Getting where we're going

Travel life is always full of surprises--some of them exciting and amazing, some them simply curious, and some of them not all that pleasant. On our way to El Colorado ski resort in Chile, I think we experienced all of them.

Since Uber doesn't exist in Argentina, and since all taxis in Mendoza are the exact same small size, we knew we needed to get two cabs to take us to the airport. What we didn't know was if we would find one available taxi, much less two. But to our delight, there were exactly two taxis waiting at the taxi stand near our house.

When we got to the airport and it was finally our turn in the check-in line, we found out there was some sort of computer glitch or problem that was preventing the airline from printing boarding passes and luggage tags. So, instead, the agent had to hand write each of our boarding passes and luggage tags, which was no fast process. It did serve as a good reminder to our kids of why we always plan to arrive at the airport so early, which they sometimes feel annoyed by.

Our long delay at check-in meant we didn't have to wait very long before they called for passengers of our flight to line up for boarding. But then we stood there for a good 30 minutes, long after our stated departure time, without any updates. Finally, we started boarding, though no other announcements were ever made. Whatever problem they were having also prevented them from scanning boarding passes (most of which had actually been printed), so they had to account for all of us on a manual roster. But eventually, we were all loaded up and made the one-hour flight, arriving at the exact time we left because of a time change.

Our first order of business was to load up on groceries to take out to the ski resort since we had heard there was only one little store on the mountain offering few choices at high prices. We called the largest Uber available, which stated it could comfortably seat six. But that apparently meant six smallish people without so much as a handbag. By the time we got our bags loaded, we were down to just five seats. We went ahead and crammed in for the short trip to the store, but then we had to figure out our next move for taking the hour-and-half drive up the mountain with our our newly purchased groceries added to our regular bags. Ultimately, we decided to just ride in two vehicles up the mountain.

When the first car arrived, the driver refused to take us up the mountain because he wasn't familiar with the road and didn't want to drive on it at night. So, we called a third car. But when the second vehicle arrived, it was a large minivan that could easily hold all of us, our groceries, and our bags. We cancelled the third car and headed up the mountain together.

Thirty minutes into our trip, the road was closed to ascending traffic and wouldn't reopen for a couple of hours. We had to head back to Santiago, and I was so thankful we had all ended up in the same vehicle because it would have been very difficult to coordinate so many moving parts in Spanish.

We weren't sure if we would be able to find another driver to take us up the mountain so late at night, and we thought we might have to stay in Santiago for the night and try again in the morning. But our sweet driver, who was himself a father of four (which is why he had the extra-large van), agreed to drop us off at a coffee shop and wait for us until time to go back up the mountain. He would only allow us to buy him a snack in compensation. He was such a lifesaver--just the right person at just the right time!

It was a wacky day with some crazy twists and turns, but we did finally make it to El Colorado, where Jeff and the kids will ski all week and I will entertain myself in whatever ways I can, which will likely include reading, writing, and warm beverages, since I was not cleared by my knee surgeon to ski on this trip. It is a beautiful place, and we are so glad to be here!

Flying in to Santiago

Leaving Santiago on our first trip up the mountain

Super Saturday

This is the first Saturday since late August that we haven't had a kid's sporting event to attend. We enjoyed sleeping in, and since we aren't all going to be together on Weston's birthday in a couple of weeks (or on his birthday party day a couple of weeks after that), we decided to go ahead and celebrate his birthday today. His main request was Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which we don't have in Flower Mound. So, the men headed over to Roanoke to pick up the doughnuts, while Ruth and I went to workout. (For me, this is working out in the very loosest sense of the word, but I'm thrilled to be cleared to do anything that even resembles exercising!)

All the doughnuts!

Later, we gave Weston his birthday gifts, which included tickets to the OU/TCU football game in Norman, OK this evening. He did not see this coming and was thrilled about every part of it: football, TCU, two top-ten teams, going to another state for the game, and the fact that it was happening this very day. It was awesome to watch his face light up! I just love to give gifts that truly make the recipient happy! And, experience gifts are the best!

A new "Saturday shirt"

I can't tell you how happy this face makes me!

After that excitement, we headed over to Denton for the Pistons and Paint Car Show. It was so fun to see so many cool cars! But our favorite part was seeing Junior Brown, who is one of our all-time favorite musicians, perform live. Jeff and I have been trying to catch him live for more than a decade, but it just never worked out until today.

Max's favorite!

Clay asked several times how someone could get up in this

Weston's dream vehicle

I loved the pink Cadillac!

Junior Brown doing his thing

When we left the car show, Jeff and Weston took off for Oklahoma, and the rest of us came home for Clay's first Star Wars movie viewing. For all the other kids, we had decided they could see the movies when they turned seven, but since the new movie is coming out in December, the older kids voted unanimously to let Clay into the Star Wars Club at 6 1/2. And, they want him to get all caught up with the previous movies before the new one hits theaters next month. Clay was ecstatic!

The last thing on our Super Saturday agenda is tacos from Taco Ocho, and you can't ever go wrong with that! I'm so thankful for this happy day and the time spent with my people doing things that make us smile. 

More fun in Vegas

Yesterday was a full and fun day in Vegas. We started at the MGM and then hit the M&M store, where we ate some mega M&Ms (about twice the size of regular ones) and watched a 3D movie about Red and Yellow's adventure in Vegas. We even saw Red in person as we were leaving the store. Then, we moved down The Strip to Paris and the Bellagio. We were disappointed that the famous Bellagio conservatory was closed while they transition from the spring display to the summer one. But, we were still thrilled with the huge chocolate fountain and the flower display in the registration area. Searching for quality Italian food, we ended up in New York New York for lunch and then popped into Excalibur to work on show tickets. Later, we walked back down to the Bellagio to watch the dancing fountains and then wandered through The Cosmopolitan and Aria. Eventually, we made it all the way down to Treasure Island, which is essentially at the complete other end of The Strip from where we are staying. But, we had to go there so we could see Mystere, an amazing Cirque du Soleil show. When the show was over, we headed next door to see the volcano erupt at The Mirage. By the time that was over, we were beat and called an Uber to take us back to our hotel.

MGM

Max and Red

Paris

Bellagio Chocolate Fountain

The dancing fountains

No words to describe how
awesome this show is!

Erupting Volcano

Today started with a fantastic brunch at The Wynn. Then, we visited Circus Circus. After that, we decided to head back to the hotel to spend some time at the pool and take care of a few items of business before heading out tomorrow. Tonight, we saw the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur, which our little knight was especially excited about. Afterwards, we took a limo ride down The Strip, because it seemed like the thing to do while we were here in Vegas. We have had full days and have walked our legs off in 100+ degree heat these last few days, but we have had a blast!

Moving floral carousel in The Wynn

Circus Circus

We were the only family to bring
its own knight to the tournament.

Happy to support the king of France

Surprise limo ride after the show

From Colorado to Texas and back again

Yesterday, we drove from Colorado to Texas so we could pay a visit to the DPS office this morning and pick up a very important piece of paper. The lady in the office was blown away by Ruth's organization and couldn't believe she had all the necessary paperwork. She said she thought it was the first time in the history of the county that someone actually got their permit on the first try. Today, we turned around and drove back to Colorado, because we're a little crazy like that. But, our new driver did get some time behind the wheel, so that was pretty exciting. We are now at one of the best KOAs ever, just outside of Durango.

Apparently, Texas was glad to see us!

This is how younger brothers wait on big sister

She's official!

Not everyone is lucky enough to do their
beginning driving in a beauty like this!

Lunch in New Mexico, Christmas style

The Caboose Cafe and Pavilion at our KOA

Pizza and a movie under the pavilion

Breakfast in Arkansas, Dinner in Missouri

We got a nice early start leaving OK this morning and drove through the rain for a couple of hours until we got to Granny's Kitchen in Huntsville, AR, where we stopped for a delicious breakfast. The menu offered traditional homemade Southern favorites and a few surprises, like biscuits covered in chocolate gravy, which we had to try. The dish was essentially homemade biscuits topped with homemade chocolate pie filling, and, while it was tasty, it was a bit too rich and sweet for most of our group.

Granny's Kitchen

After breakfast, we drove through the rain for another hour and a half to our destination: Branson, MO. We arrived at our campground early, but they had our spot ready and allowed us to go ahead and check in. We were all desperate for a shower, since we had missed the last couple of rounds, due to unusual travel circumstances, and we all felt more alive and ready to explore when that little bit of business was taken care of. Plus, we were really ready to stretch our legs, and the rain had stopped, so we set off on foot to see what the town of Branson had to offer. I can tell you, it has plenty to offer, and each attraction is a little more wacky than the last. Our wanderings brought us through the kitschy town and dumped us out at Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area, where we got to experience a beautiful hike. It was my favorite part of the day! Our eventual goal was to make it over to the Dixie Stampede dinner show. Everything, from visiting the stables, to the bluegrass band pre-show, to the amazing horse riding, to the dorky humor, to the efficient food service, was so much fun! We loved every minute! Afterwards, we walked the two miles back to our campground and settled in for some playground time and a mean game of Skip Bo before bed.

Kitschy Branson

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area

The Dixie Stampede

Skip Bo

Play-by-play of this crazy day

I loaded up the three oldest kids this morning around 8:20 to take them over to Grapevine for their end-of-year testing. By 9:00, I had gotten them all dropped off at the testing location and signed into their classrooms, at which point I headed over to Southlake to look for birthday party supplies and a replacement pair of travel shoes. At 11:30, I headed back to the house (in Flower Mound) to pick up Jeff and Clay, who had been working on some math lessons and playing at two different playgrounds while I was away. They were waiting for me when I pulled into the driveway and immediately hopped in the car so we could go pick up the other kids at the testing location. The last test ended around 1:30, and we headed over to Carrollton to celebrate Jeff's half-birthday at Gen Korean BBQ House, a fun Asian eatery where you can cook a variety of interesting meats and veggies at your table. We finished up our party around 4:00. Then, Jeff dropped Ruth and I off at a mall in Lewisville to do a little shopping for fancy dresses for our upcoming cruise, while he took the boys to various sports practices (in Flower Mound). Jeff picked us up around 6:30, and off we went to pick up Weston from football practice by 7:00. After that, we stopped by the house for five minutes, so Weston could shower, before making our way to the baseball field for Max's 7:45 game. We left the field at 9:30 and rushed home to get everyone to bed, because we were all completely exhausted. We put about 112 miles on the car today, without ever getting more than 20 miles from our house. I guess we could consider this a warm-up for our upcoming road trip!

Half-birthday party at Gen Korean BBQ House

Giant ice cream-filled macarons for dessert

Even ninja turtles can get tired on a day like today

Favorites on the First

My nails (on both feet and hands) are a disaster.
This cuticle cream helps more than anything else. And, it smells like dessert!

I thought about featuring one oil or oil blend, but it was too hard to choose!
I love all my oils, but right now I'm especially loving Breathe oil and drops,
OnGuard oil, drops and toothpaste, Frankincense oil, Correct X ointment,
Lemon oil, and Serenity blend. Click the link to find out more about essential oils.

Most cleaners overwhelm me and some even give me a headache,
but this one smells heavenly and actually makes cleaning enjoyable. 

We absolutely love our 2016 Honda Pilot,
which is the first truly new car we've bought since we've had kids.! 

I thought it was a little ridiculous when we jumped on the Instant Pot
bandwagon on Black Friday, but I have to tell you, this little piece of
equipment is pretty awesome. In fact, it's kind of a game-changer. 

This is one of the things keeping my brain from turning to mush right now.
Es muy bueno.

At almost any time of the day, you can find myself or one of my family
members plopped down in the Seat of Happiness. 

These flip-flops are super comfortable, and the two-pack means instant variety.

Music: getting me through the endless meal prep that goes on around here.

Max and Clay are thoroughly enjoying the Around the World Stories.
They eagerly wait for new ones and sit entranced through each episode.
These stories are a good way to travel the world when you can't travel the world. 

Universal Studios: Day Two

On our second day at Universal, we ventured outside of Harry Potter World. Ruth and Weston rode their favorite ride, The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, over and over, while the younger guys split their time between the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster and the Curious George splash park and ball room. Later, we all met up again to explore some other parts of the park. Somewhere between Woody Woodpecker Kidzone and Springfield U.S.A. we lost a child for a heart-stopping 10 minutes. When he was found, it was definitely time for a drink at Moe's (from the Simpsons). Then it was on to Seuss Landing for some very silly fun. The day ended with several water rides and dinner at a wonderful Italian place at Universal CityWalk.

Max and Clay were thrilled to see a real live transformer

Clay and Sponge Bob shared a moment

Clay and Max's favorite ride was the Woody Woodpecker ride,
and they rode it over and over and over. 

Curious George's splash town was a big hit with the younger guys

Max and Clay wanted to spend most of their time in the enormous ball room

About the time we stopped to look at these Back to the Future relics
was when we discovered Clay was no longer with us.
I was definitely wishing I could go back in time by about 10 minutes!

Duff's Brewery and drinks at Moe's

Fun at Seuss Landing

Ending the day with a splash
(and then stepping into the people dryer)