Road Kill Bingo

We are about to embark on a road trip from Oregon to Iowa.
Thanks to the modern invention of the car, this should only take 28 hours (not including bathroom breaks, eating, sleeping or getting out of the car on the side of the road so you can breathe and count to ten, or one hundred, before you lose your mind.)  Naturally I started thinking of what on earth we could possibly do in the car so we still like each other by the time we get there.  I visited a few blogs that  gave great ideas if you wanted to spend as much time prepping games for the trip as it would take to get there.  I decided to just go back to my great idea that I've had forever, but have never brought into fruition.  Road Kill Bingo.  Oh yeah.

I told the girls what I was making.  Heidi, who is four, looked very confused and concerned.  "You mean, we are going to try to run those animals over with the car?!"  Haha!  No, we are just looking for them on the side of the road, and if we see them, we check it off.  Then Naomi piped up, "Why don't we just play 'Animal Bingo' and look for living animals while we are driving.  That would be much less violent and gross."  There always has to be a voice of reason...  

Spontaneous Spring Break

The Hubby and I had one thing planned during spring break.  Get a new van.  I let Lars look for a van on his own because I would rather do almost anything than spend the day running away from used car salesmen.  Around two in the afternoon Lars came back driving a Dodge Grand Caravan.  I got in the van, saw it had a built in DVD player and told him to go buy it.  Except really. 

With a reliable car in our posession we figured we should probably take it on it's maiden voyage.  Thursday we piled into the car and drove out to I-5 where we had to make a choice...north or south.  We went south...and kept going south until we hit Crescent City California.

As we pulled into town I told Lars to find a hotel with a pool.  He pulled into "The Penny Saver".  I suggested looking around.  He suggested saving a penny, so we stayed.  They did have a pool, but they saved a penny by providing towels big enough to wrap around one leg.  They did have beds, but they saved a penny by not washing the blankets.  (I won't tell you how I know that...dry heave.)  They did have a bathroom that doubled as a sauna because they saved a penny by not having a fan in the bathroom.  They did have internet connection, but they saved a penny by not actually letting anybody on their network.  In the end, as Lars said, it was a place to sleep...and not much more than that.  :)

 L didn't want to share a bed with her sisters so she opted for the closet floor.  :)

The other girls snuggled up in bed.

In the morning we loaded back up in the car and headed south again into the Redwood Forest.  We meandered up and around the scenic highways and byways.  

  We stopped at all the historical markers (just like my Dad always did) and the girls groaned (just like I always did).

 We stopped along the road to marvel at the big trees.  Isn't that what you do in the Redwoods?

At some point we turned around and started back North again up Highway 101.  The night before and all that day was pretty windy and rainy so there were a lot of rock slide and washed out roads.  We stayed the night in Gold Beach because 101 was closed.  Our hotel was advertised as "rustic".  It reminded me of my parent's basement. 

 Saturday we spent some time in Bandon, Oregon's Cranberry Capital.  We saw some of the cranberry bogs and sampled some cranberry candy (o.k...lots of candy) and ate a cranberry bagel sandwich (yum!) and took lot and lots of pictures of a cranberry lighthouse.  (There's nothing cranberry-ish about the light house.  I just really like cranberries.)

Eventually we made our way safely through all of the high water and rock slides.  The girls are happy to be home and I'm itching to go again! 

Sunshine at Ona Beach

Monday was the only day this week of Spring Break with sunshine in the weather forcast.  Naturally we took advantage of it!  We jumped in the car and drove the ten minutes to Ona Beach.  It was BEAUTIFUL!

travel log-week3

Friday the 19th my sister Steph watched my girls so that Amy and I could go to the Iowa State Fair to see a concert...and the champion boar of course.  This is me and "Tiny" with all his 1, 196 pounds of piggy, whiskery goodness.

Train and Maroon 5 put on an AMAZING concert.

Adam Lavine with Maroon 5

Patrick Monahan with Train

After the show we were going to get a real taste of the fair by having a deep fat fried Oreo cookie. One thing stopped us...the girl who was slumped down next to the booth barfing. We figured we could try it another year.

Amy and me taking pictures of our reflection in the bus window on the shuttle back to our car.

Saturday the 20th
We woke up and started packing up all our stuff, cleaning out the car and washing it. I convinced my sister Becca to drive over from Muscatine so I could spend one more day with her.   All of a sudden I felt kind of crampy and before long I was doubled over thinking I was dying.  If I didn't already have my appendix out I would have thought it had ruptured I was in so much pain.  Eventually I made my way to the bathroom where I sat on the throne with a garbage can on my lap while it felt like someone was wringing my intestines dry.  Needless to say, I didn't get to spend much quality time with my sister.  :(

Sunday the 21st
Even though I still felt like death warmed over, we packed up the car and drove to Iowa City to see Amy and Andrew one more time.  I could hardly walk, or sit up straight for that matter, but somehow we made it home. 

Monday the 22nd
My Mom and I had already bought tickets to see the "Body Works" exhibit at the OMSI in Des Moines.  It was fascinating.  I thought it might be a little creepy, but it was amazing.

Tuesday I got to spend time with another friend and her beautiful daughter.  We packed up the car and got ready for our trip back to Oregon.
Wednesday the 24th
Dad and Mom drove us back to Omaha, Nebraska.  We stopped at Winter Quarters and the girls got to see the historical site there and dress up in pioneer clothes before we went to the airport to fly home.



Blowing kisses to Grandma and Grandpa.

Thanks for a great trip!

travel log - week 2

Saturday evening we (the siblings) decided to have a sleep over at Steph's house, so we pawned off as many kids as we could and put the rest to bed.  We all piled into my sister's giant van and took off to get some ice cream.  About five minutes into our adventure Steph got a text from her hubby who was home with all the kids.  Two words, "Emilia barfed."  We went home.  After messes were cleaned up, kids bathed and put back to bed, we watched an amazing Midwestern thunder storm on the porch and then played games until the wee hours of the morn. 

Sunday August 7th
We drove back up to Cedar Falls to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  E and N spent the day on the couch with fevers and the barfies.

We hung out in CF for the week.  Grandpa took us to the Pool and splash park.  I got to see my dear friend from High School and her sweet girls.  We ate Iowa sweet corn, roasted marshmallows in the fire pit, ate cupcakes at my friend's shop downtown and just had a great time!




(This is where the remainder of my pictures are still on my memory card in the lost camera so I'm stealing from everyone else)

Friday the 12th we went back down to Nauvoo, Illinois for my sister's sister-in-law's wedding.  After the occassion we went down to Muscatine and spent the night at my sister Becca's house.
Saturday the 13th we went with Becca, her Hubby Matt and their son Garrick and checked out the Button Museum, the river, the train and the playground.  On our way back up to CF we passed through Iowa City.  They were having their "Sand in the City" celebration where the city dumps literally tons of sand on the street and groups come in and build amazing sand castles and structures. There was also a giant pile of sand for the kids to play in, a bouncy house and of course snow cones, cotton candy and the likes.  Grandpa and Grandma spoiled the girls by letting them get a rainbow snow cone as big as their head.  :)

Sunday evening my good friends the Palmers came over for dinner.  We spent the evening laughing so hard our guts hurt...just like we've done since the 5th grade :)

Monday, August 15th
We drove down to Iowa City and met up with my brother Andrew.  He took us to a playground and splash area down town.

We spent the night at my sister Amy's house.  The girls played with their cousins and I got to love on my new nephew Everett and his delicious fatty legs. 

Tuesday, August 16th
We went boating with Amy's in-laws.  They had a giant tube they pulled behind their boat that fit six people at a time.  I thought the girls might be freaked out being on it...but I was wrong.  They all thought I was tons of fun, especially Heidi who all but refused to get off when her turn was over. 

Amy's husband Brett thought it would be hilarious to try and flip Amy and me off the tube.  We got all the kids in the boat and Brett drove like a maniac trying to give us whip-lash, skip us across the water like a rock or drown us...whichever came first.  It was so much fun, but the best part was watching Naomi.  (This is mean, but I could laugh because I knew I wasn't in any real danger).  Naomi thought we were going to die.  For real.  She was sobbing and reaching out to us and screaming to her sisters, "Who is going to take us back to Oregon?"

When we got back to land, alive and in one piece, the girls played in the water until Heidi decided to be a party pooper.  Literally. 


After we got that lovely mess cleaned up, we headed back down to my sister Steph's house in Sigourney for the rest of the week.

travel log- week 1

Sunday July 31- Tuesday August 2 Portland Oregon.
One last picture with Daddy before our trip.

August 2nd- The girls brought their Broadway production of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" to the Portland airport.



We flew to Omaha, Nebraska where my parents picked us up and we drove 4 hours to my sister's house in Sigourney, Iowa. 

Wednesday, August 3
Hung out in Sigourney with Steph and Elizabeth's families

Thursday, August 4
Drove down to Nauvoo, Illinois and spent the day with the whole family.

my sister Becca, Amy, my Grandma and me :)
We went to the temple with my sisters, brother in laws, parents and grandma.
Then we all down to the Mississippi river.

Cousins

Grandma M and Naomi
Shortly after this photo, Naomi lost her sandal in the water and Uncle Shawn rescued it; immediately upgrading his status from Uncle to "Hero".

Friday, August 5
Drove over to Muscatine, Iowa for a baby shower for my sister Becca.

Luau theme...see, good thing I had those coconut bras :)

Saturday, August 6
My sister Elizabeth organized our first Fagersten Family Fun Day. 
Which deserves it's own post....or two.

FFFD-2

Heidi took a moment to tell Grandpa a story...

Then it was time for a story from Great Grandma Mathusek

We celebrated Andrew's 26th birthday!

Of course Heidi couldn't let someone else have their own birthday celebration when hers was so close...so we had a cake for her too.

Next we had a talent show!
Grandpa carried on the tradition of his amazing magic act, making his finger disappear!

All of the siblings sang while my parents acted out "A boy and a girl in a little canoe"
It was an impromptu performance but amazingly well done :)

After that we had a "hobby display"
And then came the water games!!

which of course turned into a water fight

The older cousins set up a face painting table

Becca got the kids building marshmallow towers

while the siblings played "minute to win it"

(apparently the coconut bra was a good luck charm???)

We had closing ceremonies and over all it was an AMAZING day!!!

Fagersten Family Fun Day-part1

Saturday August 6th
My sister Elizabeth organized our first Fagersten Family Fun Day.
We had opening ceremonies

Family photos

Everyone all together

Our REAL family photo

all the grand kids

siblings...minus 2 brothers on missions

Then on to the activities! Each sibling and our parents had and hour that they were in charge of an activity.
Dad and Mom did "Family Jeopardy"


The Marshalls did Relay Races


For my hour we did shell printing


For Jacob's activity, he introduced his nieces and nephews to the amazing combination of a 2 litre bottle of Coke and some Mentos.

Elizabeth's hour was making file folder games for the Tsunami victims in japan