Sagez get together

This was the first time that we have all been able to get together since Ben left. To make it easier to get together, it was made in a central location and done very low-key. We planned to meet up at the new park across from Smith and Edwards. We would each bring our own dinner and then we'd visit and play at the park. The kids were really excited when I told them we'd be going back to the "zip line" park. With the plus of being able to play with their cousins.

On the way there, the kids asked for McDonald's. I knew they would eat it, so that what we did. After getting our dinner we headed to the park. We were the first ones there, so I told the kids they could either eat their food while it was hot or they could go play and wait till everyone got there to eat. They of course wanted to go play. I choose differently than them. I pulled my chicken nuggets our and started to eat. I don't think they taste very good when they are cold.

Luckily the kids didn't have to wait too long. Within about 15 of our arrival, everyone else was there. I called the kids over and everyone started eating. Once the kids were all done, they all ran off to play. They were all over the place too. They were showing their cousins all the cool things that you could do at this park. I have no idea if they had been there before, but our kids didn't care, they were still going to give them the tour. The best part was that they were able to play like no time has passed. It's not very often that they get to see these cousins, so when they do, they love it and take in every minute of it.

While they played the adults sat and visited. We caught up on everything that had happened since we saw each other last. We were even able to play a few yard games ourselves, not much though. Not everyone wanted to play. The majority of the adult game time was spent on the playground playing with the kids.

While playing on the playground with the kids, I heard a gasp and frantic yelling for Brian. I wasn't sure what was going on and then I turned around and saw Amanda on the ground. She had fainted on her way to the garbage can. We have no idea why and she seemed fine after getting up a few minutes later. We were all just glad she was okay. Needless to say after that, our time together came to an end. Brian and Karen took Amanda and her car home and the rest of us did the same.

Colors

It always made me laugh when Owen would line up his cars and have them all facing the same way. If you'd turn one around when he wasn't looking he'd quickly notice it and turn it around to match the others. I thought this was just something that he did. Little did I know it would be passed down to William as well. 

This particular time William divided them into colors. This was pretty impressive. I think Owen helped him, but together or not they pulled out almost all of the cars and put them in groups of colors. They didn't say why, just that that's how it was meant to be. I then asked them what the cars were in the circle. They were the fire and police vehicles. That was their parking garage and where they waited before going out on a call. I smiled and left them too it.

T-shirts

For the last few days I have been helping Taycina make t-shirts. She has an Etsy store and through there and by word of mouth she has been asked to fill orders. In one week she had several orders with 15 or more shirts. She also had a timeline to stick to, which meant she needed a little help. She told me that if I would be willing to help, she'd even make some for me at not cost. Well I had to buy the shirts, but the material to press on them she wouldn't charge me. I thought that was rather fair and told her I would love to help.

It took us a total of 3 days for us to get the orders done that she had. Well not 3 complete days, but I went over there 3 different days and we worked on them a few hours each. It's time consuming. Once she had the design printed we have to do what's called "weeding". I don't know that actual crafting definition, but we had to take off the unwanted portion of the material so we only pressed the wanted portion. In no time at all, we got into a grove and it was moving rather quickly. We got the shirts done a lot faster than she thought we would and then told me that she was ready to design mine.

We have our big trips coming up, Vacation with Mom and Dad and our Disneyland trip with the Bodily's, and I wanted some shirts that we could wear to the amusement parks that we would be attending. We looked online for some ideas and came up with some pretty fun stuff.

Each of the kids got to design a Lego head that best described them to go on yellow shirts for Legoland. Then Taycina had a fun print that she purchased a while ago with silhouettes of Disney characters in the shape of Mickey and Minnie Mouse heads to go on red shirts for when we go to Disneyland. Then last but not least, she made me a fun graphic t-shirt just for fun. I originally ordered for my Disneyland shirt, but didn't match the rest of the red shirts I had purchased, so she said we could put something else on it. I love the saying we came up with and it totally fits. All in all, it has been a blast helping her and I would love to help her again. Not to mention we made some awesome shirts that I can't wait to wear.

Dance

Gabbi has been utilizing her punch pass for dance. She really seems to be enjoying herself and has been able to pick it up from where she left off. Her teachers have also told me how well she is doing too, despite being the youngest in some of the classes that she has attended.

This particular video is from a Contemporary class where she was the not only the youngest, but the smallest and least experienced. I thought she did pretty good keeping up.

Texas trip day 8

In the morning, I didn't rush the kids. I had no idea how long they would take with the van. I wasn't even sure when the part would even get there. So once the kids were up and dressed, we headed downstairs for breakfast. The kids ate more this morning than they did yesterday. I guess last night's dinner didn't really fill their bellies very well. When they were finally done eating we went back upstairs to the room and waited for the van to be finished.

2 hours later my phone finally rang. Sadly it was just Ben. He was asking how we were doing this morning and if we were on the road yet. I told him no, that I hadn't heard from them yet. We didn't talk very long, since he was busy with work, but I told him I would let him know when we were finally in position of the van and back on the road. After hanging up with him it was another 45 minutes before it rang again. Just in time to, it was almost check out time. They were calling me to let me know that they were done and that they were sending the courtesy van to pick us up. I smiled inside and said thank you. After hanging up with them, I told the kids to grab their stuff, it was time to head home. They all cheered.

We went downstairs to check out. I again expressed my thanks to the manager for helping us out with the room. I then paid our bill and we all went outside to wait for our ride. We waited about 20 minutes, but when our ride finally got there, we all got in and headed back to the repair shop. Once there, I again forked out more money and paid the bill. Two extra charges I wasn't expecting. I guess I was grateful that it wasn't a lot worse and that we were actually going to be able to make it home. I wasn't really excited to get back on the road, but I was ready for this nightmare to be over.

Once back in the van and on the road, I didn't stop as much as I had on the previous drives. Despite the scenic drive, I just wanted to be done and home. We stopped once to go to the bathroom, twice to get gas, and twice to pick up food, which we just ate in the van. Finally after what seemed like a life time, considering the last two days, we were home. I was sad that Ben wasn't with us when we got there, but I was happy to be home. Now only 3 more months to go.

On a crazy side note, once through the last canyon we came to nothing but smoke. There were fires all around and the smoke was crazy over powering. It couldn't help but snap a picture. At first the kids thought it was a cloud, but then I told them about all the fires that had been plaguing so far this summer. It's crazy to think that fire season just started.

Texas trip day 7

I had a better night than last time, which was good. The kids got up happily and even helped me pack up the overnight bag. We took it to the van before heading in for the continental breakfast. The breakfast was good and once we were done, we got back on the road. As I started down the main road the van started to make funny noises and get really bumpy. I had no idea what was going on, so I pulled over and called Ben. Ben asked me a few questions and then asked me if I could make it to an Auto zone. I looked online and found the closest one. I drove carefully there and once there they did an engine check.

It wasn't good new, they told me that the engine was misfiring and hat I needed to either to replace the sparks plugs or the fuel injectors. I was screwed. I had no idea what to do at that point. I called Ben and told them what the report said and he told me that he was going to make a few phone calls. After what seemed like a century, Ben finally called me back. He told me that he found the only repair shop that could work on a Dodge in a 100 miles and they were willing to squeeze me in that morning. Luckily for me, it was just 5 or so miles down the road. So I headed straight there.

When I walked in I told them who I was and that my husband had called about our van. They shook their heads and smiled. They asked me for my keys and told me that they weren't sure how long it would take for the initial assessment, but we could wait in the waiting room. Luckily I had the kids grab their tablets, it an hour before they came back in and told me what was up. They like the AutoZone guys told me that it was either the spark plugs or the fuel injectors. 

They said they were going to start with the spark plugs since it was a cheaper repair and if that didn't fix the problem then they would have to move into looking to replace the fuel injectors. I told them to go ahead with the spark plugs and went back into the waiting room. It didn't take as long as the initial assessment, but sadly when they came back in, they told me that replacing the spark plugs didn't fix it. Now they would have to replace the fuel injectors. 

Regrettably they didn't have the parts there. They said they could have them overnight-ed to their supply hub and put them in first thing in the morning. At that point I was in panic mood. We now had to figure out where we would go for the night. I told them I needed to make a few calls and would let them know. I then called Ben and he of course told me to go through with it seeing how I wouldn't make it home otherwise. I then called the hotel to see if they had a room available for another night. The manager was very understanding and thankfully said that she would be able to get me back in the same room we had last night. I thanked her and then went back to the office and told them to go ahead with the fix.

After giving them the go ahead I asked them if they offered some kind of courtesy shuttle so we could get to and from the hotel. There was no way we could walk back to the hotel with our stuff without it taking forever. She said they did, but it might take a while before they were ready. I must have sighed out loud because she smiled at me. I told her that we would definitely need to take advantage of the shuttle. She went and made a few phone calls and told us that it would be available at 1. I then asked her if we would be able to get anything out of the van. She had one of the mechanics come and walk me back to the van. It was weird to see it all torn apart. With the small amount of time I had, I grabbed the overnight toiletries bag and the swimming bag. I had to figure out something to by the time that we now had.

After getting those items, we still had some time to kill. It was around lunchtime, so the kids and I walked across the street and ate at Sonic. When we were done eating we still had more time to kill so we went to the Family Dollar store that was next store to Sonic. While there I grabbed each of the kids something to sleep in and something for them to wear in the morning. I also allowed them to get one toy, whether a stuffed animal to help them sleep or something to help entertain them while being stuck in a hotel for another night with almost nothing.

When we were done, we walked back to the repair shop. When we got there our ride was there and ready to go. We all got it and they took us to the hotel. I was so grateful and I did my best to express that when they dropped us off. They also made a plan with me to come back and pick us up in the morning when the van was ready to go. They weren't sure what time that would be at, but would call me and let me know.

Now at the hotel, we went into the office and checked in again. We were a little early, she wasn't sure if the maid had been to the room yet or not. She checked and luckily, she had just finished, so she gave us our key and we went upstairs to our room. Once in the room, I was mentally and emotionally drained that I just collapsed on the bed. I wished I wasn't dealing with all of this alone. Even though the kids were there, I still felt utterly alone. 

I gave the kids the remote and told them they could find something to watch on the T.V. They looked at each other and came up with something better to do. They knew that I had grabbed the swim bag, but I was thinking later when it cooled down or when there was more shade on the pool, but they didn't want to wait. So they got dressed in their swimsuits and we headed down to the pool.

At the pool the kids all just ran and jumped in. They didn't care that it was warm because they were swimming. I just sat with my feet in the pool and watched them. They again came up with their own fun games to play while swimming. Some of them were repeats from the other day. I was just glad they were having a good time despite the current situation.

After a couple of hours of swimming I told the kids it was time to get out, cleaned up, and figure out what we wanted to do for dinner. Since there wasn't much in walking distance, we decided to walk across the street to the gas station. Since it was a Maverick, I figured they would have some kind of grill and that was better than nothing. The kids were able to pick from a hot dog, burrito, or a cold cut sandwich. I also let each of them choose a drink and a treat. When we were done we walked back across the street to the hotel and ate in our room.

The rest of the evening seemed to go by very slow. We watched a few different shows and after a while I finally told the kids it was time to turn it off and go to bed. The luckily all fell asleep rather quickly. The swimming must have tired them out. I wished I was just as lucky. I took some Melatonin and hoped for the best. It must have worked because the next thing I knew, it was morning.

Texas trip day 6

After a very fun few days it was time to head back home. I didn't want to go. If could have made it work the kids and I would have stayed the rest of the summer. It just wasn't in the cards. 

We woke up, got dressed, and all went downstairs to have one last breakfast together. It was a quiet breakfast, we all knew that once we were done we'd have to say goodbye to Dad again for another 3 months. When we were all done we all walked outside to say our last goodbyes to Ben before he headed off to work. It was sad to see the kids' faces as they said goodbye again. I could tell that they were really upset that we had to go and wouldn't see him till he was done with his MOB. We all did what we had to though, said goodbye.

After he was gone, the kids and I went back upstairs to finish packing. Once we were done, we grabbed all our luggage and went downstairs to check out. Now back to the van and back on the road again. I was dreading it yet again. This time I was worried that my emotions would be the problem. The kids situated themselves with their pillows, blankets, and tablets while I started to make the long drive back to Cortez.

Like our venture to Texas, I stopped every few hours to take a break from driving. The stops didn't last long, but they were long enough to ensure a safe drive. The only real saving grace for me, beside my book on tape, was the scenery. Despite have already seen most of it, I took a small detour back to Cortez that gave us beautiful things to see and look at. Once through the scenic route and another long day of driving we finally made it to Cortez Colorado. 

When we checked into the hotel, the manager remembered us. It was kind of nice. She gave us our room key and headed upstairs. We had grabbed dinner before getting to the hotel, so once we were checked in we took our dinner to our room and ate. After we were done, the kids wanted to put their feet in the pool. I didn't see the harm in that, so we went down to the pool. I have to admit, it was nice to soak my feet. We didn't stay long, I was afraid the kids would ask me if they could to get in and swim. So after just enough time, we went back upstairs and watched a movie and went to bed.

Texas trip day 5

The best part about this trip was being able to celebrate Father's Day with Ben. In the morning we didn't really have time to celebrate because Ben was taking us to the ward he was attending. We got up, got ready, had breakfast, and then headed out.

When we got to the chapel I felt really weird and out of place. Everyone knew him, but no knew us. Ben assured us that we'd fit right in. A lot of the wards members that he had been working directly with Ben came up and introduced themselves to us and told us how much they loved him. They knew he wouldn't be there for very long and were sad that he'd be leaving soon. I thought it was weird that they asked him to be the ward mission leader for him only being there such a short period of time, but now it seemed to fit. He was meant to be in that ward, if only for a few months.

After church they had a fun little treat for all the dad's. While Ben was picking one up a sweet sister came over to talk to me. She talked about how she and her husband moved around a lot for his career and she also found herself often alone when he was away for work. She said if I wanted to come back to visit Ben again I shouldn't hesitate to call her to make arrangements to stay with them. She was very sweet. After visiting with her, Ben had walked up, he had said goodbyes, and we headed back to the hotel to change.

Once we were all changed out of our church clothes, the kids wanted to give Ben his Father's Day gifts. I obliged them and gave them the bag to hand to Ben. Inside he found some homemade gifts (pictures) from the kids, 2 shirts, treats, a photobook with current photos in it, as well as a card explaining that there was one more gift coming later. I had ordered it a while ago, but it was a personalized wallet with a family etched in it and that can take some time I guess. I told him I would take a picture of it once it was delivered.

When we were done with the gifts, we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to a park. This park was located on base and covered a lot of space. It was pretty much a ton of parks in one. It was huge. It had many basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer field, baseball fields, volleyball courts, horseshoe field, adventure center, 4 different playground areas, and even a water park. I couldn't believe how big this park was. That just meant the kids had a lot of different places to play and things they could do. After eating lunch, they did just that. On a side note, while the kids were playing, Ben and I were still at the table chatting and we got some visitors; squirrels. At least I think they were squirrels. They were very brave to get so close. At one point one of them was on the table and it took a piece of the kids' sandwich that they hadn't finished.

After a few hours of playing we headed back to the hotel to relax. The kids played with their toys while Ben and I watched a movie. When the movie was over, it was time to consider dinner. Again someone recommended a place to eat, Cheddar's. Upon that advice, we did so.

When we got there, despite it being a holiday, we were seating rather quickly. Looking at the menu it reminded me of either a Chili's or Applebee's. Gabbi and Owen both got the kids cheeseburger meal while William choose chicken fingers. Ben got an order of ribs and I got a stake. It was all so very delicious. I was grateful we took the recommendation. I was sad to see that they don't have one in Utah. I just may have to come back just to eat there again.

After a very yummy dinner, it was time to go back to the hotel and get the kids to bed. They however were not very tired, so we piled on the beds and watch a movie. It worked like a charm. All three of them were asleep, ironically so was Ben, by the time the movie ended.