Homeless Tour

As many of you know our family recently went on vacation.  Many have teased me about the length and extremes to which I vacated calling it the Homeless Tour, The Stay-cation: Stay away from home vacation, and other catchy ones.  Regardless it was the experience of a lifetime.

Vacation Name (as deemed by Whitings): Tour the Nation Vacation
Length: 5+ weeks
Number of states traveled through: 20
Number of states visited: 7
Hotels stayed at: 7
Number of family/friends' homes stayed at overnight: 5
Number of total miles driven: 6086
Events participated it: We swam, walked, wake boarded, pseudo bungi jumped, ate, cuddled, explored, tubed, celebrated, played, slid, visited, shopped, climbed, watched, hiked, lit, boated, read, stretched, caved, posed, built, sang, and floated. 
Number of pictures taken: 1600+
Number of pictures downloaded: 1495
Total Cost: $3137.49
Number of memories made: Priceless

The main question we are asked is What was your favorite part? No one in my family has yet to answer it. It was very overwhelming the whole vacation and although while planning the vacation I did so by segments of the trip, it really was a wholistic experience that is hard for my kids to seperate mentally. More easily they can tell you what they didn't like or what was a disappointment to them. But more about that as I blog more specifically.

Irony

So recently we have gone through the testing process to enroll Dakota in Kindergarten, technically, a year early because his birthday is one day past the cut off date.  The final part of testing was an IQ test.  The day of the test he decided forthrightly not to participate, not even a little, not at all.  Those of you who know Kody - know that this boy makes up his own mind.  Suffice to say his scores were not in the percentile they needed to be and therefore he was ineligible for early enrollment.

I contacted the school about putting him in the Pre-K program.  Note: Our district Pre-K program is phenomenal, I can't say enough good things.  After reviewing his file - I was called back with this report.  "Based on looking at his Kindergarten assessment [stage 1 testing],  I am sure you know Dakota did very well.  In fact he knew everything he was tested on.  At his current ability he would likely be able to pass Kindergarten.  Due to this, he would not qualify for our Pre-K program."  Now keep in mind that this is the same woman who just yesterday called and told me based on his last set of testing would not qualify for Kindergarten.  Crazy how he is too dumb for Kindergarten but too smart for Pre-K.  Does it not seem crazy to anyone else that I have a child who could pass Kindergarten requirements today as is, but due to one test cannot go.

So all that I keep chanting in my head is, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."  Because this was something that had been turned over to much prayer and fasting as to how things would turn out,  I need to trust that he is directing our path and be at peace.

Note: (8/20/12) Shortly after this post, I got a return call telling me the decision would ultimately be mine.  Please note that there were many more details that I spared you, but ultimately love that the call was placed in my hands.  And we have decided to send Dakota to Kindergarten this year, 2012-13. 

You Always Do the Funnest and Craziest Things

This is what a friend of mine said when I explained to her that I would spend the upcoming extended weekend on Pioneer Trek.  Of course what she originally said was, "What is Pioneer Trek?"  So I gave her a little briefing which consisted of, originally the east coast was settled by those English escaping tyranny.  While some were content to stay there, others headed west either for land, gold, or to escape religious persecution, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aka Mormons were the bulk of that last group.  As we headed west it was under the strain of threats to life, property, and family.  So it was that the trek was made usually in poverty or next to poverty, in less than stellar traveling conditions, and with groups that traveled together known as Handcart Companies.  For more detail on this historical part, read here.

So what I was doing was reenactting this bit of history with the youth from all around this area.  Our church opens this experience up every four years to the youth ages 14-18.  They are then divided into pseudo families for the week, with handpicked "Ma and Pa's".  Adult members of our congregation who, when asked, willingly give up modern comforts and conveniences to teach the youth appreciation and respect for their Pioneer Heritage.  It is a very physically exhausting and emotionally intense weekend.  Both lead to great bonding oppurtunities and huge leaps of growth and maturity, even if temporary, of the youth.

Well Travis and I were asked to be Ma and Pa of a family. We had 12 children who also dressed in their period clothes wearing them for two days at a time, with no bathing, and making their own shelters at night and cooking their meals over a fire. Although now we do it so that no one is starving, freezing to death or generally in grave danger of anything. And we keep a doctor on sight for any health concerns. We then learn skills like: candle making, bull whipping, milking cows, pioneer games, rope making, ice cream making, etc...you get the point. And although I had done a Pioneer Trek when I was younger, doing it as an adult was so much more rewarding. Below is the picture diary of my family, the best family of course, and our experiences. 

Waiting to get our family assignments

Building our Handcart

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the bag of flour wrapped in a blanket, center,
is our sick baby which someone had to hold the entire time

Getting Clean/Washing Hair 

Our Pioneer Family 2012 - The Fighting Whitings'

 

...And the Living is Easy

Imagine the windows down, the radio turned up, driving through the dark, isolated country roads singing your heart out with the residual scent of chlorine on your skin.  But there is no loneliness because you are surrounded by the thick, encompassing heat and humidity of a summer night in Pennsylvania.  As you drive past a wooded area you smell all the smells of summer rushing out to meet you, the notorious and earthy scent of an ornamental pear tree, the sweet lingering smell of the wild honeysuckle, and the smell of good soil in some stage of drying out from earlier rain showers.  You hear the crickets whirring and the cicadas buzzing.  Breathe deep all that is living.

Remember all the great memories of years gone by, of running out of the school building on the last day of school, endless sleepovers, Dirty Dancing marathons, all day long bike rides and disappearing until sunset.  Remember working in the garden, swimming at the lake with friends and family, living in your bathing suit day and night and annual beach trips with all the rituals and routines of a well established tradition.  Sink into the seat of the car where your heated skin from the sun's exposure earlier in the day is bounding back to meet you.

And once you are in the depths of the music and rhythm, the sights and sounds, the smells and feelings, know that you have just reached one of the ways I feel heaven here on earth.  Isn't summer wonderful?

An Investment

My kids and I have been to several roller skating parties now.  And each time in the span of a two to three hour party the younger ones peter out pretty quickly.  And I wonder why I spent the money on admission fees or skates or any part of it.  Or why I didn't let the younger ones stay home and only bring the olders ones.

And then as I struggle round the rink in skates of my own, holding two children as they continuously fall practically hanging off of me, I remember.  Because rollerskating is a fairly good work out and not only that it requires a ton of balance and a good center and a sense of timing.  And so I like to look at each of these nominal fees as not paying for our day of skating, but an investment in their future athletic ability.

But in the meantime here are me and my kids and the neighbors cheesing it up on the sideline and Issac showing us how it's done.

 

Panicked

So I'm feeling a bit panicked.  Tomorrow is our Foster Care Home Visit.  I feel like I should have gotten the carpets cleaned or finished decorating any room in our house.  I joke with people all the time that decorating is not my forte.  We have lived in this house for 4+ years and it looks like we could of moved in a month ago, that's how bare bones it is.  See the picture of me in skinny jeans several posts ago.  Notice, white blank walls.  I feel like I should organize the book shelf where books are so stuffed and packed it looks like one wrong pull and a dozen books may drop out.  I worry that there are a dozen dangers I have failed to comprehend, because of my laid back parenting style.

I worry that the kids will expose some dirty little family secret, like I have a child who picks its nose and eats it.  Not because they don't realize it, but because they like the taste.  Gender and name will remain nameless.  Serious shame I am feeling here people.  I know it's gross, but what do you do?  Also I worry that they will reveal that I have a child who hates underwear and so rarely wears them or that when they hurt themselves instead of coddling them I say, "You're fine."  I worry that they will reveal that I don't buy my kids fishing licenses - okay I just looked this up before admitting to illegal behavior, and it turns out I don't need one if they are twelve and under.  Good no law breaking here.  I worry that they will tell the woman that I let them undo their seat belt while driving to pick something off the floor or help another sibling and then quickly rebelt without pulling over to the side of the road, possible law breaking.  I worry that of all the things I say and do something will make me unfit to care for the neglected and abused children in the foster care system.

I'm panicked because the day after all this goes down Travis and I are going on Pioneer Trek.  What's pioneer trek?  Well it's where the youth of our church and several hand picked adult couples go to the middle of nowhere state game lands where we will to the best of our abilities and with reasonable safety measures reenact what is was like for the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to travel across the country with handcarts and limited supplies.  So it's the equivalent of really rough camping, so while I am trying to order the house for the home visit, I am also trying to gather supplies and camp gear into a somewhat contained and neat fashion to supply my husband and I and 10 adopt-a-children with as much stuff as allowable so that we won't be miserable.  And I am panicked because I know that I would rather go sit by the pool instead of do these last minute things, and you know what I just might...I'll let you know in a day or two.

Why Ask Why

Many people ask me why I go "out"?  When I say go "out" I am referring to the club scene with dancing, drinking, karaoking, etc...  Because let's be honest...I don't drink.  I never have, so I'm always sober and the designated driver "DD".  I dance though, lots wildly without care and usually shamefully, yet I feel none.  And as for Karaoke - although I next to never participate - I am endlessly entertained. 

So when others ask why I go out, the answer is this...when my friends are a few drinks in and less prohibited they have now just reached the fun level I like to live at every hour of every day of my life.  And guess what...they will regret tomorrow what they did last night, not because it was so bad, but because for just a little while they didn't care what others thought and they just gave into the moment of fun and that kind of fun needs to be shared. 

Example:  Listen to this person sing in a different key than the music, and not even well mind you, but not only did this person have fun, everyone else did too - notice the joining in by the crowd.  Darkness of video is to protect the singer and oh...the not so great lighting of the place.

That's why I go out, because life is too short to be serious all the time.