Five For The Road

01/11/2023

Halloween is such a tradition with us that we weren't about to just sit at home. So how do you find a great place to trick or treat when you know nothing about the area? You ask the local ladies working at the nearby store of course.... and boy did they steer us in the right direction! They sent us to a local neighborhood and every single porch light was on! I haven't seen that many houses participate since I was a kid. There was a mass of kids everywhere and of all ages, all in costume, including a lot of the parents. Lots of the houses were decorated and everyone walking around was pleasant and having a really good time. It reminded me of the scene in Hocus Pocus where all the kids are out trick or treating. We had a blast in the 2 hours that we were there and the kids filled their entire buckets for the first time ever - which of course was super exciting for them.

My kids have really been into reading/watching Harry Potter this year and so all chose costumes that were related. Kaitlin was Bellatrix, Harley was a Dementor, and Alyssa was Hermoine. The early evening hours were cold and they were layered in clothes so they did not have to wear their heavy coats. Which is good because they were determined to not hide their costumes.

After trick or treating, we stopped by a local diner for some yummy pizza and then headed over to see an even called The Blaze. Think Christmas Light display but Halloween style with pumpkins. They hand carve more than 7000 pumpkins and display them in themed areas that change each year. It was so cool!! At this point in the night it was also freezing outside. We were layered up, heavy coats and gloves, hot chocolate to warm us up, and it was still frigid.

05/03/2017

This is actually another Mission in San Antonio and to be honest I did not know very much about Texas or the Alamo before visiting. I highly recommend reading the plaques and watching the video they have outside as it is highly informative and gives one a very good perspective on what they are seeing.

The Alamo sits in the middle of the city and we were once told it may not be worth seeing and we would be disappointed. I have to say that we are very happy we went and not disappointed at all. The history was fascinating and the grounds still hold a quiet solemnity about them.

This is not a National Park BUT if you collect NPS stamps, they do have an Alamo stamp behind the desk - you just have to ask for it :).

Pictures are not actually allowed inside the Alamo building...but I could not resist (sshhh!). No flash and being very sly, resulted in a few worth posting.

05/03/2017

After seeing the specialist for Alyssa in Houston, we went to San Antonio, Texas and our first stop was Sea World. We were going to actually make this our last place to visit in San Antonio but thank goodness we looked at the calendar - this was the only day they were open while we were there due to being off season! That would have been a really bad shocker had we shown up and the gates been closed! This was the kids favorite place in San Antonio and Harley and Alyssa's first memory of Sea World - they loved it.

It was very low crowds the day we went as it was off season, yet fully decorated for the Christmas season - a great time to go! We got a chance to see all the shows but the dolphin show was a favorite. It did not just have the animals, but also acrobats, synchronized swimming, and of course the funny sidekick.

We had a wonderful time but I will say that I do prefer the Sea World in Florida over Texas. The shows in Florida seem to have more flair, the park a little bigger with more animals, and you had the opportunity to feed the stingrays.

04/03/2017

The weather was beautiful the day we went to see Mission National Park. We love our National Parks and this is one of my favorites! It is one park but you will drive a short distance between a series of 3 Spanish Missions,each in different states of preservation. There is some great history involved and I highly suggest reading the signs at these missions, as well as watching the video at the Alamo, to get a full understanding. The missions were really a trap for those struggling to survive, and with no other option they were forced to convert and swear fealty. I learned a lot and it is a sad story, but one that also left behind some beautiful architecture.

The pictures are in order so are grouped by Mission.

04/03/2017

We were in Houston, Texas at the beginning of December for Alyssa's doctor appointments. While there we went to the Health Museum - super cool place to learn all about the body. There is a beating heart, an intestine to crawl through with different diseases, information on your skeleton and muscles,and so much more. Young kids may not get too much out of it, but older elementary and up will learn a lot.

Side Note: We bought an ASTC membership through our local children's museum. The membership allows you to get into any museum on their list for free and the cost of the membership is about 2 entry fees. This is a pass that has more than paid for itself for us this year, and I really suggest getting one! The Health Museum is on the list so the family got in for free!

05/02/2017

We got the opportunity to drive up and visit family for Thanksgiving! I got to eat and be merry with both of my brothers (Justin from Texas and Jonathan from Missouri), my sis in law, and niece! It was a nice surprise as we didn't think we would be able to all get together and it has been 3 years since I have had the chance see Justin. The kids loved seeing their cousin and getting to play and teach her games. The last time they saw her she was still a baby, so they were pleasantly surprised she was so big and they now had a playmate. Jonathan and Michelle hosted everyone and not only cooked a turkey but also deer meat - yummy!

05/02/2017

We are finishing up our first trip and heading back to Arkansas, a little bit earlier than planned. Alyssa has a doctor's appointment in Houston early December so we figured we would head back this way, as it would be a bit of a time crunch to try and finish our trip on the east coast and get back in time. We plan on a few activities in Texas while we are there next month, but the holidays are fast approaching and our oldest will be back in class in January, so we will be back stationary in Arkansas after that for a few months. More trips in the future for sure though - We Had A Blast! These are some photos of the last few days of driving and some of the sights along the way.

05/02/2017

The corn palace is a really neat roadside attraction. It is a quick stop off the highway and will only take about 20 minutes to see, so if you are driving by it is worth the quick stop. So, what is the corn palace? The building itself is really just a concert/conference building. It is the outside of the building that is the main attraction. Staring in the year 1892 - The city of Mitchell takes the outside of the building and decorates it with murals made completely out of corn! Every year they take down the murals, come up with a new theme, and start all over. It is the only one in the world and gets a half million visitors a year. This years theme is Rock Of Ages and the building has murals dedicated to some of the great artists throughout the century.

Noteworthy: No need for it to be daytime to see it, as they light up the outside of the building. Also, there is RV Parking down the street so no need to worry about where to park if you are oversized.

05/02/2017

This album is just a few pics of South Dakota and some more of its crazy billboards. South Dakota is also home to Wall Drug, and in case you were wondering if you could possible miss the exit - you can not. There are signs everywhere.

05/02/2017

Nov. 9th and it is Michael's Birthday! We decided to drive down to Hill City and look at all the different shops they had. It is a small touristy town on the way to Custer and has a lot of wood working and metal working sculptures around town.

05/02/2017

I think one of my favorite things about driving in South Dakota and Wyoming has been all the fun crazy billboards and random things you see.

05/02/2017

Kids have to be kids, and run and play and make lots of noise! They love to try out every RV park playground they see and this weekend was no different. I think when they are older they will identify where we were and what park by the playground equipment it had. Of course, they make friends wherever they go :).

05/02/2017

After Michael got home from drill on Sunday, we took the opportunity to go into town and visit Sioux Falls Park. The park is located in the downtown part of the city itself and it is one of the most peaceful and most beautiful parks we have been to. The city used this area in the 1800s as a mill (it failed ) and then as a power plant. We thought it would be a quick look at falls but ended up spending several hours there.

We walked around the waterfalls and watched the locals using the area for Parkour - which was really neat to see. There are sooth rocks everywhere and kids enjoyed scrambling over them to get better views or climbing to the top to claim queen of the mountain. They definitely needed to out and burn some energy off after spending most of the weekend indoors. We also walked the pathway down the river and looked at all the sculptures - they should definitely not be missed! They are so beautiful and well designed for the area.

05/02/2017

So, it is taking me much longer to get our page updated than I had planned. The holidays and normal life routines have delayed the process, but I think I am finally going to get it all caught up in the next day or two.

After visiting the Czalpinski family in Pennsylvania, we started our trip back to South Dakota on a Wednesday. We had 3 days to drive 20 hours and get back to Sioux Falls so that Michael could join up with a local National Guard unit to complete his monthly drill. It was a crazy amount of driving but we managed to get there in time.

03/11/2016

My niece was recently diagnosed with an extrememly rare disease called Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP). She is only 1 in about 100 children in the United States that have it. These children are often called Moon Children as they literally can not be exposed to any sunlight or flourescent lighting without full covering of her skin and a special hat/shield for her face. A lot of people write in and mention umbrellas or large hats, however her condition literally prevents her from exposing herself to any sunlight as her body can not heal itself form the damage. This includes being in the shade or through a car and house window. Imagine having to grocery shop with a 2 year old and yet every store has fluorescent lighting, she can't use the bathroom when they are out due to the lighting, her mom has to get into the car and shut the door and then put her the carseat and then climb over the seats to the driver seat - as opening the door would expose her, etc. etc. Children with XP often aren't diagnosed until age 2 and so have been exposed to the sun and harsh lighting for a long time. For every hour of exposure it is like 2000 hours for us - but our bodies can heal themselves from it and XP children can not. The damage from that exposure is permanent. Children with XP often have 15-25 biopsy's for skin cancer within the first year and eye damage is also common.
The financial strain of all the medical appointments and home updating that needs to be done to protect Emma, and allow her as normal a childhood as possible, is large. The fundraiser is a 45 day one through Red Basket and will be used to help cover some of the medical costs associated with Emma's diagnosis. Please consider helping or sharing her story so that others may see it. Thank you!

https://redbasket.org/1135/brighten-up-emmas-life

Emma Little (2) of Salem, Virginia was recently diagnosed with a highly rare genetic skin disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). She will need to wear special gloves and a face shield whenever exposed to ultraviolet rays. With continuous medical treatment and necessary home updates, her parents hope…

03/11/2016

We are trying something new tonight - staying at a service station off I-90 in Ohio. Apparently they have electric only hookups at every other service stop on the turnpike for about 20 RVs and it is on a first come first serve basis. Cheap, quick, and easy sleeping spot for us!
We are technically too big as you should be under 40 feet altogether (our RV is 40 feet by itself) - we asked and they said that they honestly don't care that we are over, as long as we aren't blocking anyone in. We are one of two RVs here tonight so not a problem. We are definitely not level but it isn't a big deal as we are not even unhooking - just sleeping. We just had the kids all flip the opposite way to sleep :). Oh, and bonus - we pulled in and got inside just as the thunderstorms started.

03/11/2016

One of the best things we get to do on our trip is visit friends we haven't seen in awhile! So glad we got to spend the day with the Mindy Storey Czlapinski and family!! Everyone was very sad to leave at the end of the day, but I think at 12:30am everyone had played themselves to the point of exhaustion. So Wish we lived closer!

03/11/2016

Halloween is such a tradition with us that we weren't about to just sit at home. So how do you find a great place to trick or treat when you know nothing about the area? You ask the local ladies working at the nearby store of course.... and boy did they steer us in the right direction! They sent us to a local neighborhood and every single porch light was on! I haven't seen that many houses participate since I was a kid. There was a mass of kids everywhere and of all ages, all in costume, including a lot of the parents. Lots of the houses were decorated and everyone walking around was pleasant and having a really good time. It reminded me of the scene in Hocus Pocus where all the kids are out trick or treating. We had a blast in the 2 hours that we were there and the kids filled their entire buckets for the first time ever - which of course was super exciting for them.

My kids have really been into reading/watching Harry Potter this year and so all chose costumes that were related. Kaitlin was Bellatrix, Harley was a Dementor, and Alyssa was Hermoine. The early evening hours were cold and they were layered in clothes so they did not have to wear their heavy coats. Which is good because they were determined to not hide their costumes.

After trick or treating, we stopped by a local diner for some yummy pizza and then headed over to see an even called The Blaze. Think Christmas Light display but Halloween style with pumpkins. They hand carve more than 7000 pumpkins and display them in themed areas that change each year. It was so cool!! At this point in the night it was also freezing outside. We were layered up, heavy coats and gloves, hot chocolate to warm us up, and it was still frigid.

01/11/2016

What a crazy fun day we have had celebrating Harley's 11th Birthday on Sunday! She wanted the theme of her cake and decorations to be Harry Potter this year. After breakfast and presents, we took off to spend her special day in NYC. We went to see the 9/11 Memorial and then went shopping in Times Square, where we got absolutely poured on. We knew it would rain but boy did it ever! We ate pizza for lunch and got food cart dinner which was unique for us. Then off to the Gerschwin Theater to see Wicked - which was absolutely amazing!!

29/10/2016

Everyone knows of famous author Washington Irving, who wrote such tales as the The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Did you know that Sleepy Hollow is a real place and where Irving lived and is buried? And that they put on an awesome Halloween! We had so much fun tonight! We went to the Horeseman's Hollow at Phillipsburg Manor, but only Michael and Kaitlin went through it, as it is a 40 minutes walking Haunt through a forest, a church, and a corn maze. Harley, Alyssa, and I stayed outside the line and enjoyed the ambiance, watched several shows on stage, took our picture with lots of local monsters, and even got some delicious hot chocolate and cider. We also walked up to the church and graveyard where The Legend of Sleepy Hollow takes place but were only allowed to walk along the fence line tonight. Harley was very disappointed as she has been reading Irving's stories and was excited to see his grave and the horseman's tombstone.

After Michael and Kaitlin got done, we drove down the road and went to the Lyndhursst Mansion, which is a gothic style country house that is currently transformed into the House of Curiosities. The whole family went through this spook house - which is lead by a cast of fairytale creatures like you have never seen before: Mad Hatter, Gretel, Rumplestillskin, Witches, and a mad cook named Grim. So much fun! While I did take photos outside, they have a strict no photography inside policy.

If you decide to go to this event - tickets are on a timed entry and you should buy tickets early as they do sell out.

28/10/2016

Snow, Rain, Wind and Sleet could not keep us from going to see the Statue of Liberty yesterday. Did I mention it was cold and wet? We definitly prepared, again wearing leggings under pants and wearing all of our winter gear. Being in New York City is a first for the whole family and so there were a lot of new experiences for us all.
1. Apparently the Metro and subway are really two different things and we have to use both to get into the city. Learning to ride wasn't very hard thanks to google maps and some quick verification at the information center in Grand Central Station. We take the north metro into the city to GCS and it takes us an hour. From GCS we can take the subway to pretty much anywhere we want to go. I will say the cost of the subway was predictable but I way underestimated the cost it would be taking the Metro North.
2. Surprisingly most people have been incredibly nice and helpful in NYC. It's just the reputation that people are in a hurry and can be curt here - Now, people do walk with a purpose here and they have learned to avoid eye contact if they don't want to be bothered, but almost everyone has taken the time to quickly point or explain something. A few not so much but on the whole, everyone has been nice - Just don't expect detailed drawn out southern answers. Several men on different trains offered to give up their seats so that I or the littlest could ride in a seat. I politely declined but it was very nice to be offered.
3. Need to teach the girls how it isn't rude to not take pamphlets or look at those that are preaching and being vocal, but to just keep walking.
4. We took the ranger tour at Liberty Island and while not what we were expecting, we learned so much about the statue and the social history of our nation during the time that time.
4. It was so bitterly cold with the wind and rain today (sometimes sleet and snow). When we went to get off the Ferry at Battery Park, the boat was rocking so bad that everyone would stumble several feet right and left just to stay on their feet and not fall down. When we deramped, the ramp was pulled so far up the boat just to keep it from falling into the water that the walk down was a rocking steep incline. You had to time getting on just right and several needed help from boat attendents. We did not get pics of that as we were concentrating on being safe.
5. Going up to the crown in the Statue of LIberty was a neat experience and one the girls will definilty remember! We got our tickets 4 months in advance and even then there were only 3 days left in the month that even had tickets available. I don't think it is the view they will remember, but instead the trek up the incredibly narrow, low height, small spiral staircase. Being able to look up and down inside the statue. They will remember being able to look out the crown windows and see the Lady's hand and torch, her tablet, and giant curls. Then the slow hike back down the second helix staircase.

27/10/2016

Ok. Part of me thought maybe he was trying to be helpful as the gentlemen 3 rows back took one look at my kids as we got on the train, and quickly informed me that we are on the quiet car of the train (Im assuming here he knew we were tourists)...and the other part of me is quite irritated. I said ok thanks and sat down with all the kids - wasnt enough time to find a new car anyway. Needless to say they are sitting quietly watching the world around them.

27/10/2016

Headed to NYC to climb to the crown of the Statue Of Liberty...and it is snowing. At least it isnt rain or sleet :)

27/10/2016

Absolutely loved loved loved Niagara Falls! The weather was a crisp cold 45 degrees (someone left the freezer door open up here!). Turned out to be a sunny day though with beautiful fall colors. As cold as it was, did we go onto the river - you bet we did! Completely bundled in heavy coats, winter hats, gloves, and leggings under our jeans we were prepared to stay nice and toasty - if not a little wet. It was absolutely worth it! Absolutely awe inspiring and breathtaking, and one of the things you should definitely put on your bucket list. This is a must at Niagra - you will not be able to view the falls in this capacity from anywhere else. I am so excited we got to go here!

25/10/2016

Our drive on I90 into New York state is absolutely beautiful. Wonderful hardwoods with fall colors along a sparsely crowded highway. A little cold but inside the truck our heater is keeping us toasty.

23/10/2016

Schooling in the car actually works well :).

20/10/2016

So, new information from Alyssa's doctors today. They dont agree with the diagnosis and dont think it is vasculitis as she had no inflammation markers, but they haven't fully ruled it out just yet. A team of 5 radiologist believe all the unique malformations she has are congenital and are not providing enough bloodflow which is causing her issues. Kind of back to the original thought. So we are going to New York for a week for some fun and then coming back to Rapid City for a special CT that will show us all her malformations and how they look plus rule out or in Vasculitis. From there we should be able to figure out which specialist we need to see. I have to say again how much I LOVE Dr. Joy in Custer. She is simply amazing at listening and helping us figure things out! And now, I think I am going to stop posting about Alyssa until we know for sure what is really wrong with her.

16/10/2016

Next door to our RV Park is Old Macdonald's Farm - which is open on Saturdays during the month of October. The girls and I walked over today and enjoyed getting to see all the animals, ride the hay wagon, and watch some pig races. It was Rapid City's version of a fall pumpkin patch.

14/10/2016

Lots of wind gusts in an RV can sound scary and shake the house a little....which is why the whole house is awake before 5am.

12/10/2016

Saw the Pediatric Cardiologist from Omaha today and we got good and not so good news. When they ran all of her testing last week she also had a positive ANA with a high titer of 1:640. This is very indicative of an autoimmune disease. However, after running all the subtests they could not find one. When I googled the coarctation of her Aorta with her high titer however, I found there is an autoimmune disease that they could not test for that affects the major blood vessels. It is a rare disease called Takayasu's Arteritis. Today, the doctor confirmed that Alyssa does have this autoimmune disease and that the narrowing of her Aorta is not congenital but is actually damage that occurred due to the inflammation of the disease. The good news is that although the length of the damage is 4cm, the doctor does not feel it is narrow enough to warrant surgery at this point. The doctor however, was unable to answer some of the questions and concerns that I had about her Kidney vein and common Celiac/MSA Artery from the CT, so we are going to see a second cardiologist to review that information so that we can make good decisions about her health. So, the next two steps are to see a Rheumotologist and the other Cardiologist to fully understand her CT and disease, and so that we can prevent flare ups and future damage to her arteries and heart.