Our Car Accident 1 Year Ago

It happened September 25th, 2010. We were on our way to the Enchanted Forest when only 25 minutes into our trip, Synnove decides she needs to go potty. We take pull up to take a left into the Clatskanie boat launch when an oversized late 70's model Chevy Blazer (stopped to pull into traffic) misses seeing our little car and rams right into us. If you've ever been in an accident you know that you can recount ever moment as if in slow motion...and that's how it plays in my head. Minus a few details, I look back at the kids and see they are stunned to silence and then blood begins to pour from Soren's head. Adam has to force the door open to get out while I reach over and grab Soren to pass to Adam once he gets out of the car. Bystanders immediately begin to help while I frantically think of what to do next. 911 has already been called so I call my dad cause we're gonna need a ride. He's about 45 minutes away...but is on his way as fast as he can go.

Synnove is silent. By now I've assured her that everything is OK and have gotten her out of the car. I can hardly think straight. I just stand there by the side of the road listening to Soren's crying "daddy daddy daddy..." over and over again. I can tell that he's going to be OK. The driver of the other car is sick with grief over what he's done. He's only just a couple years younger than I with kids of his own (not with him). I talk with him and calm him by trying to lighten the situation with smiles and pats on the back. I notice Synnove going back to the car ever so quietly. She grabs the blanket in the back...for Soren. She is still silent. The police are taking forever to get there and the ambulance/fire rescue finally arrives. By now the traffic is successfully being directed by bystanders and we have a fairly large crowd of people. A nice older woman has grabbed several towels (for the blood) from the restroom and is helping to calm Soren down. She was a breath of fresh air. I stand with Synnove as Soren is being strapped to the board and onto the gurney. I look over at Synnove...she is white...fading. I yell, "she's going, she's going!" and have to literally force her to lay down. She is in shock. I am appalled by the apprehensive volunteer fireman standing right beside me who does absolutely nothing until I have her down and resting. He checks her vitals. We caught her in time and I force her to stay completely down for the next half hour.

The ambulance leaves for Longview's St. John's hospital with Adam by Soren's side. I stay and talk with the police officer (who I'm pretty sure arrived AFTER the ambulance left) with the other driver and wait for the tow truck and my Dad. Synnove is still laying on the ground on the side of the road. I have already refused several offers from bystanders and the other driver's wife (arrived after accident) to drive Synnove and I to the hospital. I'm waiting for my Dad...not only will he take me to Longview...but he will make it "all better."

I watch as the tow truck driver loads up our little car and drives away. I think of the many recent discussions Adam and I had had about which car we were going to purchase after the new year to replace the little Civic. That little Civic was purchased as a commuter for Adam until a few short months later when a lady hit him in our Ford Explorer. Money was tight, so I drove that little car for 2 whole years...weird that the Explorer was also totaled in September two years prior. Adam had actually put quite a bit of time and money in that little car for maintenance...in fact he had just put in a new alternator the week before and we had JUST sent in the check to renew our tags...arg! It's not important...my little Soren is on my mind.

While sewing up the details with the police, my dad finally arrives. He is a welcome sight. Synnove is still on the ground and he sits with her while I finish up. She is happy to see him and in a few minutes feels well enough to sit up and eventually stand. We get in his truck to start heading to Longview but stop a few hundred yards away at a service station to grab a snack. I run into a bystander from the accident...he makes it clear he doesn't like the other driver too much and is glad we are OK.

Once at the hospital I get stopped to do a bunch of paperwork. I'm the only one allowed in, so my dad and Synnove sit and wait. I enter the exam room to find a lady literally poking and prodding at Soren's heavily gouged forehead. She's feeling for tiny shards of glass. I wrote a bit about it in a prior blog HERE. Adam and Soren had already been there for quite some time and I was there with them for at least an hour more...that's a lot of poking and stitching! Soren was an angel.

We left the hospital. Soren was in a dazed state...tired, yet wide awake. We decide to head to Rainier to find the car and photo the damage and get our belongings. It was sort of on our way, so it was going to save us a trip later on. Here are some of the photos from the accident...

At the accident site. It doesn't really show much other than the rear tire seal is busted and the rear window is shattered.

You can see why Adam had a hard time opening his door...

Soren received all of the impact. I'm pretty positive, from the injuries he received, that he was looking right at the Blazer when it hit...he calls it a "monster truck" (that's what it looked and sounded like!)

His carseat was bent and saved him from a lot more hurt

After the accident we endured a LOT more headache with the insurance. It was kind of a mess that I'd prefer not to delve into. Soren followed up with a couple of visits to a laser dermatologist in Portland. He healed up nicely and didn't need laser but had another small procedure done to improve his raised scarring. We have been religious about keeping him in hats when in the sun and today his forehead looks amazing. I credit that to God and the amazing ER Dr. who sewed him up.

It didn't take us long to decide that we needed to opt for a full-size SUV instead of the mini that we were discussing prior to the accident. We found one with top crash-test ratings and excellent reliability.

I feel very blessed...it could have been so much worse...especially in that little car.

Date(s) of Loss: July 19th and August 18th

It was the week the kids were going to vacation bible school when I was getting frustrated with my car. Adam had ordered the factory manuals and was planning on doing a very large overhaul of several "engine-y" things that were strongly suggested per the Honda Pilot scheduled maintenance plan. On top of that, it had been making a myriad of clunky noises in the wheels/bearings/brakes...really, the issue was a mystery. The issue was getting worse and more noticeable with each day and I wanted to just park it and drive the truck until Adam had a chance to give it a good look. To that suggestion he replied..."just drive it!" So, the day I had suggested to "park" it I drove it to drop off and pick up the kids from VBS and got home sometime around 9PM.

The next morning (July 19th) I had some errands in town so we all packed in the car only to find that it wouldn't start. REALLY?! I was irate. I knew it wasn't something I could fix (battery) because it was actually trying to start. So, I just left the car, hopped in the truck, and shed a few ticked-off tears. I had been "giving my car to God" for a few weeks already because I was allowing the issues to continually chip away at my sanity. This time I said an even bigger prayer.
That evening when Adam came home from work he got in the car to try and start it (duh...it didn't start). He opened the hood and started snooping around for problems. After about 1/2 a minute Synnove pipes up and says "I hear a squeak!" The hairs on my arms stood straight up as I began to realize it was a RAT! Not even two months before, my friend had a rat get into her truck that did some damage and another friend had told me a story about a rat that had gotten into the walls of her Explorer and die. I had suggested to Adam that maybe we needed another cat for the shop since Charlie seemed to do a pretty good job in the garage. In fact, I had JUST cleaned the garage the week before and found zero rat/mouse droppings.

This rat was the biggest rat I had ever seen in person that wasn't a pet. AND, it was a momma! It probably had 8-10 fresh babies she was protecting from our reaching hands and tongs. Long story short, we ended up pushing the car out of the garage to try to hose the thing out. We never caught it, but by the next day we were sure it was gone.

Momma Rat

Baby Rats

Because of the contents of the rats nest, I was sure that the rat had only been there since the night before. And, from what was visible, it looked like she had done quite a bit of damage to several wires. Not thinking of the insurance option, Adam thought he would need to rewire everything himself. It seemed daunting, especially with all of the other work he needed to do. It took us a couple of days to get our heads screwed on straight and go the insurance route. We were sooooo happy to discover that "varmint damage" was covered under our comprehensive policy less a small deductible. I didn't get to drive my car for roughly 10 days. The total bill including towing, parts, and labor was about $1800!

A month later (August 18th) I ventured downstairs to go on the computer. During the summer, we spend very little time downstairs and I hadn't really been down there much at all. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs I smelled something rather foul. It wasn't overwhelming, but it smelled like dirty garbage. I started going around the basement sniffing for moldy sandwiches left by the kids. I couldn't find the source until I stepped over to the play area. The carpet was thoroughly soaked. Grrrreeeaaat. It seemed like it was a drain leak, but I wasn't sure if it was that or the outside hose. I had a lot going on that day and couldn't really deal with it. I pried off the panel that exposes the kitchen sink plumbing. The pipes weren't wet but there was a bunch wet sand everywhere complete with earthworms...gross! I pulled up the carpet, set up fans and left the house. I didn't even check Synnove's room for water (too scatterbrained I guess) but I was positive water had gotten underneath her new laminate floor.

Again, like with the car, I wasn't thinking of insurance. It wasn't until later in the afternoon when I was at my sister's coffee shop that I was convinced by my mom to call insurance asap. After a crazy series of phone calls the water was cleaned up and the claim was started. That evening Adam tested the drain and it seemed to be working. I took that as a go ahead to do some dishes the next day...but I shouldn't have. I found lots more water an hour later. I cleaned it up with my little carpet cleaner and ripped out even more pad. Because of some miscommunication, a plumber wasn't called until 2 days after I first found the water. The plumber was from Knappa, so he stopped at my house after work on Friday to inspect. He was sure it was a cracked drain pipe under the slab and he couldn't fix it till Monday. I was OK with that. He gave me a write-up to send to the insurance company to get things moving.

Bright and early Monday morning, the plumber showed up and fixed the crack within 2 hours. I was so happy because I was hoping that the smell of garbage that was now permeating throughout the house would finally subside. Unfortunately, he deduced from the look and smell of the surrounding sand that the crack had been there for several months and was allowing water to pass through for a while until it got too clogged. Insurance doesn't cover old cracks. So, my dream of having new carpet in my basement literally went down the drain.

What the playroom looked like when the plumber was there

The cracked pipe removed...

UPDATE on the car: Adam spent all of last week (he took a week off) doing the scheduled maintenance. He did a great job and I'm very impressed with his skills! However, most, if not all, the creaks and clunks are still there. The issue is still a mystery.

UPDATE on the basement: There is still a smelly hole that needs to be cemented. I'm hoping Adam will be able to fix that before I host Bible Study next Tuesday. Unfortunately, he's leaving for a 3-day bachelor party tomorrow.

Adam is just ONE man...and he can't do it all! Poor guy :( If only we could hire these things done!

Blog Post #200: The Last Week of Summer

I know it's a cliche, but time has flown by. Two years ago, when I started blogging, I didn't really think I would stick to it...but here I am. And, for some reason, people actually read what I write! Folks, these days, are fascinated by reality...whether it be extraordinary or mundane. I don't see my family as either, but somewhere in between. Still, you all keep reading...and I'll keep writing, regardless.

If I haven't mentioned it before, I'll say it again: This has been the busiest summer of my life. Much of it has been spent in the car traveling back and forth to town. That's one of the major downsides of living in the sticks. Even if I've got a quick errand to run, it turns into an all-day event. I've got to make the trip worth-while...right? Thankfully, I've got my reliable fuel efficient money saver to keep me on the go. Well...less than a month ago, that little car of mine broke down. Fortunately, it happened in a place where I could pull over and Aunt Alice was able to pick up the kids and I within a short 10 minutes of parking. Adam towed it home the next day and fixed it. I wish that was the end of the story.

The week before Labor Day weekend, Adam took the week off of work. He had some parts coming in the mail to fix the exhaust on his Montero. That project, along with the kick-off of hunting season, was going to keep him busy for most of the week. It was Monday afternoon, and I was just getting back from an overnight bachelorette party for Tonya. I can't remember, but I think I got home in time for Adam to take a trip to the auto parts store. I went up to the house to visit Lucy (we had had her for only 5 days) and found that the water to the hose was turned off. Then Adam came up behind me and informed me that the water was turned off completely. There were some guys doing some work on the waterline up the road and we just assumed it was an emergency shut-off. I was kinda miffed as it was a warm day and we hadn't received a call from the water company.

That night we were going to my parent's house for dinner...they were having an experimental moose roast. Monday also happened to be the day before my mom's 50th, so we celebrated with gifts. ANYway, before getting in the car at about 6:00, I decided I should call the water company to see what was up. Adam was dirty and sweaty and needed a shower, and I wanted to make sure I didn't need to bring some shower items to take to my mom and dad's to take a shower as well. I couldn't believe that the water was off all day and we hadn't gotten a call. The water company was closed and there was no emergency phone message. After some last-minute finagling with the water-main and a few trips up an down our driveway, we decided to go up the road to ask the guys still working on the waterline. On our way, the car started to make a rattling sound. We asked the water guys what was up. Turns out it was a planned water shut-off and we were not informed. UNbelievable. Anyway, they were actually turning the water back on as we drove back down to our house, and the car started rattling with a small vengeance. We parked it, popped the hood, and Adam discovered that what he fixed before was now broken again. It's been jacked up in the garage ever since. I was thankful, however, that we were able to make it up our driveway and we didn't need to town it home again. We can thank the stupid water company for that!

Having two out of our three vehicles out of service made for an interesting week. Either I or Adam had something going on every day that needed a vehicle. Plus, we were supposed to be going camping on Thursday. Adam and I were both on edge and getting very frustrated with each other over everything. Quite honestly, it was a terrible week...not a great way to spend a week off of work. On Tuesday, after Adam's morning hunt, the truck (either I or Adam driving) went back and forth from town to home 3 times for three different things...there was no way around it. That night I had my MK meeting (Tracy picked me up) and Adam needed to get a part welded at Don's. The kids ended up eating at the Logger Restaurant at 8:30 that night! They were so hungry that Adam let the kids eat pie before their actual food came. On Wednesday Adam tried to fix the car...and was unsuccessful. That night we drove the fam into Warrenton to attend an open house for Henry (my little bro) and his baby...the Warrenton High School Fish Hatchery. Henry has been getting some attention from news wires around the state for the new water filtration system he and his team developed. It's impressive! I have pictures on my camera upstairs...ha ha! After getting back home that night, I put the kids to bed while Adam worked till 2:30 AM to fix the exhaust on his Montero so that we could bring it camping the next day.

I'm pretty sure we slept in on Thursday, but I could be wrong. There was lots to do to get ready for camping...including a trip to Warrenton for groceries. At around noon, Adam took Lucy into town for her shots while I went to the store. The vet was closed for lunch, so I met Lucy and Adam at Elise's shop for a sandwich. *Sigh*...After all our packing and running around was done, we headed to Naselle and arrived just before it was too dark to set up camp.

Since getting home, the up-and-running '89 Montero has been the family sedan. We drive the truck as little as possible to save on gas. Our trouble with vehicles lately has put me over the edge. The Civic has given us a large handful of trouble this spring/summer (not just it's current problem). No, none of the problems have been huge, and all have been fixable...but it's getting tiresome. It's fortunate that Adam has been able to fix most of the problems on our "vintage" Honda, but time is precious, and Adam doesn't have much of it. I'm hoping for a vehicle maintenance-free fall, because, quite frankly, our cars have stolen our summer.

Muddy Memorial

The Pacific Northwest is such a wonderful place to live. We've got most everything here, including sun. However, it doesn't come around much...and it was certainly absent for most of Memorial weekend. As usual, we've been looking forward to camping season ever since camping season was over. Synnove has been talking about it since at least January. The weather is always somewhat of an issue. It used to be even more of an issue when we were tent campers. But still, the rain has never kept us away from the campfire.

As most of you know, I'm quite the motivator for everyone else when it comes to camping. I use every possible tactic to ensure their arrival...and rely heavily on guilt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...but at least they know we WANT them there...right? It's great to be somewhat relieved of these "duties" as the Wilson's are now just as gung-ho as I am...just more polite about it =) It's a good thing too because I caught a bad chest cold a mere two days before we were set to head out. I wasn't miserable...but almost. I had hoped that my at home remedies were going to help me escape the bug faster. They didn't work too well. Still, I tried my best to push through the packing and getting ready. The rain only dampened my desire to do much of anything but lay on the couch. So, that's what I did.

We had high hopes that the Mitsubishi would be finished enough for us to be able to cart the kids' 4-wheeler, but the weather never improved enough for Adam to be able to paint it. So, we hauled the little 4-wheeler in the Civic. Yes...I said "the Civic." We had to move the spare tire, so when it was finally in, it sat cock-eyed. Without noticing before it was too late, gas started leaking all over. I could barely breath to begin with...add a bunch of gasoline fumes to the mix, and I was on the verge of passing out on the way there. Even with the window rolled down with my head partially out in the pouring rain, I could not get clean air. I pulled over; Adam fixed the leak. Still, the smell was unbearable and so I continued to drive with my head out the window. If I wasn't miserable before, I was certainly miserable then.

Throughout the evening, people slowly trickled in. I spent much of my time dilly-dallying in the trailer and helping Adam try to get the refrigerator to work. After much trial and error, it finally fired up. We put the kids to bed fairly early for a camping evening, and I stayed in the trailer while they settled down. Synnove finally fell asleep, and then Soren started to complain about his stomach hurting. Great. He was acting strange and seemed to be in a lot of pain, so I quickly went out to get my mom who has experience with both hernias and appendicitis's'. I thought it could be painful gas, but Soren's pain seemed to be getting worse. So, at about 10:30, Adam and I headed to the ER...at least a 25 minute drive. Fortunately, Soren settled down during the drive, and we headed back to camp. Phew! He went to sleep and his tummy only hurt a little in the morning. Gas.

Saturday started out with our usual "cowboy breakfast" on a brand new giant fire grill/grate courtesy of Uncle Don.

The day was virtually rain-free. We ended it with delicious steamed oysters from Darrell and Jodie and mouth-watering chicken fajitas from Lori and Ed. We ate good that night...then again, we always do.


Doug brought lawn golf, and many played throughout the weekend...but none better than Taylor and Bronson! Below, the Holthusen's dog "Spicy" dug for at least an hour! She was intent on catching something, but we stopped her before she could actually get anything.


The discovery of the giant marshmallow played a large role in nightly campfire routine. Below, Synnove is trying her best to get her half-roasted marshmallow off of her hand. She tried for quite some time...

...It was funny until it flew across the fire and onto my pants...(see it stuck to my knee)

Sunday it rained. It was a bearable rain, but still rain. The kids weren't too phased by it, and always found a way to have fun. They did get to watch a movie in the Wilson's giant trailer though!

While the kids watched a movie, and while Adam was at the house taking care of the animals, I popped a couple of Sudafed and felt good enough to go on a couple of rides with Weesie. Her new 4-wheeler is awesome...even though we got stuck.

Sunday night was the big pit BBQ. Stephanie and Wes braved the weather and came out for a couple of hours. Tay was soaked to the bone by the time they left. The meat was awesome! We stuffed ourselves beyond capacity and indulged in Auntie Jeanne's version of peanut butter bon-bons and Wesley's scotcheroos.

Brielle is only 2 months old! She's a trooper =)

Noodle fight!

I don't know who this guy is...

Monday morning, the Holthusen's left early. We found out later that they had a blow-out on the Meagler Bridge and had to limp across. I guess they did some damage to the trailer. The rest of us enjoyed cowboy breakfast with Lori's homemade biscuits and gravy! Yummy!!

Then, we all packed up and prayed that our trailers would make it up the incredibly muddy road. A couple of vehicles didn't make it and had to stay until it dried out a bit. A couple of days later, Dad went back to help Doug flip the axles on his new toy hauler to that they would make it out OK!

By the time we got home, the sun was shining, and I was feeling well enough to mow the lawn. Figures.

The Day Just Didn't Start Off Right

Sickness is lurking in the house. Both the kids are stuffy and coughing and the bug has finally bitten me. I haven't been sleeping well since Adam left for Georgia on Saturday night, and I think my immune system has suffered. Anyway, I awoke, as usual, to the kids at 7 AM sharp begging for food. There is no food in the house. I have some cereal and milk, a half a loaf of bread, and a handful of past due clementines. I was feeling quite awful. I didn't fall asleep till around 3 AM, I had a splitting headache, my nose was stuffy, and my throat had a small fire in it. I gave the kids some cereal and headed back to bed.

I did not want to get out of bed. Synnove has had a ravenous appetite lately, and kept coming in to ask for more food. Usually, there is some granola bars or crackers or SOMEthing that the kids can get themselves to eat...but like I said before, the cupboards are empty. I allow her some fruit snacks. A bit later she comes in again begging for food. She eats what's left of the clementines. I'm tapped out. I need to make the trip to Longview to go to Winco, but the car is not sounding so good. I wish I had a better car...I'm really wishing that today. I'm wishing HARD. I'm wishing $10,000 will fall down from heaven. I wish I would have won that beautiful white Camry at the fair last year! *sigh*....I digress. By now it's 10:30 and I finally decide that I can no longer stay in my bed. I know...I'm a terrible and neglectful mother.

My head is aching pretty badly. I make some eggs so that I don't have to take medicine on an empty stomach. Synnove devours half of them and asks for more. It's almost lunch...she'll have to wait.

I head downstairs to get some clothes for Soren. I check out Synnove's room first...still a mess after her so-called cleaning yesterday. I hate a dirty room....but I guess the time is coming that I just have to let it go. It's her responsibility now. I can nit-pick till I'm hoarse, or I can accept that her version of clean is not mine. ANYway, back to Soren's room. I walk in to find the entire contents of his closet on the floor. In a somewhat ticked, yet exhausted voice, I ask Synnove..."what happened here?" Synnove replies, before even entering his room, "Soren did it." Oh really? Right. Anyway, I call down Soren who is 99% honest 99% of the time and ask him what happened. He says, "I didn't do it, Synnove did." Then, the blame game continues for a minute or two. I've caught Synnove lying quite a few times in the past several months, and it's so disappointing and frustrating. I'm trying not to sound too angry (not really working), and ask Synnove SEVERAL times not to lie to me and to tell me if she did it or not. She eventually says "Soren and I did it." Oh really? Right. Either way, Synnove lied, so she had to get punished. I won't go into detail...but disciplining Synnove always ends worse than it begins. And that is always more frustrating than the original offense.

I'm just too tired and in too much pain to try to get the kids to participate in cleaning up the mess, so I clean it up myself. Under the mountain of clothes I find one of Soren's favorite Christmas gifts crushed. That only adds to my building emotion. What next?

When the closet is finally clean, I calmly call the kids down to complete some simple clean-up tasks. I find that Soren has put on plastic underwear (he's been wearing them over a diaper at night lately) inside out (plastic side to the skin) under his pull-up. Uhh...ok? Goodness. So, I tell him to take them off and put only his pull-up on. This is something he is quite capable of doing, so I go into the other room to do a bit of clean-up. Not even a minute later, Soren comes up to me and says "I peed." I say "what do you mean, you peed?" He says, "I'm sorry mommy." I say, "what do you mean you peed??" He goes in and points to his closet. Let me just tell you that his closet doesn't go to the floor...the bottom of it hits my thigh...so it's kind of high up. ANYway, I say "you peed in your pants? or you peed somewhere else?" He says "I'm sorry." and points to the inside of the closet. There is pee all over the inside of his closet, on some of his clothes, and some of his stuffed animals. I cracked. I was done.

I could not help myself. Soren was covered in pee because his plastic pants were inside out, yet there was a huge puddle in the closet. How on earth did this happen? I angrily send him upstairs to the tub. I'm already frustrated with Soren, as he has been peeing his pants several times a day, every day for the last month. I'm wanting to scream. Instead, I sob. I sob hard.

When I'm done with my little breakdown, I decide to write a blog about it (this blog). The kids are upstairs watching a movie. I'm almost finished when I hear them venture downstairs. I go into the bathroom to see what they are doing. Soren is naked, and Synnove has no pants on. Both of them have just gone to the bathroom and I notice that the training potty is smeared with poop and they are attempting to wipe Soren's bum. POOP! Back to the tub they both went. While in the tub I notice that Synnove's leg has a bunch of black marks all over it. I ask her if it's marker. She says "no." I try to wipe it off thinking it's dirt, or heaven forbid, poop! It doesn't wipe off, and I say..."what is this?" Synnove replies sheepishly..."marker." Lie #2 for the day. My kids are on a roll.

The day has only just begun. It's Winco or bust....busted car, busted head, busted bottoms!! I'm praying it's not "bust."

It's Safe to Say, We've Been FAIR-ly Busy

It's hard to believe, but my kids didn't roll out of bed till 10 AM this morning! I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my kids' lifetime. Exhaustion has been commonplace around here for a while now...for varying reasons. Fortunately, the reasons are good :)

I suppose the madness started to creep a couple of weeks ago. Synnove was starting up swimming lessons again and I was looking forward to using our lazy mornings/afternoons visiting family and friends that I hadn't seen in a while. Well, those mornings/afternoons soon became filled with other plans and the week flew by in a flash. We went to Portland for a shopping trip, spent some warm afternoons at Fi Fi's house playing in her pool, took a quick trip to Longview, and my MIL and niece, Brandi, came for a visit. On Saturday, Adam continued work on the chicken run in the blistering sun while I finally finished laundry and cleaned the house. I was up late that night printing photos and framing them to enter into the fair the next day. On Sunday, Adam left the house early to meet up with his friend Chris and visit his Dad before heading to PGE Park to see his sister Amanda graduate from college. It was gonna be SUPER hot in Portland that day, so I opted to stay home with the kids. I had to do some last-minute things to get my entries ready for the fair, dropped the kids off with my parents, and headed to the fairgrounds. That night, Adam didn't get home till pretty late because the Civic busted a hose. Talk about deja vu!

On Monday, the heat was almost too much to bear. The animals were in survival mode and the bunnies' fur was all sweaty. Bunny-Him was the worst...so Adam brought him inside and put the fan on him. He didn't even want to jump away...he loved the fan! Adam then put one of our window fans above their cages so that they would be cool through the night.


Tuesday was the the beginning of the fair. Elise had asked Henry and I if we would volunteer our time to come and work in her coffee/smoothie booth. I thought it sounded like fun! It was gonna be a bit tricky for me though since I needed someone to watch the kids. Mom was busy working at the shop in town, Fi Fi was busy at the fair all week, and Dad was only really available for one of the days. It was quite the juggling act...especially since Synnove had swimming lessons every morning.

Henry worked Tuesday morning, so I didn't come in till around 2ish. Of course, right when I got there, I headed to the exhibit hall to see how my entries did. My cross-stitch got a blue, and two of the 4 photos I entered got ribbons...one got a third place ribbon, and another got a champion ribbon with a special "judge's choice" award. I was pretty excited, so I snapped a picture of the display.

After that, I headed to Weesie's booth and lived there off and on for 5 days. I don't think Elise realized how busy she was gonna be. We hardly ever sat down and were completely wiped out by the end of each day. Elise was there every day from 6:30 AM till around 10 PM. Henry usually worked in the mornings and late evenings, and I worked everywhere in between. Dad watched the kids on Tuesday. Fi Fi watched the kids at the fair for a few hours on Wednesday till Dad got back from a meeting in Portland. Thursday was tricky because Dad went tuna fishing and took Henry for the entire day. Adam went too and got seriously seasick...poor guy. Anyway, we stayed the night at Mom and Dad's on Wednesday night. Mom got up at 4:30 AM every morning to make fresh cinnamon rolls for the fair...so, she made them, dropped them off at the fair, and came back to be with the sleeping children and take Novie to swimming lessons. I left when she got back to work at the fair the entire day. I was there for like 13 hours without a break...Henry came in the late evening to help Elise close up. On Friday I was draggin' my feet. Dad watched the kids for a couple of hours until Mom got home from the shop (the shop was busy too, so Mom was pretty exhausted every day as well). On Saturday Adam, of course, watched the kids. All three of us (Elise, Henry, and I) worked the entire day. Henry had to leave at around 8, so I stayed late and helped her pack up some of her stuff to take back to her shop in town. I got home at around 11. The whole week was a marvelous success for Elise, and it was great exposure for her coffee shop in town. She'll likely do it again next year.

It was fun, the 3 of us working together.

Nice, Henry...

Through all the madness, the kids got to come to the fair like 4 times. Once with Papa, once with Fi Fi, once with Grandma, and once with Daddy. This year, Soren actually rode the rides without being scared. I was sad to have missed it all. Here are a couple of pics Adam took...

Soren didn't want to ride the "alligator" (as the kids call it) on the first day, but rode it on the last!

On Sunday we all slept in and I headed to the fairgrounds to pick up my exhibits. Apparently, Elise slept in too and I ended up meeting her and my parents there to help clean and pack up her booth. Once at home, I spent the entire day cleaning up my messy house while Adam continued to work on the chicken run and finally fix the hose on the Civic.

The next day (yesterday) I spent the day helping my Dad can the tuna they all caught on Thursday. We filled 96 pint jars! Then we all had a big BBQ tuna dinner with Chris and Elise, Jack and Jeanne, Grandma Barb, and Henry and his new girlfriend Kiley. We didn't get home till after 10.

Today, I plan to do a lot o' nothin'.

My Long Trip Home in the Montero

As you all know, we went on our annual 4th of July camping trip last week. And, since purchasing the Mitsubishi, we have been able to use it as a vehicle to carry Synnove's little 4-wheeler around. We usually take another car with us camping anyway, since the truck is a gas guzzler and the trip from Naselle to Svensen is at least 45 minutes, and we always have to make at least one trip home to check on the animals. The back of the truck is reserved for one of Mom and Dad's ATVs that currently lives at our house... so there is no room for Novie's. Of course, I'm the one that has to drive the Mitsubishi, as I'm certainly not going to be the one towing the trailer! However, I don't so much enjoy driving the Montero as it is loud, smelly, slow, and teetery around corners. But, the trip there was fine.

After a couple of days camping, it was time for Adam to make a trip back home to check on the animals. He and our good friend Jeremy went together. The day was hot and the traffic was horrendous in Astoria. On their way back they were stuck in traffic clear back to the John Day boat landing!! After a while, the Montero started to get a little heated, so they pulled over to let it cool down, and then had a smooth trip back to Naselle from there.

When it came time for everyone to pack up and go home on the last day of camping, we kept getting word that the bridge was backed up clear to Washington! My parents, Adam, and I stayed back at camp for a while to let the traffic die down. Adam and I even debated going the Longview way (twice the drive). Sure, we could go sit in traffic, but Adam was worried that the Montero would overheat on the bridge and there would be no place to pull over. So, we made a little plan and headed towards home. The bridge was clear, so I safely headed to Astoria with no problems.

Adam went to the dump station to dump the trailer, and I left him to head home. Once I reached Burger King, the traffic was backed up, I was guessing, all the way to Safeway (about 2 miles). I didn't waste any time heading up to Bond Street to bypass all the traffic. I was almost to the hospital when I noticed the Montero was sounding a bit iffy. I contemplated pulling into the parking lot, but decided I would stop at Safeway instead. Of course, I had just passed the pull-in when I stopped at a stop sign to pull into traffic...the Montero went ka-put and steam started rising from the hood. Great.

I didn't know where the hazard lights were (lots of faded switches in that little beast) so I just waved traffic for 10 minutes while the engine cooled. Then, I pulled into traffic, only to pull over after going like 50 yards...more steam. I stopped at a spot where it looked like I was ready to pull into traffic, so people kept waving me in. I waved at them to pass and tried to avoid looking at anyone. Adam finally came through waving/honking at me in as well...I waved him passed too.

He called me unsure as to why the Montero would be acting this way since it wasn't hot outside and I wasn't stuck in stop-and-go traffic. He said I should be fine once I passed Safeway and to stay at low RPMs. It wasn't working, as I was stuck behind a slow van. I pulled over just before Emerald Heights (maybe 2 miles??). More steam!!! I sat for 10 minutes and then felt fairly confident I could stay at high speeds/low RPMs for the rest of the trip. I probably traveled 4ish miles when I looked in my rear view mirror at the giant billows of steam that trailed behind me and the cars keeping a great distance. I pulled over to get out and watch the whole vehicle become engulfed in steam. An older guy had even pulled over just in front of me...he got out, got some water bottles out of the back of his truck, didn't say ONE word to me, got back in his fancy truck, and LEFT!

Near tears, I called Adam. He had to unhook the trailer at home and then come and get me. He arrived, put some water in the radiator and began the drive home. I tried to follow him in the truck, but the traffic was too thick and I didn't see him pull off the road just before the Svensen light. From the spot that I had pulled over, there was about 7ish miles left to get home. It took Adam an hour to get home!

On his last pit-stop he was running out of water, so while the radiator steamed, he blew the steam away to find a hole somewhere. He found one! So, he searched through the kids' toy bin that was in the back of the Montero from camping and found a deflated balloon. He used the balloon to patch the hole and used gauze from the first aid kit to hold it there.

He was so proud...so I took a picture.

It's all fixed now :)