Independence Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th! The boys and I have spent the day at the laundromat washing and drying clothes. (That's the part about touring I failed to mention to them earlier.) After dropping about 8 lbs. inside Super Bubbles Laundromat, we headed for Cici's Pizza. Don't ask me why. I came back and took my annual July 4th afternoon nap. (Not really an annual thing, but it was so good today, I'm considering making it an annual event.) I woke up to the sound of a basketball whizzing by my head in the motorhome, and thought it was time to hit another Barnes and Noble bookstore. A stop by Ruby Tuesday filled up the boys, and now we are in the motorhome surviving the rainstorm that surrounds us outside. Spencer and Tate are under the covers (scared) and watching the movie Parent Trap for the 5th time in a week. Colton is as always texting from the top bunk. And I sit here missing my mom whose birthday was July 4th. I called Kim earlier and she seemed to be missing us a lot. (That's the way I planned it.) She went over to a cookout at some friends house. In the morning, we'll unplug and head toward Wilson, NC for the weekend. There'll be plenty of bbq, basketball, and music there. I loved going to Wilson last summer. More later... but for now, it is lights out!

Happy July 4th!

Being in Raleigh, NC all week has been wonderful! Our friends the Brantleys welcomed their third child, Andrew Thomas Brantley, into the world. All is well with the baby, mom, and dad. Tomorrow we will probably leave for Wilson (Elm City) which is only an hour away. Wilson is home to the world famous Bill's Barbeque. I hope they are still in business after my visit last year. I took the boys to downtown Raleigh today and we drove by the North Carolina state capital building. They weren't impressed. Nor did they appreciate the effort it took to get down to Cooper's BBQ for lunch. I have to admit, vinegar based barbeque isn't my favorite.

After a run to Target, Chick-fil-a (for ice cream cones), and Guitar Center, it was nap time for Tate and Spencer. After naps it was time for the mall (again). Now we are back in the MH and they show no sign of slowing down. (I do though). We will celebrate the 4th by washing clothes, eating some more bbq, and just enjoying the NC countryside. My mom was born on July 4th, and I'm sure tomorrow will not be an easy day for me. I'll call Kim and get through the day somehow. I hope everyone has a happy July 4th!

Motorhome Excursion

After allowing last summer to come and go without a family get-a-way, I thought this time around I would do a "summer tour" of sorts. The idea was to simply take the boys with me, and fly Kim in on the weekends when she was able to make it. After mentioning it at dinner with our friends John and Pam, he insisted I take his MH for the duration of the trip. I figured, what is the difference between 10 m.p.g. in my Ford Excursion, and 9.8 m.p.g. in his Ford E350? Another difference of course is the "livibility" of the MH. Its great!

We left Orlando on Friday, June 27th, which happened to be our 21st wedding anniversary. It took 11 hours to drive to Raleigh, NC, including an hour layover at a South Carolina Cracker Barrel. Needing some privacy for the weekend, we checked into a Comfort Suites for a few nights. After a wonderful weekend playing in Raleigh, I took Kim to the airport Monday morning for her return flight to Orlando. I hurried back to the hotel since I promised the boys we would swim before our late checkout at 12:30. Three boys, one meal, and five hours at the local mall was very exciting. NOT! Then we were off to Wal-Mart to stock up for our trip! (Another exciting adventure with the boys.) Finally, we settled in for the night, showered in the MH's extra-spacious shower, and played x-box until bedtime.

Yesterday we slept in, and finally made it to lunch for gyros. I needed to re-string my guitar so we came back to the MH. (About this time I began to notice the lack of room/space in the MH.) My observations led me into taking the boys to play putt-putt, lasar tag, and go-cart racing. I won 2 out of 3 events. Playing lasar tag with Tate hanging onto me and letting him shoot the gun equals defeat. Still, we had a blast! Then we were off to Mayflower, which is a fabulous seafood restaurant located all throughout North Carolina. Another trip to Wal-Mart, and it was time to start settling down.

This morning, I awoke to the sounds of Tate coughing. Two pop tarts and a cup of OJ later, he is fine. Fine enough to be battling Spencer in a game of baseball on the x-box. More later...