Epic Tally of Epic Events on the Epic Vacation

The Big Numbers

Elapsed Time:

27 days, 19 hours, and 12 minutes.
Saturday June 25th, 2011 at 5:45 AM, to Saturday July 23 at 12:57 am

Approximate Mileage Traveled:

12455.31 MILES*
*This does not include mileage traveled while visiting in a city

States visited:

9
Florida, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan

Times out of Country:
2
Vancouver and Niagara Falls

Airports:
9
Tampa, Phoenix, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Seattle, San Fransisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando

Cities:
30
Tampa, Phoenix, Anchorage, Palmer, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Denali, Houston, Seward, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Straight/Hoonah, Ketchikan, Vancouver, Bothell, Seattle, San Fran, Cleveland, Fremont, Sandusky, Huron, Port Clinton, Gibsonburg, Marblehead, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Toledo, Detroit, Orlando


From Here to There

Cars:6
Hotel/Airport Shuttle Vans: 6
Motercoaches: 3
Trams: 4
Boats: 8
Airplanes:5
Trains: 1
RVs (not moving):1


Oh the Places You'll Go

Zoos/Animal Exhibts: 8
NFL Stadiums: 3
National Treasures: 5
Bodies of water/pools swam in: 9
Bodies of water I put my feet in and decided it was much too cold to swim: 5


People I've seen (whether I wanted to or not)

Grandparents: 2
Mom: 1
Brothers: 2
Sister-in-laws: 2
Niece: 1
Nephew: 1
Great Aunt: 1
Aunts: 5
Uncles: 3
Cousins/Cousin in law/Pretty much cousin in law: 8
1st Cousins once removed : 3
Friends: 6
Friend of a Friend/Relative: 2
Total: 37



Say Cheese

Total number of pictures taken: 3057

Phoenix: 42
Alaska: 1697
Seattle- 512
Ohio- 646
Niagara Falls- 160

Times I told the kids to do something a sign said not to for the sake of a picture: 8
Number of (wild) Moose pictures: 0



Blogging on the Go

Places I posted blogs from: 12
Places I typed blogs: 16
Total Number of Blog Views: 1,681
Times I offended Cort with my blog: At least twice


It's a celebration

Birthday Celebrations: 5
Anniversaries: 1
Waiters serenaded us: 4
National Holidays: 1


Om Nom Nom

Room Service Count: 12
Days we had ice cream: 14
Asa's Entree Dinner Count: 13
Number of different Animals Asa Ate: 18
Times Hayden had Pizza: 19
Times Peyton had steak: 7
Times I had to cook a meal: 2
Peanut Butter and Jelly Meals: 7
Pounds Asa gained: 7



Waterstraut Almanac

Days where the weather was too cold: 13
Days where the weather was just right: 7
Days where the weather was too hot: The rest of them
Greatest Temperature Change in one day: 113 degrees to 55 degrees
Longest Day: June 25th- 28 hours
Shortest Day: July 12- 21 hours



Pack Rat

Number of times I packed/unpacked: 19
Bags left with: 4 bags, 5 backpacks, 1 box mailed
Bags came home with: 7 bags, 5 backpacks, 2 boxes mailed, 1 carry-on bag
Items Lost on the trip: 1/4 of a pair of pants, 1 camera, 1 toothpaste cap, 1 pair of sandals, 1 person's sanity.


Daily Activities

Port-a-Potties I was forced to use: 4
Beds I slept in: 9
Showers I showered in: 8
Maximum number of fans going at one time while dealing with no AC: 4


Under the Weather:

Motion Sickness: 4 times physically, but 7 days of feeling sick
Home Sickness: kicked in around day 18
Head Cold: 7 days
Pepto:24 pills- a whole bottle (see om nom nom)
Dramamine: Two bottles minus 2
Nyquil: A bottle and a half
Times we used the phrase 'out of network': At least 10


Other Notable Events:

Times Hayden and Gwen watched Rio: 13
Times Calib and Peyton were spotted with ice cream cones: At least 10
Times Cort did/said/purchased something nerdy: At least 5
Times Clint made one of my children cry: Zero. I'm as shocked as you.
Days Holly wished she hadn't brought one/both of her children with her: 16
Times Jessica let Hayden play with her silverware: Zero. She knew what all the forks were for.
Days Mom was glad we all went on vacation together: All of them!


Achievements Unlocked

Longest Time Away from home
Farthest Distance Away from home
49th State
Epic Vacation 100 percent complete/Surviving Epic Vacation



That's All she wrote, folks. Hope you enjoyed the blog, I sure had a great time writing it.


THE END.

Day 29- Yes, there was a Day 29.

My plane landed just before 10 o'clock tonight. The boys clapped and rejoiced to be home. However when we got down to baggage claim I found out Asa was late leaving, and stuck in traffic. By the time he called Justin to get out of the traffic, he was circling the wrong terminal. It was a huge mess, and I had probably the biggest melt down of the entire trip. We had to wait at the airport for an hour and 15 minutes after our plane landed, plus the hour delay, we got home at 12:57 this morning, resulting in a day 29. This trip has been compared to child birth- more than anything I've ever done (well, except of course actual child birth). Hopefully we look back fondly on all the good times, and forget the bad ones. Tonight was a bad one though, so not awesome to end on such a crappy note. At least I got to see Porkchop as soon as Asa picked me up and I am currently in bed, with my laptop, watching the DVR and my puppy down by my feet under the covers. Its like I never left- except for that massive to do list now awaiting me. (unpacking, grocery shopping, laundry, picture uploading to snapfish and facebook) Back to Reality. But, as a disclaimer, I'm not cooking till Sunday.

In case you missed it, lets recap:

Day 1: Not so affectionately referred to as the day that never ends. Total travel time to our hotel in Anchorage: 23 hours, 15 minutes. Had a nice stop over in Phoenix visited family and friends and stopped at the Cardinals stadium for some pictures. Swore off every booking a trip whose travel time exceeds 12 hours.

Day 2: Walked around downtown Anchorage, went to the market and had our first taste of reindeer, resulting in some guilty feelings- after all, i just ate the guy that flies Santa's sleigh.

Day 3: Traveled from Anchorage to Fairbanks stopping at the Reindeer farm, and the Iditarod Headquarters. Gave it the old college try on eating the Sewards Folly. Saw a barrel, a lady, a log and a Moose. Took a blurry picture of the road and a car. Met everyone else in Fairbanks, who questioned the validity of my moose sighting with no picture.

Day 4: Riverboat Tour on a Rainy Day, Visited the Pipeline which the kids thought was just amazing, and proved to Asa I can also be the careless parent. Traveled by motor coach to Denali where everyone went for a hike, and got drenched while I watched the younger kids tolerance for each other start to decline.

Day 5: Spent the day with the kids in Denali, in which we fed Holly and Cort's kids lots of ice cream and fudge. Which pretty much resulted in us being the coolest Aunt and Uncle ever. We made paper airplanes, played mother may I, and went into town after going to the visitors center. Took a late night hike with Cort, Holly, Peyton, Calib and Asa. Clint and Jess spoted a moose AND take a picture. Overachievers.

Day 6: Traveled from Denali to Anchorage, listened to Rio for the 8th time. Played the moose drawing game (that Peyton later got a prize for) and stopped for ice cream in Houston. Dinner cost me an amazing $1.47, and we pretty much met Sarah Palin.

Day 7: Affectionately referred to as the last day Corinne didn't feel sick for a whole week. Rode the train from Anchorage to Seward, where Clint and Jess's stinginess caused them to boycott breakfast. A couple more moose were spotted, but no pictures resulted in some raised eyebrows. Went to the sea life center for an hour, rolled around in the grass, and boarded the boat where Hayden immediately started his cookie count. (It took Peyton and Calib a little longer to find the ice cream)

Day 8: Peyton's birthday and a whole day cruising. We went through the hubbard glacier, and spotted a couple of sealions. Peyton made it to the top of the rock climbing wall, and spent half the day in kids club. Apparently what he wanted for his birthday was a break away from everyone else. We had lunch in the dining room, and had Ponderosa for dinner while Clint Jess and Mom took the Red Lobster route.

Day 9: The cruise port was Juneau. Everyone (sans Clint and Jess) got off the ship for the whale watching cruise where we spotted lots of whales, bald eagles, and sealions. My family stopped at the crab shack, and had some bisque and crab cakes, where we contemplated moving to Alaska and catching crabs for a living, since you can totally sell each leg for $25 and people will buy them. Thats some kind of profit right there.

Day 10: The cruise port was Skagway. The boys stayed on the ship and Asa and I went into town to find a spot to connect to the internet. We waded in the freezing cold river, saw a small boy fall in said river and scream due to the cold, and saw girls in bikinis swimming in the river. Take a guess who was the Alaskan natives. It was the 4th of July so the waiters in the dining room sang a medley of patriotic songs, there was napkin waving for all!

Day 11: The cruise port was the Icy Straight (Hoonah). Asa, Mom, and I took Garrett off the ship. We wandered around some shops, waded in the water, and dodged the rain. We had to ride the tender boats in and out, which didn't help my sea sickness. I was later jealous of Clint and Jess's tide pooling adventures. Mom climbed- no wait- conquered the rock climbing wall.

Day 12: The cruise port was our last one, Ketchikan. Asa, Calib, Peyton, Mom and I made a bee line for creek street, and did lots of souvinere shopping, where the lady at the gift shop looked at us really funny when we asked if we were on a floating dock (a lot of days at sea will do that to you) Mom was the last one on the ship, and therefore the last one to set foot on Alaska. The kids had a pirate parade minus Peyton, who quit due to embarrassment from having to yell something about boogers up noses. Bonus Clip: Video sold on the ship and previewed the last night showed Peyton stomping out of kids club and quitting the Pirate Parade- awesome.

Day 13: Our last day cruising, aka see how much food Asa can eat while it's still free. It was lobster night in the dining room where Peyton spotted dolphins swimming. We squandered away our last dollars in the penny slots, went out on the helipad before watching the farewell show. Peyton and Calib watched Hayden all by themselves for the first time ever, and nothing (that) bad happened.

Day 14: Our cruise ended in Vancouver. Aunt Patty and Uncle Emmett picked us up and we drove back to their house stopping to see Deception Pass, ride the ferry, and pass by the Boeing plant. After spending time at the tide pools that day, Peyton said it was his best part of the trip so far- looks like grandma wasted all that money for his trip to Alaska.

Day 15: Some of us went out to the fish market where we saw the fish flying. We visited the first starbucks, and the fremont troll before having a homecooked seafood night by Aunt Patty, where the "kids" table had way too much fun playing with the crab claws. Uncle Emmett also coerced the kids into thinking picking up pinecones into garbage bags was super fun, when in reality he was just happy not to pick them up himself.

Day 16: Brandy and Britt stopped by to hand deliver Voo Doo Donuts, and lick some Banana Slugs. Corts family and Mom flew home (phew- thank god- a person can only take so much), and we got to go up the space needle at dusk and see it in both daylight and night time all in one trip. Plus, we got to go see Quest Field.

Day 17: Oh thank heaven day! We spent the early afternoon going to the zoo, and the later part of the day was Asa's day (because he needed to be a little nerdier) visiting the Jimmy Hendrix statue, Tim at Microsoft, and having slurpies at the highest grossing 7-11 in the country (because EVERYONE knows where the highest grossing 7-11 is), right next to the Nintendo building.

Day 18: Asa headed home, and the rest of us flew from Seattle to Cleveland, going through San Fransisco, and picking up another state. Until I get to Candlestick Park in San Fransisco, I will be sure to remind the boys I didn't get that stadium because they didn't want to take their shoes off to go through security. Such sacrifices I make as a mother- but what separates me from the good moms, is I don't intend on letting this one go.

Day 19: Took the boys to Soak City, went to the Pizza Box for take out and watched Shrek down at the Boat Basin in Huron. I complained about the cool temperature on Day 19, and I would really like to tell everyone how sorry I was, apparently my wishing to be warmer went a bit on the extreme side after this. It would later be referred to as the last time everyone got to wear their hoodies this trip.

Day 20: Moms Birthday! We went to see Cars 2 in 3D, and out to the Wildlife Safari in Port Clinton to feed all the animals. Calib had a near death experience with a yak. Well, scratch that, Calib thought he had a near death experience with a yak- that never got closer than 15 feet from him. The boys rode ponies after mom guilt tripped the lady into (way to go grandma!), and we waded in lake Erie.

Day 21: We had lunch at Woodys, which to Hayden's dismay was not toy story related. Calib went to his dads house (and I'm sure breathed a huge sigh of relief to get the heck away from us after 21 days) We headed out to Niagara Falls where we stopped to be sure to meet the requirements of a new state in Pennsylvania. Our room was comped to a falls view, because we're just that awesome. We got to see the falls lit up, and ate ice cream from our hotel as we watched the fireworks.

Day 22: Rode the Maid of the Mist early in the morning, and walked the length of the falls over to the welcome center and gift shop. Then we got to ride the tram back up the hill, after Hayden conquered his fears (also know as realizing we were not tricking him into boarding the tower of terror). We headed home, stopping at the ever underwhelming Buffalo Bills stadium.

Day 23: Family Day! We went to the Sacred Heart Festival, out to Maumee Bay state park to celebrate with a birthday brunch of a whole gaggle of people. We accidentally swam with Max and Henry, and Peyton learned a valuable lesson in how mom is nearly always right. We visited Grandpa in his new house, where Hayden thought grandpa was now living in a hotel. We went out to dinner with the Sattler's, and visited with family at grandma's house. Also, probably contracted pink eye.

Day 24: First day of kids college- Thank God. Peyton needed a break from me, and I needed a break from him. Took Hayden out to Marblehead and climbed on the rocks by the light house, noting grandma and calibs carelessness around rocks previously. We had ice cream, or really, melted cream. Boat night got rained out, so we had Chud's for dinner and went out to Cedar Point to play putt putt, have ice cream, and swim (albeit illegally) in the camper village pool. Ice cream count for the day: 2.

Day 25: Second day of kids college. Took Hayden to the Imagination Station in Toledo with Ben, where we ate raw meat, I had a sick baby who just happened to be African American, and we built a block tower as tall as we could before hurricane Hayden arrived. We went out to lunch where Hayden had a photo shoot with the salad bar and Bens feet (not at the same time of course, that would be inappropriate). After kids college we went out to Huron to ride on Bob and Linda's boat. Had a picnic dinner, swam in the lake, saw Cedar Point by boat, and Hayden played bumper boats while Peyton actually played a decent captain.

Day 26: Third day of kids college. Took Hayden to Sandusky to have lunch with Tiffany and Aiden (yes, Hayden and Aiden- that was fun), played at the playground, and then headed back to Fremont to pick up Mom and Peyton. Watched Grandma's camel ride snowball into a huge (perhaps even epic) event, the boys feed some animals, and went to Fazoli's for dinner. Then crashed the camper village pool again before stopping by DQ on our way home. All without ever being seen, like ninja's or something.

Day 27: Last day of kids college. Took Hayden to the library where we searched for Waldo for an hour and a half (it's alot more difficult without google handy), brought everyone lunch at Terra, took Hayden out to white star park to swim and to DQ (because, I mean, we obviously needed more ice cream) before getting Peyton from kids college and going to the Fremont Rec Center to swim. Went to dinner at the pizza palace, played with the garden hose so much so grandma had to nix the hearing aids, caught lighting bugs who later made a great escape also ninja style, did sparklers and only had one burn, packed, and "lost" to Peyton in hotels again.

Day 28: Go Home Day! Or so we thought, stupid plane delays. Went to the cemetery where Hayden was sorely disappointed Mr. Ham Lincoln wasn't buried there, and took 5 boys to lunch with me (because four just isn't enough). Afterward we got screwed out of a trip on our second train ride to add to the transportation tally due to storms nearing the zoo. Of course we were nearing the end of vacation, so we had to make one more trip for... anyone? anyone? ICE CREAM! Then took the plane home to end one epicly long vacation.

Next Up: The Epic Count of Epic Events on my Epic Vacation. And, THE END.

Day 28- Tell the World I'm coming home!

The day has arrived, it's go home day. However, I am currently sitting at the Detroit airport- when I should be boarding a plane. Why? Because my plane is, shockingly enough, delayed. This does however mean it'll be after midnight when I get home, which makes day 28 not actually go home day, and instead Day 29. *Sigh* I thought Peyton was about to melt down when we saw the sign saying it was delayed. He did collapse onto the ground and yell "NOOOOOOO!" in the middle of the airport. The people at the gate looked at him, like, geez, thats being a little over dramatic. I did announce to them that we were on vacation for four weeks, so all that he's thinking about is getting home.

This morning I had planned on getting a few things done at my moms house, getting the sheets and everything off the bed, and downloading her pictures to my computer among other things, but after packing everything else, repeatedly weighing bags, reshuffling things, and reweighing them over and over again, I was so sweaty and gross I could hardly stand it, so I thought, screw this- I'm outta here.

We got in the car and cranked the air up, and went up to Toledo. I did stop by the cemetery that my dad and grandpa are buried at, because I felt guilty I hadn't been in a year. Now, my dad would be the last person to care, but I thought I should go, so we did. It really bummed us out, for obvious reasons, but Haydens complete lack of the concept of death amused us. We pulled in and he said 'is this the zoo?' Oh boy. I replied 'No Hayden, this is the cemetery'. Hayden says 'Whats a cemetery'. Peyton tells him 'it's where they bury people when they die'. Hayden thought for a moment and said 'Oh, can we go see where Mr. Ham Lincoln (this is how he says Abraham Lincoln, and I refuse to correct him because it's so funny) is buried?' He was pretty confident anyone who had ever died was in this cemetery. It didn't help matters when we passed a headstone that said "Hamm and Peyton tried to convince Hayden that was Abraham Lincoln. We also had earlier had a conversation about death, in which Hayden told Peyton 'I can't die, I'm too young'. Peyton, being the ever practical one said people can die in an accident at any age (I did tell them to quit talking about it, but they continued). Hayden then proclaimed if he died young it would be only if a fire breathing dragon caught him, and ate him. Oh Hayden, always being realistic. I did finally get to see the pavers in the veterans section for my dad and grandpa in person though, that was nice.

After our stop we went over to pick up my cousins Jake and Nate, and went over to Panera to meet my friend Ben and have lunch. It was me and 5 boys, which is really only one more than usual, so I didn't really feel all that out of place. After lunch we headed out to the zoo. I knew we didn't have a lot of time (actually we did have a lot of time, I just didn't know it-- stupid airport delays) so we just stayed in the front part of the zoo with the polar bears and seals, and the zebras and giraffes. I was quite disappointed that there was no baby polar bear, even though it was quite hyped up. What a let down. I did get to ride the Lion on the carousel though. A storm was brewing, so we headed toward the entrance and of course had to make a quick gift shop stop so the boys could get something. I think Hayden is going to be real upset the first time we go somewhere when we get home and I tell him he can't get anything. Talk about spoiled the last four weeks. (In their defense though they did save up for 6 months for this trip)

The rain started while we were in the gift shop, I was hoping to wait until it let up, but I thought I was on a time crunch (I am not bitter at all my plane is delayed). Eventually I said goodbye to Ben, and ran to car. Then I drove up on the sidewalk to pick everyone else up. It was a Florida sized storm with tree limbs and power outages and everything. The boys thought it was cool we were driving around right after it- we saw car accidents, lights out, and limbs down everywhere.
I wanted to see my grandma and Aunt Bonnie one more time, so we stopped up at grandmas. Because I had my moms car, her friend Lyn brought her to grandmas and we all met there. We were supposed to go to the igloo for ice cream, but because of the storm we thought it would be best to go to McDonald's instead. Then, again in the effort to save time, we decided to drink our frozen lemonades/shakes/smoothies on the way. Grandma came with us so we got to visit a little bit more, that was nice.

We got to the airport, had dinner on grandma, and the boys got an airplane set with some cars. It's a good thing too, I packed away a lot of the stuff so between those and the coloring books and crayons grandma set, we're not getting too ancy about the delay. However, as Hayden is flying the plane around, he says "This plane is flying to Alaska- and it's taking them FOREVER to get there" Ah ha, he does remember something from the last four weeks.

Score! Plane has landed. Looks like I'll get to finish blogging in the air!

In the air now, on the way home. They got us on and going pretty quick, so I might just make it home before midnight. Asa sent me a very cute picture of Porkchop just before I got on the plane, so I suggested he bring Porkers to the airport with him. I really thought he would say that he didn't want to listen to him whine, and wasn't going to bring him, but he actually agreed and said he would bring Phenom too. Although, when he picks me up he might complain that Porkchop whined the whole trip. Whatever, though, I had his kids whining the whole trip, he can handle my dog for an hour and a half. I would like to thank Airtran for providing directions on how to eat this delicious package of pretzels though. I would be lost without them.

So, vacation is over. That pretty much means the end of the blog- although I have one planned for tomorrow I've been working on since Day 1. It's pretty entertaining if I do say so myself. Some people have suggested I keep the blog going once I get home. Of course it would need a new name, since it would no longer be about the epic vacation. We'll see. I would like to thank Christina Miller for the idea to write this blog though. I would have forgotten half the vacation unless I had written it. I'm going to bind it for the boys, so they can always remember it. I doubt we will ever take a vacation of such epic proportions again. This is one for the record books.

Next Up: Getting off the plane and heading for home

Day 27- Stick A Fork In It

You know how you start to get sad when your vacation is coming to a close? I have a remedy to this- just stay on vacation until you get sick of vacation. I'm pretty much all vacationed out. Don't get me wrong, it was some good times. But enough is enough. It's like I ate too much chocolate, and now I have a tummy ache. Too much of a good thing is just that, too much. The boys are also all vacationed out. Hayden asked me if 'normal people go on vacation this long', and Peyton said 'vacation was fun, but it can be over now'. We are all on each other nerves. Except of course my mom, she said she'd be sad to see us leave. I don't know how we haven't driven her nuts yet.
The last two days my motivation to get out of the house and do much has been about zilch. But, it's super hot in the house, as you all know, it's hotter here than in FL minus the air conditioning. So, not awesome. I find myself fondly remembering home like it was the good old college days or something. I said to Peyton today 'remember when we had a pool across the street and air conditioning? Remember when we saw palm trees, and our puppies? Those were the good old days'.

In addition to my motivation, I've found a direct correlation between the time spent on vacation, and the organization of the luggage. As the percentage of vacation completed increases, the percentage of things that are organized decreases. I'm pretty sure I've hit rock bottom on the organization front. I have packed three bags to go home, and I just kind of threw stuff in all of them, it's a total mess. But a mess I won't have to worry about until I get home.

Lets talk Asacation for a moment. About two weeks before we left I emailed him a very reasonable list of things to get done on Asacation. He did comment if it didn't have eating or sleeping on the list, it wasn't a true Asacation project, however, he implied he would get them done (Do you see where this is going?) Yesterday was the first day I brought it up. I said 'hey, how's that list coming'. His response was 'what was the list again?' When he started going through it he liked to use the phrase 'it's pretty much done', meaning he had the intention of possibly getting it done before I got home, but had really done none of it. He would use bogus percentages, telling me 80 percent was done- then it was 'pretty much done'- then it was 'well, I'm going to do that'. So, anyone want to take bets on how much is actually done when I get home tomorrow?

On to todays events...

I got up early this morning because it was so hot, I just couldn't sleep in the heat anymore. Calib's dad dropped him off, because they had a funeral to go to and didn't want him to miss his last day of kids college. It was so nice and refreshing to have him around. He really eased the tension between Peyton and Hayden. He knows how to handle Hayden's whineyness. Peyton knows how to instigate it.

After I dropped them off at kids college, I decided I needed to go somewhere to be in the air conditioning, so Hayden and I headed out to the library. I had meant to go earlier in the week so we could check some stuff out, but it just didn't happen. We pulled out all the where's waldo books and sat on the floor hunting for Waldo for a good hour and a half. Hayden was much better at finding Waldo than I was, but that's probably because he studies the books we have at home and knew right where Waldo is in most of the pictures.

We went out to get lunch for Calib, Peyton, and my mom and met them in my mom's office for lunch. They had been eating there all week, and I had promised the last day I would bring them lunch. It was nice to get to visit with Calib for a little more. I tried really hard not to talk about going home tomorrow, I know he is homesick, and not so excited it's still two more weeks until he'll be home. But, he's also having a good time.

Calib and Peyton went back to their last class after lunch and I took Hayden out to White Star Park in Gibsonburg to swim. I hadn't been there in years and years. The water was cool, and it was free to get in today- but it was packed. There were people everywhere, so we didn't stay all that long, we just cooled off and then headed over to DQ for some cool down ice cream style. After that we picked up Peyton and went over to the Fremont Rec Center for some more swimming. Although Hayden was totally bummed he's too short for the waterslides there. It was also packed. It made me REALLY grateful for our subdivision pool. I know the pool is open to a lot more people than just the subdivision, plus a lot of the people in Oakstead already have their own pools. Plus the fact it's always that hot, so we don't all rush to the pool when the temperature climbs that high. Either way, I didn't really appreciate all the little kids running and being out of control with parents not watching their five year old belly flopping into 2 feet of water right next to me. But you know, you do what you have to for the kids to cool down.

After the pool we headed back to my moms, I had packing to do after all. We went out for pizza, because Hayden hasn't had enough pizza this trip. (Someone is going to be quite upset when he has to eat his vegetables with dinner.) Peyton spilled spaghetti all over the floor at one point. Things have just really gotten out of control. Listening is at a premium around here, whining is in abundance, and homesickness is turning to cranky-pants-ness. After dinner, we decided the boys should water the plants in their swimsuits and we could just cool them off with the water from the hose. I then decided I'd just wash their hair and give them some soap and call it a shower. Look, we're on Day 27 here, I will do just about anything to cut some corners at this point. Don't judge me, we've been going down a slippery slope here for the last few days and I'm starting to lose it. This single parent crap stinks.

They did get a little out of hand with the hose, drenching me and my mom to the point where my mom had to take out her hearing aids. They probably played with the water for an hour. I then decided I would just wash my hair out there too, and I'll shower in the morning after I get all the luggage out to the car- I'm going to need it. After that we caught some fire flies. I poked some holes in the top of a jar, but I got a little too excited taking my frustrations out on the top of the jar and the holes ended up big enough for the bugs to crawl out (there are currently 4 lightning bugs flying around the bed room- Hayden says they are his 'own personal night light slaves'). Then we changed into our PJs and did some sparklers. Afterward I packed- and I use that term loosely- the more accurate term would be, I threw some stuff in some suitcases. Peyton wanted to play another game of hotels, so we did. I used the same interesting math concepts from the other night, and Peyton won again. Funny how that happened again.

Now the boys are arguing with each other and complaining about the heat, even though we're trying out this room air conditioner thing my mom had. It does help a little, but it's still just out of control hot. The good news is we have four fans going, so I can barely hear the arguing over them. I'll be quite glad to be home in just about 24 hours. It's finally happening- I'm going home. Asa can stop sending me my daily Porkchop pictures- and I can actually see Porkchop!

But before I do that, lets reminisce on the epic vacation, and my highlights!

Leg 1: Tampa to Fairbanks- Wild Moose sighting narrowly edges out feeding/petting the Moose at the Reindeer Farm
Leg 2: Land Portion of the cruise tour- The glass domed train ride from Anchorage to Seward (in which I also saw a wild moose family from afar) narrowly edges out walking along the river in Denali National Park
Leg 3: The Cruise- The Whale Watching Cruise narrowly edges out cruising through the Hubbard Glacier (I was REALLY sea sick that day)
Leg 4: Seattle- Being on the top of the Space Needle at sunset narrowly edges out the tide pools (I was awfully worried about kids staying upright)
Leg 5: A couple of days in Ohio and Niagara Falls- Maid of the Mist easily edges out the Tram ride to the top of the hill (though that was still really fun)
Leg 6: Last Couple Days in Ohio- Watching Grandma ride the camel narrowly edges out going out on Bob's boat on the lake. (It was her lifelong dream, after all.

Tonights self taken picture: drenched from the garden hose, but smiling- come on, I go home tomorrow!

Homesick meter: 6- Again, we're going home tomorrow!

Up Next: Did I mention we're going home tomorrow? (Actually I'll believe it when I see it, it seems as though I'm never going home) But before that I get to go to the zoo, and swing by the igloo!

Day 26- Ollie Ollie Camel Free!

I dropped Peyton off at kids college this morning, and was quite happy to do so. We've been having some grumpy moments, but he usually turns it around while he's at kids college and is around his newly found friends. I knew it was best to try and stay out and about because it's so hot in the house, it makes Hayden really ancy. We took the car out to wash the deer and elk dirt smudges off the car from day 20. Thats how I refer to things now. It's just what Day it was. And the only reason I know what day anything was is because all my pictures are in the 'epic vacation' folder, and then in a folder titled with the day and the biggest event of that day. It's really been quite handy, I'm glad I did it so organized. We probably didn't have to wash the car since I've been driving the car so much it's due for an oil change and they'll wash it then, but Hayden thought the sprayer thing looked like lots of fun. It's kind of how when we paid penny slots we didn't really win anything, but it was worth the 30 minutes of entertainment it provided. We got nowhere with the dirt, but he had fun. $2 well spent. The vacuuming went a little better, at least you could tell we did that.

After that we headed out to Sandusky to have lunch with my friend Tiffany and her son Aiden. They both got a kick out of the name similarity. It was funny when Tiffany would tell Aiden to stop doing something Hayden gave this look like 'wait, did she say Hayden?' It was nice visiting and catching up with her, plus I got to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings, added bonus to a nice afternoon. We were trying to kill some time before we had to pick up Peyton so Hayden and I went over to the lake to try and find a playground to play on. Here's the thing about the heat here. Yes, it is hot. It's really hot. But the suns intensity still doesn't even come close to rivaling Florida. So, playing on the playground equipment it may be hot- but you aren't going to get burned like you could on it mid-summer in Florida. We were going to go get ice cream, but my mom needed us to stop home to pick up a cooler and some other things, so we had to nix Toft's for heading back instead.

When we got back to the house it was really hot, but I tried to make the best of it, sitting in front of the fans. I did check my email and I got something back from the principal at the boys school about my copy paper. She basically said we couldn't do it electronically, because not everyone has access to a computer (which would be a fine reason if the boys didn't constantly come home with homework they had to complete online and print out), and that for the sake of good communication, that would continue the one folder per child rule, just in case a kid forgets it, or a teacher forgets to give it out. I find neither reason acceptable, and am therefore boycotting buying copy paper this year. Plus, Asa said I should save my whole stack of papers that were unnecessary and count them up at the end of the year to show the school on much they wasted on my family alone.

In happier news, I'm not sure how many of you have heard the story of my grandma wanting to ride a camel, so here is a recap. Last year Asa was on the phone with grandma and posed the question 'what have you always wanted to do that you've never gotten to do?' Grandma's response seemed like a simple request: she wanted to ride a camel. Obviously us being the stellar grand daughter, and grandson in law, wanted to make our grandma's simple dream of riding a camel come true. However, apparently nobody in the family knew of this life-long dream of hers. When we told my mom she seemed quite surprised by it, but was totally on board to make it happen. Now, our zoo has camel rides, so I have been on them many times. But, grandma isn't about to hop on a plane to Florida anytime soon (although we've tried to convince her many times). We tried the African Wildlife Safari, but they only let kids ride. Apparently she had tried to ride one there once with my cousins, and they wouldn't allow it. While I was looking up things for the boys to do while we're in Ohio (because Lord knows you have to keep yourself busy here), I came across the fact that Kalahari (a hotel/resort/waterpark/animal park/anything else you can think of) had camel rides for adults. We decided we would accomplish mission grandma rides a camel while I was visiting.

Now, Aunt Bonnie also wanted to come along, so we had to find a time we could all go. We called to see about the hours, and discovered that if it was too hot, they would stop the camel rides for the day. First of all, this seems a bit ridiculous, it's a camel. I'm pretty sure those are warm (dare I say hot) weathered animals. This must be one pampered camel.(Once I met Ollie the camel, she did seem like quite the pampered princess of a camel). Mom called yesterday to check on the status of the camel rides, because if they weren't running yesterday they certainly wouldn't be today. Someone must have realized camels live in the desert and handle the heat quite well, because the camel was running all day. We figured today would be a go!

Apparently grandma was so excited about this camel ride, that she was blabbing to anyone who would listen that she was going to ride a camel. Her friend, and fellow twins club member Diane caught wind of it, and told her husband who works for the local fox tv station in Toledo. They were going to do a small piece on grandma if we sent in a couple of pictures. Mom, as we discussed previously, is quite the rule follower. She figured we should call Kalahari to make sure it was ok to have grandma at their park on the news. She first got someone say no, then yes if it was our own pictures. She basically got the run around, and was told to talk to Marketing, but they were supposed to be out of the office all day. All this was going on while my mom was at work, and once I picked her up and we were on the way she got a call from the Kalahari Marketing Director, Kristy.

Kristy said it would be fine to take our own pictures and have them on the news- which I thought was pretty cool in itself. Then mom asked what would be the closest entrance to the animal farm (its a big complex), and Kristy very nicely told us to come around back, on the dirt road (where very clearly guests were not supposed to be- this was pure employee area) and she would let us in the back gate. Mom told her we would be there around 4, so when we arrived there were a couple of employees, and Kristy waiting for us. They unlocked the back gate and led us in. It was a full on entourage to see grandma ride this camel- I was there with Peyton and Hayden plus my mom, Aunt Bonnie, and Bob and Linda (from last night if you're keeping track). They wanted to come out to be part of the festivities which was great.

They had the camel waiting from grandma, she zipped right up the steps and got on the camel pretty easily (for almost 90 grandma sure does get around on her own really well). Aunt Bonnie rode in the back, and grandma rode in the front, and they took a stroll around the track. Grandma was smiling from ear to ear which was nice to see. When she got off the camel, they gave her a sticker to wear that said "I rode a camel today". I got some great pictures and video (since I've been alternating two cameras this whole trip I was able to do both simultaneously). Plus we got some great pictures of grandma giving the big old thumbs up when she got off the camel. She was so excited!

By now it had become this huge event. I really just thought we were going to Kalahari to ride the camel, and be done. The general manager of Kalahari had even caught wind of it, and bought grandma a stuffed camel from the gift shop and presented it to her. They were really kind about the whole thing, we will have to send a thank you note. Mom insisted we pay the admission, but they said they would cover the camel ride. The boys did get to spend a little time after that feeding the goats some carrots, and walking around looking at all the animals. As hot as it was, it really wasn't that bad under the shelter and with all the fans going. I'm so glad we were able to go today.

When we were done (and they didn't rush us at all, we got to take our time) They led us out the back gate and back to our cars. Grandma is just so excited about it. It's such a simple dream, I'm glad she got to fulfill it. As we were walking out Peyton said 'so, your dream came true today grandma!' I'm sure my boys will have the memory of today forever. I know I will.
After we were all done we stopped over at Bobs house to email some pictures to fox news, and went out to Fazoli's for dinner. If only there was Fazoli's in Florida. I don't think anyone makes breadsticks as yummingly delicious (and probably as bad for you) as they do. Mom had said it would be her treat, and of course grandma argued. It wouldn't be a dinner out without and Ainsworth whose paying argument. Linda noted that 'You can't argue with Nancy'. I noted 'Where do you think she learned that from?' Grandma won, because, well, grandma always does. Thanks for dinner grandma, it was yum-my! We visited for awhile, discovered the pictures didn't get sent in time to make the early news and would be on at 10, and then headed our separate ways.

One of the trips home, I had picked up everyone's bathing suits thinking maybe we could crash the pool at Cedar Point again. Even if you have to pay the 10 bucks parking, for all of us to swim it's a pretty good deal. I did take a picture of Peyton by the sign announcing the pool was for camper village guests only. It was again nice and refreshing given this ridiculous heat. When I came back to Fremont earlier in the day, the temperature was posted at 99 degrees. The second time we came through at 9 pm it was still 90. It's a scorcher. I'd rather be in Florida right now- it's cooler there.

The thing about the heat is I don't mind it when I'm outside at all. The inside and no AC is what kills me. It's crazy hot in the middle of the night, and I just can't get used to that. Plus, the low is supposed to be lower 70s in Florida tonight- we'll be lucky to get into the 70s at all, which annoys me. I'd rather be sleeping with no AC in Florida than here. There Is something wrong with that picture. Either way, I do think it's funny that everyone kind of freaks out it's so hot. Drinking lots of fluids make the top of the evening news. But then again, slow news day = camel news day. If the heat keeps up though, it could very well be the hottest they've seen here since 1995. On the way home we stopped to get ice cream at DQ. We were still in our swim suits so we went to the one where you sit outside and order at the window.

When we got home Peyton was noticing the fan in the family room really shaking. I said it was probably fine, that Uncle Clint put it up. His response: 'If Uncle Clint put up that fan, I don't trust it at all' It may have actually been Uncle Cort, but I'm pretty confident the comment would have remained the same either way.

We were able to catch the news. They had a big 'Happy 90th Birthday' boarder around the pictures (even though grandma's birthday inst until September. Then they told about how it was her first ever camel ride, and how her 'granddaughter from Florida' was visiting so they had to do the rides now, even though it was really hot. I'm totally the grand daughter from Florida, by the way. Which makes me pretty close to really famous. They mentioned my relation to my grandma and my state on the news. That totally counts for fame points.

After all of this now Hayden is wandering around saying things like 'I've always wanted to ride a camel' , granted Hayden has ridden a camel many times, just not today. I'm pretty confident he just wanted the special camel treatment that grandma had. When Peyton was talking to Asa on the phone today he told him 'Great Grandma was on tv, and that was pretty cool, when do you get to be on tv? ' He's right, it was a pretty cool day all around.

Funny quote of the day:
Peyton: 'tomorrow kids college is over, so you won't have to miss me anymore.'
Hayden: 'I didn't actually miss you, Peyton'.

Homesick meter:7. Peyton said he is much less homesick today because he knows were going home in two days. Lets hope that means we hit our peak.

Self taken picture of the day would be me fanning myself, because, HOLY CRAP- it's hot in this house.

Next Up: Packing, Last Day of Kids College, and some quality Calib time! Yay!

Day 25- Boat Number Eight

Today was Peyton's second day of kids college, in addition it was super hot out so I had to get Hayden out of the house. (I'm a Floridian, I can handle heat, but I can't handle a lack of AC) We went up to imagination station, which is the children's museum type thing in Toledo (it's in the old COSI building, and is pretty much still COSI, it just has a different name). My friend Ben lives right near there, so he met me and Hayden. Hayden liked the tennis ball you could shoot into the sky by dropping a weight probably the most. But, the little hospital and grocery store are also a big hit. I enjoyed the block building, and even made a tower taller than Hayden. But, alas, I have boys so I know what I build, must be knocked down. Hayden also had a great time doing that.

We were going to go to Max and Erma's for lunch but Ben had a senior moment (it happens when you get old), and we ended up at Ruby Tuesdays, which is also a pretty good lunch stop with that salad buffet and all- plus they have cupcakes. They weren't as good as the cupcake spot cupcakes, but they did alright. Plus the company was pretty good. Ben and I have been friends since I was in 5th grade (even though he totally used me because I was the only one he knew with a CD player), and he's the one staple when I come home. I have to visit with him.

Unfortunately, Hayden is five. This means trying to have lunch conversation is very difficult. I didn't really think ahead to bring anything, because as I mentioned yesterday even packing my purse stresses me out these days, so I handed him my camera. He's weird though and before I knew it he was taking pictures of Ben's feet, and the lettuce at the salad bar. He was a little out of control today. It is Day 25 after all.

I spent so much time with Ben I was late picking Peyton up from kids college, which was fine, because he just got to spend some time in my mom's office. He had a really cool dinosaur he made/constructed today in dino mania. He had said his lost in space teacher wasn't very nice early this morning, and when he got in the car I said 'so how was your teacher today'. His response: She was great. Apparently Grandma is her boss'. You can do the math on that one.
We came home so I could fold laundry and complain about how hot it was. I gathered some things up for a picnic dinner, and went back out to pick my mom up from work. We only have her car while I'm here, but we're making it work thanks to some help by her fabulous friends/co-workers. It's very nice of them to help us out. Thanks Pam and Lynne!

Mom also has some wonderful friends- Bob and Linda who very nicely invited us out for a ride on their boat. We were supposed to go last night, but it stormed and the water was really rough. Today the weather was beautiful. Out on the lake it wasn't nearly as hot, the breeze was wonderful and the lake was really calm.

Their boat is parked in the Huron Marina, so I got to see my old stomping grounds from a boat, which was a unique view. Then we headed out onto lake Erie, and parked the boat for a swim. They boys were able to wade in the water, it was shallow enough I didn't have to worry about floaties or anything with Hayden. I just had to make sure when he jumped off the back of the boat he was smart about it. Because, well, if left to his own devices smart and jumping don't go together in the same sentence when it comes to Hayden.

We ate our picnic dinner and swapped cruise/day that never ended horror stories. Although Bob's was much more entertaining than mine. There was no well endowed women, guys willing to push me around in a wheelchair, or quarantines in mine. Just a lot of delays and a long travel time. Suddenly June 25th seemed kind of lame.

After a little more swimming, Bob drove the boat out to Cedar Point to have a look at it from the water, in all my years at cedar point, I've never gotten to see it by boat, it was pretty cool. We headed back because it was getting dark, and Linda slowed the boat and let the boys drive it for a little while. It was so nice of them to surprise the boys with that. Peyton steered it much more effectively. Hayden was a bit more crazy with the wheel, like he was driving one of those bumper cars at Busch Gardens. Good thing with it being a Tuesday night and all there weren't a lot of people out on the water. When we took the boat back in, we even got to drive right under the rail road tracks with a train heading down them. It was a really nice trip, and Bob and Linda said we should make it an annual event. They are really nice people. We appreciated them taking us out.

Hayden's behavior was a bit on the Gwen side today (ha- totally kidding, we're not calling it that or anything- I mean, not officially). He was a cranky pants though. I had told him if he got three Xs I would make him sleep in the other room. When we got home I changed him and set him up on the futon. I didn't intend to have him stay out there- but after crying and whining about being scared out there by himself he fell asleep. I did move him though, since he was sweating in his sleep out there, and it's much cooler in the bedroom. Hopefully this will be lesson learned and he straightens up for our last couple of epic vacation days (ekk! can you believe were nearing the end?!?! It often times seems as thought it will never come).

Peyton and I stayed up to play hotels, which is an awesome game. If you happen to have 300 bucks and shop ebay a lot you should check it out. We are lucky enough to still have it from long ago. I had pinky promised I would play tonight- not knowing how late it would be when we got home. I fudged numbers a smidgen (in Peyton's favor), and when I ran out of money I didn't sell anything back, I just told him he won. He was pretty happy about it, so much in fact he started to rub my nose in it, and I almost rethought the whole end when you run out of money instead of when all your assets and money are gone. But then I realized it was way past mdnight. Then I just let the heckling continue.

Todays self take picture is of me, smiling, with a thumbs up next to a sleeping Hayden. Because boy was it a relief when he fell asleep tonight. He was a pout pout fish, with a pout pout face for sure
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Homesick meter: 8.9 It possibly subsided a bit today, but twice today Peyton said 'it's just that I miss home' when he was warned about his behavior. Plus I almost cried when Asa sent me a picture of pork choopers.

Casualty number 4 has occurred, or at least temporarily. I can't find my camera, though I know I brought it back from the boat, so it's around here somewhere. Anyway, this means no pictures today. Luckily, I have Brandy's camera for tomorrow until I find it. Add camera to the list of previous casualties: Calib's camera, toothpaste cap, Peyton's flip flops, and now my camera.

Update: Camera was in the car, safe and sound. Adding pictures now!

Next Up: Kids college, and Camels and Breadsticks!

Day 24- Mom Totally Just Made Road Kill Out of Raccoon!

It's really been downhill since day 21. Three weeks is enough to be an epic vacation, but I'm an over achiever, so clearly 21 days wasn't enough for me. I had to go for a whole week more! I think we can go ahead and file this under the 'Corinne bit off more than she can chew category'. I feel as times I have a glazed over look. Today, the thought of packing a picnic dinner and a bag for the evening made me super bummed out, because I just don't want to pack or unpack anything ever again. I don't even want to check whats in my purse before I leave the house. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm trying not to complain because I know there's people who are away for much worse things than vacation, and for much longer periods of time. It's just a lot, and I'm ready to go home. But, we still have a few more days to jam pack worth of events before that wonderful, glorious day.

Today was Peyton's first day of kids college, so we got up around 9 to have breakfast and drop him off. I think the separation from Hayden was a good thing at this point. Peyton has a lost in space class, and a dino-mania one. In between them he gets to have lunch with grandma in her office, since kids college is a Terra program, and the reason we're still here. It's over Thursday, we leave Friday. Thats not really a coincidence. At some point Jessica asked me if I was staying through the weekend. Psh, I saw this coming. I knew it wouldn't be all lounge chairs, and tropical drinks with umbrellas when I signed up for 27 days away from home with three kids. I knew by this time I wouldn't have any desire to stay through the weekend. Anyway, it's unfortunate that this year the ages changed and you have to be going into first grade instead of kindergarten, otherwise today might have gone slightly better.

After we dropped Peyton off I took Hayden out to Marblehead. It's a cute little Ohio town right on lake Erie. There is a lighthouse, and all kinds of rocks right out on the water to climb on. It was perfect for Hayden because there wasn't really any danger in it (unless you got really close to the water- but he saw the green fuzzy stuff and said "that stuff made Calib and Grandma fall in water, I better stay away'). The rocks are rather large, and they're all very stable. We spent about 45 minutes walking back and forth, climbing up and down them, until I convinced Hayden it was so hot we needed ice cream, even if it was before lunch. We went down to the old schoolhouse and had some ice cream, and then headed back to Fremont for lunch.

Today marks the third time I've done laundry on this trip. I've also had to repaint my toe nails. I've been through a whole bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and the body wash also ran out (just to give you a little bit of an idea how long it's been since I left home). I did laundry on day Day 5 in Denali, Day 17 in Seattle, and now Day 24 in Ohio. This should be the last time before I get home, which is nice. Doing laundry on vacation kind of stinks. It didn't really eat into any time though, because by this time in the afternoon the super hot temperatures had given way to thunderstorms. It's so hot in the house, so Hayden and I took this opportunity to sit out on the front porch and stick our heads under the steady stream of water coming from the gutters.

After that we went to pick Peyton up from kids college, and we got to see Calib since he is also going to kids college. I at least got to say hello to him, which was nice. Boy, do I miss Calib. Hayden hugged him and wouldn't let go. Calib found this slightly embarrassing in front of his new friends. Calib's grandpa showed up to get him, and was asking me about being ready to go home, and I didn't want to say much about it, because Calib has to stay here another couple of weeks. He won't be home until August 5th, so I wonder how his homesickness meter is.

Peyton wanted to go out and get a game for passing the FCAT, which Asa and I promised him. I also took this opportunity to get some of the boys school supplies. It's so much cheaper here than it is in Ohio, and when you have to buy 8 packages of glue sticks among other things- it really adds up. Sidenote: Here's another thing that totally bugs me, I have to buy 6 reams of copy paper. However, each week I get two Tuesday folders (now I will get three) of the same papers, because they give a folder to everyone. So, a whole set goes in the trash. This is not economical, nor good for the environment. I just wrote an email to the PTA president complaining about this, offering to help set something up. I'll buy the copy paper- but don't waste it, geesh. Anyway, Peyton got a game, I got school supplies- and because of the glazed over 'I've been on vacation way too long' look- it didn't even phase me to be buying school supplies for Hayden. Seriously, get him the heck to school.

We were supposed to go on a boat ride tonight, but thunderstorms canceled our plans last minute- and I really do mean last minute, we were in the car on our way, when we realized it just wasn't going to work. Mom decided I could have some chud spuds as consultation. Chud spuds = best food ever, for those of you who don't know. It's potatoes, cheese, and bacon. I mean, what else do you need? Nothing, really.

After dinner we were trying to decide what to do, the storms had cleared up and looked like we wouldn't have to worry about them until middle of the night. Peyton said he was tired of always going, and he wanted to stay at grandma's. Here's the problem with that: 1. Theres no AC 2. He gets bored and I have to entertain him 3. We need time to pass quickly, and sitting around won't help that. I convinced him of my theories, and he agreed to come out and go to cedar point to putt putt, grab some ice cream, and swim in the camper village pool.

The thing about Cedar Point, it's certainly no Disney, or really even Busch Gardens. But, nothing feels quite like home as Cedar Point does. Fremont just doesn't have that warm comfy home feeling to it. Part of it I'm sure is that my dad isn't here,and mom is at work alot, plus the fact that I don't really know or spend time with hardly anyone whose around here anymore. I spent 5 summers of my life there, which I guess doesn't seem like a whole lot, but they were really fun summers. Some of my all time favorite memories are Cedar Point related, so going there always gives me that comfy feeling. I'm strange, the sounds of roller coasters and screaming makes me very comfy and calm. Night time at Cedar Point is the best. And, I mean, if you're going for nostalgia, this is the place. Especially when you can still fib you're going to pick someone up and only pay the 50 cent causeway toll.

At the entrance they have all the measurements for all the rides, Peyton wanted to see what he would be able to go on in September when we visit (shhh-- nobody tell grandma it's a surprise for her 90th birthday). He was SO very close to 52 inches. We skipped the actual park this time around since the adult to kid ratio wasn't awesome, and the adults who like to ride all the coasters to kid ratio was even worse. We did putt putt, and I gotta say, now that I'm not constantly sea sick, I could have whooped Asa's butt. I smoked the boys. They THOUGHT we weren't keeping score. But come on, I'm a Sattler/Waterstraut, of course I kept score. We walked over to the hotel for some ice cream. Now keep in mind Hayden has already had ice cream once today- but he passed up the ice cream for a lemonade. I guess when you're on vacation and having lots of sweets, you eventually get your fill-- even if you're five. Then we crashed the camper village pool and swam for a little. It really cooled us off since it was such a hot day. Peyton took awhile to get in, because he complained about how cold it was. I told him the pool on the ship was a lot colder, and eventually he got in. He was all worried about breaking the rules and swimming in the pool only meant for guests. I said grandma fully condoned this kind of behavior, and he was suddenly ok with it. I mean if goody two shoes grandma says its ok, what could go wrong?

I pumped the AC up in the car on the way home till I had goosebumps so it would take a lot longer for my body temperature to rise to uncomfortably warm levels. My strategy failed though, when the windows started to get all foggy. While trying to defrost said fogginess, I looked up and saw a set of beady little eyes looking right into my headlights. I had a car directly behind me, and coming the other way, so my only hope was to try and get him inbetween the tires. Unfortunately, this was not a successful plan. The car hit a bump, I gasped, and Peyton says 'Mom, what happened?' Hayden replied 'Mom totally just made road kill out of raccoon'. I said 'Maybe I didn't' and Hayden replied 'Yea, and I was good today'. *sigh*

As we continue driving, Peyton yells "MOOSE!" As a split second reaction to the news of a moose, I slammed on my breaks. The processing time of realizing I'm in Ohio where there is no wild moose took a good minute. It's part of my vacation glazed over look, you stop questioning some very obvious things- like the fact there theres no way this is a moose. To his credit though, it wasn't a barrel or a woman in a brown jacket, it was actually wild life. It was a rather large deer on the side of the road. He probably would have let me take a picture of him if I wanted to, unlike that stupid moose.

I took the Uncle Cort approach tonight with everyone's shower, and figured we were just in a pool, which means we pretty much showered. I got the kiddo's ready for bed, and cranked up all the fans. I currently have goosebumps, so I have one less complaint for the evening.

Self Taken Picture for the day: Smiles, because what else can you do at this point? Plus, Hayden really turned it around the second half of the day. He'd been on the verge of serious trouble all day up until dinner.

Homesick meter: 9. Asa was talking about home, and I was nearly in tears thinking about it. Lets have a moment of silence for me sleeping in my bed, with my pillow, in the AC and the darkness with my puppy down by my feet. Plus, Peyton told me a couple of times 'It's just, I really miss home", and Hayden response to that was "I remember home".

Up Next: Day 2 of kids college, and trying that whole boat thing again tomorrow- here's to no rain!

Day 23- Great, Now We're All Getting Pink Eye.

Some days at the end of the day when I sit down to blog, I think 'wait. Did that happen today- was that only this morning?' It has gotten worse as the days have gone on. I've cringed a bit when I hit Day 20 and since then- it just sounds like such a long time to be away from home.

This morning the boys were up around 9:15 so I think we're back to Eastern Standard Time, which only took most of a week. I had promised them we could go out to the festival at the church across town to play a couple of games this morning. Unfortunately, the stellar News Messenger had reported they opened at 11. Well, they didn't. But, one nice lady let them play the one open game over and over again until they had won all the prizes from that one game. They also both made some sand art things, so they were happy with that. Peyton even won a prize for Max and Henry to take to them.

When we left the festival, we typed into the gps Maumee Bay State Park, and yet again Mom questioned it. Peyton has even caught on and was like 'Grandma, I think we should listen to the gps'. She later admitted it was a shorter more direct route. Shocking, a gps getting us to the destination in a timely and efficient manner, I didn't know they did such things.

When we got to Maumee Bay we had to wait a little bit for everyone to get there. We were meeting up with my grandma, Great Aunt Ruthie, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Judy, Uncle Warren, my cousin Joanne, and her twin boys Max and Henry. It is my Aunt Judy's birthday, and it was just Uncle Warrens, plus my moms so we celebrated all of their birthdays. Peyton even had a candle to blow out, and I thought 'has it seriously only been two weeks since his birthday'. Hey, you know, if time wants to slow down for me in the next month I'm not going to complain. Drag out all that time of still being young and 29. We had a nice Sunday brunch buffet. It was no Windjammer, but it was still a good meal. Hayden mostly just had bacon for breakfast. He is his father's son, after all.

Peyton told the dad in the bathroom 'soon' being a relative term joke. He got some consolation laughs. I tried to tell vacation stories, but as I'm pretty sure I noted before, the downside of a blog is that everyone has already read my vacation stories, so I don't get to tell them in person. Joanne and I then took all the kids out to play with their toys from the festival. Now, keep in mind these were 50 cent games so the prizes were not too elaborate, but I thought these were pretty cool. Theres these disks that you get to flip up a small hand held pole and they go spinning into the air. The 5 year olds were not getting them to spin very far, but Peyton was getting them really high. I kept warning him that one was going to get stuck on the roof of the resort. I think you can guess where this is going. I told him this should be a lesson to him, especially when he becomes a teenager.

Max and Henry are funny kids. First of all, who doesn't love twins whose names you can sing to the tune of the theme song for 'Max and Ruby'. Those of you who don't have kids, google it. Plus, Peyton kept asking them what the difference was between the two of them, and screwing up their names. Then Henry said "Whats the difference between you and Peyton". I couldn't tell if he didn't know which was Peyton and which was Hayden or if he was just giving Peyton a taste of his own medicine. Either way, props to him.

We then took the kids down to water. It was SO much cooler down by the water. It was super hot out today, like Florida hot. But down by the water it was much better, pleasant even. The kids kept going in deeper and deeper until it really didn't matter we had rolled up their shorts. They had fun in the water, skipping rocks, and cooling off. But eventually it was time to head back up to the resort. You know it's time to stop swimming in lake Erie when the dead fish float by.

After lunch we headed out to Toledo, where my mom called my Aunt Sharon to talk about plans for the evening. Both of them apparently agreed when the gps told us our estimated time of arrival that it was inaccurate, because as we previously discussed gps devices are good for nothing. (FYI, I think we arrived a minute after the original time said). My grandpa moved from Venice, Florida back up to Toledo in early June, so I hadn't seen him in his new digs yet. He has a nice set up, a balcony even, and seems to be settled in quite nicely. I helped him with packing things up, and proudly noticed everything I packed seemed to have made it alright. He said it made it just fine, but there was a lot of choice words being said when other people had to unwrap my packing job. Well, you know, it all made it there- that was my job.

My Aunt Sharon, Uncle Grant, and cousins Jake and Nate came over to visit too. They were running a bit late too though, something about a driving instructor skipping out and soccer game. We left grandpa's to go out to dinner, and it was nice to visit with them a little longer. Peyton told his dad in the bathroom/'soon' being a relative term story. This got a much bigger laugh out of Uncle Grant, but then he would totally appreciate that more than my grandma and aunt. He's also a trouble maker. We don't need to talk about the quarter funnel thing. It was nice that Peyton and Hayden sat next to Nate too, because then they had someone else to bug and poke besides me, plus Nate seemed to have a much higher tolerance for these things than I do at day 23. Talked to Jake a bit about colleges he's looking into. I told him I would disown him if he went to OSU, he could babysit if he went to USF and in return I would let him do his laundry (minus socks and underwear) at my house, or he could always go to Southeastern Alaska University for a whopping 500 bucks a year.

After dinner, we said our goodbye's (I'll see them Friday- I'm taking Jake and Nate to the zoo with us), and headed back to grandmas. We had a rousing game of red light green light in the back yard until we were a bit too hot (it was 100 degrees at 7pm, gross), and got to visit with everyone a little more. Joanne enjoyed the fact that I could get the kids to think anything was exciting with my tone of voice. I had a very enthusiastic "Let's go inside and get some WATER! WHOOO!' Her kids went running like they were on their way to Disney world. My kids however, have caught on to that. It doesn't work for anything these days. I probably pushed it a little too far when I yelled about going to see pipes back when we were seeing the Alaska pipeline. I also tried to convince Joanne and/or Mom to tie Uncle Warren's shoe laces together while he was sleeping, but neither of them would do it. I told them I would make them famous and put them in my blog if they did, instead their prudishness gets published. That and Joanne's pink eye. Man, I really hope I didn't catch it. Totally kidding.....I think......unless she's the one thinking 'jokes on them' when we all actually end up with pink eye-- otherwise she may be telling the truth with the elaborate 'it's an allergic reaction' story she concocted. Joanne is also the one who thinks I should keep my blog going after vacation is over. She may have just rethought that.

The trip home was pretty uneventful which was nice because today was an awfully grumpy boys day. They are just sick of each other. I did threaten Hayden with having to sleep in a room by himself if he didn't straighten up, which freaked him out enough to help his attitude to improve. I did have to call Asa twice for help, and that's never a good sign. I did stop to get them smoothies at McDonalds since they were good, and we totally forgot we were going to go to the igloo in Toledo (here's hoping we can still get there sometime)

My self taken picture today is me with the fan-- holy moly it's a scorcher out there (or in my case in here-- in Mom's house with no AC).

Homesick meter: 8- There was no mention of being homesick all day today. I think they were too busy to notice. But, at bedtime tonight there was a lot of talk about home, and the things that they miss there. Here's what the boys said they missed most:

Hayden: 'I miss magical ice from the freezer door, and word world when you press those buttons on the remote and it just comes on, no matter what time it is"
Peyton: 'I miss going in another room away from Hayden, and my bed, but mostly right now, I just miss air conditioning" (which is funny- because they share a bedroom.)

Up Next: Day 1 kids college for Peyton, Going out on Lake Erie (because I haven't been a boat in one whole day!)

Day 22- So Wheres my Room Service?

I woke up this morning when my alarm went off, and Peyton opened the door to the hotel living room area, pouring in the light from the huge windows in the bedroom. Last night I was excited to be sleeping in a room without windows, since I'm very picky about sleeping in complete darkness. Strike that, since I used to be very picky about sleeping in the dark, until about 3 weeks ago when I couldn't adhere to that any longer. Unfortunately I was sleeping with Hayden, and I have now discovered he has inherited his cousin's 'crazy legs'. I was kicked and pushed a lot. I will not be sharing a bed with Hayden any longer.

We did have breakfast in the hotel, and while it wasn't quite the windjammer, it was pretty good food. They had a rather large spread, so we all had a good breakfast and headed out down to the falls, after dropping our luggage in the car. There was signifcantly less people walking around down by the falls, so we made a bee line for the maid of the mist. Along the way Hayden took a moment to go chasing after seagulls, and I took pictures of Peyton acting out signs that told him what he should NOT be doing. Look at me being such a good influence. There was hardly any wait, so we got in line and walked right up to the boat they were unloading. It's a really good thing we didn't have to wait very long, because I put my rain pancho on and it was sticking to me making me super hot and sweaty. Hayden kept whining that he wanted to take his off, luckily it cooled significantly when we got on the boat.

The maid of the mist was super awesome. Peyton really enjoyed it, and Hayden who had been super grumpy (probably because I actually had to wake him up) really made a turn around when we were on the boat. The breeze coming off the falls was amazing. The wind they produce is crazy. When we came up to the horseshoe falls we got super wet, you could hardly see, but it really gave you a perspective on the amount of water and force coming down the falls. Peyton had been reading a book about Niagara Falls and was talking about stories of people going over them in barrels, and a boy who was rescued.

After that we went up and had some drinks and split some fries and a hot dog, and saw just how massive the line had become for the maid of the mist. Think of a roller coaster (any of them really), think of first being able to walk on, and think if when you got off the line was to the entrance. Thats pretty much what happened. It was crazy! We walked the length of the falls back to a gift shop. Hayden is running awfully low on vacation funds, but he still has a bit left. Peyton got some money for his birthday, so he has a replinished fund. Calib still has a ton left, I should have given him some of it, but I forget. I will see him Monday though. My mom also got me a maid of the mist charm. I'm pretty cheap when it comes to charms. I sprung the $9 for my whale tail in Skagway, but that was about as far as I went. I wouldn't have gotten the one today if she hadn't gotten it for me.. so thanks mom!

We took the tram back up the hill, because at this point the boys were pretty tired of walking and it dropped us off right by our hotel. It was worth the 2.50 a person (plus Hayden was free!) Although, Hayden was really skeptical of going on it at first. He thought it was some kind of fast moving and dropping ride, and kept comparing it to the tower of terror, which the operator thought was pretty amusing. He got on eventually and was pleased he did, so he didn't have to walk all the way up there really steep hill again.

We went and got the car from the hotel, and stopped for a bathroom break and another gift shop stop. Mom bought Peyton a book about the 16 people who have gone over the falls, which he read on the way back, cover to cover. We were really lucky going through customs without a long wait, the other side was backed up from one end of the bridge to the other.

On the way we made a detour to go see the Buffalo Bills stadium, so I could take my picture out in front of it. It wasn't far off our route anyway, so the boys didn't complain really at all. I gotta say, the stadium was very underwhelming. I've seen college stadiums that have more pomp and circumstance. It seemed so plain and simple, and boring. But, there's another stadium checked off my list. I wasn't the only one stopped taking pictures either, there was some guy from Oregon doing the same thing.

We drove the rest of the way home, and noticed all the deer crossing signs. There were a lot, more than the Moose crossing signs in Alaska. We never saw a deer (I know they're more dusk and dawn type animals- but I'm making a point here). I guess were consoling ourselves for not seeing a moose. Anyway, we kept putting off dinner. Eventually mom thought there was a Fazoli's at one of the turnpike stations, but in her old age her memory must be failing her, because we never found one. We decided to go the rest of the way home and just pick up dinner at Little Caesars. Mmm yummy.. crazy bread!

The boys are now unwinding with their video games. I was hoping they would go to bed a little earlier tonight since they got up so early. But Peyton slept a lot in the car, and Hayden seems anything but tired. I am watching the news now though, and not liking what I'm hearing about a heat wave just beginning. yuck. I'm going to stop watching the news. The metorologist is all 'It's going to be unbearable, theres not much releif in sight, you're just going to be miserable with AC' Ughhhhh. I miss my air conditioning. And my ice maker. Poor Hayden is so confused, he never knows where to get the ice from.

Funny Quotes of the day:

Me: I'm not your maid
Hayden: Mom, whats a maid?
Me: Someone who comes in and cleans up after you
Hayden: Oh ok, but wheres my room service?

Me: We'll eat dinner soon
Peyton: when's soon?
Me: Well, soon is a relative term
Peyton: What does relative me? Is that like how dad says he'll be out of the bathroom soon, and then he's in there for 30 minutes?

Me: Hayden, use the potty before bed
Hayden: Good idea mom, I wouldn't want to pee on my brothers. Or, not my brothers. I only have one brother here. I'd have to pee a lot to pee on Calib.

Homesick Meter: 7.8. Hayden was not well behaved today: self taken end of the day picture is a grumpy Corinne. Plus all this talk of heat and humidity (minus AC) is making me sad. Plus, Asa sent me a picture of porkchop, and I was saddened to think he probably doesn't even remember me at this point.

Up Next: Visits with the Ainsworths, and maybe the Sattlers too!