Travel Log Day 17, 18, & 19 - 12/1/2011 thru 12/3/2011

"The boys sing too loud"

Wow, here I am 18 days after I finished my vacation and finally putting the finishing touches on my travel log...

Initially my thoughts for this post were talking about driving well a lot in two days.  While Cristina and I did breakdown and essentially use the DVD parent for the boys for a better part of two days it did go well enough and we survived getting home.

I was so tired in Tempe that I ditched my Triple D stop and opted instead for the local mexican place at the hotel, which note here Embassy Suites rocks with free happy hour drinks.  The theme of this last leg instead of driving and eating (yeah we did that too), was actually wind.  As we were driving into our lunch stop in Fort Stockton, wow that was a small "town" we started getting our news via the social network scene about a wind storm back home.  At first it was a post or two, then ten or so, and then basically everyone talking in Southern California how bad the wind was.

It turns out it was way worse than even we imagined.  We lost 2 very large trees, and my In-Laws next door lost two beautiful oak trees.  As if that wasn't enough power and phones were out.  My first thoughts were relief that everyone was okay and our house was fine, it wouldn't have been if the pine tree fell the other way.  Once I started the long continued drive into El Paso I started thinking about the stocked freezers we had, the logistical nightmare of coming home to no power, anything and everything that is effected by lack of power.  Things kept coming, the pool, stuff in the pool, burning out the filter, it was as if every few minutes a new problem presented it's self.

When we stopped in El Paso the relief of being somewhere WITH power and WITH a laundry facility showed me how nice it was that we were gone.  My wife with that sweet mommy juju I talked about earlier had the foresight to know she should finish laundry so we had all clean clothes at home.

The drive into Tempe the next day was nothing special, or difficult and in all honesty we pulled in fairly early and were able to play in the pool and watch a little of the new Lego Ninjago show on Cartoon Network.  Dinner drinks and the like were great but this stop was merely for sleep.

We were off early in the morning knowing we needed to get home and deal with the mess.  We dealt with some closed businesses trying to leave early but on the whole we were on the road by 6 local time which was 5 home time.  Three hours into the drive, or about half way home we found out power was back, YES!  Things were looking up for us, until we got home.

As if the shock of what we saw wasn't enough, the power went off 30 minutes before we got home.  Things could have gone horribly wrong here, and the homecoming could have become a nightmare, but it didn't.  While we were home some local residents were clearing a path through our streets, we had light, and the kids were ECSTATIC to be home.  There was playing and running and good times visiting Nana and Papi.  While our house was freezing, the cold weather had preserved our freezer and things were still frozen.  Some friends gave us a bunch of dry ice and we were able to give the kids baths at around 3 and fun was being had everywhere.  

Dinner by flashlight was rough, but it worked and we put Eva to bed without incident.  Now for the boys.  I knew somethings needed to be done and wanted desperately to do them, but some advice from my wife sunk in she gave a while back.  Essentially she said that I should take advantage of the night time ritual to allow our kids sweet moments to come out and it can make up for even the roughest day.  So I sat on the couch with the fire going an candles providing a soft glow.  I got out "A Charlie Brown Christmas" which I had never seen and cuddled under the blankets with my wife and boys.

There was something magnificent about being huddled around a small little 8" screen in a cold dark house with my boys and wife watching a charming show.  I was so glad I wasn't worrying about the other things that needed to be done, that even now as I write I can't remember what I thought I had to do.  But that moment in the dark which was scaring my boys I think instead of a memory of being afraid of the dark and dreading what was happening, they instead have a warm family memory, we repurposed this disaster to be a family building moment, and I'm glad I was part of it.

The trip

We drove over 3500 miles with 3 kids under 5, made numerous stops, and created countless memories. I discovered so much about myself as a parent and even learned how to call a great audible at the end of the trip.

I don't know when or if I will ever drive to my Dad's again.  I loved doing it, but was even harder than I thought it would be.  I now have a new view of California and it has been opened up to me and my family.  There is no where in this state I won't drive to now and I can't wait to start the adventure on my next long vacation.  This trip was everything I hoped for;  a challenge, a family builder, fun, a chance for memories and a great opportunity to see family and friends.  On top of all of that I actually blogged about the entire trip which was a challenge I am proud to have met, even if it took me an extra 18 days after the trip was over to complete.  I hoped you all enjoyed reading about my trip as much as I loved being on it and writing about it.