A Muddy Story

I had another first this week.  I got my car stuck in mud, and boy do I mean stuck!  It took 5 girls, 1 guy, and a tractor to finally free my car.

What was supposed to be a surprise party for a lady from church.  I picked up my friend Sara and headed towards the lady's house who was throwing the party.  On the invite, she had stated to drive through her yard around to the back of the house to park and hide the cars.  I did just that, or at least I tried.  I had only gone about 8 feet in the yard when  I started thinking, "Hmmm, I'm leaving tire marks, it's going to be obvious cars are driving back here.  Oh man, this is really muddy, I might get stuck." I'm pretty sure I said the last part out loud, because Sara responded with a "maybe you should back out".

Well, it was too late.  I wasn't going anywhere, at least without tearing up the yard.  I left Sara in the car with Bean and I went to find the host and let her know of the situation.  She came out and we decided to try to get the car back on the driveway.  She and I ended up pushing the car while Sara manned the gas.  We got the car rocking, but would need more help in getting it free.  We decided to go inside and deal with the car later since the birthday girl was due to arrive.  However, I'm pretty sure it was going to be obvious that something was up by the car randomly parked in the yard :)

We had a good time at the party.  Ate delicious food, laughed, and met some new ladies.  After cake and presents, I had to ask for help with the car so that I could get Bean home and to bed.  The ladies donned some extra clothes and shoes from the host and came out to help.  There were about 4 of us pushing on the car.  We could get the car rocking, but in the end, it was just digging deeper holes (and kicking up mud all over -- sorry Candace!).

(This is where the car first got stuck and we are attempting to push it backwards onto the driveway about 10 feet away.  Since it was my car, I tried to make sure I was always doing the most work - I felt awful having women who were all dressed up for a party pushing my car in the mud!  The next day, my arms were so sore!)

(Tht's one pretty stuck wheel!  We tried to use planks to give traction to the tires, but we couldn't get them down in the mud at the right angle.  There are no more pictures of the rescue attempt because from here on out, it was pretty dark.  The beginning of the rescue started at 8pm.)

One of the wives called her husband (he was to pick her up) and he brought his truck and some cables.  Only problem was that he feared driving his truck on the yard and getting stuck himself.  So for some reason, he ended up in the driver's seat with 4/5 girls pushing from the back (so far we had been trying from the front since that would be the shorter distance to get the car out of the yard).  Ironically, his wife ended up slipping off the edge of the back as we were pushing and landed in the mud (this was the first time I had met these people, too!).  We regrouped after laughing and continued pushing.  Finally, the car lurched forward!  I yelled, "Don't get the back tires in the holes!", just as the back tires got stuck in the holes. HA!  We had to push it some more, and it was free!

The guy continued to drive the car, making a big arc pattern around the edge of the yard, only the further he got, the muddier it got!  We had to keep pushing on the back and helping him out until the car ended up getting stuck again, only this time it was much worse! At this point, it was decided that the only way the car was coming out of the yard was by being towed.  The husband who was helping out found a chain that would work.  At this point, the front of the car was closer to the driveway, but the front end of the car was down in the mud and there was no way to get under the bumper to find a place to attach the chain.  So the decision was made to attach it to the frame at the back, and have a tractor tow the car all the way back around the arc back to the original starting point.

At this point, I got in the driver's seat and put my backing up skills to the test (don't worry, I have good backing up and parallel parking skills).  I had the car in reverse (neutral did nothing) and I let the tractor do most of the work.  A couple of times, I had to give it some gas if it started to get stuck.  It seems like this whole ordeal should have lasted way longer than it did, but in just over a half hour, my car was back on pavement!!! Oh, and I forgot to mention, that Steve had decided to come and try to help.  He pulled into the driveway as the tractor was finishing the arc and nearing the driveway -ha!

And what about Bean?!  I had snapped her into her carseat at the get-go of all the pushing.  When I realized that us girls couldn't just push the car out, I was going to unsnap the seat, and put her inside with a couple other ladies; however, in the 5 minutes of pushing the car, she had fallen asleep!  I made the decision to just leave the sleeping babe in the car that whole time.

I feel absolutely terrible for the yard my car tore up :-/.  I'm hoping that just filling in the holes and throwing on some grass seed will do the trick.  I've been having nightmares and anxiety all week stressing out about their yard.  If it was my own yard, I'd laugh it off as lesson learned, but it's really hard to do that with someone else's property.  And the worse part of the whole story?!  Had we just hooked the chain up at the back of the car at the get go, the damage would have just been 2 holes from the front tires, and not long car tracks, numerous holes, and mud everywhere.  UGH

(I was able to document the damage the next day.  Well, the "damage" to the car.  Luckily, we live close to a car wash.  It just so happened to be a rainy day the next day, so I pulled the car out of the garage and into the rain.  It rained just enough to wet the mud on the car.  I then loaded Bean up and we headed to the car wash.)

(Aaaaand the other side of the car.)

Traveling Babe

We are pretty blessed with our little Bean.  She is usually a very happy baby and easy going.  We do have some tummy issues here and there that make her cranky and clingy, but all in all, we can't complain with how easy she is! 

We made the decision to drive to New Jersey with a 2 month old well before she was born.  We knew we didn't want to try to tackle flying with a baby yet, and wanted to see all of Steve's family for Christmas.  Bean rarely cries when in her car seat and generally just sleeps in the car, whether it be a short trip or a a few hours.  So the decision was made, the car was loaded up, and off we went to New Jersey!

We left my parents' house around 8am.  Bean had been fed, changed, and was ready to fall back to sleep.  She was asleep before we even hit the gas station to fill up the car and start our trek.  I started off the jounrey in the front with Steve.  We weren't sure how she was going to do, but thought I'd at least start up in the front, and switch to the back when she needed it.  Typically, she eats around every 2.5 hours.  So at the 2.5 hour mark, I went ahead and pumped and prepped a bottle for Bean, whenever she chose to wake up.  It wasn't until the 4 hour mark that she woke up and immediately started crying!

(My view from behind my shoulder. Steve could see her via her mirror in his rear view mirror.)

Steve pulled over on the shoulder of the highway and I climbed in the back.  Once I was buckled and the coast was clear, he pulled right back on the highway.  I fed Bean a bottle while she was still in her car seat.  About halfway through her bottle, I would try to pat her tummy to make her burp, but that didn't really work.  So I would just end up feeding her the rest without burping and I'd give her gas medicine to try to prevent any meltdowns.  This mostly worked, but she would spit up a lot. I would just be ready with a burp cloth to clean it up!

(Yummy)

The child can't resist falling asleep in the car.  Pretty much after the bottle was finished up, she'd fall right back to sleep.  She slept for a couple hours, when we made our first stop.  We had a planned stop at a mall so that I could get my wedding ring cleaned.  I have to get it done every 6 months in order to keep up the warranty.  Since we don't have that jewelry store around us, it worked to do it on our drive.  While Steve headed with my ring to the store, I changed Bean and fed her in the food court.  We then ate our lunch, I cleaned my pump supplies in the bathroom (I was even prepared with a bottle brush and packets of Dawn), and we loaded back up and continued our journey.  I returned to my seat in the front again.

I again prepped a bottle at the 2.5 hour mark, but she slept longer than that.  We did the same routine of pulling onto the shoulder, me climbing in the back, and heading back on our way as Bean took a bottle.  This time, she stayed awake a little bit and we played with her plethora of toys.  Okay, really, I played with her toys and she just watched.  Her current favorite entertainment is silly faces, so I did a bunch of them, until I started getting car sick and couldn't look at her.  She eventually fell back asleep. Around dinner time, we hit a stretch of area where there were no food stops!  It being Christmas Eve, we already knew we'd be hitting slim pickens.  I had to search on my phone to find a McDonald's to stop at.  Timing worked out perfectly.  Just as we started to take our exit, Bean woke up hungry!  We did the same routine at the stop - changing, feeding baby, cleaning bottle and supplies, eating, etc.  Only at this stop, Bean chose to blow out her diaper, so there was a clothing change.  I just had to deal with the excrement on me until our final destination ;-). 

(Really, mom?!  When are we getting out of this car?!)

Bean has more awake time in the evening.  I wasn't sure how it was going to go.  I started in the front again, but soon had to switch to the back.  I had hopes of her being able to make it til her next feeding at Nanny's house, but that didn't happen.  I ended up having to prep another bottle (while she was awake and crying because she was hungry earlier than the 2.5 hour mark) right as we hit Philadelphia.  This was probably the most stressful part of the trip because she wanted food now and I wasn't ready to give it to her! Finally, a bottle was ready and she was happy again.  We only had about an hour or so left in our journey.  We did the usual entertaining with toys and faces (until I got car sick again).  We pulled into Nanny's just before 10pm.  We made it!  Wooooooo!!

Bean was an absolute trooper!  Not many 2.5 month olds travel so well.  We know we are blessed and hope she continues her love of the carseat and sleeping in the car.  Now we will just have to wait and see how she travels via plane. . . 

Our journey on the way back was pretty much the same just in reverse.  We started around the same time in the morning and had a couple of planned stops again.  We had to eat an earlier lunch (to avoid the span of no food options again) which threw off the timing of bottles/nursing.  But it all worked out.  I had prepped  bottle for her at the beginning of the drive, but she ended up sleeping through til we stopped, so I just held onto that bottle for later.  I also ended up coming up with a better system of cleaning the pump supplies.  I ended up just pouring water through it and drying it with napkins.  Then I fully cleaned/sanitzed when I got home that evening.

Steve had done some research of a little town we had drove through on our way to Jersey and decided we should stop there for dinner on our way back.  We stopped in Wheeling, West Virginia to eat at a local place called Later Alligator.  We parked our car a few blocks away and walked to the little eatery.  Bean's eating time had gotten a little messed up, so she just hung out with us while we ate.  She got fussy towards the end, and I fed her a little, but I think she mostly just wanted cuddle time.  I chose to not put her back in her carseat to carry her to the car.  Instead, I held her bundled under a blanket (with her cute hat from Aunt Ashley!) and we walked back to the car.  I changed her (on the seat of the car) and then put her back in the car seat.  I chose to go ahead and stay in the back with her.  She was still sort of fussing and since the bottles/feedings got messed up, I decided I should stay nearby.  

(At Later Alligator!  Steve got some pulled pork/mac'n'cheese sandwhich and I got a chicken wrap.  Both were pretty tasty!  We especially liked the atmosphere.  The place is known for its crepes, but we weren't hungry enough to get some for dessert.  Maybe next time!)

(The little town was really cute and quaint.  It looks like there is a large market similar to Findlay Market in Cincinnati.  Check out that cute hat! Hahahaha)

Whenever we travel, I try my hardest to stay awake for Steve.  But I just couldn't fight it this time around.  Steve listedned to some audio story about the Khans an it put me right to sleep!  Usually we try to switch drivers, but Steve didn't want to have to worry about Bean.  He left that to me while he did all the driving.  What an awesome man I'm married to!  We got home around 7:30.  Just in time for bath time!  Once Bean was all snuggly and clean, she ate and went to bed!  You would think that all of that sleeping in the car would keep her up, but it had the opposite effect.  All that driving tuckered her out!

Cruise - The Long Trek Home

Usually, cruise ships dock into port by 7 or 8 am and begin the unloading process.  They dock so early because they have to get all the previous cruises off the ship in and prepare for the next round of cruises that begin loading around 11am or noon.  Due to the medical emergency, we didn't get into port until after 10am.

The whole unloading process wasn't well explained with the time delay.  There was a channel on the tv that explained the unloading procedures, but no one was sure if the times changed because of the delay.  We decided to stick with what the video said and left our room with all our suitcases around 8.  We made our way to the theater lounge and found an area to store all our suitcases, sit, and wait out the morning.  Mom stayed with the luggage and the rest of us headed to the Lido deck to grab some breakfast.  It was of course packed so we found some quick lines (like for pastries & fruit) and ate our little breakfast.  I brought some food back for mom when we were done.  The wait really didn't seem too long and before we knew it, we were docked in Port Canaveral.

Things got a little dicey on what to do after that.  There were announcements saying they wanted to unload those with early flights first, and then they'd unload according to the area you were waiting.  However, there were never any announcements after that.  People in the theater lounge began shuffling around and making their way to the door, so we followed suit per Steve and Dad's encouragement.  We had an 8 hour car ride slated for the day & Dad was ready to get on the road!  Good thing we were seated where we were and got up when we did, because we got off the ship pretty quickly.

After going through customs (and Steve breaking a suitcase, which was already broken, so I shouldn't blame him), we walked to the bus to take us to our car.  Once the bus was loaded, we made it to the parking place, loaded up our car, and was on the road around noon.  Pretty good timing!  Only there was one problem in the whole drive 8 hours to our hotel in TN -- every time dad hit the breaks, we heard this gnarly sound coming from the passenger front tire.  Uh oh!

(I don't know if he's more sad about leaving the ship, or the 16 hour drive ahead with an impending break pad change.)

(Steve is sad for no more 24/7 ice cream cones.  Which by the way, I got him his last one that morning when Mom and I made a trip to the Lido deck while waiting to depart.)

(Mom is sad for the reality she is return home to - hahahahahaha!  Her's are real tears, okay I kid, I kid!)

(Sad about leaving the boat and having to sit in a confined space for the next 8 hours to turn around and do it again the next day.)

Good thing we had 2 mechanics in the car.  Both immediately knew it was the break pad.  Neither seemed too concerned over the sound (as they said it didn't sound like metal on metal yet), but Mom & I weren't buying it!  Dad decided that the situation wasn't dire and that sometime in the afternoon, we'd stop at a car parts store and they'd fix it.

When the time came, the stop was relatively easy and quick! Within in an hour (maybe even less), the new parts were purchased, Steve & Dad took the wheel off, put on the new break pad & rotor, Mom & I repacked suitcases for that night's hotel stop, we loaded the car back up, and were off!  We made it to our hotel by 10pm!

(Have I said how amazing it is to road trip with 2 mechanics?!)

(Check out that tool box!  My parents' van is older and has always had weird issues pop up every now and then.  Dad was smart and decided to throw his tool box in the back, "just in case".  Thank goodness!  Made the stop quicker having his own tools to use.)

(Here is a shot of the worn break pad, and the new one.  Notice how there is no pad left!  What?!  That was stopping the car?!  On a funny note -- I see a hidden Mickey!)

(Hotel Bonding)

The next morning, we had a later start than planned because Steve & I didn't set an alarm.  Ha!  We all slept in the same room again and we assumed we'd wake up when Mom & Dad were up.  But I guess our ear plugs did too good of a job!  Ooops :).  After eating a quick breakfast, we were back on the road.  It just so happened that we were passing through Corbin, KY right around lunch time.  Many people (Steve included) don't understand the perfectness of this timing.  Corbin is home to the original Sanders Cafe, which is now opened all across the US as KFC!

My grandpa is from the Virginia/KY area.  When I was younger, we would make trips to the area and would stop at the Sanders Cafe to pay homage to the Colonel - haha!  Steve was pretty skeptical of the stop until we got out and he realized that it was literally a National Landmark!  The Sanders Cafe still has the original kitchen were Sanders made his chicken for the first time, bed room models from the inn that was associated with the cafe, and all sorts of memorabilia around the cafe.  We of course feasted on a wonderful chicken meal before heading back on the road.

(Sanders Cafe!)

(The Cafe was half original and half a KFC.  You ordered the food in the KFC portion, and ate in the Cafe. Pretty neat!)

(Steve said this is what made the whole experience legit! That and the Asian tourists.)

(The original kitchen, where all the magic started.)

(It's not an official trip until you sit next to the Colonel.)

The rest of the journey was uneventful.  We made a pit stop in Cincinnati where the first driver change of the entire journey was made - ha!  Dad was able to take a little nap while Steve got us to our house.  We were home by 6pm, but Mom & Dad still had a 3 hour drive back to IN!  We quickly unloaded our stuff, said our goodbyes, and waved our cruise buddies off as they finished their journey home.  They made great time and were home by 9!

We had an absolutely fabulous vacation!  It was really hard to return home to the reality of a house that needed attention and work for Steve.  We have a few other smaller trips planned in the summer (like a visit to IN for my first baby shower and a visit to NJ to see Steve's family & another little shower!). But the next big thing on our horizon is Baby's arrival!  Can't believe we're than 3 months away from meeting her!  We have so much yet to get done!  I'm currently working on the nursery in preparation for it to be bombarded with all the baby stuff headed this way :)!

Ruby

Steve is trying his hardest to keep our red Honda (named Ruby) around for as long as he can.  I on the other hand don't trust her as I once did.  When we went to Gatlinburg last year, she had some issues with randomly dying on us.  We got a new battery and Steve also replaced the ignition switch.  We haven't had any issues since then, but I question what will be the next thing to go out.  I think she has lived a good full life and she be limited to Lima driving only. However, Steve prefers to put more miles on her than the new car so we've been using her on our drives to Indiana.

Despite much love and care from Steve, Ruby has had some issues with rust and fading paint.  The entire roof is in dire need of a new paint job, but Steve decided to tackle the rust spots first.  (I was also informed that repainting the roof and just fixing/repainting the rust spots were two different techniques and he felt the rust was the more dire need).

After ordering supplies online (like paint from the manufacturer), couple trips to Menards (for primer, rust eliminator, Bondo, different sanding tools, etc) and a week without using Ruby, Steve has mastered cosmetic rust repair!

He found some website online that walked him through all the different steps.  He had to un-attach the bumper from the sides of the car, sand down the rust to the bare metal, spray a rust eliminator, use Bondo, sand the Bond, primer, paint, and clear coat.  It's not perfect, but the rust has been stopped in those areas, furthering Ruby's life in our home.

(This is the back right side of the car.  This area is the worst.  When we first noticed the rust a few years back, the paint was just bubbled.  We've watched the rust grow deep and finally pulled the trigger on the project.)

(This is the back left side of the car.  This is how the right side originally looked when we first noticed the rust.  Good thing Steve took care of it before the bumper fell off!)

(This tiny spot is on the back right side close to where the big rust spot is located. Hahahaha, notice the reflection of the garage and brick wall.)

(Once Steve got the bumper detached from the area and sanded off the rusted metal, this is what he was left with.  He then sprayed the area with a rust eliminator and then coated it with a thick layer of Bondo (kind of like a paste that turns into fiberglass and fills in the holes and missing metal).  He then sanded the Bondo down and it feels just like the metal was never missing!)

(Look at how safe he is -- safety glasses & ear plugs!  He also made sure to cover up the wheel and later the areas of the car that he didn't want the paint to get on.  It was too hard to take the entire bumper off, so he used that block of wood to prop the bumper away from the area he was working on.)

(Thanks Scott & Ash for the birthday sander!  It came it very handy with this project!)

(Back Right side all finished!  If you see the car from a distance, you can't notice any difference.  However, up close you can see just some discoloration, and the area is also not as shiny as the rest of the car.)

(Back left side of the car.  The main purpose of the project was to stop the rust from spreading and cosmetically cover the current spot.  All was accomplished and Steve did a great job!  He feels that he may be able to repaint the roof, but for now he's refocusing his energy onto house projects.)

It's Official. . .

We're Ohio residents!!

Last week, we spent a very productive 2 hours at the BMV (or DMV dependent on where you grew up) and became official Ohio residents.  This is the first time in 3 years that Steve and I both hold driver's licenses from the same state.  

We knew in advance that we would have to take a written test in order to get our new licenses.  We spent the night before studying the handbook and quizzing each other.  The next, I met Steve at the BMV during his lunch break.  We got there just a little after 11, but sadly, they weren't doing written tests until 12:30.  We were going to call it a bust and try again the next day, but we decided to see about switching our car titles to OH and getting new plates (especially since one of our car plates was about to expire!).

We had to go to the main branch downtown to take the test, but it worked out that the registrar (where you get your license), the testing center, and the title office were all in the same building!  We first went to the registrar to get our cars "inspected".  According to the manual that we so diligently studied, someone was going to inspect the car's steering column, lights, brakes, etc.  However, all the person did was right down the serial numbers, car make, and current license plate numbers.  Once that was completed, we headed to the Title office where they switched over the titles to Ohio.  

With new titles in hand, we had to head back to the registrar to get the plates.  The lady was really friendly and asking all about us, why we had moved to Ohio, how long we've been married (people find it hard to believe when we answer almost three years!), etc.  Once we got the plates, it was just a little after noon.  Steve's lunch hour was pretty much over, but he decided that whether he came back the same day or just took an extended lunch would be the same amount of time away from work.  So we waited until the doors to the testing center were opened (quite a line was forming, luckily, we were 4th in line!).  The tests were done on a computer.  You only had to get 30 out of 40 questions right.  Once you got 30 right (regardless of what question you were on), you got a congratulations screen.  

After completing the tests, we headed back to the registrar (where we were very well known by this point).  Another lady helped us out and asked us all the same questions the first lady had (she too couldn't believe 3 years of marriage).  We filled out the paper work, got our pictures taken (which are actually 2 of the best pictures of us!) and got our new licenses!!  As the lady handed them over, she made a big announcement to the room congratulating us on being official residents.  It was comical after being there for 2 hours.  

In other news, blogspot (where my blog is posted) has undergone some updates and shows me different stats about the blog.  According to the stats, I've had almost 10,000 views since starting the blog in 2010.  1,000 of those views were from this month alone (I'll thank Europe for that).  It also breaks down where the views come from -- largely the US, with 5 hits in Germany, 4 in Russia, 1 in Poland (dad???), and 1 in Turkey.  It's crazy to think that people besides just family reads this.  If you are a faithful reader I'd love to get to know you via comments!!