Halling Go To Alaska

Life seems to have gotten out of control since May.  I feel horrible that I'm not commenting on blogs like I used to, but I am reading everyone's that I usually read.  And in the past week I've gotten two lovely shout-outs from two people that have fabulous blogs and maybe one day I will get to meet them in person. The first is Erin .  She pretty much rawks.  I'm sure if you read my blog, you know who she is.  She was the Sister Spotlight this week.  She is a relatively new runner, but a couple of weeks ago she ran her first 5K and knocked it out of the water.  I'm flattered that she named me in her sisterhood post as a good cheerleader.  I'm fairly humble in my knowledge of running.  I pretty much knows what has worked for me and if someone asks for advice, I'm more than willing to help. Because, people, running? As a sport? Is supposed to be FUN!  I know some of you think me crazy.  But running keeps me from going crazy.  E...

Sunday 7/17 Six miles outside for the first time in over a month.  Monday 7/18 This puppy was one of Sass's favorites.  It's been lost for *years*.  They found him in the bottom of a sleeping bag we obviously haven't used in years.  Tuesday 7/19 Like the headband? I didn't buy it.   Not enough hair to justify a headband. Wednesday 7/20 Sweet Pea and our friend Miss Barbara.   She was in town for one night and we all went out to eat. Thursday 7/21 Allergy drugs!!  Lots of them = happy Kirsten  Friday 7/22 Post Shrinking Jeans bootcamp run.  Hot, sweaty mess.  Saturday 7/23 So proud of my girl, Sass. She participated in the kids triathlon sponsored through the local pool.  She swam, biked, and ran hard.  

Life is full if them. And just before we left on #insaneroadtrip we had had a session with the counselor the 10yo has been seeing. She reinforced the fact that our girl needed a different outlet other than gymnastics. I *knew* this but I was having a hard time dealing with the fact that my vision of my life was going to drastically changed. Aside from preschool, my girls have never been in a traditional school setting. They have been enrolled in a distance education charter school, aka "school at home." But this fall both the 10yo and the 8yo will be attending the school down the road. I am still conflicted with the education side of it. This school is supposedly the best in the district but with Nevada being rated as 48th, I believe, in education in the country, that's not saying much to me. But...the 10yo needs the outlet. She needs to gain some confidence in herself. Which means taking responsibility for things unrelated to our household. I see this need for her. We of...

This morning was a normal packing up and getting on the road. Except it was the very last day of this trip. How did that happen? We said final goodbyes to Tiffany and Sammy. And got on the road. It was the same beautiful drive it always is. And then our own Nevada mountains came into view. And then home. So a recap. - Thirty-three days - Twenty-five states - Ten hookers - One wedding - One 90th birthday celebration - One blown out tire And the most impressive number... 8666 miles. I hope, if nothing else, the girls remember the trip fondly. Because something of this magnitude will probably not be repeated. And I will always remember this adventure and all the friends and fun we had. To those that played hotel, THANK YOU! It made the trip more fun and seeing all the kids playing together was truly priceless. I love you all. Posted using BlogPress

What a nice day! We leisurely woke up. Tiffany made us waffles for breakfast and after Sammy went down for his morning nap, Tiffany and I headed out to do SJ bootcamp. It was hard, yo. But we got it done. After cleaning up, Sammy woke up, we had lunch and hung out. And then I laid down on the couch and promptly passed out for an hour or so. We then headed to one of the parks in the subdivision. It was hot! After lots of complaining because of the heat we headed home. My 10yo was an awesome mother's helper for Tiffany. For dinner there was wine and homemade pizza. Hard to believe that one day on the road is all that separates us from the end of this journey. Posted using BlogPress

Today started out early. And for no good reason. I just woke up at 5:45. And since I was comfy and the girls were still sleeping, I laid in bed for another hour reading blogs. After my shower I got the girls moving, we packed up, ate our free continental breakfast and hit the road to West Yellowstone. We got to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center at about 10 and were excited to find out that they ha a kids' program where they could hide food in the bear enclosure. All three girls were excited. And then they let the bears back out. It was pretty cool despite getting eaten alive by mosquitos. The rest if the drive was pretty uneventful. We pulled into Tiffany's driveway at just about 6 pm. There was much rejoicing. And baby love. Posted using BlogPress

I'm in awe that in 3 days I will be home. The girls are more than ready to be home. So much so that the 10yo melted down for the first 30-45 minutes in the car. Fun times. Melissa assured me the drive wasn't really 7 hours but I wouldn't get to see mountains until I was almost to Bozeman, which was my scheduled stop. The girls were excited that there was a pool at the hotel though the 10yo decided she didn't want to swim. But the other two had a blast. We ended up at AppleBees for dinner. Aside from yummy chicken smothered in cheese I had this And the girls basically ate everything on the table without hesitation so we got this We debated about going out and seeing the fireworks here but ended up having a quiet evening sacked out in the hotel room. There was a magnificent sunset though. Tuesday? We head out of Montana and get to see Tiffany when we arrive in western Idaho this evening. I can.not.wait to see her Sammy! I'm sure he's huge! - Posted using BlogPr...

Today was good. It started out with a good night's sleep and a mellow morning. There was lots of cheese in a can. And a bit of STV. Ladybugs Ozzy the fox dog And mini horse rides with the girls at the reigns. And a setting sun It's been fun hanging with Lissa and her family. Tomorrow? Montana here we come! Posted using BlogPress

Night and day. That was the difference between day 27 and day 28. It also blows my mind that I started day 27 in Michigan and ending day 28 in western North Dakota. The girls and I slept hard at Barb's mom's place and relatively leisurely woke up, packed, ate breakfast and headed out the door by 8:30. I was hoping to make the bunkhouse by 5 pm. I am not a fan of the way people drive in Wisconsin or Minnesota. But give me North Dakota! Open roads, 75 mph speed limits and cooler temperatures and I was in heaven. I thoroughly enjoyed driving along I-94. The skies were blue, the land was so green. It was just beautiful. I know. I know. I like mountains. But there is a beauty in the rolling hills and openness of this part of the country. We made it to the bunkhouse over an hour earlier than I had planned. For no other reason than Dickinson is in Mountain time not Central. The girls had a blast. There were miniature horses to feed and ride. There was food and drinks. There was the l...

Today? I took one picture while on the road. And it wasn't even on the road. This morning I got up and packed the truck and got ready to leave. Bari didn't pack anything so I couldn't smuggle her out with me. The big jerk. We were going to drive up to Muskegon and take the ferry across Lake Michigan. I thought this would be a fun way to lessen the hours in the car. Yeah. I would have rather driven those miles than have the day I had today. To sum it up. Ferry + Lake Michigan + storm + not enough seats = me puking in a sink on the ferry and my kids on varying stages of nauseousness while ferry staff handed out vomit bags to the passengers. I'm not sure I fully recovered from it only to get stuck in stop and go traffic on the freeway from Milwaukee to the Wisconsin Dells. I may have had a sobbing meltdown in the car today. Quietly so as to not alarm my passengers. We finally made it to Barb's mom's house as a storm was rolling in just before 7 pm. She fed us, set...

Today started out the right way. With a run with a good friend. One of the best a girl can have. Three miles while chatting. Then a mellow morning followed by Bari's first tattoo! She did amazing for being on the table for almost an hour. And my fourth (with the 3rd below it!) And then we celebrated. We *might* have celebrated a bit more after a yummy dinner. (btw. These were consumed over 4 days...though that doesn't much better.) So sad to be leaving. Bari, you're my girl. Thanks for allowing my girls to decompress at your house and torment K and D. Love you! - Posted using BlogPress