Flying and North Carolina.

My flights from Pensacola, Florida to Jacksonville, North Carolina were pretty uneventful.  However, I did learn that I don't want to fly with my children unless they are in my uterus. The children on the flights were very well behaved but they had to use the restroom and that bathroom is tiny, a mom will not fit in there too. The most exciting part of the plane was disembarking and one boarding. 

Disembarking in Charlotte. 

Boarding in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

My plane in the Jacksonville airport. Oh it was so cool getting on an off the plane like this. 

Cruising to Jen's home in her baby blue mustang. 

Jen was craving chocolate cheesecake so I made her one. It was the first time her beautiful red Kitchen Aid was used. Yes, be embarrassed for her. 

I was pleased to discover many Pampered Chef items. Missing was a rubber scrapper, cutting boards, cooking utensils, measuring cups, functional spatulas and sharp knives. Guess what she's getting as a thank you gift. The cheesecake turned out delicious and well as the homemade whipped cream. She actually said to me "I pegged you as a container of cool whip girl!" I slapped her across the face. Alright I didn't do that but she changed her opinion after the spoonful of whipped cream I gave her. 

The cheesecake. We ate our slices while watching a romance movie and an 80's comedy. Oh how I love being with her. We talk about boys, and shoes and shopping and imaginary future dreams, and chocolate and food and... It's all face to face!!!  It's wonderful!  

Jacqui's home

Sunday morning we woke up to thunderstorms and stiff muscles. My crazy sister went and did yoga in the pouring rain while I stayed in bed dozing and watching tv. I had wanted to go to the antique store and drugstore/used bookstore but it was Sunday and everything is closed in Alabama on Sundays.  My favorite part of the day was losing Maureen right before we left to take her to the airport. After waiting in the lobby for forty minutes I checked the hotel room and she was not there. My heart started racing and panic was setting in until I found her curled up in the backseat of the car. Neither Jacqui or I knew she was there and Jacqui even locked her into the car!!  Oh my Mojo potato!  We left really early for the airport and had plenty of time to eat before Maureen's plane left. We stopped to eat at the Bonefish Grill in Pensacola, Florida. 

Our food server was amazing and promptly brought all of our food as quickly as he could so we would have time to eat it. The food, oh the food!! 

What's left of corn chowder. Sweet and spivey and served piping hot!! 

Bang Bang Shrimp, tossed in a spicy cream sauce served of iceberg lettuce. Delectable!!

Rainbow trout topped with mango salsa and served with a side of succotash and potato au gratin. 

It was this good!! All three of us demolished it!! 

Dessert was creme brûlée topped freshly made whipped cream. It did not last long.  

 After we returned from dropping off Maureen, Jacqui took me to see her home. It was beautiful. There is green everywhere the only downside is the previous occupants were rude, disrespectful, inconsiderate lazy people. They left the house in shambles and left a majority of there personal items and furniture in on the front and back porches and in the home! Unfortunately Jacqui has a lot of work ahead of her but despite her disappointment I believe she is looking forward to making the house into a home. Here are some pictures of her house. 

Right side and back of the house.

The lovely Jacqui in the front of the house.

The super steep stairs up to the second floor. I describe them as if stairs and a ladder mated and the ladder had more dominat characteristics. And yes I went up and down those stairs. 

This is the queen of the castle her name is Rosie. She is sitting in her throne alcove on the second floor. While Jacqui was with me and Maureen the previous tenants decided that they wanted to come back into the house. Which they did and boy were Jacqui and the cats pissed. One cat, Pumpkin, disappeared and we didn't find her until I came down the stairs and saw her on top of the fridge way back in the corner. Her royal highness, Rosie took another approach and went potty all over their stuff. Bravo Rosie! 

I am so very thankful and grateful to Jacqui for this amazing adventure and I look forward to seeing her house to home progress. 

Foley, Alabama

We arrived about an hour ago. We are showered changed and ready to sleep! Thank you God for our safe drive and keep us safe during the rest of our journey. 

Tomorrow we will go and see Jaqui's home and do some sight seeing. We wan to go to mass but the closest Catholic Church is 3 milies away and the rain is supposed to keep up tomorrow. We also don't have a way of reaching Jaqui until she comes to the hotel but she needs her sleep. I think she slept the least of all three of us. I will post pictures of Jaqui's home tomorrow. I am so excited to see it. Maureen leaves tomorrow night at 630pm and should arrive in California at 1130pm. Then Monday morning I fly to North Carolina to see Jen!! I can't wait!! Good night!

The rain in Spain... I mean Alabama!

We drove through Mississippi and we are driving through Alabama. It is 1:15am and we are all tired and its pouring rain. This is not California rain! The drops are small and when they hit the windshield they make it blurry and difficult to see. I'm too tired to focus so Maureen's giving it a go. She's been sleeping for the last hour and a half. Pray for us tonight. The rain is beautiful but we are tired. I will post again when we get to our hotel. 

Oh Baton Rouge...

Oh Baton Rouge, I would grow so fat living in your city but I would love every fat minute of it! We stopped at Parrain's seafood for a Cajun southern meal. We ordered andouille with mashed potatoes and a side salad topped with jalapeño Cajun dressing, fried alligator, seafood gumbo, garlic green beans and white chocolate bread pudding. OH MY GOODNESS! It was such a delectable assault of flavors upon my taste buds. The pictures are crummy because we ordered it all to go and the car was moving as it took the pictures. (Side note I would love a really nice camera with an interchangeable lens) 

Specials board! 

Outside Parrain's. There was an hour wait for seated dining! I would wait an hour for that food any day or night!

Fried alligator with some sort of dipping sauce. Oh so good! It tasted like chicken but more tender and a lot juicier. 

The seafood gumbo did not look appetizing even in person but oh the flavors, the spice, the GUMBO!! It was so good. The spice in it hit you halfway through chewing your bite and just exploded in your mouth. 

Look what I found in the bottom of the gumbo!

Andouille on top of a mushroom shellfish sauce with a side of mashed potatoes! Heaven!! If I could cook like this my seafood disliking husband would beg for fish everyday!! I am going to try making this dish though it was amazing! I didn't photograph the salad and green beans but trust me, they were spectacular. Now for the sweetest part of the meal!!

Holy moly! This was the best bread pudding I have ever had! Sorry Amber but it was. Yours got demote to second best. It was gooey and bready and chocolatey! I was surprised how much I liked it because I am not a huge fan of white chocolate (ha nice word choice because I feel huge right now!) but it tasted so wonderful. It made me think of my sister Emily because she loves white chocolate. All it needed was some strawberries for her. We will be driving through New Orleans soon then on to our final destination! That means a shower, hot bath and cozy bed!! I don't know which of those I'm most excited about. 

P.s. all of that food was shared by all three of us! Well except for the bread pudding both Jaqui and Maureen have more self control than I do. 

Good bye Texas! Hello Louisiana!!

A rusted barge outside of Houston. 

Trinity river in Texas. 

We stopped in the town of Beaumont, Texas. I tried to get a postcard for my grandparents but I couldn't find one. They live in Beaumont California!  We did stop at Cracker Barrel and Maureen got bacon jerky for our brother Eric. Just kidding its for someone else! I purchased a Texas University onesie for the baby and some air vent fresheners. The cats are starting to overwhelm the car with their smell. We are surviving though. No need to take drastic measures...yet. 

We left Texas at around 620pm Texas/Louisiana time so that makes it 420pm California time. We should be arriving at our destination around 10 or 11pm local time. First we are stopping for some authentic Louisiana gumbo and jambalaya. Oh I can't wait! I didn't get my Texas BBQ but I will throw a royal pregnant fit if I don't get some real southern food!! 

Everyone has been so nice when we stop. In Beaumont the servers at the buffet gave me a banana because I was hungry and nothing looked appetizing in the buffet. I also met a trucker who is heading to the City of Commerce tomorrow. Downside is all the people in the diner, that I talked to, thought Maureen was my daughter. I think I need to shower, I'm looking old. I did feel like a mini celebrity when they found out I was from California. I'm fascinated with them and their beautiful state and they just want to go to California. The grass is always greener...

It's a bridge in Louisiana! Next stop gumbo and jambalaya, I hope!

Texas!

I can't recall what time we arrived in Texas but it was sometime in the middle of the night. We are still here and stopped for gas and breakfast in Ozona Texas. We had stopped about 20 minutes earlier because Maureen just couldn't hold it! 

Can you see her? Hahahahaha 

I got so excited about the picture below until I read the fine print. 

Ironically enough the sheriff did make an appearance.  

My morning yoga was done next to a pay phone in front of the liquor store. I felt like part of jay and silent bob. Maureen went off on her skateboard and found a park to do yoga in. 

She's so balanced! 

We got back on the road and stopped in San Antonio only because they closed part of the freeway!!!

Here's me and Jaqui stuck in the San Antonio parking lot on the 10 east. Maureen was sleeping. While stuck on the freeway Jaqui commented that we only had about 800 miles until our final destination. Exciting, until I pointed out that half of that was still Texas! Texas is almost half of our trip distance.  Amazing!  It is so beautiful too.  

Once we left San Antonio, one of the cats would not be quiet. I learned that Jaqui can actually distinguish each cats meow. I am very impressed. I guess it isn't much different than a mother distinguishing between her children's cries. Jaqui's cats are her babies which is why she also talks back to them in soothing tones and meows back. I was not aware she was such a linguist. :) Despite Jacqui's verbal attempts to soothe the cat, the poor thing was so upset and kept mewing. It wasn't an annoying meow but a sad "please let me out" mewing. It was pretty sad. At some point we passed a sign for a snake farm and I said "if the kitty gets any worse we can always threaten her with the snake farm." Fortunately Jaqui knew I was joking (come on, what are the odds that you pass a snake farm when you have a pitiful cat meowing in the car) and laughed heartily at my joke and the irony.

I have been driving since Ozona, Texas and needed a reprieve about 70 miles outside of Houston. This Mommie needs a nap. I did drive for about four and a half hours. Not too shabby.

I got to talk to Claire this morning and while we were in the phone together she and her daddy looked at a map to find where I was. The first thing she said was "how come I don't see you?" Oh how I love her! I almost lost it when she started to cry and said "Mommie I just want you to hold me!"  Oh what is a mother to do! My heart, oh my heart! Mommie will be home soon my little peanut. At our next stop I will take a picture of the bug graveyard on the front of the car. It's nasty and reminds me of the scene from that bee movie with Jerry Seinfeld. Hahahahaha Most life moments remind me of cartoons. Until later. 

New Mexico!

I didn't think I was going to post anymore tonight but I drank some coffee in Deming, New Mexico. They have some gnarly bugs there.  The Gas station attendant was super nice and gave me my post cards for free!! He did chuckle at my enthusiasm at 1:45am (new Mexico time) for being in New Mexico for the first time in my life! The gas station was super nice. They had a shower and a room full of couches for sitting or napping one. Everything was clean and in great repair except for the bathroom. Although it was clean it stank horribly. Welcome to truck stop bathrooms. 

Gross giant bugs that were EVERYWHERE!  Yes, my thumb is right next to it! They were that huge!!

Maureen shredding it in New Mexico!  See you at the next stop!

Dinner in Phoenix!

We stopped for dinner at a little burger joint called Two Hippies Gnarly Burger Joint! One build-your-own burger with fries, 3 Friday fish tacos, an order of onion rings, and a diet coke later, we were on the road again. Thank you Yelp for finding that delicious place for us. The lady working the counter was super sweet and let us know that they were closing at seven but we were welcome to finish our meal. She was anxious to get out of there because she was picking up her 3-year-old grandbaby as soon as she left work. It made miss my little peanut even more! I did my yoga while waiting for the food while Maureen skated around. I have come to the conclusion that yoga should be done on every road trip. After dinner we stopped to top off our gas tank and Phoenix put her two cents in! Literally Arco in Phoenix gave us and extra two cents worth of gas! We are some lucky ladies. 

It was my turn to drive from Phoenix to Tucson and boy what a drive it was! God graced us with a spectacular lightning show and sporatic rain showers all the way to Tucson. It was stunning. The lighting lit up the entire sky! Words can not describe the beauty of that storm. 

I called my little peanut and she could not stop talking about her double sleep over at Ma's (grandma's) house! "A double sleep over means two nights!" She said she misses me (yes, I'm tearing up) and counted to ten for the ten days until she sees me again. I am torn because I can't wait to see the sights on this trip but I want to go home to my baby and husband! Our next big stop is El Paso and I doubt I will be blogging through the night. So until the morning. 

P.S. It was 115 degrees out when we stopped for dinner!  Even with a yoga mat, that asphalt was HOT!!!

P.P.S. retrying to post this. 

Still in Cali with stop #1

Stop number one. Really pretty stop with a shrine to the lady of Guadalupe. We didn't go into the coffee shop but the  surrounding area was beautiful.  Despite the 100 plus heat outside yoga was peaceful and hopefully hip-opening. Maureen took a ride on her new skateboard and did some balance poses on her board. She's so cool.  Utilized the facilities and driver switch-a-roo. Next post good bye California!

Through California

Jaqui is taking the first driving shift. We passed a brush fire in Beaumont but fortunately it was on the opposite side of the freeway. As the smell of smoke entered the car all I could think about was "man I can't wait for some official BBQ in Texas!" I don't think it would be right to drive through Texas without eating some sort of BBQ'd meat. Oh I will dream about that smoked meat as I nap through the rest of California.

 The picture doesn't due the smoke much justice but there was tons of it. 

Good-bye Cali hello Arizona!

It's 106 degrees, sunny and raining!!! I love the desert!! Phoenix is about 140 miles away. We're making our way and the kitties are actually quiet. 

It has begun!!

It is later than anticipated leaving but all we need is to top off our gas and we are gone!! Our load has been lightened as three of the ten cats decided not to come home for their road trip. Jaqui is a little down. She is leaving her home and three of her babies. Hopefully Maureen and I can keep her distracted. I have my yoga mat and Maureen has her skateboard. We will stretch and ride across the U.S.A.

We are rolling in a 2014 Dodge Durango, fully loaded! We are styling! The back is full of mewing kitties and too many clothes. I always over pack. Well here we go!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! Our departure was delayed until around ten o'clock in the morning due to moving van issues.  All will be well. Maureen will get to sleep in and I will get to take my little peanut to her last day of preschool.  Sniff sniff. Too many changes in too little time. I will survive.

Yesterday I picked Jaqui up to take her to the airport and I got lost while Jaqui was too sweet to correct my ignorance. I could have sworn that John Wayne airport was off the 5 but it is not.  Hopefully this is not a precursor to the entire trip. I did let Jaqui know that I am more than happy to take forceful correction if I am wrong.  Interrupt me! I may be stubborn but I don't want to get lost especially with ten cats! 

I went to Trader Joe's for road trip snacks.  Never send a hungry pregnant woman for snacks unless you really want enough food for a month. Shortbread cookies with a drop of dark chocolate were not on the list but made it into my bag. Weird... But delicious. 

Tonight I am packing, cooking dinner and snuggling with my loves. I will miss them. Tomorrow I will be a wreck at Claire's school but tears are a good thing. 

T-minus 2 days until The Great Feline Adventure!

I can honestly say that my excitement and anticipation is building by the hour.  My anticipation is skipping over the 33+ hours on the road with the cats and going right to North Carolina with my best friend.  I can't help it, this Mommie needs some GIRL TIME!!!!! I feel very guilty about leaving my daughter but I know the Hus will take great care of her.  Unfortunately the pregnancy hormones are not helping my feelings of guilt and sadness but what can I do, drinking and sedatives are not options.
I have been taking some pre-natal yoga classes but I have started doing meditation because I think I can actually feel my blood pressure rising.  My current stressors are: no medical insurance, paying cash for doctor and hospital, living with my Mother and half of my siblings, wondering where we will move to and when, hoping it is to the house I grew up in, being away from my daughter and husband, bills, and oh yeah I'm having a BABY IN TWO MONTHS!!!! Two months, I can not believe how quickly time has gone by.  Hopefully tonight's meditation session will be more successful than last nights.
I started today with a delicious glucose test.  So tasty.  If you have never had a glucose test, I will be a bit more obvious, I was sarcastic about the deliciousness and tastiness.  While I waited the one hour before they could draw my blood, I did start knitting a gift for a special friend and I am so glad I purchased enough yarn to make two of these gifts.  I want one of my own.  Pictures to follow when the intended person receives the gift.
When I made my appointment I looked for the soonest available and the earliest in the day since I had to fast.  What I didn't do, is pay attention to the location and when I arrived I had a vague sense of deja vu.  As I began to walk down the hallway I realized that the last time I had been in that particular building was when I had taken my dad to an appointment there.  I remember walking down the hallway with him and he said, "Mary, these are my ladies here and just because I flirt with them does not mean I don't love your mother." He was walking with walker, had no hair, big ugly glasses and was so thin a small breeze would blow him over.  It probably took us an hour just to walk the hallway to his ladies because he refused to use a wheelchair.  Let me tell you, they were so excited to see him.  I love my Daddy and I miss him everyday.  So as my starving, hormonal pregnant self walked that hallway of memories again, I could barely keep it together.  I guess God needed to remind me that even though my dad isn't here physically, he is still there and watching over me.  Yes, I am sobbing as I write this.  Everyday life hands us obstacles and reminders what we do with them is what gets us through each day.  After reflecting on my hallway walk, I know that despite my list of stressors I am never alone, at least I have God and my Daddy watching over me.

A new blog?

It has been so since I have posted a blog due to laziness, life and lack of motivation.  Time has become a bit more available and life has brought many new exciting topics and adventures to write about.  To begin with our little family will be gaining a new little pumpkin at the end of October.  We are very excited for our little pumpkin surprise.
With the new baby adventure on the horizon, I have decided to add another adventure to the mix: VACATION!!  This is not your normal vacation this is a Mommie-only, kitty-road trip, best friend adventure vacation.  I wanted to start a new blog just to write about this vacation but when I went back to this blog and read my blog description I found that it is perfectly applicable for my vacation adventure.  So I decided to continue with this blog and hopefully continue writing about my life adventures after my trip.

THE TRIP:
My interest in the trip began when my brother informed me that a co-worker of his is retiring and in need of a driver to drive with her and her three cats to Atlanta, Georgia.  The trip would take 4-6 days and she would pay $50 per day plus room and board and the flight home.  I love road trips and I can do three cats.  Sounds great, right?  Free road trip through the lovely southern states of our beautiful country.  I'm in!! Oh yeah and I would be 29 weeks pregnant at the time.  I shouldn't be too uncomfortable, but...
As most conversations go with a man (no matter how smart they are), the he said, she said is always a game of telephone or a bad translation.  It is true that my brother's co-worker is retiring, she was the school's librarian, and she does need to transport her cats to her new home.  What got lost in translation was she is moving to Mobile, Alabama, she wants to drive non-stop (gas and potty breaks allowed), she wants two additional drivers besides herself, and she is driving her TEN cats to her new home.  Can you imagine the background noise? Oh my, thank goodness for noise-cancelling headphones and modern technology.  I love my brother dearly but how did he miss TEN CATS????
I am apprehensive about the number of feline companions especially with the noise and smells they will bring but this is a once in a life time opportunity! Plus, great blogging material! I am excited that my sister is coming as the third driver and we will get to spend a day and a half together in Pensacola, Florida (its near Mobile and the airport has more flights), exploring the city and eating delicious foods.  I am also looking forward to getting to know Jaqui, thus far she is quite lovely and appears to enjoy talking as much as I do!  The 33 and a half hour long drive should be interesting but I ask my pre-natal yoga instructor for a 10-15 minute yoga sequence I can do at every stop.  I will be posting pictures so please don't judge me for (possibly) wearing the same thing for 33 plus hours!  Thank you!
I am very excited about this new adventure but the cream cheese icing (my favorite flavor of icing) is that, I am not flying home with my sister but flying to North Carolina to see my best friend!  I have never seen her home and we will get a full week together sans husband and child! It will be like high school all over again but without parents and homework!  Bring on the giggles, brownies, romantic comedies, and wine... alright ice tea for my pregnant self.  There will be beaches and hopefully some thrift store shopping, oh I can not wait for this adventure! Thank you Jaqui for this opportunity!