things, and that thought made me start bawling in the car. Sometimes I hate change, especially when the changes RUIN someplace that really had a special spark.

And that ends Day One. Tired. Bed. Sleep.

Road trip blues

A couple of months ago I began suffering from Road Trip Blues. We did not have an opportunity to go on vacation all summer, and the day-in, day-out routine was wearing me down day by day. I got a craving for traveling somewhere, anywhere. I didn't care where we went, as long as we were moving farther and farther away from that humdrum routine.

I started daydreaming about road trips taken as a kid with my family, and all the little things that made them memorable.

Big breakfasts. I used to be a big breakfast every day kind of girl, but middle age metabolism and healthier habits have reduced my breakfasts. But on vacation, I want to eat at least one HUGE breakfast. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits. Don't care how many calories or what the fat content is. Bring it on.

To continue the breakfast theme, my grandparents would always stop at a diner in Hamilton, TX (which is about halfway to Fredericksburg), to have coffee for them and cokes for us. We would also all split a gigantic cinnamon roll, which I remember being the best thing I'd ever eaten. Sadly, the place isn't there anymore.

Two more places that we used to stop with my parents don't exist anymore either: Stuckey's and Nickerson Farms. One had a red roof and one a blue. We would sometimes stop for lunch, or sometimes just to explore all the chotchkies on sale next to the restaurant. Matching sheep salt and pepper shakers, tons of items with chickens on them, those fascinating things that Moo when you turn them upside down, crossword puzzle and coloring books. My brother and I had our favorite items: the quiz books that came with a magic pen that uncovered the answer when you swooped it across the page. Those books would keep us occupied all the way to Colorado.

Later on, as a solo adult traveler, I became enchanted with road trip mix tapes, cheesy local radio stations, and fountain diet cokes (they taste better while on the road, I swear). And these days, as a passenger with kid/s in the backseat, I love sleeping in the car (sleeping ANYWHERE) and reading more than three pages of a book at one time.

All of these things were flying around my head, but I didn't think anything would come of my daydreaming. But then, Jav told me we may have sold the condo, and a contract was pending, and we started talking dates and could we do it? We didn't have a for-sure close date, and were hesitant about planning a trip when we didn't know the sale would go through. But then Jav started talking "Sea World" on the way home, and he had me. I was going to get my road trip after all! More to come.

Soccer!

Gabriel surrounded by his teammates, Nicholas, Ethan, Josiah and Jonathan, and in front of his coaches, Coach Ryan and Coach Allie.
Game face: Go sharks!

Gabriel started soccer a month ago. Jav and I have always looked forward to the day we could stand on the sidelines and cheer on that boy at something. Gabriel had a skills class in soccer back in April and May, so we thought it would be a good sport to start out with. We signed up at the Y, which I love because of the diversity of kids and parents. His coaches are two cute TCU sophomores, Ryan and Allie. At first I thought they would never figure out how to coach this age, but they seem to be figuring it out pretty well now. The first few games were a challenge to keep them headed towards the right goal. Luckily the refs have decided to let them play for the same goal the entire game.

The challenge for me has been to keep my mouth shut. It's been waaaaaayyyyy tougher than I expected to see other kids running faster and trying harder than my kid. It's really hard to not nag at him to try harder or fun faster. Sometimes we just can't help it, but when we slip up like that he seems to slump even more into himself and completely stop paying attention to the game. I have to remind myself that he just turned five, this is his first sports experience, and I don't want him to get a bad taste for it this early. I told him I wanted him to have three goals every time he plays:1) listen to the coaches and play for your team. 2) Do your best, and c) Have fun! We were having a little trouble with that second requirement. Then we missed the week we went to the beach, and were concerned that he would be even more disinterested when we got back. We took the soccer ball on the trip, but the only taker Jav had for kicking it on the beach was Joel, who played with Daddy for about 20 minutes.

Something that DOES seem to help Gabriel is getting him outside in our backyard to practice. Not just kicking the soccer ball or stopping it, but running. We play a strange version of Duck, Duck, Goose and chase each other all over the yard. I think it's really building up his stamina. Tuesday he had a much better practice, and was laughing and having fun the whole hour.

We were really thrown for a loop today, however, when Coach Ryan asked if Gabriel would play for the opposing team. They only had three players show up and if he didn't switch teams the game would be forfeited, which of course no one wanted. Coach Ryan seemed to think that Gabriel could handle it over all the other players, which surprised me because of Gabriel's previous lack of focus. But I talked to him and explained that we really needed him to help out the other team, changed his jersey from red to blue, and sent him over to the other team's coaches. They were so sweet and applauded him. I ended up being the confused one, because I wanted to cheer him on, but also wanted to cheer for the Sharks. The other parents said they would forgive me this one day.

Well, I've got to hand it to Gabriel. I'm not sure if he was playing well to impress his Tia, Tita and Tito, who were sweet enough to come to the game, or if he just all of a sudden "got" it. He was totally into the game for the first three quarters. He not only was running after the ball or the group of kids around the ball, he finally was not afraid to try and take it away from another kid. Of course, the first goal he scored EVER was for the wrong team. But then he had a great assist, and once took the ball all the way down the field only to miss getting a goal by inches. The fourth quarter he was just plain tired (they all were, with no available subs to come in for them). He stopped watching the ball and was just running wherever the wind took him, and talked with his original teammates. But that didn't matter. We were SO proud of him.