Road Trip Chronicles: Vol I

"Is everything okay?" asked a curiously nervous voice.

"It's nothing," I reply dryly. "just pretty windy outside."

Of course, it was Nothing... Nothing a.k.a the hurricane force wind that tried with much of it's might to take our little borrowed RV and send it right back to home base. The invisible force that wrestled with me at the wheel as I fought to keep us on the road and on schedule. Now I do emphasize a little for drama, but still it was my first driving an RV through the desert and head on into a spring windstorm. And at times it did seem like the wind may get the better of me as my wife wondered why I couldn't drive in a straight line. But we were on vacation... finally. Even if only for a few days. And Nothing was going to ruin it...

We'd been planning this trip for a few months. Since the day we got tired of cold and snow (sometime in December, actually) when thinking about sitting a hot desert in May was more like Christmas than... well, Christmas. Normally a weekend trip for us would consist of throwing a few necessities into to the back of a 4 wheel drive and heading out into the wilderness. This trip, thanks to the advent of children and the need to get away and still have access to indoor plumbing, we decided to borrow an RV from a family member and make it the Great American Road Trip... to our usual camp spot.

Inspite of the wind, we arrived safely, found our campground, checked in, and set up camp by plugging in the power and the hose. Certainly this is not as adventuresome as staking claim to a barren piece of land you have to hike to, but RV-ing presents it's own kind of adventures and we were glad to have it. More than we would know, as our friend The Wind followed us all the way to Moab.

Though our first day was still pretty windy, it was sunny and warm so we headed out for a day at Arches N.P. We like Arches because it's one of the most amazing places on the planet and it offers quite a few hikes that are easy and short enough for small children. And our four year old has been talking about it since her first visit last year!!

The big hike was to Landscape Arch. (a whopping 1 1/2 mile round trip hike). After the hike it was lunch and naps! This is why we LOVE the RV for camping with families: Built in napping stations wherever you are!

Day two, the weather took a bit of turn for the worse with wind (still) and some rain. But we thought Canyonlands would be okay as you can see alot without having to get too far out of the car. We toured Island in the Sky disrict and had good enough weather to make one short hike to Mesa Arch. Even though it was cloudy and windy, the views were spectacular!!

Day three was our heading home day, but we decided to take the long way and see some sights we had never seen. A decision that would later prove a bit too adventurous. We made a stop for snacks and a stop for lunch at Hite Marina at Lake Powell then headed for home.

Of course, no family trip is complete without that one memorable experience that you probably would want to happen, but will think of it fondly in the years to come. Ours came about halfway between Lake Powell and Hanksville when the right front tire on the motorhome decided to shed its tread. I managed to get the RV off the road safely to inspect the damage. What I found was a tire with no tread and, being unfamiliar with the RV as a whole, no jack to fix said tire.

As I searched to find some way to get the tire changed, Jami was finding out that we had no cell phone service to call for help. In the meantime, dozens of passers by came down the road slowing down just enough to... Well, lets just say no one really slowed down. Ok, one car did stop. 4 middle aged tourist from somehwere in Europe happen to pass by and decided to stop and see if they could help. Inspite of some obvious language barriers they really tried to help, and when they couldn't, they drove in to Hanksville to find someone who could.

I wasnt sure how long help might be so I continued to find a fix for the flat. I ended taking some leveling blocks that I was able to drive up on and using them for a makeshift jack. With the RV on the leveling blocks I stacked some wood planks under the front axle, then drove off the leveling blocks onto the wood. Luckily, the wood stack held and it was tall enough to get the spare tire on. Road trip saved!!

SO, all in all, we had a pretty good, in some moderately good weather, and we made it home in one piece!

So, how are you guys?

We Have Seen the Top of the Mountain!

Well, we made it through another Presient's Day Snowmobiling Extravaganza!! And this time, no "major" injuries! We packed our bags, our Californian cousin-folk, and sleds and headed for the mountains of Utah! I think the pictures will tell it best...

The weekend started with a broken sled (okay, there a few injuries...)






But that (of course) won't stop any of the fun... SUIT UP!!

Get ready to ride...

Lets Play!!

And some other random stuff...

As you can see, we had a great time and already look forward to next year!!

Though, now that we have this trip out of the way, we will be glad to see some sunshine and spring weather (hint...)

The Princess & the Party(s)

wOw! It's been quite a busy February and it's only half over!!

We started out with Rylee's birthday weekend. First it was a little surprise pizza party at the local pirate-themed restaurant, where both kids were immediately scared to death by a) all the pirate-waiters walking around, then 2) the thunderstorm effects which included lightning and thunder, and finally the frequent pirate battle show with pretend cannon fire and smoke machines. Luckily, these fears were easily remedied by the arrival of pizza and bread sticks.

After, it was off to the arcade where we competed with college students to play games that were clearly designed for small children. When that ship had sailed we headed back to port to get ready for Saturday.

As dawn broke (not a Twilight reference) we prepared for the "friends" party more appropriately princess themed. 10 giggling little girls all dressed as their favorite princess converged at Nana's house for (of course) giggling, eating cake, opening presents, and an appearance from real royalty, Princess Amerah. The princess told stories about her many adventures and took pictures with each little girl (and a few of the boys) and even brought in her magical dog. She was actually able to get those little princess types to sit still for nearly half an hour!

P.S. - If you are looking for a good party idea for you little girl, Princess Amerah is the real deal... we highly recommend her!!!

P.S.S. - Below is an inside look at what boys do at princess parties:


The party then moved over to Grandma's where extended family got a chance to hang out and eat more cake.


All in all we made thru the weekend and no princesses were harmed in the process (short of anything psychological) and we had a pretty good time. So I think it will be recorded in history as a success. Now where did I put that crown...

Tune in next time when you'll here Scott say:

"Are you sure this isn't dangerous?"

Happy New Year 2010!

Okay, we realize it's nearly February, but it's still the first of the year, right? Cut us some slack... we're running a family here...

2010 has been pretty mellow for us so far. Jami is pluggin' away at her new job and seems to really like having adult conversations in daylight hours (that just doesnt sound right, does it?).

Scott traveled to Vegas for his first ever work type convention, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week. Four days of talking shop and going to seminars at the Mirage Resort. FUN!

Rylee and Luke are having a blast at the new school. Rylee performed in a dance recital and Luke is beginning to speak in full sentences, his favorite being "I don't want too..."

We're gearing up for Rylee's birthday in February and look forward to even more princess toys and accessories for her castle!

All in all things seem to be going fairly well. We'd love some warmer weather, or at least some snow so the cold weather was bearable but you get what you get.

So, what are you guys up to?

P is for preschool

So, I know that everyone says this at some point, but when did my little girl get so big? Wednesday was Rylee's first day of preschool. She couldn't be happier to leave the roost for a couple hours twice a week (I think she thinks it's about time she was intellectually challenged by someone other than mom and dad).
But, I am a little saddened by this whole experience. Not because she is going to preschool - no, no, it does us a world of wonder to be separated, but I am sad because both times she has gone this week, as I go to pick her up after school, I ask her how preschool was and what she did. All she has to say is "Mom, I don't want to talk about it, I'll tell you tomorrow morning," or something along those lines. Now, you may think, oh, she doesn't like preschool...I don't think it's that. I think she thinks she's too cool to talk about school with her mom - I'm not even kidding! It's like, all the sudden she's a 6th grader and could care less what I have to say. So, for this I am saddened that somewhere along the way, she forgot she's my little girl that I can't ever get to stop talking! Maybe one of these days she'll remember she's only 3 1/2 and will feel the need to act so(sigh)

No news is good news

So, now that it's only been 4 months since the last entry, I guess I should really try to play catch up!

Here's the update on the Holdaway's:

Luke: We like to call this boy either Monkey or Tasmanian Devil depending on if he is climbing up a tree or tearing something completely apart. I tell ya, no one prepared me for what a little boy can do! How lucky are we to have a boy who is so very interested in anything and everything he can get his hands on!

Rylee: Princess Rylee just finished her first year in Ballet and LOVED it! She is currently finding new ways to make Luke scream like a girl, implementing a dress into every scenario, or getting into moms makeup and applying mascara to Luke, her care bear, Luke's teddy bear and all of her dolls. She is my girlie girl!

Me: Not much here. No....really. Besides my daily vengeance I have with the weeds, I am just trying to keep up with the kiddos and hope they don't get too sick of me before nap time...Oh, but I did try the new glitter toes! It's a love-hate relationship...

Scott: Scott is now part of the family business at AAA Spring. His office mostly consists of the open road travelling to visit clients and such (for those who know him, this is a great perk of his job for him - he loves the travel)! It's nice to know that he has a somewhat predictble work schedule instead of standing out in the rain all day at the Usana ampitheatre...so says me!

Oh, and we took the kids on their first camping trip! Here are some pics to prove it!

W stands for Winter

So, I'm sitting here eating my tortilla chips and am thinking, "you know what would go really good with these chips? A beer and something from the Barbecue." Then I remember that A) I'm not the partying beer drinker that you all just pictured me as and B) It's frickin' freezing outside and there's no way in H-E-double hockey sticks I'm standing outside to BBQ!
Oh, how I miss the warm weather. The sound of my flip flops on the cement as I go outside to bask in the heat, actually wanting ice in my drink, the kids spraying me with water as the inflatable pool fills up, and actually needing to roll down my window while I drive.
Seriously though, the tips of my fingers are coldly drumming away on the keyboard as I type and I can't wait to stop typing so I can get them warm again. I know we don't have it as bad as, say, the midwest, but man oh man, I think I've hit the winter blues!
Till next time...keep the toes warm!