What I learned (or already knew) on our summer vacation 2010!

Well, WE DID IT! We drove across the country and actually ENJOYED it! AND I'm ready to make it an annual event! It was so wonderful.....and here's what I learned (or already knew) from our awesome adventure (pictures to follow)....

• I love driving at night.
• Jeff, Liz, Charlie and Kate Colvin are dear friends of ours.
• Sticking your finger down your throat to make yourself gag is NOT a cool game (Luke lost, and proceeded to throw up all over himself on our way to dinner).
• TARGET is a great store (able to run in and get Luke a new outfit from the clearance rack!).
• Driving through the night and letting the kids sleep is the way to do it.
• Deer and Elk crossing signs make me VERY nervous.
• Rich and I differ on air temperature in the car BIG TIME.
• My new haircut does HORRIBLE in the humidity.
• 9 cool kids sure know how to get a party started!
• Max is actually a decent dancer.
• Luke likes to observe everything and just take it all in.
• Boys are MUCH easier to travel with “bathroom wise”.
• My stress level can go from 0-10 in a matter of seconds.
• Sponge Bob Square Pants is hilarious.
• Best Invention Ever…..DVD Player in the car.
• Luke wins the award for the best traveler in the car.
• Seeing SONIC Restaurants on the side of the road were like seeing an Oasis in the desert.
• The McDonald’s Southwest Salad tasted different in every state (New Mexico wins).
• Writing the words “penis” and “hiney” for every blank in MADLIBS actually IS kind of funny.
• Sam has an amazing laugh.
• “Are we there yet?” is a BAD WORD.
• Rich likes sunflower seeds.
• Trucks rule the road.
• Cruise Control is GREAT.
• All 4 boys’ feet STINK.
• “Kum and Go” is a TERRIBLE name for a convenience store.
• I really CAN function on 2 hours of sleep in 2 days.
• Car Top Carriers work well unless you have to park in a parking garage.
• Outdoor weddings are BEAUTIFUL.
• We clean up pretty good after riding in a car for 21 hours.
• An unsecured ski lift over the safari portion of the Omaha Zoo makes NO SENSE to me at all.
• I LOVED that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber got the most people on the dance floor at the wedding reception.
• I think I rode my last roller coaster.
• Rain at amusement parks is NOT COOL.
• I love Diet Coke SO much, that I paid $9 for one at an amusement park (it helped with the rain!).
• I have 2 of the most amazing Grandmas.
• A cabin on the lake is a little slice of Heaven.
• The “Bud Club” Burger is the best burger I’ve ever had.
• Never share a blow up mattress with a 6 year old.
• Never under estimate a determined 95 year old.
• 3 boys and a dog are a fun combination.
• “Hoosiers” is a GREAT movie.
• Max likes to talk……A LOT.
• I love the smell of a campfire.
• Rich likes sunflower seeds.
• I can get by on 1 pair of shorts and 3 shirts for 5 days (I left my clothes in drawer in the hotel in Omaha!).
• Sam is SO stinkin’ cute.
• 7 AM is not too early for a Diet Coke.
• 3 PM is not too early for a Coors Light.
• Tick removal is like an adventure.
• Dogs are actually fun to be with when you don’t own them, and your kids aren’t terrified of them!
• A van with 140,000 miles really CAN drive across country!
• If you don’t have a good relationship with your Pediatrician, do so, you never know when you’re going to need a prescription sent to you when you’re 2 hours from any medical care (Sam got croup at the cabin, and his Pediatrician sent an oral steroid to us!).
• The yellow finch is SO pretty.
• Woodpeckers in the woods sound like builders building a house.
• Fish are stupid.
• S’mores are SO GOOD.
• Children’s Motrin is a WONDER DRUG.
• Max and Luke really DO like each other.
• Sam is the best 3 year old basketball player.
• Rich likes sunflower seeds.
• After 2 weeks of traveling, the car smells like chips, feet, and gas (not the fuel kind).
• Bedtimes are non-existent on vacation.
• Being the “Sleep Nazi” at home has paid off, as the boys slept great everywhere we went!
• When the clerk at the Econo Lodge in South Dakota says the room is small…..it really is small.
• I just need to block out how small and dirty that hotel in South Dakota was, and the fact we had Max sleep on the floor.
• Luke is an extremely restless sleeper, but I’d rather sleep by him than any of the other boys.
• Rich snores.
• Sound machines and earplugs are WONDERFUL.
• A sleeping 3 year old in a car is a wonderful thing.
• Waking up a sleeping 3 year old in a car is a TERRIBLE thing.
• I’ve never been more proud to be an American, than after our trip to Mt. Rushmore.
• One can get really caught up in the awe of something like Mt. Rushmore, and almost buy a $30 key chain.
• I never imagined I would see buffalo and deer from 10 feet away.
• I’m SO glad Sam is potty trained.
• I don’t know what I thought South Dakota would look like, but I’m amazed at how beautiful it is!
• Next year when we do this trip, we are going to buy a GPS for the car.
• Rich likes sunflower seeds.
• A french pedicure only last 7 days.
  
• There really is a town with the population of 1 (Lost Springs, WY).
• The “hula hoop” lady in Liberty Square in downtown Santa Fe really enjoyed her job.
• The belly dancer enjoyed her job, too.
• Ice cream tastes better walking around outside in awesome weather with a belly full of good food.
• When sharing a hotel room, and the 3 year old wakes up, everyone’s up!
• I have an amazing extended family.
• I am so proud of my Aunt Louise and what she has accomplished – I love her SO much!
• 20 lunges, 20 push-ups, and 20 jumping jacks at a rest area constitutes as a work out.
• Rich likes sunflower seeds.
• The “special shades” Uncle Mike got the boys from Matt’s bachelor party are their most prized possession…..EVER.
• Pools with lots of chlorine make your eyes HURT, and Sam’s skin flare up BIG TIME.
• We can do it and will do it again next year...yippee!