Gobble, Gobble! (aka, Fa Ra Ra Ra Raaaaaaa, Ra Raaa Raaa Raaaaa)

With only one day off of work for Thanksgiving, who wants to spend it cooking and cleaning?   Well, Rip probably does, but I would certainly rather not.  Let's let someone ELSE handle all that dirty work!

So we were OFF to Knollwood!  An 11:00 am lunch reservation for 4, please!

They had little crafts at the tables. . .

Just LOOK at that awesome spread.  I promise you, we wouldn't have had all that food at our house!

Then after a few hours back at the house for naps, we headed out to buy a Christmas tree!

(Um, wouldn't have been necessary if Rip hadn't gone POSTAL on our old one.

But whatever.  It was old, anyway.  He's entitled the occasional outburst.)

And since we were out, and had already done two unusual things on Thanksgiving Day (lunch out, followed by shopping), we decided to REALLY go for broke and eat dinner out.

At IHOP!

Fa Ra Ra Ra Raaaaaaaa,

Ra Raaaaaa

Raaaaaaaa

RAAAAAAAA!

Shuffle Off to (New) Buffalo

New Buffalo, Michigan, that is.

As part of our "staycation series," we headed to the shores of Lake Michigan to the quaint town of New Buffalo for an afternoon.  No agenda, no timeline, and no expectations.

We discovered a fun, beachy restaurant called The Stray Dog, where we relaxed over yummy food and local beers.  We let ourselves be mesmerized by the colorful boats in the harbor, and pretended we were by the ocean.  Honestly, this town was every bit as delightful as being near the ocean for real.  Colorful, weather-beaten, small, and breezy ruled supreme, and time seemed to stand still for just a few moments.

A brief visit to a streetside ice cream shop capped off our time in New Buffalo.

The short drive home was almost as nice as our time in the little Michigan town.  Windows down, hair whipping around, old country music playing, local peaches for sale along the route. . .for a period of time, life seemed slower.  Easier.  

One of the things I've noticed about our move back to Indiana is that this is more often the case than not.   Life here DOES seem slower and more pleasant.  More about family and friends than about traffic and chaos.  More about small town pleasures like ice cream stands and fresh fruit farms than work events and pressure to keep up an intense pace.  That's NOT to say I don't miss parts of Dallas.  Our a-ma-zing neighbors, our tight little community of friends, our "Nana," my tutoring "kids," Rip's family's, good Mexican food, an abundance of great SHOPPING. . .I definitely miss those things.  But at heart, I am a small town, hometown kind of girl who loves her seasons and county fairs and her alma mater and her momma.  . I am HOME.  (Or closer than ever, at least!)

Potowatami Zoo

Yet another of my "must do" summer activities was to take the monsters boys to the zoo.  Rip took two days off last week, and on one of those rare days off, we made our first ever trip to Potowatami Zoo.

What a delightful place!  We arrived right after the zoo opened, and it honestly seemed as though we were the only ones there.  Maybe this time, procrastination did pay off, and going at the eleventh hour of the summer worked to our benefit.

Mason LOVED riding the train.  Cute, yes.  Awesome?  Um, no.  Unless you enjoy sullen, miserable, sarcastic old men as tour guides.  But whatever.

Both of the boys were excited about the IDEA of petting a snake, but not nearly as excited to actually DO it.  I was nowhere near this creepy guy.  Believe me.

My favorites at any zoo are the large cats.  So pretty and graceful, and so similar to housecats in how they move and lie.  Mom, does it look like Spice?

These are actually butterflies feeding at a nectar station. . .the other side of their wings was a glorious cobalt blue, but it was virtually impossible to catch one of those open.  I tried several times, and that blue blur in the picture below represents my best attempt.  The little boogers.

This tiger was RIGHT on the other side of the glass.  So in reality, I bet the kids were a mere eight inches from this ferocious, yet amazing beast.  His little (big?) nose was virtually pressed against the glass.

While Mason's favorite thing was the train, I think Brody was happiest about finding a "faffer" (aka "pacifier" for those of you not fluent in Brody-speak) on the ground.  It was pink, and dirty, yet he was determined to snag it for himself.  At that point in the day, we knew it was time to go home.

Our small-town zoo = great success!

A WIN for the Silverhawks!

Yes, a year is a long time for a blogging "break."  I have a jillion excuses, and a few stories to accompany those excuses.  But for today, I'll jump back in with a normal update.  Excuses to follow soon.

With summer fading to fall, I'm trying desperately to check off all the "summer to-dos" on the list we assembled at the beginning of the summer.  Yesterday's activity?  Our first South Bend Silverhawks baseball game!

On SUCH a gorgeous day, a trip to the ball field almost screamed our name.  Seventy degrees, blue skies, and a slight breeze.  Aaaaah. . .a little slice of Heaven.  Thanks to Rip (as always!), we had great seats behind home plate.  Mason kept asking me to catch any home runs that came our way.  Ummmmm, okay, buddy.  Maybe I should have put "explain fair balls vs. foul balls" on our summer to-do list!!!!!

With beers and Cracker Jacks in hand, we settled in for a perfect family afternoon.

Mason was beyond excited to talk to Swoop the mascot. . .

And of course, the EVER exciting "running of the bases."  After the big Silverhawks' win, all kiddos are invited to run the bases.  Mason was OFF like a lightning bolt!

Brody Ray was a different story.  He started off strong, even making the big screen (in the way background!)

But as he rounded second base, he suddenly stopped, panicked about the tar balls in his Crocs, and refused to go further.   Rip saw this happening while I was photographing Mason crossing home plate. . .Daddy to the rescue!

What a perfect family afternoon for me and my boys.

And it's worth noting that Mason said I was "boy trapped" as I stood between him and Brody.  Yes, baby, such is my life.  I'm ALWAYS boy trapped with these three!!!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

We went to the PUMPKIN PATCH as a family!  "Nana" (aka Christina, or sometimes ChristinaBobina) came to Indiana to visit, so a festive trip to the local pumpkin patch was in order.

Actually, it was a pumpkin FARM.

Well, actually, it was a CUCURBIT farm.  I had to ask my mom what that was, and then I looked it up just to confirm.  Just so you know, it's "a member of the gourd family."  So, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and watermelons would count.  But there were no watermelons.  Just a whole buncha pumpkins.  Not sure how often anybody needs to know how to use the word "cucurbit," but it's certainly a good conversation starter.  Or stumper!!  Tee heeeeee!

(P.S.  Mom was totally right on about the definition.  How do moms always know this stuff?  Kudos to you, Mom!!)

Both of the boys were almost as excited about the wheelbarrow as they were about the pumpkins.  Although I think Mason would have liked to take one of these 400 pound beauties home!

Sadly, while we each chose a pumpkin, we never managed to get them carved.  I was SO excited about my three cute little white pumpkins. . .I had big plans to paint them.  But somehow, we juuuuuuust couldn't get around to it.  Maybe we'll make pies out of them for Thanksgiving.

Where the GREAT ROAD TRIP OF 2010 ends

Rather than retell the story of how our road trip adventure ended, I thought it appropriate to post the email I sent to my friends in Dallas. 

Hi, my friends.



So, my plans have changed drastically. . .

With Rip in Nashville, the kiddos and I embarked on a lengthy road trip a few weeks ago to end our summer. Being stuck inside with the insanely-hot temperatures in Texas was making us stir-crazy, not to mention the fact that we were missing Rip like crazy, AND I was losing my mind trying to keep the house clean so it would be ready for any showings. Since we had nothing on the calendar (I stopped tutoring at the beginning of August), we decided to take an adventure.


We took two memorable days and drove to Nashville (via our old stomping grounds of Little Rock), spent a week with Rip in his apartment, then drove north to Indiana to visit my parents. The plan was to stay with them 6 or 7 days. drive back to Nashville to see Rip for a long weekend (and go to the Titans game tonight!!), head to St. Louis to see Jacqueline for a few days, then get back to get Mason into school. He would have been a week late, but that was our plan.


Over a glass of wine last Saturday, my mom was asking me about our plans for the next weeks and months (with Rip being in Nashville, us being in Dallas, him trying to come back and forth, house hunting, etc.), and she threw out the question that would change my plans: "have you considered staying here?" she asked. No, I had not, but I started to right away. . .


And after careful deliberation, a phone "meeting" with Ripper, and an Excel spreadsheet to compare all our options, we decided to in fact stay in Indiana and enroll Mason in Kindergarten here. We'll be living with my parents while our house is on the market, and Rip will stay in an apartment in Nashville. The biggest plus to this situation is that the boys and I are only 5 hours from Rip as opposed to 10, which means he can make the drive up and see us (mostly them!) every weekend. Being separated from him has been hard on all of us, and this will ease that a lot. Additionally, having the support of my parents will be such a nice change from me being alone with the kiddos more often than not!


It was a hard and sad decision because it obviously means we left town without knowing we were leaving for good, and we didn't really get to prepare emotionally for it. We'll be back at least a few times. . .Rip and I are coming Labor Day for sweet Christina's birthday, then we'll return once or twice before eventually moving.


I miss my "life," but know that this was a really good decision for our family. I am very much looking forward to coming back next weekend and hopefully seeing you.


Here are a few pictures of Mason's first day of Kindergarten. He is going to the same elementary school I attended 30+ years ago, and believe it or not, he has one of my old teachers for his morning class, and one of my old babysitters for the afternoon class. :) Not a lot changes in small-town Indiana, and that's a nice comfort right now.


Hugs and love to all. See you next week!


KR
 
So there is the update!  One day I was making plans to drive back to Texas, and the next day I was frantically looking for a backpack, a lunchbox, school supplies, and Mason's medical records.  We moved into my childhood home, and are enjoying so many facets of life in Indiana.  The small-town feel of community, the leaves on the trees turning amazing hues of red, orange, and yellow, the smell of corn being harvested from the fields, the freedom to let our five year old play outside for hours on end without fear of something happening, spending so much quality time with my parents and having them really get to know our kids, the sounds of the locusts and the creek as we fall asleep at night, running into old acquaintances and reconnecting with dear friends. . .the list goes on and on.  We are happy, healthy, and as well-adjusted as possible, considering Rip and I are still living in different states, BOTH of which are different than the state in which we own a home.  Chaotic, but temporary.  

AND we are HOOSIERS!  WE LIVE IN INDIANA!



The Hoosier State

By day nine of the Great Road Trip Adventure of 2010, we were in my home state of Indiana.  It had been two years since I'd visited, and I was SO EXCITED.  And I think it's safe to say that the kiddos were excited to get out of the car!

Once we got to my parents' house, the real fun began!  "Grammie and Grandpa" were ready to play all weekend, and we had BIG plans!  First thing on the list?  A trip to Arni's, the BEST pizza joint ever, then to my dad's high school for a Friday night football game.

Next, a relaxing day swimming and playing in the pool.  To be out of the ridiculous Texas heat and instead in "normal" heat (90 instead of 105) was a great change!  I'm proud to report that Mason finally learned to swim by himself over the weekend, which was awesome!  Go, Mason!

Of course, we couldn't imagine leaving Indiana without a stop by the Frozen Custard for a fruit drink.  I'm sure that place also has delicious custard, but I can never bring myself to order anything other than a good ole' fruit drink.  Yum!  While we drank the refreshing delights, we walked around the little zoo at Columbian Park, which was free, clean, and a great way to end our day!  Although Brody Boo wasn't too thrilled about the petting zoo. . .

The last thing we HAD to do before leaving Indiana was go to Barb and Eric's.  They have been family friends for 25 years, and Barb has always been a special person to me. . .kind of like a bonus mom.  They live on a farm, so there's a ton of fun stuff for the kiddos to do there.  Eric took us all for a ride on the Ranger, and Barb made her "famous" Cowboy Cookies.  MMMMMMMmmmm.  My favorite for the last 25 years. 



At the end of our first four days in Indiana, we started thinking about leaving on our return trip.  Ugh.  We were almost two weeks into our big road trip adventure, and the next leg of the trip was all about getting back to Texas.  Via Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and then home to Dallas.  I hated the idea, and kind of dreaded returning to an empty "husband-less" home, but Mason needed to start Kindergarten, so we had to get on the road soon.  



According to the State of Tennessee. . .

According to the slogan of the State of Tennessee, the state represents "America at its Finest."  I think you'd be hard-pressed to argue with that.  We arrived here on the second day of our big road trip adventure, and here's what "they" had that we liked. . .

For one, "they have" Daddy.  AKA Mr. Rip Ray, husband and father extraordinaire.  He had been living in a corporate apartment since June while we were back in Texas. The kiddos were missing him so much by the time we arrived in Nashville, they were literally hanging over the balcony rail, waiting for him to come home from work.

"They" also have the Tennessee Titans!  And because Rip's Aunt Sharon is Jeff Fisher's assistant, the boys got to go to training camp and play around with the players and their kids on the practice field.  Fun stuff!

Because there were four of us in a little corporate apartment designed for just one person, we had to get out and about fairly often to keep ourselves sane.  So here's what else we got into during our week in Nashville:

Krispy Kreme!

family pizza night

the Williamson County Fair

the petting zoo

At the end of our week in Nashville, we were a little sad to leave Rip, but we had a plan:  one week in Indiana visiting my parents, a few days in St. Louis to see our friends The Whites, then BACK to Nashville for a long weekend before heading back to Texas in time for Mason to start Kindergarten.  Oh, how I love a good plan!