Like A Band of Gypsies...

If you know anything about our family, then you probably know that we love to travel.  We especially love a good road trip.  We have driven all over the continental United States and continue to dream up places we want to visit and trips we would like to take.  Well, what would our preparation for this grandiose trip overseas be without a lengthy road trip thrown in the middle?  Incomplete, that's what.  So, we decided to do one, you know, just for old time's sake. 

Once we left San Francisco, St. Louis became our new home base.  We flew in around midnight and were picked up by Ryan’s parents in their RV, so we would be able to fit all of us plus all of our baggage.  We stayed just one night so that we could pick up a car, prepare a few smaller bags and leave the majority of our luggage in St. Louis.

Even though Ryan had finished his programs and graduated from his schools, he still had some work related training and obligations ahead of him before we could leave the country.  First on the list was a 10-day training in Washington, DC that would teach him escape tactics, evasive maneuvers and hand to hand fighting skills in the event of a kidnapping or attack.  Honestly, this training sounded a lot more like fun than work.  He was definitely looking forward to it.

Mabel's BBQ!

While Ryan went to DC, I planned to take the kiddos to the Northeast to visit family and friends for a couple of weeks.  To save on airfare and car rentals, we decided borrowing a car from Ryan’s parents and driving to Albany was the most economical plan – plus, it gave us a chance to drive through a part of the country we hadn’t done yet, at least not together.  Ryan volunteered to drive with us for this part, instead of going straight to DC, so I could have a partner – thanks Babe!  We had to make it to Albany by 9 o’clock Sunday morning so that Ryan could get on his flight to DC.  We got a late start on Friday, so instead of making it all the way to Cleveland that night, like I planned, we only made it to Colombus.  But, that’s what’s awesome about us – we are super flexible, especially while road tripping.  Instead, we crashed for the night at a cool little hotel off the highway, grabbed some free continental breakfast and hopped back on the road for a much longer day in the car on Saturday.  We made a pit stop in Cleveland for lunch, because Ryan has a soft spot for BBQ and I have a soft spot for Michael Symon and I knew JUST the place to take him (road concierge is a job I take quite seriously).  Mabel’s BBQ was amazing!  After lunch, we continued on up the road.  We made a stop outside of Buffalo for bathroom breaks and snack related grocery shopping.  By the way, the kids did awesome on this journey.  We usually try to time our drives and breaks around nap and food times, so that we can maximize the number of miles we drive before the complaining begins.  Thanks to snacks, we were able to push our dinner stop until Syracuse around 9 PM, which was really our normal California dinner time anyway, and then the kids slept all the way to Albany, a little after 1 in the morning.  *Phew, we made it!

I have to admit, I was not prepared for how chilly it ended up being from St. Louis to Albany and then during our time Upstate.  Because my brain packed our suitcases for Sri Lanka, we were strongly lacking much in the way of warm clothes.  But, we layered and made it work.  Besides, I was so relieved for the brisk winds and weather, knowing that what waited for us overseas was a LOT of hot and steamy.  Another thing I was surprised by was how long it took my kids to adapt to East Coast time.  I don’t think it has ever taken as long as it did this time – I thought for sure the late flight in and the road trip would solve that.  But we were sleeping in until 9 or 9:30 every morning for several days!

Taking time to smell the flowers and blow the feathers

Thankfully, we were going to be spending our days just visiting and relaxing.  Well, that was the plan, anyway.  Once we left Ryan at the airport, the kids and I made our way to Petersburgh, NY where my mother’s (almost) entire family lives.  We stayed with my Aunt Laurie, whose house was always a second home to me growing up.  It’s a place I have found myself during many crossroad moments in my life and I suppose, for that reason, this stay had a certain poetic fluidity to it.  I was really looking forward to catching up with her over nice cups of tea and quiet afternoons.  While there, though, I also had 2 priorities: 1) get my mom set up with a new phone and internet and 2) to get my final vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis.  I had pretty clear plans set in motion for both of these items – but, alas, nothing ever seems to go the way I plan it the first time.  Instead of using most of my time for relaxing and visiting, I spent a lot of time making phone calls and driving around. 

Apparently, obtaining internet services in this particular town is no easy feat – especially where my mother is located.  I spent so many hours on the phone with every carrier you could think of, trying to isolate the address on the map to obtain service, but to no avail.  In the end, after days of work, I at least got her set up with a new phone, some more data and the ability to Skype, use Pinterest and explore Etsy.  Oh, and an email address.  I signed my mom up for her first ever email address.  Welcome to the new world Mom! 

As for the vaccination, that was no walk in the park either.  I had the forethought to get a hand written prescription for Japanese Encephalitis – a lesson I learned a month earlier when I tried to get the FIRST round of shots back in Monterey.  I already knew that there were limited military resources in the Albany area, but I thought if I had a prescription and some insurance I’d be able to get someone to take 3 minutes to stick a needle in my arm.  Turns out, that was not as easy a task as it sounds.  None of the local doctors would see me, because I wasn’t a patient of theirs and, I assume, they didn’t want to do the extra paperwork to see me, talk to Tricare and order the vaccine.  Then, none of the military related folks in the area could see me either.  One was an active duty only clinic, 2 were VA’s who could get the shots but wouldn’t see me, and the other gave me several different numbers that led me to a non-military related travel office who charged $100 to walk in, plus the cost of the vaccine and the appointment.  No thanks.  In the end, my only recourse was to drive 2.5 hours south to West Point, where I walked in, handed them my ID, got my vaccine and walked back out the door 7 minutes later to drive 2.5 hours back north.  That consumed almost an entire precious day that I would have rather spent with my loved ones.  But, at least I got the shot. 

The kids and I spent a lot of the rest of the week hanging out with my Mom – which simply does not happen enough.  It was such a treat to see her every day, spend time chit chatting and snacking on delicious things that she made for us.  Also, Kiddo loves to paint and craft, so when we are there it is such a joy to see them bond over that.  We also got to spend some time with her on Mother’s Day, which was even better!  I picked up some Jersey Mike’s, which is one of her (and my) absolute favorite things.  We had a feast and played with her new phone (which almost blew her mind).  As I drove away, as usually happens, I was left wishing I could pack her up and take her with us.  In that moment I resolved that I would make this blog happen, so that, at the very least, I could share these pieces of our journey with her and everyone else who is interested. 

Our Brood!

Despite the pain of leaving, though, we had to move on to our next stop – which, dare I say – I was equally excited to begin.  On Thursday we drove up to Saratoga Springs to stay with one of my besties Bridget.  She has 3 boys who Kiddo and Little Boy adore and we love spending time at their place when we are in town.  This was no ordinary visit, though.  Also joining us was Rachel (Bridget’s twin) and Kristen – two of my other favorite people in the whole universe.  Now, the four of us (plus our friend Sydny, who wasn’t able to make it :-( have been friends for somewhere near 25+ years.  We have all been friends since early grade school, they were all bridesmaids in my wedding and we try to get together once a year.  It’s hard and doesn’t always work – but we make a serious effort.  Friends like these gals don’t come along in every lifetime, so we work hard to stay connected.  Well, it was the 4 of us, Bridget’s husband (who was on call most of the weekend), and our 7 children under the age of 6 all living in the same house for 4 days. I know that sounds nuts, but it was amazing!  The kids had a blast playing together while we enjoyed cocktails and chatting.  It was the best.  I don’t even have adequate words for how good it felt to have us all together (minus Syd – we missed you!!)  It just felt like home in so many ways that I needed so much at the time.  Those ladies each carry a large chunk of my heart with them and I just feel so much more

whole when we are together.  We even got to spend a piece of Mother’s Day together, along with Rachel & Bridget’s parents and Kristen’s parents, who have all been adoptive parents to me for so many years.  It was all the things and I felt all the feels. 

From there, we moved on to my Dad’s family in Mechanicville – just a short drive away.  I am fortunate enough to have SO many people I love in such a small amount of space and am able to see a good number of them in a small window of time.  Originally I was going to spend more time here, but because of a shift in my timeline meeting up with Ryan, I only got one night.  But, I was happy to have at least that and got to see my Aunt Meg, Uncle Tony, Uncle Billy, & Aunt Cheryl for a short but sweet overnight visit. 

Memories of polishing silver and doing pulls

The next day, we pressed on westward, heading back to St. Louis at a much slower pace than we came, making an overnight pitstop in Ithaca, my alma mater.  I haven’t been back in 10 years and have been missing it so much, I couldn’t resist.  I was able to reconnect with a few of my all-time favorite professors as well as a couple of good friends I just don’t get to connect with enough.  It felt good to wander around the streets of Ithaca, stop in at Wegman’s, stroll around the campus at Ithaca College and feel all the feels I haven’t felt in a while.  I really love that place – it holds a lot of memories for me. It will always be one of my favorite places because it’s where I began shaping my life and where I achieved so many successes, both academically and personally.  I found so much of myself in my writing and my work there, but also found the resiliency I needed to know I could really tackle anything out on my own.  It felt good to breathe that air again and remind myself of those things – values I would definitely need in the coming months. 

On our way out of Ithaca, we stopped for lunch in Rochester, NY with another favorite, Emily.  It was such a treat to spend a few stolen hours with her, gabbing about everything we could gush in a few hour’s time, while also eating as much dessert as possible.  I think we succeeded!  We continued on, with Cleveland as our destination for the night.  You are probably wondering how the kiddos were doing with all of this driving and stopping – I have to say, they did a great job.  I really stuck to my schedule, stopping at similar times of the day, making the most out of quiet, sleepy times and getting to where we needed to be in a timely manner.  Kiddo was a huge help in the backseat, keeping Little Boy entertained when it seemed like he was getting antsy.  And snacks.  Lots and lots of snacks.  That is the key to road trip survival. 

They're both out!  Yes!

I know this post is a long one, but bear with me for a hilarious aside.  During our drive to Rochester, the kiddos both fell asleep.  It was mid-morning, so this was a norm for Little Boy, but I was surprised by Kiddo's cat nap.  Anyway, trying to keep myself entertained in the front seat, I turned on Pandora.  I was singing along, when Adele's "Hello" came on.  I almost skipped it, because I needed something a little more peppy, but something made me leave it on.  Now, bear in mind, Kiddo is out cold in the backseat.  I was humming along with the first verse, taking in the beauty of central NY when the chorus began.  All of a sudden, from the backseat, eyes still closed and mostly asleep, came the sound of Kiddo's voice, belting out those plaintive lyrics at the top of her little lungs - right on key.  I almost swerved off the road, because it both startled and shocked me with the hilarity of it.  She snapped her head up from where it was resting, just long enough to sing out the full chorus, then laid back down - almost as if she were a little robot who only wakes up at the sound of the words "Hello from the other side."  I tried to video it for the next chorus (which she snapped back up to sing, still asleep), but turning the video on turned the Pandora off.  So, I cursed under my breath and turned the song back on, devastated that I had missed out on this highly YouTube-able moment.  I laughed for about 10 miles about that.  She laid her head back down and slept for another 45 minutes. 

We made a quiet overnight pit stop in Cleveland, had some breakfast and got on the road early.  This day, our goal was Chicago, where Ryan’s Aunt Suz, Uncle Bernie, and cousins Nick and Morgan live.  I was really excited about this stop as well.  This was a late development in the plan.  You see, while the kids and I had been traipsing around New York, Ryan had done his 10-day training and then flew back to Monterey for a couple of days to wrap things up, check out and pick up our government passports and visas.  Unfortunately, those hadn’t arrived yet.  So, at first, Ryan thought he was going to be stuck there until they arrived – a timeline which was not foretold.  Eventually, though, he was able to get out of there and, instead of flying back to STL, he found a much cheaper flight into Chicago, where he could meet up with me, visit his family and then we could drive back together – Bonus!

Swimming with Aunt Suz!

The kids and I made it to Chicago on Thursday afternoon.  Ryan wasn’t able to meet up with us until Saturday morning, so that gave the kids and me a much needed opportunity to rest, take a break from the road, and relax with family.  We got some deep dish pizza from Giordano’s, kicked our heels up and enjoyed the view from the 40th floor.  Suz is ever the exceptional hostess and coordinated with her friend Sarah, a few floors below, to hook us up with some kiddo essentials.  Then, while we were there, Sarah invited us down to pick out some toys and princess dresses from her amazing stash – Kiddo was over the moon.  She became immediate besties with Miss Sarah, as well as her granddaughters with whom we had a swim and tea party date the next day.  It was fabulous!  We drank some wine, the girls had a tea party, everyone had a smashing good time.  Then, Saturday morning, Ryan flew in just in time for breakfast.  Kiddo was already downstairs playing with her new friends and preparing for her first ever nail salon experience.  Eventually we had to pack up, though, and head on our merry way back to St. Louis.  It was hard to pry Kiddo away – but we managed it once she realized we were headed back to see Grandma Jan. 

I tell you what, it is always the last leg of any road trip that is the worst.  Not that the drive was bad or exceptional in any way – just that we were all so ready to be there and no matter how long the drive – 1 hour or 5 – it always feels like 10 days.  We made it, though.  Just in time for some St. Louis style pizza from Imo’s and a nice, long, restful sleep with the promise of no road travel for at least a little while. 

Phew!  I’m tired just writing about that road trip!  It was quite a haul, but I am so grateful we were able to do it and see as many people as we did.  People – family and friends – are so important to us.  Ryan and I have been so blessed to have met so many wonderful people in our travels and military stations, people who have changed our lives and become some of our closest friends.  But, we are also blessed with a wonderful and widespread family that we love so dearly.  There is never enough time to spend with each person and I am always so sad when the visit ends – as it must.  This particular trip was a whirlwind, for sure.  But there was so much love and laughter swirling around us, that I barely noticed the speed at which we were spinning.  I’m sorry if you are reading this and we didn’t get very much time, or even any, to spend with you.  It wasn’t for lack of trying – I promise!  If you can believe it, there were people and places I still wanted to fit in during this trip, but just ran out of time and space.  Alas, we still have much more travel to come.  So, until next time!