Road Trip Part 3

Monday dawned a beautiful day in Las Vegas. While we didn't open the store, we were one of the first to the M & M factory. Grace Anne has had a few dollar bills burning a hole in her pocket. She asked me on the drive into the city, “Mom, do you think this place has souvenirs?” “Yes, Grace Anne I think you will find just the right thing here.” ( I love 6 year olds). Let me tell you the M & M factory does not disappoint with its 4 floors of yummy. We all headed to the second floor where we each got our own bag. Each of us stood in front of the 22 colors and marveled. Dawson got a bag of Blue only because as D says “blue my color”. Grace Anne started with aqua, then pink, then some yellow and soon I was catching her trying to sneak in every color she could find. I had to explain price per pound. Luke was over in the old person section...nuts, almonds. I, who love M & Ms wanted 2 colors I've never had before...Hot Pink and Turquoise. Twelve dollars later, we had our M & M's.

The 3^rd floor houses the 3d movie of red and yellow M and their adventures. The 4^th floor has a race car, which Dawson loved. And then after we had viewed all four floors the search for the perfect souvenir commenced. We then perused ALL 4 floors again walking away with a Red, stuffed M that she now calls John. Go figure. We really enjoyed the stop and if you find yourself in Vegas with kids it is a must.

We headed over to New York, New York for a slice of Pizza for lunch and a quick peek at Lady Liberty. 

 Instead of riding the roller coaster, due to our present company, we settled on a tram ride to Mandalay Bay. We were all excited to visit the Shark Reef. It was like entering the Rain Forrest, think Indian Jones movie. I honestly couldn't believe we were really in the middle of the desert.

The animal life was impressive. The pool of manarays and box shell crab was fun for the kids to touch. And then we made it to the shark tank. There was a room full of people all quietly watching the sharks swim by, and then there was D. If you know Dawson at all, you know when he gets excited his voice gets very loud; every time he spotted a shark everyone else got to hear about it too! (I love that about him). 

 The rest of our day on the strip was fun but we were ready for a swim. So glad to see Vegas, so glad to go. 

Claire really loved Vegas

Road Trip Part 2

Sunday morning we woke to a down pour of rain and my man discovered our sewer hose had a hole in it. How do you know if your sewer tube has a hole in it??? It's not that hard to figure out! If you will be staying at the Blackoak Rv park soon, you might want to avoid slot 52. ha!

This was a drive day. Las Vegas here we come. We passed 1000 miles of drive time today. Grace Anne loves to draw with a purpose so I got her a new sketch book for the trip, here is her rendition of us leaving Yosemite:

We headed south on highway 99 through Bakersville, CA where we jumped on highway 58 and started our drive through the Mojave Desert. Like I mentioned it was pouring rain at the start of the day, our windshield wipers were on overtime. We headed over a pass of green lush hills, evergreen trees, and vineyards. My man looked over to me (his queen of the monster truck) and said this is all changing very soon, his prediction was dead on. Half hour later we were seeing fewer trees and more brown dust. The thing we were not expecting were the wind turbines. We saw one huge turbine and marveled at it and then our eyes scanned the ridge beside us and our jaws dropped. These turbines go on for miles. The landscape is dotted with thousands of them in all different sizes. We passed a semi carrying a single blade and it was approximately 100 feet long! The wind was intense (hence why they thought this a good spot for thousands of wind turbines) we stopped at a rest stop, I opened the truck door and I thought it was going to blow away, taking me with it. Luckily, we only lost the wrapper to a chocolate bar I had enjoyed:) I wanted to get a good picture of the turbines but couldn't due to the downpour; Grace Anne sketched it for me.

The train tracks and all the tunnels were a big hit in this car since we are big fans of “Thomas the Train”. And, then the sheer vastness of the desert was a sight I won't soon forget. It felt like it was just us out in the great big, wide world. Then suddenly the landscape didn't change but the traffic did! About 75 miles outside Vegas the cars just started appearing. Thankfully on a Sunday afternoon we were headed towards the city and not away. My advice, never drive out of Vegas on a Sunday, or you'll be joining everyone in California.

And then the brown ended, the tumble weed disappeared, and Las Vegas shown in all its glory ahead. What hotel did we stay in you might ask? The Oasis RV hotel of course. One of Luke's patients recommended this one too and it was a great stop for us. Nice, clean spots and a heated pool to boot. We were just minutes from the strip so we set up camp and headed into the Vegas night. My man was on a mission: good food and lots of it. Some friends told us about the Aria hotel, so we headed there and found The Buffet. It was an all you could eat Lobster, Crab, Shrimp, Steak, Sushi, and all other manner of delicacies. My man about put them out of business with the crab legs. He also enjoyed the tops (yes only the top) of about 10 crème brulee desserts. I loved the crab, shrimp, and the endless trips to the bathroom with my children. Grace Anne loved the crab legs (already cracked for you), her Coke and the rice krispie treats. Dawson loved his very own Sprite and the bread sticks. Gotta love the kids.

We managed to make it to the Belliagio for the water show. I love watching the lights dance and thinking Brad Pitt or George Clooney might appear for another Oceans movie:) Back to the Oasis, we have a big day tomorrow; we're hoping to be the first ones to the M & M factory! 

Road Trip Part 1

The Griswald's, I mean Murphy's are on their way. OK, we look like the crazies- large truck, large 5^th wheel, & 3 small children. For those of you who don't know what a 5^th wheel is its a trailer that attaches to the back of the truck bed instead of the trailer hitch and it has a kingpin. (things I've learned being married to my truck loving man. I would go so far as to say it feels like we are traversing this land in a monster truck:) Anyway, we left home Friday morning by 9, got two miles down the road and I tested my man's patience...my cell phone was sitting on the kitchen table. As we pulled into Dutch Brothers to turn around, might as well make the best of this unexpected stop and grab a coffee, Dawson (3yrs) says, “are there? Are trip?” We looked at each other and laughed; our first are we there yet. So, with many apologies, we made a quick detour home. Got the phone & coffee.

Headed south on I-5, Northern California is beautiful. 

Mt Shasta in Northern California

 The orange groves stretch for miles. I had never seen an olive tree before moving here, saw the olive trees. And, the grapes go on and on. The wineries are like looking at the ocean, they go on as far as the eye can see. We pushed our way south; this was a driving day. Friday night we were on the prowl for a free nights stay at the Merced Wal-Mart. It was real special. The train ran all night (smile).

orange grove

Olive trees

Saturday morning we headed into Yosemite National Park. My man had been here before (he thinks but doesn't remember it, sorry Mom & Dad he says) but this was a first for me. We were told to fill up the gas tank before getting to the park, that was some good advice! We stopped in Mariposa, what a cute little town. It reminded me of Jacksonville, OR. Main Street was so quaint, I would want to stop here again. But, the drive into Yosemite took my breath away. Not only was the landscape amazing, the weather was clear, blue and a mild 60 degrees. (there is a 90% chance of snow for tomorrow) We started down a flat stretch and in the distance we could see mountains. It was pasture land full of the cattle we see on tv commercials, we had a moment of silence for them. ha. We gradually started an uphill climb; then it felt like all of a sudden we were straining our necks to see the cliffs that surrounded us. Honestly, our hearts were pounding at seeing this part of God's creation. At the entry of Yosemite, my man turned to me and said, “It feels like we are going into Disney, where you know everything you are about to do and see is just going to be bigger and better.” And he was right, it was so much more than we imagined. God made it majestic. It was hard to keep focus on any one thing, it was like creation turned into “eye candy”, there was something to take in around every corner. Thanks to one of my man's patients, we had a list of things not to miss in the park. We drove straight to Bridalveil Falls. We took the short hike to the base of the falls (it felt so good to stretch our legs). Stunning. On our drive further in we saw El Capatan. I'm almost at a loss to describe this one (almost) large, massive, gI-normous, as the kids would say. It stands 3,593 feet tall from bast to summit. We saw Yosemite falls; it drops 2,425 feet and is the tallest waterfall in North America. Half Dome dominated almost every view from the valley floor. My man is wanting to come back here and climb Half Dome this summer; now that I've seen it, it looks more like impending doom than dome! Insane. By now we dropped the 5^th wheel off (just fyi Yosemite is not the most trailer friendly park. Actually, I was shocked at average size car, think Prius.) At this point we really needed to get out of the car and hike! The kids needed to run and I wanted to breath some fresh air. We parked at Happy Isles and started hiking to Vernal Falls. It is a .8 mile hike but when you add on our getting on the wrong trailhead and a few dead end trails we turned it into a bit more than that. Finally, on the trail we started a completely uphill climb. Did I mention it was completely uphill and we have small children? I pulled Dawson the entire way up and he pulled me the whole way down. The views were spectacular and we LOVED the hike. I really wanted to see The Ahwahnee. It is a grand hotel that opened in 1927 and still receives rave reviews. A must see if you find yourself at Yosemite. Maybe, someday we will stay a night in this historic hotel? On our way out of the park, we drove up to Tunnel View. Wow. Wow. It was the perfect ending to our amazing day at Yosemite. The drive out of the park and down to Fresno was steep! My man is one good driver and he loves to teach me about 1^st and 2^nd gear used in tandem with the breaks, funny thing is I won't be driving this trip I have a feeling, but I try to be a good student.:)

Bridalveil Falls

Dawson feeling his freedom from the car seat

We seem to always choose to go in the direction of the restrooms:)

We decided to drive the hour to Fresno and look for another (drum roll please) Wal-Mart. We found one but this side of the tracks said no more trailers in the parking lots, bummer because I could tell there were no train tracks around. But, thanks to my trusty iphone map we found North Blackoak RV park a mile away. Praise the Lord, it was 9 at night we had sleepy kids, and they had one pull-thru left. We got to hook up for the night!! Thank you Lord for that one.

Here's Stephanie

Molly, Rebecca,  Stephanie

My cousin Stephanie writes a blog that I follow:

BLOGGING PAST OUR ADOPTION PLACEMENT AND INTO EVERYDAY LIFE...

A few days ago, she sent me a message wanting me to tell my sweet man she featured him in her blog entry for the day.  We read it together and I laughed so hard I have to pass it along to you.  Really, she just captures going to the dentist.  Steph, thanks again for making me laugh.  Hope you all enjoy her story, I know you will love her like i do!

BLOGGING PAST OUR ADOPTION PLACEMENT AND INTO EVERYDAY LIFE....: The Ventriloquist Sinus Infection

What's in a Name?

What's in a name?  

 From Toile to Burlap...

I actually spent some time thinking about this one.  There were a few names that made my scratch list; "Southern" Oregon, Going Rouge (ha), October Blue (can you believe that one was already taken!), Blue October (again, taken), The Point (then realized this blog might not have a point) anyway, you get the point.  

Toile, pronounced ˈtwäl, think of it as "twall, Y'all".  Toile represents my Southern side.  The part of me that loves a lot of pattern and color.  Its the rolling hills of East Tennessee, the Sweet Tea I love to drink, & the slow drawl of an accent you just can't imitate. When I married my sweet man, I gave each bridesmaid a black & white toile bag.  When Grace Anne was born, I had not one but two toile diaper bags.  My kitchen curtains...toile.  I just love the stuff.  

But I don't live in the south anymore.  Far from it, about 2500 miles to be more exact.  

Burlap, pronounced... Burlap.  Here, there isn't so much accent,  but this is home.  This is the place where the mountains have sharp peaks that take away my breath.  Where the granola people live, and make people watching so interesting:)   But mainly, where this girl grew into a woman.  Where I made my first home, had my babies, and fell deeper in love with my Lord.   I love Burlap.  

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge how this name might read if you read it in the web address- from toilet O burlap.  Yes, I noticed when I signed up for the name and it made me laugh so hard, somehow that was fitting too-i do love a good laugh!

  

My first post

     Welcome to my blog! Where to start...why start?  That is the question to be answered here, for me and for you.  You see, it all started a few weeks ago when I had a big chuckle about my own life.  This event nagged at me to write it down, put a photo with it and share it with friends and family.  In years past that would have meant a written letter, photo printed & placed in envelope, stamp (do you remember licking the stamp and the yummy after taste?), and waiting a week for its arrival.  Then came email with photos and sending a picture on the phone but that reaches only the addresses on file but now the world of blogging... well here I come blogging world.  I want to make a shout out to all my followers right here and right now:  Hi Mom! Hi Grammie!  Hi Chase!  Ha.  This space is dedicated to the events that change and shape us, the children that grow me and amuse me, and the life that I love living.

Grace Anne & Fluffy

      So jumping right into my chuckle...her name is Fluffy.  See Grace Anne & Dawson spent Sunday afternoon with their Papa.  Like all good Papas, he took them out for ice cream and such.  It just so happens that afternoon our "such" turned out to be a little 1 month old rabbit.  He took them to a local supply store and told them they could get ONE thing.  One thing usually means a new ball or pack of gum but that day it meant a live creature.   Luke called and gave me a warning- "rabbit on the way".  I went into a small panic, I don't really love pets, actually I don't really like animals.  Okay, I should just go on and admit that I am really terrified of animals.   But my daughter on the other hand was not created to fear things that creep and crawl, she is drawn to them like a fish to water.  How do you look at that smile and say "I don't like animals, rabbits included?"  You don't.  You go get your camera to document the most wonderful day of her life.  I have a rabbit and that makes me laugh.