Grab the Kleenex and head to the Car!

Some things we're really going to miss!

New Friends - Spencer and his adoring fans
Milah and Mitchell

Garden of the Gods

Snow Days

Old friends . . . Toby, Patty, and Scott graduated from High School together and Scott and Toby started school together in the 1st grade! They live in CO and we are really going to miss them!

Packing Makes us Crazy!

Katie and Sten

Beautiful Pikes Peak . . .

New Friends . . . are these boys from CO or Minnesota? We had a potluck last night to say goodbye to our good friends that we've had the pleasure to meet while in CO. It's hard to imagine how attached you become in just a little while. We will miss you!!

Goodbye to District 20

The kids were fortunate to attend awesome schools while we lived in Colorado. It will be an adjustment to go back to their small schools, but they are excited to see their friends.

Skate Night Fun!

We discovered that Maren's swim teacher also teaches ice skating, so I had signed the girls up for some lessons in the month of January. (Sten didn't want to take them - I think he was nervous that he'd have to wear a sequined suit). Since we will be leaving, they only got to go to one lesson, but they had a blast. It was during a free skate time, so Sten was skating too-

Milah brought her friend, Cece


Old Pals from way back, Maren and Susie

Maren LOVED ice skating. She had a gigantic grin on her face, especially when she discovered the "bucket aids". She was just screaming around the rink as if it was a speed track - laughing the whole way. After her first round, she came up to the stands with a bit of a bummed look and said "I wish I could do that again!" When we told her she could go around as many times as she wanted, she raced down to grab her little stack of buckets and she was off!

We're Hitting the Oregon Trail

On Monday, Scott received news that he was losing his job. Soooo, we are returning home. We are in the midst of packing boxes, and we had a moving sale today. The weather was not too yard -sale -ish as it was blowing and snowing, but we did get rid of quite a few things. We have discovered that Scott runs a mean yard sale . . . I was bargaining with people and he gave me more than one dirty look across the crowded garage.

Our former babysitter and neighbor, Susie, flew from San Diego to help us with this monumental project. She had the week off before starting the new term, and volunteered (crazy person) to come to Colorado and work like a dog. We certainly didn't turn down her offer of assistance, and we will forever owe her a VERY BIG favor - thanks Susie!

Ahhh, our own beds!

We've arrived safely home and I should really take a picture of our living room since we have emptied the entire contents of the camper on the floor. Our poor laundry room is going to get some abuse tomorrow. I didn't do so well at taking pictures the last few days - but I am putting my poet's hat on and will try to tell you about it soon. We went 4300 miles and visited 11 states. We could've spent much longer at each place, but it just gives us something to look forward to . . .

We're certainly not NASCAR fans, but this famous speedway was just off the freeway in Alabama. The facility is immense, and Scott was amazed at all the portable toilets stacked, ready for use. We actually HAD to take pictures of portable toilets, but I'll spare you the excitement. Apparently it can hold 145,000+ people. Not my idea of a fun way to spend the weekend - sitting on hard bleachers with thousands of other people watching loud cars go in circles for hours.

Mrs. Johnson - piled with urchins - her favorite thing.


Mr. Johnson - cleaning his residence. Nice digs for an RV pad at the landfill!


Mark and "his" Shelly
Maren didn't believe that "our" Shelly even knew Mark. And she really didn't believe that Shelly had babysat Mark when he was younger.

Tanner and Conner

Sunset on the Atlantic?! Yes - at Hilton Head, SC

Piggly Wiggly

Because we're fans of Jeff Foxworthy - we had to visit a Piggly Wiggly and of course, we purchased a souvenir bag to take to our high -styling King Sooper grocery store at home. We are celebrating New Year's Eve with Johnsons in Evans GA, a suburb of Augusta. We had a great time at Hilton Head SC, and are now beginning our trek West. Happy New Years to Ya'll!

Creepy Cheapy Sleepy Hollow

Traveling on I-10 through the panhandle of Florida - we decided it was time to find a spot for the night. We landed in Madison well past dark, and found our spot at an obviously run down looking facility. It was just a place to catch a few zzz's and hit the freeway in the morning so we weren't too picky. Just as we were drifting off to sleep, we heard some coyotes howling in the not too distant. When daylight broke and revealed our neighbors, we were relieved that we had lived through the night as others had obviously not faired as well. The surrounding trees are covered in Spanish Moss, which add to the creepy look. We decided that this RV park had a Bad Sam rating - wouldn't recommend it!!!

Beach Bum'n

Family of five featuring the wind-blown look

It's a small world . . . someone that works in this RV park in Destin FL graduated from Sweet Home High School with Scott. They saw our address on the registration, and came to introduce themselves.

We've discovered that Maren is a whiz at concentration/memory. She has whooped (southern for whipped) us all at it several times. The worst part is she really celebrates her victories and it is most humbling to lose to a 5 year old. I was giving her hints at first, but I quit after she beat me for the 3rd time.

We're not too sure who this angelic little girl is, but decided we'd better snap a picture.

Our personal sand groomer. Not one to laze around on a beach, Sten decided to beautify our stretch of beach with his contraption. Patent Pending.

What trip to the beach would be complete without burying a family member? Look at that big grin on Milah's face!

Holiday Greetings - Florida Style!

No shoes, No Shirt, No Problem . . .

Yes, we're experiencing a white Christmas, Gulf style.

Louisiana and Beyond . . .

We have determined that the official shoe of Louisiana is the rubber boot. There is water and mud everywhere. Many people store their rubber boots upside down between the cab of their truck and the bed.

This character is a friend of Mr. Johnsons (our family friend). After Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Johnson spent several months, helping where needed. He happened by this man's neighborhood called the Irish Bayou with some extra food. Apparently about the time Mr. Johnson showed up, poor Gene had lost 30 lbs and he was hungry! We enjoyed his stories of alligators and hurricane damage. Mr. Johnson definitely made a friend for life with his generosity. He sends warm greetings to the Johnsons. He is pictured with his wife, Vivian -

We drove through some of the areas that were most devastated by the hurricane damage, and it is quite sobering. There is nothing left, but a few snapped trees, and concrete staircases or bits of foundation. And . . . the destruction goes on for miles. A little further in, entire apartment complexes and shopping centers are completely abandoned and boarded up. It has been 3 yrs since the disaster, but it doesn't look like some places will ever return to normal?!

Due to the high water table, the cemetaries are vault style rather than grave style, like we're used to seeing. The high water table is obvious with water EVERYWHERE! Makes one a little leary that every puddle of water could potentially be home to an alligator.

We found a restaurant called, "Mila". We didn't choose to dine here, as their menu looked a little too adventurous for our taste buds. We did try alligator soup for dinner at the seafood place we chose.

After walking for about 4 miles, we gave our tired legs a break and hopped on this trolley down St. Charles Street.

We enjoyed the French Quarter and surrounding areas. Everything looks just like the pictures . . . but it was really neat to be walking down the streets - ones that could tell many stories, I'm certain! I can't imagine how crazy it must be during Mardi Gras - not something I would care to experience.

YES! The famous Bourbon Street! We need the help of our French speaking relatives to pronounce some of the street names as I'm sure we are slaughtering the beautiful French language.

Scott and the kids on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain

Rednecks on the Road

Here's the latest (and I hope nearly final) addition to our camping equipment. Scott whipped us up some steaks in the "Big Easy" tonight. We've traveled about 1200 miles since leaving at noon on Saturday. We are nestled up to the I-10 freeway in downtown New Orleans, so this will prove to be an eventful night. I guess if you have to sleep under an overpass, this is the best way to do it.

Our first night was fairly restless. We stayed in the little town of Dalhart Texas, where we determined that EVERY train in Texas rambled through during the night. Not only did they buzz just behind the RV park, but they must've had a whistle blowing contest as they were passing thru the little burg.

We are feeling like we should've shown our passports when we came into Lousiana. Scott came from the gas station with a puzzled look on his face after asking the attendent some simple directions. He shook his head and said, "I didn't understand a single thing she said?!"

We are planning to head to the French Quarter and surrounding areas tomorrow. One of the things we "have" to eat is some kind-of donut/pastry that has a plastic baby baked into it. If you get the baby in your bite - you have good luck for the next year. I don't think we'll let Sten take any bites, as he has a history of getting things stuck in his throat.

We're Off!

Our pages are dog-eared, and we've exhausted one of our favorite websites, Trip Advisor. We're off on an adventure tomorrow - with stops planned in Dallas, New Orleans, Destin FL, Hilton Head and Charleston SC, Augusta GA, and home through OK City. We are very excited about the stop along the beach in Florida - apparently the beaches are some of the best with white sand and clear blue/green water. They are having 80 degree weather right now, but I don't think it's supposed to stay that nice. Our camper is neatly packed and looking quite organized - somehow it's difficult to maintain with all of us rooting around in there. I suppose after 2 weeks of togetherness and over 3000 miles in such small quarters, we'll come home and promptly set it on fire in the driveway.

Vegetarians, Hide your Eyes!

At Scott's office Xmas party, he offered to bring a ham. A 25 lb ham - we cooked it on 300 all night and about 4 in the morning, the smell was divine. I wanted to beat on my chest and come sink my teeth into this big porker like a starving savage. Grunt Grrr Grunt!

Maybe the voracious appetite is due to our previous diet of late. Hmmm, vanilla pudding and immodium - with a banana, grape juice or popsicle thrown in as our systems could handle.

M-MMM, Good

We've been a little under the weather at this house and we had "worker/family" company this weekend as Kim F was here. I have never fed the workers top ramen, but Milah offered to cook and none of us complained. Kim wasn't feeling too good either, so a cup of hot soup was just what she ordered.

Overworked and Underpayed

So, Maren (the 5 year old) has 3 household jobs, besides attempting to clean her room. One is putting a new garbage bag in the trash when necessary, one is feeding the dog, and the last is unwrapping and placing a dishwasher tab in the dishwasher. After one such chore - she stood with her arms folded across her chest and informed me that she "does all the work around here"! Hmmmph.

Papa, Nana and Shelly arrive!

The Gang's All here!

We tried a new restaurant tonight and Sten would really like to dine there every night, but it's definitely not in the budget. It looks like we are standing in a giant pizza oven, or are the guests at a castle. The poor California girl is freezing here in Colorado.

Milah and Aunt Shelly

Leslie, Shelly and Milah

Milah anxiously awaiting their arrival this afternoon