Day 99 - December 30, 2012

WHAT A DAY!!!

We got some snow during the night and it was 24° F when we woke up.  We had already decided that we would go to 11 o'clock mass in Mountain City, TN.  That is on the short side of the mountain, about 17 minutes away according to google maps.  However, it is also the steep side of the mountain.  The entire time that we have been here, we have planned our trips into town around the snow, never having to venture out after or during snow.  Surprisingly though, there has always been a lot of traffic on those days and we see the snow plow pass several times.  Danny went out to the car early.  He had to defrost the windows and scrape the snow off.  He turned the heater on and got it warmed up.  We were allowing ourselves about 40 minutes to get there...just to be on the safe side.  We got everyone loaded and buckled.  There was a thread hanging out of the glove box so I opened it to see what it was and shove it back in there.  I was a little startled (OK, maybe slightly terrified) to find a nicely laid nest in the glove box.  Seems something had found its way into the car and out of the cold.  I quickly shut to glove box and said something like "oh, that's not good".  Danny agreed with me and all of the kids were now curious.  "What?  What?  What is it?"  Because I knew that we needed to get down the mountain and really didn't think there was much that we could do about it, I tried hard to appear calm, all the while trying to keep my feet off the floor.  (I should tell you, I am TERRIFIED of mice.  Rats even more so.  Logical me knows that there is no reason for this insane fear, but illogical me really doesn't give a crap what logical me has to say.)  Danny knows how afraid of mice I am and stopped the car and told me to get out.  I did...and went very far away.  He proceeded to sort through the glove box.  Whatever was there was gone...or at least not in the glove box anymore.  I loaded back up and we headed off to church.  Our trip down the mountain was uneventful even though the road was obviously frozen over in many spots.

We enjoyed mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church and then headed home.  We didn't make it far up the mountain before Danny started to slip and we realized that we would not be going up the mountain.  Danny started to back down and a truck came up behind us.  The children informed him of the obvious.  "Daddy there's a truck behind us."  Yes, Daddy had already seen the truck.  The ice got the best of us and our front driver's side wheel slipped into the ditch (mountain side...whew).  The gentleman behind us pulled around, stopped and proceeded to pull a chain from his truck.  (I guess everyone on this mountain drives 4X4's and carries pullin' chains.)  Since Danny was pinned in the Suburban, I got out (seemed the proper thing to do)...I slipped and slid and almost fell on my butt.  When I got myself in an upright position, I said, "I was going to say hello and thank you, but I think I should just get back in the truck".  He agreed that that was probably best.  Danny rolled down his window and thanked him for his help.  He hitched his truck to us and tried to pull us out of the ditch.  He was unsuccessful.  He told Danny that he was going to try to pull us out backwards.  My biggest fear was that he would get us out and then we would just slide into him.  As he began pulling us backwards, we actually started moving, but in the wrong direction...our rear wheel was now in the ditch.  He was persistent.  He kept pulling and we kept hearing our truck grind against rock.  Danny tried to signal to him to stop,  but he was  determined.  He got us out.  We were grateful!!!  Danny was able to back down and let the gentleman pass us.  We then turned around to head home the 'long way around the mountain'.

We stopped in Boone and had lunch.  We met a nice man who was a 4th generation native to the area.  He shared many stories with us.  He told us that when he was in high school, they didn't 'hire' bus drivers.  The junior and senior high students drove the buses.  Can you even imagine?  Of course, he said, these were boys who had been driving tractors and such since they were young and he felt that they were much better drivers than the bus drivers of today.

We got home around 3PM.  I felt bad for the kids.  When we left there was a beautiful amount of snow on the hillside, but the sun had pretty much melted it all.  They still headed out to see what fun they could find.  The lake looked pretty much frozen over and there is always the backside of the mountain...loaded with rocks and other treacherous hazards...But they're kids and it's always fun until someone gets hurt or mom puts a stop to it.

I mapped our route for you.  You really must see it to appreciate it.  17 minutes to church...almost 2 hours back.  You'll have to click here to enjoy it.  "E" is both our beginning and ending, "B" is church,  "C" is lunch, and "D" is where we attended mass on Christmas Eve.

I always say, "There's always a rainbow."  Sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it.  There were plenty of rainbows in today's eventful day.  1) God kept us safe heading down the mountain.  I believe that had we slid while heading down, it would have had much worse results.  2) The gentleman in the truck...with a chain.  Who would have guessed? 3) Lunch out with good conversation.  4) Surprisingly little damage to our Suburban, 5) A drive that Danny had already said that he would like to take during the day....beautiful country, amazing sights, HUGE icicles hanging from the rocks...things the kids have never seen.  6) A warm house to arrive home to. And lastly, NO MOUSE in the glove box!!!

God is good.  Life is good.

Day 94 - Christmas Day

It is Christmas Day.  I didn't want this day to pass without making a post.  It has been a beautiful day. We began our celebration last night at St. Francis of Assisi in Jefferson, NC and then today was spent with gifts and family.  Mostly just a quiet day.  The kids are already in bed.  I can hear the boys laughing and giggling.  Something they do almost every night.  I have always loved watching them...listening to them.  They get along brilliantly 97% of the time.  Of course when they don't, it can be ugly.  The girls are a totally different story.  The oldest, born an adolescent, always mature beyond her years and longing to be independent.  The younger, always a little girl, not wanting to grow up, but longing for her sister's love and acceptance.  Rarely do I get a glimpse of shared love...usually what I do see is simple tolerance.  But we are family and this trip has forced us to be closer.  I long for the day when tolerance becomes acceptance and one day, sisterly love.  Until that day, I will pray for understanding.

Day 86 - Dec. 17, 2012

It's Monday.  I didn't realize that until I dated this post.  I don't know how I didn't know what day it was, but I didn't.  We left Red Top Mountain in Georgia around 11AM on Saturday.  According to google maps we had a 6-1/2 hour drive.  We were heading to Creston, NC.  We have rented a home for Christmas.  Gracie still wasn't feeling well.  We had to pull over often for restroom breaks.  We still haven't updated our GPS, so we were traveling according to the map I had printed.  It really wasn't a bad drive.  The kids enjoyed all of the new sites...terrain that we are not used to.  The homeowner (of the house we are renting) had called us around 4PM to see how we were doing.  Danny told her he thought we had another 2 hours, I figured 3.  The route took us from Georgia, to Tennessee, into Virginia, and back into Tennessee.  When we crossed back into Tennessee, it felt like we were getting close and the sun was starting to set.  I swear, the further north we get, the quicker the sun seems to set.  One minute it's dusk and the next minute it's pitch black and you can't see 50 feet in front of you.  I noticed that when we started driving in the mountains at night, Danny started flipping the brights on.  Funny, I can't remember the last time I had to use my brights.  There were a lot of turns...a mile on this road, a mile on another.  Finally, we took a left on the road that was OUR road.  According to the map, we would drive about 2 miles and take a slight turn, then drive another mile.  The road was narrow and there were a LOT of curves.  We were definitely heading UP a mountain.  The suburban was doing its best to pull the trailer and Danny was doing his best to navigate the road.  I don't remember what caused us to come to a stop.  I can't remember if there was an oncoming car or a curve or what, but we stopped.  When Danny tried to get going again, the tires slipped and the truck refused to move forward.  I was a little panicked.  There was nowhere for us to go.  As far as I was concerned, we were stuck.  Danny had me get out of the car and get the lanterns out.  I tried to light up the road behind us so that he could maybe back up and get a better start.  It was impossible.  There was no way of seeing where he was going.  We had the kids get out of the car.  I had Jacob and Hannah both hold a lantern while I tried to yell directions to Danny.  I was nervous... terribly nervous.  I instructed the kids to pray.  On one side of the road was a mountain and on the other side of the road was a cliff.  The road was not wide.  We finally came to the conclusion that we were stuck.  I tried to reach the homeowner.  (Little did I know that she did not have cell service at the house.)  My phone rang.  It was the husband (I have only dealt with the wife).  He was calling to check on us because his wife had sent him an email asking him to call.  I explained that we were stuck and tried to explain where we were...you know, we turned on the road, drove awhile, went around a bunch of curves, passed a couple of houses.  "Oh," he said, "you aren't that far."  "NO!", I said, "we are stuck.  We can't go forward.  We can't go backwards."  Once he realized exactly what I meant by 'stuck', he said that he would get a message to his wife and also call his father-in-law.  I knew from conversations that the in-laws only lived 10 minutes from the house.  About 10 minutes later, a car came from around the corner ahead of us.  It was the homeowner.  I walked up and started talking to her, discussing the situation and within another 5 minutes, another set of lights showed up behind our  trailer.  I could hear that it was probably a diesel and could see their headlights starting to come around the trailer.  Now mind you, there is not a whole lot of room beside the trailer and what is next to the little, tiny bit of room is a cliff.  I guess when you drive these mountains all the time, that cliff just isn't as threatening to you.  The truck makes it around Danny and hollers, "you need a little more power?"  It turns out that the man in the truck is the homeowner's father.  He parks his truck in front of us, asks me if 'the young man' (Jacob) could get in the truck and put his foot on the brake, to which I express that "I would be much more comfortable doing that myself".  He hooks a chain up to our suburban and proceeds to pull us up the mountain.  I'd say that we had a mile to go.  He didn't have to pull us the whole way.  There was a point where we crossed into North Carolina...the road changed.  It became wider and the pavement was much nicer.  We made it.  The homeowner gave us the keys.  Told us to relax and she would get back with us in a few days.  I will tell you, I was shaken!  It took my nerves some time to settle down.

Today, Danny and I had to run out to find a Christmas tree stand.  He decided that we needed to go down the mountain the way that we came up (there is another way to this house...an easier way...through NC...the way we will leave).  I decided today that it was God's grace that it was dark the other night when we drove up that road.  There is no way that I would have been able to make it as far as we did if I could have seen where we were.  That road is scary during the day.  I took pictures today.  They don't do it justice.  But maybe, you will get a glimpse of just what I am talking about.

Looking up the road...

Side of the road (cliff side)

Where we are heading...

Still heading up...

Taken as we were moving...my side.

Just a fun house on the side of the road.  Nice patio furnishings. 

This is the point where we were stuck.

Looking back...(the two houses we had passed)

Day 83 - Dec. 14, 2012

Time passes so quickly.  There is so much that I have not written down.  My head is a buzz constantly with things that I would like to tell you.  Things that I want to remember.  We have done so much since my last post.

Today we will go to Atlanta.  We hope to visit the Capitol Building (capital two off the list) and to see the Georgia Aquarium.  We are currently on top of Red Top Mountain Georgia State Park.  It overlooks Lake Allatoona.  It's a beautiful place, but one that I don't think we will be rushing to come back to.  Getting the trailer parked was C-R-A-Z-Y.  Danny's Facebook status read, "Only a very strong, loving marriage can survive parking a trailer in a difficult spot.  Camping is not for wimps."

The pictures really don't do the site justice.  There were so many obstacles we had to overcome besides the obvious backing over the mountain.  I wish I could have video taped the whole process.  Danny's a very patient man with some unbelievable driving skills.  (Even if occasionally I close my eyes.)

Backing up a little and trying to catch up on the memories...

When we left Suwannee River Florida State Park, we did an amazing job of getting up and getting out.  We were actually out of the park by 9AM.  I was so excited!!  However, that excitement was short lived.  We have come to rely on our GPS and as I was trying to punch in the coordinates of where we were heading...GEORGIA...a state other than Florida.  The GPS would not acknowledge the address, would not acknowledge the zipcode.  Nothing, nada.  I even tried to enter New York, NY.  Nope!  There was nothing outside of Florida.  The world ended at the Florida line.  We spent another 50 minutes trying to get our 'smart' phones to help us out.  We don't have paper maps in our possession; that would be taboo.  Well, I have an iPhone and Danny has the 'other'.  My good friend Siri (whom I adore, mind you) was refusing to listen to me and kept coming up with all sorts of things that I was just NOT saying and Danny was getting frustrated.  He finally pulled up a MAP on his phone, got us turned around and we were at the intersection of I-75.  There was a gas station and a restaurant (much to Hannah's dismay).  We decided to go ahead and fill up the tank, eat some breakfast and regroup.  As it turns out, the food was excellent and quite reasonably priced and, in not time, we were back on the road again!!

We made it to F.D. Roosevelt GA State Park in record time (or at least before the sun went down, which was a nice change), got everything set up and headed out to get some gas and groceries.  We were running on fumes and Danny had asked the park rangers where the closest gas station was, so off we went.  HA!  With no GPS and just some "go this way and take a left, then another and you'll be there" kind of directions, we found ourselves driving around in unknown country again.  Danny finally flagged down a passing vehicle and they directed us 'around the bend' and we finally made it to the gas station.  After filling up we made it to Columbus, GA a HUGE town filled with all sorts of wonders like, restaurants and actual stores.  It was truly a sight for sore eyes.  BUT, getting back up the mountain was a whole other story filled with twists and turns and 'turn arounds' that I will just leave to your imagination.  We did laugh a little.   There's a point where things are just so out of the realm of what you had hoped for that delirium sets in and you find yourself laughing and making jokes just to get through it.

We had pre-purchased tickets to go to Callaway Gardens 'Fantasy of Lights' on Sunday night, so we had all day Saturday and Sunday to explore.  FDR is a beautiful park.  We were right on a lake.  On Saturday the kids spent hours hiking and I spent hours doing laundry.  (Danny has joked about putting a washer and dryer on the back of the trailer.)  Saturday night we went to the vigil mass at Christ the King, a beautiful church.  Rev. Fr. John R. Madden was quite personable.  I am sure that the congregation is very small.  That night there couldn't have been more than 75 parishioners total.  On Sunday morning they were planning on blessing their "Stations of the Cross" that had just been completely refurbished and placed in a new pathway outside the church.  We had noticed it on our way in.  It was beautiful.  A young parishioner had done all of the work as his Eagle Scout project.  We had hoped to make it to the blessing or at least to get by during the day to take some pictures, however, that was not to be.  Maybe on our next trip through Pine Mountain. 

Sunday Danny rented a kayak and we spent time on the lake  and did some more exploring.  It was a great time, filled with the making of great memories.  Sunday night was "Fantasy of Lights".  I had reserved a space on the "Jolly Trolley" to ride through the lights.  If we ever do again, I will ask about riding through in your own vehicle.  The website suggests that you can, but I really thought the "Jolly Trolley" was the way to go.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  It took us 45 minutes to get through the line and since our reservation was for 8PM, it was getting late.  The kids did well.  No real 'crankiness' going on.  Just tired kids.  Poor Jacob actually fell asleep while driving through.  My complaints: they drove too quickly, the road was bumpy (enhanced by the fact that I felt the were hurrying), and I could not get decent pictures.  Most of my pictures were of other peoples heads!  Maybe, just maybe, I would have been more enchanted if we had not just been to the Suwannee Lights.  I will admit, there were a few times that I felt the lights were brighter and more beautiful (definitely more professionally done) than Suwannee, but not worth the wait.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not suggesting to anyone reading this that you don't go to Callaway Gardens to see the lights.  I have heard countless numbers of people tell me how beautiful it is.  In fact, the people that we were camping next to said that they got onto the trolley an hour early (their reservations were for 7PM and they got on at 6PM).  However, if you are looking for some fun and amazing lights and you are closer to Suwannee Lights, that would be my choice.

Speaking of the people that we camped next to while at FDR, they were an older couple who were getting ready to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary.  They were out by their campfire the evening that we pulled in and again the night we got back from church.  Danny spoke to them more than I did, but when they were packing up and heading out, the man made it a point to come over and shake Danny's hand.  He told us that he and his wife wanted to "thank us" for doing such a great job with our kids.  I found it odd, but very pleasing.  Occasionally you get a chance to realize that what your doing, you must be doing right.

We stayed at FDR a couple more days, actually extending our time there.  I am finding that we really enjoy the parks.  The kids are having so much fun exploring, that we aren't getting a chance to do the historical stuff that we have planned, so the day before we left, Danny and the kids headed out to see FDR's "Little White House" and also Dowdell's Knob (I stayed back to get some much needed cleaning done).  Everyone came back raving about "having a good time".  There was beauty and history and scavenger hunts and they seemed to enjoy it all.

Tuesday night (after all the excitement of exploring history and dinner out), Gracie got sick.  She was up all night and not feeling much better in the morning and it was time to pack up and leave.  :(  Thank goodness we only had a short 2 hour trip to our next destination, which takes us back to the beginning of this post......Red Top Mountain.

I am sure that I have missed a lot.  I have LOTS of pictures to post.  I have been trying to figure out how to link back to picasa so that you can see the whole album.  I will get to it.  Until then, God Bless and I hope you are enjoying this Advent season.  Christmas is right around the corner.

Day 74

Got up yesterday and planned to head out early.  Why is it that that never happens???  No matter how hard we try or how much we pre-plan, we are always leaving the park around 11AM.

I had spoken with Fr. Roland on Sunday evening about stopping in to have the trailer blessed.  We had agreed on 11 o'clock.  Needless to say, that was not going to happen.  He had a few appointments beginning at 11:30 and wouldn't be back at the church until around 1:30.  We still had a few things to do in town before leaving, so that actually worked out well for us.

Fr. Roland did a beautiful job.  I'm pretty sure that he was just 'winging it'.  I don't think there are any 'standard' blessings for travel trailers, but he managed to bring a tear to my eye.

Yes, Gracie is being an absolute poop in the photo.  She and Samuel were having a very difficult time getting along and she had just been yelled at.  Fr. Roland did finally get a smile out of her (just not for the picture).

I think we left town at about 3 o'clock and it is generally a 5 hour drive for us.  We had already had lunch, so that was one less stop that we would have to make.  Danny drove the entire way.  I'm afraid that everyone is terrified to let me drive.   :)  I am really glad that I didn't give it a try.  There were a ton of tractor trailers on the road and they were ruthless.  Danny was riding in the middle lane and one of them sped past us on the left and whipped in front of him.  I could see them lined up behind us on our right and while the one had made his point, there was no getting over.  Two more passed us on the right and then the third proceeded to yell at us and tell us to get over.  We did and made a potty break at the next rest area.  

Back on the road again and it was starting to get dark.  Traffic seemed to slow a little and we finally made it to the park.  It was probably 7:30 before we were completely set-up, but it all went really smooth.  It didn't hurt that we have the handicapped spot which is completely paved and level...a real blessing.

Today was a quiet day.  The main reason we came back to Suwannee was to see the lights and that did not happen until 6PM.  Danny washed the trailer and the truck, both of which were in desperate need of it.  I did laundry (a never ending chore) and Hannah worked on some Christmas crafts.  (She has become a pinterest queen.)  The other kids played and hiked.  It was just a good, lazy day.

After dinner we headed off to the Spirit of the Suwannee.  The first portion of the lights is for 'driving through' and then the 2nd portion you walk through; which leads you to the shops where they have set up more fun, family stuff to do.  All in all, it was a great evening.  The kids got ice cream and Danny bought me some candied pecans.

Tomorrow morning we will head out again and I am hoping for an earlier start.  :)

A New Plan Unfolds...

Day 71

I can't believe that we have been back in Orlando for almost two weeks now.  I have really settled into this life and I am anxious to get back on the road.  I sat and made reservations for our next jaunt last night.  We will head out Wednesday morning.  (I spoke with Fr. Roland last night and we will be stopping by the church first to have the trailer blessed.)  We will head back up to Suwanee and spend two nights there.  While we were at the Spirit of the Suwannee, sitting at the Ice Cream Parlor, the owner told us about Suwannee Lights.  He really talked it up and Danny was convinced that we had to come back (not to mention that it is just a crazy, beautiful place to visit).  They advertise over 5 million lights and displays.  The owner said that all of the shops are open late and everything is really done up nice.  Also, Santa and his elves will be there!!!

After Suwannee, we will head to Pine Mountain, GA.  We will stay in FD Roosevelt State Park.  Our main goal while in Georgia is to see Fantasy of Lights at Callaway Gardens.  I couldn't be more excited to have the freedom to do 'whatever we want' this time of year.  I have NO idea what else we will do while in Pine Mountain.  It appears to be pretty close to Alabama's state capital, so we might very well head over there and mark another capital off of our list.  If anyone has any suggestions, don't hesitate to share.  :)

We have made reservations through VRBO and will stay in a cabin for Christmas.  While I am truly in love with my life and am shocked at how easy the transition to life in the trailer has been, I just could not imagine spending CHRISTmas in a campground somewhere.  Maybe next year.  :)  I am sure that it happens.  There is one camper with a tree set up outside of their RV in the park now.  I am assuming that they will be here through the holidays.  I just wasn't prepared to do it this year.

Look for more updates and pictures as we get back on the road.  May we all feel the hand of God as we enter into this Advent season and prepare for the coming of our Lord.