I Can't Drive 55

FoxHaven On The Road (Part 1)

Day 1: Our road trip started with a trip to Shipley's donuts. The children love the idea of eating donuts more than actually eating them, but it was a great way to start our vacation. That was followed by a trip to Wal-Mart to get a seat belt adjustor for Kyle, who is old enough (but technically not quite heavy enough) to ride in a car without a car seat - at least in Alabama. We'll just have to drive very carefully in Texas and Missouri. All in all, vacation started around 11:30. We took it easy, making stops at several rest areas to let the kids get out and run around. We had a picnic lunch somewhere in Mississippi, stopped for dinner in Louisiana and spent the night an hour shy of Dallas. We didn't watch all of the movies we packed, so the first day of travelling was a success.

Day 2: We planned to spend the day in Dallas. We started with a visit to the Dallas temple, where FoxHaven was formed just over 17 years ago.

Then we went to meet one of Jay's "imaginary" (i.e., online) friends, Janine Bowman aka Jadearcher. Kinneret found a new best friend in Elise.

After a great lunch (Kyle ate a whole pizza all by himself and Kit ate everybody's leftovers), we drove to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Jay had tried to make camping reservations there almost a month before, but they were booked. We had a great time there. Kyle, who still insists he is going to be a paleontologist when he grows up, loved seeing the dinosaur footprints and we all loved wading in the water with the fishies. The rocks were really slippery, so we got back in the car just a little more wet than what we had planned.

After a stop at Wal-Mart to get charcoal, marshmallows and hot dogs, we drove to Cleburn State Park to camp for the night. The kids were really looking forward to swimming in the lake, but the swimming area as designated on the map was closed, slimy and yucky. Kyle thought there were gators in it. (Kyle dictated the description of the swimming area.) We played on the playground while Jay and Kit set up the tent. It was almost dark by the time we were ready to cook dinner. Roasting weiners and marshmallows over the fire was a lot of fun (Kyle tried roasting an apple, too), but our finicky eaters didn't care for melted marshmallows. Kit told us a bedtime story and we eventually were too tired to care that we were a little too warm to sleep.

Day 3: The girls took a quick shower while the boys packed up the tent and then the boys took a quick shower while the girls took some pictures. After a stop for gas (and half-price fresh cinnamon rolls - the clerk at the station said she had made too many and offered us a package for free! Fortunately for the adults, cinnamon rolls are on the same eating list as donuts - the kids had to be satisfied with novelty of cereal straws.), we were back on the road. And to top off our morning, WE FOUND NEMO! Who would have guessed Nemo was in Texas? We had pizza at a Sam's club for lunch and made it to El Paso for dinner. Kit had been enjoying the driving practice. He generally would take the wheel for an hour or so, except on the road to El Paso where the speed limit was 80. Jay introduced Lead Foot Kit to cruise control at that point. Our day was finished with the exciting news that Garry (Jay's brother) had proposed to his girlfriend, Irma, the night before. Looks like another trip to El Paso in December!