Day Fifteen, Sixteen (Eclipse Road Trip)

 Rowland, Oklahoma 🠊 Warner, Oklahoma

We woke up after staying the night at a Pilot Travel Center in Rowland off Highway 64. We didn't want to find another location off our path, because we had plans to attend church with my Oklahoma family, and it was so late once we got into the area from leaving Crystal Springs, Arkansas. We got ready on the bus Sunday morning and drove straight to Gore United Methodist Church. We aren't religious and don't attend church regularly, but anytime we are invited by family to fellowship, we don't turn it down. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being in church with my Uncle Paul, Aunt Susan, "Aunt" Paula, and a few people my mom grew up with. They were all happy to see us, too. We left the church and went back to spend time on their farm. We got to see their new baby cattle, and Skylar got to ride/drive a four-wheeler for the first time.

Uncle Paul took Jeff and me around the farm on his UTV, while Skylar followed us on the four-wheeler. Skylar loved every minute of it because he got to be up close and personal with all the cattle.

As the day came to an end, the sunset in Oklahoma reminded me of Oregon. I was happy to see a sunset with my uncle and my aunt, but unfortunately we had to get back on the road to our next destination.

We said our goodbyes and I took this one last picture of them on the porch. We had a wonderful time and it's time I won't forget.

Warner, Oklahoma 🠊 Hinton, Oklahoma

We left Warner and made it to Hinton, Oklahoma, to stay the night. It was late when we finally said our goodbyes in Warner, and the sun was gone by the time we got back on the road. I fell asleep before anyone else, but we were all just glad to stretch out and relax from all the excitement and sad goodbyes. This was the last picture I took of the bus that night before I fell asleep.

Hinton, Oklahoma 🠊 Amarillo, Texas

We left Hinton, Oklahoma, and drove to Amarillo, Texas, for the day. We spent the remaining day in and around Amarillo. One place that seems minor to most, but is a huge deal for Jeff and me was the rest area in McLean, Texas, Gray County Safety Rest Area. This is the same rest area we stopped at 20 years ago when we moved from Arkansas to Oregon, and Skylar was only six months old.

It was such a special moment for us to see it again, and especially with Skylar. A lot has changed since that time 20 years ago, Baz and our dog Beau weren't with us this time. Neither was our two cats, Milo and Meia. We also had a cooler with four goldfish, and a Plecostomus (Suckerfish), of which are no longer with us either. It was sad to think about the difference, but we made new memories with Hardy, Eleven, and our three ducks (Fern, Mallie, and Quappy).

The changing table in the rest stop bathroom is the same one that I changed Skylar's diaper and clothes on 20 years ago on our move to Oregon. It was a cool thing to see again after all of these years. It made me nostalgic for that time again.

The rest stop had a lot of informational graphics about the area and what this part of Texas is known for.

The state of Texas is the largest producer of wind-powdered energy.

The view from this rest area was beautiful and it was the perfect day to see it all. The sidewalk leading to the viewpoint had animal tracks in the concrete. I love when places leave the tracks in the setting concrete. It gives a little story to the area. I hope this little raccoon is still thriving.

We ate some lunch while parked and I was able to upload a lot of our pictures from the trip. We had to turn the fans on for a bit to get some air blowing through the bus, but overall it was a nice day with mild temperatures. I tend to be colder than Jeff or Skylar, and in the back of the bus it was perfect for me without a fan blowing. I had a tiny visitor fly in through the window, though, so I had to rescue him and put in the screens after he left. I also loved how the sun reflected on the windshield and showed all of Hardy's little nose marks. He sat on the dash a lot of the trip and helped Jeff navigate through the different states, like a good little copilot.

We decided to call it a day once we made it to Amarillo. We wanted to get some good rest for the night so we could spend some time around the city. We saw a Love's RV camping area on our way down to Arkansas, so we immediately booked it back there. It was a quiet and clean place, and we made note of it for future trips. When we finally got parked, hooked up, and situated, the animals were ready for dinner and a break from driving. Eleven immediately came out from her hiding place and was telling me it was time for her to eat. All of the animals were still doing wonderful on the trip at this point. My main concern was their wellbeing, and they all seemed to be enjoying the new sights and smells. We made dinner for ourselves, did a good cleaning of the bus, and called it a night.

Five Simple Things (March 10)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Weather.

The above pictures all happened on March 8. We got a large amount of sleet early in the morning and it sleeted off and on until around noon, to which a rainbow appeared shortly after and the sun stayed out for another few hours. It was unusual, but it seems to be the norm in this area now. After the March 8 weather, on March 10, which is below, we had a little bit of snow in the morning and then the rest of the day we got a large amount of snow that fell in a short bursts throughout the day. 

 

 

Skylar and I love to always see the snow coming down. We are like the delightful little kids running out to play without a care in the world when the snow starts to fall. It was not only a beautiful sight, it was also neat to see it falling at random times throughout the night.

2. This Moment.

 

My humidifier created some ambiance against my vintage lamp one night this week and I just loved how it looked. I love old history, and this moment sort of made me feel like I had gone back in time for a brief moment.

3. This Kitty.

She's always up to something that makes us laugh. If it's not her laying on the television area, to sleeping, to exploring her grass/water station, she's always doing something to make us smile. We just love her so much. With having Meia gone, we are glad to have another great cat helping fill that void from time to time. Meia's absence, as well as Milo's, is always felt, but Eleven makes that hole just a bit less painful with her personality.

4. This Box.

Another great hit from Kiwi Eco Box this month. Love these colored pencils, candle, and Eco Hero Handbook. Looking forward to utilizing everything in this month's box! You can sign up for the April box here and get $5 off.

5. These Washes.

Loving these Necessaire body washes. Skylar and I absolutely love the eucalyptus scent, and the bergamot is a close second, for sure. Definitely recommend these products. Necessaire also sells body lotions with the same scents, and unscented, and they are top notch! You can try the Eucalyptus here and the Bergamot here. You'll love them!

One last thing:

Lately we have not been feeling 100%, so this week a made a homemade immunity shot and we drank one ounce of it a day all this week and we are feeling a lot better. This is something I am going to start making each Sunday, so we have a shot every day for a week, especially when the weather turns colder and more people seem to be getting sick. This season, knock on wood, we haven't had any sickness pass through us, but it's always better to be prepared. Here's how it's made.

Turmeric Immunity Shot:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
• 1 orange (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lemons (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric

Pulse everything for 20-30 seconds in a food processor, or blender. I use a blender with a metal drive and it works great to grind everything up. Strain through cheese cloth and pour into individual two ounce bottles.(I use these) Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Drink an ounce to two ounces a day, which is about a shot glass size. If you don't use the one ounce containers you can store all of it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and just pour a shot glass size every day instead. 

 

Positive affirmations this week:

Unfortunately, when you start to get better, you're also going to get really sad. The hard truth of getting better means revisiting things we aren't comfortable with. During my therapy sessions there's many times I had to stop to reposition my mind in order to be able to talk about the hard things. One incident in particular took me almost three months to completely get my feelings, trauma, and emotional state out, because it was hard for me to get past the sadness. Overall, it's something that has to happen and it's the worst part of therapy. A positive with it is that once we get past the sadness you start to get better. It's true and it's such a wonderful feeling getting past that sadness. You can do this! You can get better! You are going to be okay! We are broken for a moment, but then repaired for a lifetime. Remember, you aren't your trauma. It happened to you, it doesn't define you and you are strong! ♥

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (July 8)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This "Neighborhood."

We love little paper neighborhoods, like our one from The Neighborhood from Vivint, and this week we found these at IKEA. 

2. These Items.

Our Might Nest shipment this month included sunblock as the Might Fix and I added on compostable food wrap. We have cut our plastic use by 95% in our household and this wrap will help with that journey. You can check out everything Might Nest has to offer and sign up for their Mighty Fix that comes once a month here.

3. These Eggs.

I've been trying to get better at my cooking, especially basic cooking skills. These eggs were a test to see if I could actually do it without burning them. They were a bit overdone on the bottom, but progress was seen and tasted.

4. These Clippers.

These clippers were used on Baz each summer and since his passing I've been hanging onto little things that bring memories of him. Lately, I've been "letting go" of things like this. I'm still living in the land of the dead, but small steps are helping me slowly accept that he is gone. Meia's nose prints are still on the bedroom window. I'm not quite ready for those yet. One day at a time.

5. This Award.

Skylar has been doing great in his job and he is slowly gaining knowledge of vehicles. This week he won a training award for knowledge of parts sold through the company. Even though he is 18, we are still always so proud of his accomplishments and success.  

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (June 17)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Recipes.

Since working with a dietitian I've been trying out some old recipes I've known and some new ones that I've never tried before. First picture is egg drop soup. This soup is one of my favorites when going to a Chinese restaurant, but I've never made it and it's surprisingly easy. Second picture is PAP. PAP is something that a lot of people aren't familiar with, but it's literally just another form of cream of wheat. It's flour, sugar, and milk-thickened and poured onto a flat plate and sprinkled with cinnamon.

2. This Test.

Received this test kit from Yogi Surprise before they discontinued their monthly boxes. We decided to utilize them this week and see what's off with our health. These test strips are held in your urine stream and after processing tells you minor health concerns, or what's off with your vitamins, minerals, or water intake. It's a great test to bring to your next checkup to discuss with your doctor. All three of us fell inside the healthy boundaries, but it was nice to see where areas need improvement, such as water intake, low minerals, or vitamins. It gave us a good look at what to improve on and increase doing, or decrease doing. These test strips are from Vivoo and you can pick up them up here. They work with a smart phone app to help you figure out minor concerns within your own body. The app can be downloaded here and along with your test strips gives you a leg up on what's going on. 

3. This Stove.

We have been looking for a camp stove for awhile now, but didn't want to spend a whole lot. We got lucky and found this one from Ozark Trail for $17! Not sure why it was marked down so low, but we were pleased. We've used it once here at home, but are definitely looking forward to taking it on the school bus, or even on a camping trip/day trip to see how well it holds up. So far, we are happy with it. Here are similar camp stoves as the one above, but the exact one we have is no available for the price we paid. Our next option will probably be a Coleman.

4. These Groceries. 

Always a great haul with Misfits Market. This was our grocery box this month and it didn't disappoint. Waterloo grape-flavored, peaches, salad, English muffins, strawberries, potato chips, spinach, watermelon, avocado, and so much more. We are never upset with our items and if anything is ever missing, broken, ruined in shipping, or not 100% satisfying they replace your purchase without hassle. You can sign up for this monthly shipment, or weekly shipment, depending on your needs, here. Minimum order amount is $30 and with that link you get an additional $10 off. Their selection of organic is some of the best I've seen with an online grocery service!

5. These Ashes.

We got back the ashes of Happy Duck, Rosie, and little Ro-Ro this week. It's sad to see all of our passed little duckies in this way, but we are slowly coming to terms with not seeing Happy Duck running around the yard with the other two ducks. Rosie was her sister duck that had uterine prolapse that ended up being too much for her to handle. And, little Ro-Ro we got after Rosie passed away to help keep Happy Duck company. Ro-Ro had something wrong with her from the start. A lot of times, ducks that come from a large breeder have issues from time to time. Ro-Ro came from the local farm supply store here and was sick from the time we brought her home. I stayed up with her the night that she passed away and I was able to talk to her and be with her when she took her final breath. I feel like that's my job-help animals and humans be able to take hard times a little easier. Death is something I will never be able to accept with any animal or any person. I have a really hard time understanding death, especially death of animals or people that didn't deserve to die the way they do. But, with having all of their ashes back to us we can add them to the pet box with Baz, Meia, and Milo that we can take with us. We have plans for them in the future, but for right now we are happy to have them back and together with the other pets.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Don't forget that June 21, 2022 is International Day of Yoga. You can learn so much about your body through practicing yoga daily. For more information on how to get started check out International Day Of Yoga: Theme, Yoga for humanity.