Epic Road Trip 2012: Day 14-THE END

Even though yesterday was LONG, when I woke up several hundred miles closer to home this morning than we had originally planned, I was SO thankful Kregg encouraged me to make it to Alvarado last night. The kids were thrilled to spend a few hours with their cousins.


The rest is at the new blog, here.

"It's Just Like Riding a Bicycle"

I am non-athletic. Completely. But, because of my sister's diligent efforts over a period of years, I used to be an okay skier.


The last time I went was eight years ago. It was a complete fiasco. I had convinced myself, since then, that I couldn't ski anymore. 


The boys' Scout troop was planning a trip to Ruidoso and Kregg asked a few weeks ago if I would like to come along and bring Elizabeth and Rebekah. My initial response was that I would come, but wouldn't ski. I was thinking I could watch them come down and snap a few pictures. At least the girls would get to go. But as it drew nearer, I got to thinking that I should at least give it a try. "It's just like riding a bicycle," he said. It was, after all, just for one day, and if it was dreadful I could sit at the lodge and stay warm, waiting for all of them.


So we made plans.


I would leave earlier than the troop with the four youngest. Kregg would wait for Caleb and his roommate, Warren, to drive in from college, and then they would travel up with the troop. 


We bought and downloaded a new audio book to listen to on the drive. (If you don't know about BlueBehemoth.com, you should check it out!) We got everything packed and loaded, and shut down the house. Then we took off. Kregg had printed me out a map with my route highlighted so I wouldn't get lost. Elizabeth, because she is very prone to motion sickness, was my navigator, sitting up front with me.


Several hours later, we pulled into our hotel, unloaded and then went to find dinner.

The wait for a table for five was 30 minutes so we opted for two adjacent booths. After eating, we went back to the hotel to await the arrival of the rest of the guys. It ended up being pretty late. Kregg pulled in and picked up Josh and Ben to deliver them to the house the Scouts were staying in, then came back to the hotel with the girls and me. 

Early the next morning, we headed up the mountain. Caleb always has a silly face ready when I point the camera at him. Warren is much more cooperative. He was so excited to go skiing for his very first time! He had no idea just how much fun he was in for, with Caleb teaching him to ski. :) He should know by now that anytime he comes with us on one of our trips, he's in for an adventure. 

I didn't tell her she had her ear band on backwards

Rebekah, in her permanent "snowplow"

It was a glorious day! Which really helped me be braver.

Kregg, Elizabeth, and Rebekah

Kregg, contemplating endless possibilities

Notice the name of this run? Inspiring for one who is "Wild At Heart!"

Elizabeth, Kregg, Warren, and Caleb, about to board the lift

Elizabeth and Kregg riding behind us

Rebekah is still very much a beginning skier, and she wanted me to stay with her. That was fine and it allowed Elizabeth, who is much more confident, to go and ski with Kregg on a little more difficult slopes. As the day progressed, Rebekah was doing better and better. We decided to join Kregg and the others for our last run of the day. 

Big mistake.

The slope we planned to attempt was not one Rebekah felt good about, once she saw it. But by that point, we were past the point of no return. The two of us decided to ski across a little path that bisected the run the others were taking, thinking it would lead us to the "easy way down." It didn't. She was really getting scared. And tired. Both of us were very tired, by that point. Scared and tired on a "black diamond" is a recipe for disaster. 

We took off our skis and carried them. It seemed like we walked forever. And still there was no way to the trail we needed. I was really very concerned that Rebekah was about at the end of her rope. And I just kept praying for the Lord to help us. It was getting later and later, and we were still on top of the mountain. We finally decided we would have to climb up one of the black slopes. That was a chore. Especially after we were already so tired. When we finally made it up, the trail we expected was no where to be found. I began to wonder what would happen if she was not able to keep going. 

We came out on the face of the mountain under the gondola. At least it was wide open. We put the skis back on, but she was so scared that I didn't know if she would be able to conquer her fear enough to do what she knew how to do. It was too far to walk down. She really needed to be able to ski. We just had to focus on tiny little goals. Once we made it part of the way down the face, we found the "easy way down," which made her feel better. She was skiing a little, and I kept reminding her that we were making progress and she would soon be on her favorite run. It probably took us over an hour to make it to that trail where she had gained so much confidence earlier in the day. By that point, it was completely in shadows and the surface had grown crusty and slick. But she did exactly what she needed to, staying in control of her speed and working her way back and forth down the slope. It's actually so much harder to ski that slowly than with moderate speed--I wanted to encourage her to speed up a little because I knew her legs were exhausted, but she needed to focus on what was working for her, so I just stayed close and kept cheering her on, telling her how proud I was of her attitude and perseverance. 

When we were about half way down that last run, and we had hope that we would survive it after all, a snow-boarder came whizzing down the slope. 

I could see it coming and I couldn't believe it. 

He took her out. 

She lay in a heap, whimpering, and I thought I was capable of murder for a moment. 

Not really. 

But I did just almost lose it. I'm ashamed to say that I threw my poles down. Thankfully, the Lord kept my mouth closed and I just focused on getting to her and helping her up. She was trying so hard not to cry. The poor man was horrified. He apologized profusely. He stayed to make sure she was able to get up, and then skied near us for a few minutes. Rebekah told him she was okay and then we made sure he wasn't hurt. I was so proud of her. I knew how hard it was for her to stay calm. I knew how frustrated she was. But she got up and made the very best of it. 

My little girl is growing up.

We made it down and found Kregg and the other kids. I cannot fully express the relief that flooded my heart. Rebekah had stepped away for a moment, and so I was trying to explain to Caleb what had happened. The floodgates opened. I started crying and couldn't finish. I just kept thanking the Lord for getting us through it.

And once it was over and my heart had settled a little, everything was wonderful again. I was so very thankful. It had been a beautiful day and, even though the last couple of hours were incredibly difficult, I am glad I didn't miss it by being too afraid to try to ski again. It really is like riding a bicycle. 

The girls and I started down the mountain in the suburban, thinking Kregg and the guys were right behind us. They weren't. The truck wouldn't start. :)


Kregg called me and I told him I would find a turn around and head back up to see if we could jump it off. He told me to wait. There "just happened" to be a scenic overlook a little farther down. If the truck had started, I wouldn't have taken time to stop. It was so beautiful! The clouds looked like an ocean among the mountain tops. A few minutes later, and the vista would have been completely obscured in shadow. His blessings are always perfectly timed, aren't they?

The truck started up after several more attempts. It's a diesel and we think it was just too cold. After a shower and a lovely dinner, Kregg and the two girls and I piled into bed, completely tired out. The plan for the next morning was to get up fairly early and head home, because Caleb and Warren would still have what would normally be a 2 1/2 hour drive on to Abilene from our house.

But guess what happened? The truck wouldn't start again. It took us almost an hour to finally get it running. We headed over to pick up the four boys, three of them having slept OUTSIDE!! Their nuts!

While we waited for them to come out, we got to watch several mule deer come up out of a gulch to graze in the yards. They were so beautiful.

I have another budding photographer on my hands. :)

He looks SO much older when he has fur on his face! He will turn twenty in a week and a half! Having spent most of the night outside in a sleeping bag, he took a nap to catch up. There was at least one lane open all the way back, but it was a little scary. Kregg and the rest of the Boy Scouts were about twenty minutes behind us, and between the time we past one spot and the time they did, a minivan had rolled several times.

Caleb and Warren left as soon as possible for Abilene, and it's a good thing because, instead of a 2 1/2 hour drive, it took them more than 4. They saw 20+ accidents in that 150 miles. We were so thankful for them to arrive safely. 


It was a wonderful weekend.

Ice Sculptures

The Boy Scout Troop our boys are involved with is quite adventurous. They go on a trip each month during the school year. This month's offering was a ski trip. We decided that the girls and I would tag along, too. From our house in flat West Texas, to Ruidoso, New Mexico takes between 4 1/2 and 5 hours. Just a short drive for those of us who live out here and have to drive a ways to get to most anything.


Coming home, we had some weather with which to contend. It began a light snow mixed with a little sleet yesterday morning. The entire way home, we were in the middle of some form of frozen precip. Thankfully, the roads never felt slick, except in a few places.


We had fought the entire way to keep the windshield thawed, with the temperature in the low 20's, but had no idea what was happening to the exterior of the Suburban and truck. Pulling into the garage, I opened the door and looked down. The running board was covered in the strangest ice sculptures.

We had already kicked most of the ice out of the driver's side wheel well when I thought to grab the camera, but it was filled up to the very edge of the tire! I've never seen that happen before.

The ice was only a couple of inches above the surface of the pavement. I can't imagine how it wasn't knocked off.

It almost looked like the sides of the Suburban were covered in feathers. I would have thought they would be facing backwards, in the direction the wind would have been sweeping the sides. In fact, they faced forward! How is that possible? I would LOVE to have seen the physics of this ice forming demonstrated in a wind tunnel. Wouldn't that be interesting?

If You Use Online Services to Book Hotels, You Should Read This

Breakfast in the hotel the morning after the reservation problem

We learned an important lesson on our recent trip, and I wanted to pass it on so that you won't have to go through the mess we went through. 


We made reservations through an online service (Expedia, this time) for our hotel rooms in Houston the night before we were to board the ship for the cruise. I reserved four rooms, three of them of the same type, the fourth one was different and required a separate transaction on the website. I printed out all the confirmation pages for all the rooms, and took them with me (it's a VERY good thing, too). 


After traveling about 400 miles that day, we were so happy to find the hotel. We piled out of the vehicles and innocently entered the lobby, expecting no problems.


They had the reservations for 3 of the rooms, but the fourth was NOT in their system. Because we had already paid Expedia for it, we couldn't just book another room. And, this is a scary thought, if they had been full, we would have been out of luck--even with a paid reservation from Expedia. The poor lady who was working the front desk began trying to convince Expedia that they had messed up. It ended up taking more than 3 HOURS!!!! She was so frustrated, and so were we. After more than an hour, she finally gave us the keys to the fourth room and told us to go on up and she would continue working on it for us. She's my hero!


The problem was this: 
When you make an online reservation, you receive an itinerary number from Expedia. But on that reservation/confirmation page, there MUST also be a confirmation number from the hotel. If there isn't one, you probably don't have a room. Somehow, every once in a while, the reservation is booked, but not forwarded on to the hotel. 


Much older and wiser now:
The poor lady from the front desk informed us that we should always call the hotel, after making an online reservation, and confirm that they actually received the booking.


One little phone call is all it takes! And, believe us, it is well worth your time to avoid a problem like we experienced. Most of the time, it will work without a hitch. But just in case . . .


I made another reservation tonight. 


The email confirming my itinerary arrived.


It doesn't have a hotel confirmation number!!! EEEEEKKKK!


I've already called, and it should be worked out soon


I just thought you should know. :)

Things We Love: Photobooks (A Link-Up)

We take lots of road trips as a family. And always have. It was the cheapest way for a large family to see "the sights." With limited vacation time, and because we don't live close to landmarks or National Parks, there are usually many intensive days of driving to get where we are going.


But that keeps things interesting.


And provides infinite photo ops. We take advantage of those opportunities as often as possible so that we can preserve our memories and so that we can torture our children. It has been rumored that, because we are so efficient at making the most of every mile and moment, we can't even remember it all by the time we get home. It takes a while to decompress and debrief ourselves.


Those conversations are often filled with comments like,"Boy, I sure did like ____________ (fill in the blank with a landmark or activity)." 


Response: "Was that on THIS trip?"


Seriously. 


We have been known to drive in excess of 4600 miles during a 17 day trip. And that's with Kregg and I each driving a vehicle (since we don't have a vehicle big enough to hold all of us AND pull our home-on-wheels).


To preserve our memories, we take lots of pictures. That's my favorite souvenir. And our very favorite thing to do with our pictures is to make them into a photobook. 


Disclaimer: Shutterfly has NO idea who I am. I don't receive a thing for saying any of this. I just like it when we find wonderful resources.


Having 72 gigs of pictures on my hard drive, I am concerned with backup. Just in case. So, before deleting pics from the memory cards, I back them up. It's best to not only put them on your hard drive, but somewhere else as well. An online site and an external hard drive are great. Then if something did happen to your computer, memory card, house, you don't lose them. That's what I always hear from people who have lost a house to a fire or something: they wish they could retrieve their pictures most of all their belongings. 


Anyway, Shutterfly (and other sites, I'm sure) give you a free, unlimited account to store your digital photos. And, very importantly, Shutterfly doesn't compress your files. They store them in their original size and quality--just like they are on your camera. When printing pictures, or making photo books, you want the highest quality file you can have. Set your camera to a large file size so that your photos contain the most pixels possible. That's where the quality comes from. And, if you go to all that trouble to take large file pictures, you don't want them to be shrunken when they are stored.


I've made photo books on other sites, but Shutterfly is my favorite. And they are continually improving the options they offer, so it's only getting better. I love the idea of scrapbooking, but realistically, it will not work in my life. There's no room for all the supplies. There's no room to leave a project of that size out. And so most of my time for the project would be spent dragging everything out and then putting it up. With photo books on Shutterfly, I can open the project, work on it for a few minutes, and then click "Save." That's it! Then I can come back to it when I have a spare minute or two. It's perfect for me.

Everything is customizable, from the cover, to the size, to the font, to how many pages you need, to colors, and embellishments, and numbers of pictures per page, etc.

We like the hard photo covers, but there are all kinds of options for the front and back covers, as well as the spine.

The options for the innards are endless. There are templates for pages with any number of pictures.

You can choose different frames, different backgrounds, different places to put text boxes.

You can always find an arrangement that best showcases the pictures you want to use. You need to think about whether you need horizontal or vertical layouts, or a combination.

You can even use a picture as the background for other pictures (as on the left page). They also have "stickers" you can apply to the pages (like the Wet and Wild in the right corner).

There's also a way to make one picture span two pages. Now you really need a high quality file to blow it up this large. This book is 12" x 12".

 I tend to use a lot of black backgrounds because it makes so many pictures "pop!"

They offer the option of allowing the website to fill your book for you, but I like to place my own pictures. They also offer "themes" for your book, which can come in handy. This one was a "travel theme," so they had already pre-selected backgrounds for that theme. You can use what they choose, or change them one at a time. I added the photo corners on these pages just because they looked cool with the backgrounds.

You can even put "stickers" on the back cover!


I made our photobook for the cruise that we just took yesterday. I have learned that it's best to make the book, and then wait until Shutterfly runs a special. When you sign up for your free account, they will periodically send you emails with coupons or specials. When you have your book completed and saved, you can simply wait for the next special they run. Through yesterday, they had free shipping on orders over $30, plus 1/2 off photo books, plus 1/2 off additional pages! So I was HIGHLY motivated to make the entire book yesterday!! I worked on it here and there between grading papers and reading to the kids. Thankfully, I had already uploaded all the pictures from our trip to their site and so they were there, waiting for me. I finished the book last night and it will be here in a few days. It's so exciting! And so easy!!


When you travel in herds, like we do, it's fun to order extras--like for Grandma, and Grandpa, or your married children. Especially when they have a BIG sale. Hope Grandma and Hannah don't read this, or they won't be surprised. 


Anyway, you get the idea: I'M A FAN!! And it fits right in with intentionally preserving the heritage of our family. Your finished projects are saved on their site, just like your photos. So if, in the future, one of the kids wants a copy of one of the books for their family, all I have to do is go back and order another one. Could it be any better?!


Just thought someone might need to know all of this. :)


Okay, I have NO idea whether this will "fly," but I thought it would be fun to try and start a new "link-up" for "Things We Love." I think it would be so wonderful to see what you come up with to share! It could be anything! Let's see what happens.