Honk if Parts fall off !! Life in the RV

     Last week in Florida Ally saw this in a store and we all laughed and laughed. When we started looking for an RV we had a budget....you know how that goes! Well, we went over our budget.... but Ally and I both looked at each other and said, " we'll just do a few minor touch ups when we get back and sell it for what we have into it or maybe even make a little profit". That was 3 1/2 months ago...... now we're hoping we can sell it for scrap metal and used parts!  Five boys and a busy busy 1 year old can leave some lasting impressions on a vehicle.

     In Baton Rouge we backed into some concrete and put a hole in the door. New Orleans with Mom and Dad on board we went over a bridge so narrow that we scrapped the chrome off the wheel bolts. Wilits, CA. we went to visit a family that lived at the top of a hill, the one lane gravel road was so narrow and steep that we had to hug the side which resulted in scratches all over the side of the RV.Then we had to come back down which resulted in matching scratches on the other side. In Galveston the sewer line broke while I was dumping it, (refer to the RV movie w/ Robin Williams, that was me exactly). Miami in a church parking lot at 2am we backed into a tree, bending 3 of our bicycle tires. Tampa backed under a tree w/ the vents up ripping them off, now I have to climb up on top of the rv and cover them when it rains. Needless to say never a dull moment and at this rate who knows how much of the RV will be left when we limp into the driveway back in Eagle, Idaho.

In the beginning we all tried to fit around the table, as its gotten warmer we usually eat all our meals outside. Ally uses a crock pot and makes some amazing dinners.

Caleb can and does sleep just about anywhere

After spending so much time in the RV, we like to set up and spend our time outside

On long, lonely highways I get a lot of help driving

The boys are great w/ Addy. They help watch her when Ally and I go jogging in the morning

Never thought I would have spent the night at a truck stop, Walmart, church parking lot and here on the street in front of the Mormon battalion museum.....classy!!!

Stuck in a ditch somewhere near the boarder of Mexico and USA. Boarder agents helped us out

Driving positions.....Colton texting, Carston in his under wear, Addy past out, Caleb back on the bed, Codey the co pilot

Home School at McDonald's. Sometimes we can't get service and we just need to get out of the RV so a lot of times we stop off at McDonald's, Barnes and Nobles is one of our favorites, Starbucks, Public Library's and any place else we can get a signal.

Addy's out grown her box in the shower, she now has her own little hot tub....... in the sink!

What happens when you turn the corner to fast and the frig is not shut. This is not the first time this has happened, the bad thing about this one was Ally had put a roast in the crock pot all day, it smelled incredible and we were all looking forward to it. After this we still had the smell but couldn't eat it!

New Orleans, after a long day, went to turn on the water and the line broke.

This trip is really bringing us all closer together..... Boys get to do more spooning than I do!

Roll Tide.....University of Alabama

What a great day!! Some of our most memorable times are sneaking into stadiums, and these....as much as we love BSU are not your 34,000 seat stadiums. They are massive, steeped in history and you can feel the rush of tradition the moment you step on campus. The University of Alabama was really fun, we stopped in and went through the Paul "Bear" Bryant museum how inspiring, his motto was "I aint noth'n but a winner" and you can still see the impact he had today. When we got to the stadium we pulled up in front just like we owned the place, walked up the sidewalk w/ all the monuments of past championships, great players and coaches, reached down to open the gate and naturally it was locked. That's when the excitement starts, we start running around from gate to gate looking for an opening or hole, and naturally we found one. The adrenaline started to flow as we walked up the ramp,, go towards the light I encouraged the boys.. partly because of the excitement and partly because I was afraid we'd be seen and kicked out. When we made it to the opening and walked out on the field the look on the boys faces was all worth the cut on my leg from getting through the fence and the potential jail time. It was huuuuuuuuge like nothing we'd ever seen before, we sat up in the stands, it was built to hold 103,000 fans but today it was just me and my boys. How special, we sat there quietly imagining running up and down the field, feeling the surge of excitement as 103,000 standing on their feet cheering, I secretly wondered if they would let a 38 yr old father of 5 still try out and then visions of ambulances and permanent paralysis brought me back to reality. We sat there and soaked it up and then went down and felt the grass and quietly walked out. How fun. Afterwards we went out on the front lawn and had a football game. I still thought there might be some scouts watching so I brought my C+ game,,, that's all I got left. It was pretty special when I stopped to think about....here I am with my family at the University of Alabama having a touch football game out front of the stadium w/ students walking by and stopping to watch. Something I never could of imagined a memory I'll never forget!!

Addy was not content with being on the sidelines she wanted a piece of the action.

How cute is that picture of Carston and the boys. Corey wanted to relive the glory days!

Just after this picture he had to be helped off w/ a hamstring pull.



How sad So out of shape I need Colton to hold my leg up for me.

And I forgot to point my toes!

Watching Alabama VS NorthWestern...boys had a good time razzing the left fielder and hoping for a home run ball to chase!!

Graceland

After being able to experience Sun Records,  It was real fun to be able to go to Graceland. I was the only one who went through the mansion and took the tour. It was way to spendy for a family of 7 to go and do. Even though it was so neat to be apart of. I didn't like doing it alone. I wanted to share it with somebody in my family or all if that would have been possible. It's funny how the majority of the time I crave some time to myself, I finally get it and I want to have them with me.  What is up with that?

I am going to be honest. I love to read and hear about famous people. If my husband would let me I would have a subscription to People magazine. Their lives seem so magical and exciting. But then you realize it actually is a glorified version  of  High School, trying to stay on top and be the most popular. The majority of the time I end up feeling very sorry for famous people. It seems like it can be a very lonely road and a bad dream to be stuck under a microscope all the time.( even if they did choose it). The positive thing I gathered from the Graceland experience is  how others make there dreams a reality. It is the principle of hard work  perseverance and believing in themselves. 
As soon as I walked through the door I felt like I had gone back in time. That was the funniest part of it, feeling like I was in the 60's. The only thing I was missing was the outfit and the hairdo.



It's a blurry picture but I thought it was hilarious the green carpet went all the way up the wall and ceiling.





This is where they housed all of his different cars and machines.



His favorite car.



Addy walking in Memphis!




These are Addy's friends and soon after they became ours. She was the reason we met. They were both so sweet and loving. They live in Memphis and go to Graceland a lot.