The Prescribed Annual Roadtrip

Oh yeah. I went there.

Well, well, well. Look who's here! Summer and roadtrips and menial tasks like work have taken me away from my very true love: this awesome blog. So, I apologize and I am back to gracing you all with my antics of motherhood.

My most recent adventures included what seems to be my destiny of road trips. Somehow, per our schedule or someone else's (dying, uggh) I end up in Texas in July or August. Fret not, this trip was just for fun. I'm from the Houston-area, y'all. Without bashing Houston (I personally refer to it as the armpit of America, but whatever), lets just say that there's hundreds of other places in Texas that are a wee bit more pleasant and less humid, trafficky, or uh populated. So, I planned a roadtrip that would include Houston to see some family but also some other places too that it turns out are also hot, humid, trafficky and uh populated.

Here's our itinerary:
Tuesday: drive all day. To Dallas/Fort Worth. I'd tell ya which one, but really, it's all one ridiculous gigantic city to me. I think I was more on the Dallas Side. We stop to see some of Carrie's co-workers and friends and then head to my cousin, Sophie's house. She graciously lets us stay with her. Our kids are close in the same age range, so we get to visit while they play. It's perfect.
Wednesday: Drive Houston to see my momma! I shlep off my kids on to my momma so that I can go visit Carrie's parents who always welcome me and are so darn funny and sweet. Momma and her man make us some delicious grilled stuff. Life is good. And very hot and humid...
Thursday: My mom (the kids call her Mena) and I take the kids to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see the Corpse Flower in bloom. It's a stinky flower and very rare and special and the kids are excited to smell it. It's supposed to smell like rotten meat. Don't I have the coolest kids? The flower was a bust and hadn't opened yet. I have to make up for that by eating Tex-Mex at my all-time favorite place: Pappasito's. God Bless Pappasito's. It did not disappoint. We say goodbye to Mena, and head to Austin. Dinner with my rockstar pal and his best gal who by the way uh, is smokin hot and lovely and fabbo. And she endured a meal with my children, so that's extra points.

Friday we went on an urban hike with Auntie. We stay in a guest room in her downtown condo. Urban living is quaint and perfect in Austin. I try to explain to Auntie, "Hey this is just like the Suite Life of Zach and Cody except my twins causing all the havoc are Boy/Girl twins!" But I don't think she can quite dumb down to understand the reference. Given I know she's got chocolate stashed somewhere, I'm okay with that. I hope the manager of her building thinks it was funny. We spend the day in Austin walking and chilling by the very chic pool. My uncle g3 came with his lovely wife and we have a good time, lots of laughs. G3 has the same energy I remember when I was a little girl. He was one of the few who would take time out and pay attention and entertain us kids. So, he does so with my kids too. This time it's more fun, as I get to sit back and watch, and laugh hysterically. I am so grateful they have come to see us because I've done a lot of driving and it's so hard to get to everyone. Thank you g3! We even went to the State Capitol and Treaty Oak. Lovely day. We ended the day with a walk to get pizza with Auntie and Uncle. The kids aren't sure about all of this excessive walking. Everything is too close by. Max explains that if only it was far enough for us to drive...

Saturday we say our goodbyes to Auntie and Uncle and the urban living gig and left got kicked out and went to see my other side of the family. I get to see my other Uncle - the man my dad left to take care of me. Not an easy task, trust me. I'm actually surprised he still takes my calls and lets me in his front door. He had pay backs though - he drug my kids all over Lake Travis on a tube. We go to see more family and I get to see a cousin of mine I had not seen since I was my kids' age: seven. And yes, that's almost 30 years. She's still as stunning and sweet as I remember. It was fun to catch up.

Sunday: drive home. I'm hoping on the drive, we can stop through the FW of DFW and have a quick bite with MyDaph. We leave Austin at 6a.m. The GPS says we'll be home by 8p.m. But I know with the kids and me, we'll make several stops. I just had no idea we'd make THAT many. We average out stopping every hour. EVERY HOUR. And we do get our quick breakfast with MyDaph and her beautiful babies.
Somewhere, on the I-35 toll road, my flat tire light goes on. I call Ricardo to confirm what I should do. He says to pull over and take a look first. So, I pull over, opened the car door, and immediately hear hissing. Uh-oh. The kids were watching Harry Potter and weren't even fazed. So, I call AAA, and while I'm on the phone with them expecting, a road side assistance pulled up. For a millisecond, I think AAA maybe had upgraded their lame services. But then I realize I was on the tollway and all those coins pay for roadside assistance. The AAA guy on the phone says they'd be about 30 minutes. It was 105 degrees out and I had my two babies in the car with 5 more hours to go. I tell AAA not to bother and Jason, the lovely roadside assistance guy, puts my donut on my car for me. It's not an easy task. Thanks to the Chrysler engineers, the spare is under the car, under the driver & passengers seats. So, he has to crawl on that asphalt and under a running car. Then of course, the kids have to pee. So, they get to check toll booth bathroom. So if you've ever wondered, they have a bathroom in those toll booths. So, he gets my spare on, and told me where to find a Sam's Club in Wichita. I was only 9 miles from Wichita. We thank Jason profusely, and head to Wichita to get a new tire. I explain to the kids how how lucky and blessed we really are. It's a 13 hour drive. We are on the toll way for only 20 minutes of the entire drive. And we go 100s of miles without seeing a town nearby. All that and we roll up to Sam's Club at 5:37. They close at 6p. We really squeezed by a big catastrophe. I'm also thankful the light came on, I noticed it, and we didn't have a blow out. We get back on the road and twenty minutes later, Max announces he has to pee again. Five stops later, we end up home at 11 p.m. at night.

I think I've pressed my luck just about as far as I want to with that road trip by myself with the kids. Still, we had a ball visiting with friends and family. And even with as much fun as we had, we are so glad to be home. Tucked away in our little beds in the metropolis of a little place known as the Good Life: Omaha, Nebraska.

And so, folks, that is where I've been.

That's how I roll.
Song of the Day: I Wouldn't Need You by Norah Jones