The worst time of year for teachers...

At least for ME, is the last week. The beginning of work is looming there on the horizon. I've sat down and done all the planning I can reasonably do. And now my mind fluctuates between thinking that I should be doing more work to prepare, and thinking that I should be enjoying my last days of freedom more. This sort of LIMBO is worse for me than the first morning - at least then I can use a defiant confidence to turn my anxiousness towards positive action - the unknown becomes real and I can face it head-on. But now, if I get myself worked up, I have nowhere to send that energy.

What usually ends up happening is that I end up rehearsing my first lessons over and over again because I manage to convince myself that I'm not as prepared as I think I am.

Of course anyone who doesn't know any better thinks that it sounds like I dread going back, and that's not it. I do love my job, but as a good friend once said, "If it was fun every day, they wouldn't call it work." And for someone with a natural tendency to laziness like myself, just getting used to having a schedule again is a stressful event.

At the end of the day, I find solace and joy in several things. 1) I've spent enough summers searching for a job to know that I'd much rather be going back to work than not having work to go back to. 2) I'll never again have to face the fear and stress of the real, actual first day of the first year of teaching. This is NOTHING compared to that. 3) My job, once I get back into the flow of it, is really a lot of fun. I am going to make a concerted effort to focus on the good students, the fun ones, and not stress so much about the headache brigade this year.

That's all for now. More later as I think of it.

Ceiling paint. Yippee.

There are some home improvement projects which give you absolutely ZERO satisfaction. One of them is a new roof. You can't enjoy it, you don't notice it, your house doesn't feel any better. Another is painting the golldurn ceiling. A lot of stinking work with no reward. I never looked up before, and why should I start now? Ugh.

On a lighter note, the premiere of the video went well with mom and dad. Glad they enjoyed it. I was very impressed that mom stayed awake for so long. The Durkee clan views it Saturday night, and after that, it pretty much goes in the reminiscence pile...not too many other friends are going to sit through 2 1/2 hours of odd music and bumpy panoramas. Sigh. Totally worth the work, though.

That's all for now.

Matt

"Crash Course in Life"

Hey all - I know I said that we'd still use this thing once the trip ended - sure hasn't worked out that way, but those of you who know, know.

Things are normalling out now for the most part. Going back to work is right around the corner - found out I have some additional duties which will either be a little challenging or a huge pain. Remains to be seen. But, I think I have reached the level of confidence (or hubris?) where work stuff doesn't send me into a panic. I've been teaching long enough that I feel like I can handle new challenges, and I've been alive long enough to not be afraid of my own mistakes. Obviously I'm grateful that my line of work allowed me to have the amazing trip that was described on this blog, so if they're gonna jerk me around a little, I'm not going to rattle my cage too much.

Truly glad to hear that my good friend Matt Saunders and his wife both found the jobs they wanted. Sad that the jobs they wanted were in the Oklahoma Panhandle, but hey, now we have another place to stay out west. Congrats, Matt - you deserve it more than anyone I know. And you too Becky, for being the rare person who can see Matt for the great human being he is. Good luck out there!

So, I slowly see that more and more of my college friends have packed up and headed west. Not that I had a ton of them to begin with, but...who thought that *I* would be the last one left in town, with no plans to leave for years and years? Funny how the guy with the most wanderlust has put down the firmest roots...and I've never regretted it.

Shessh, what am I even talking about any more? Well, the other big news in the family is that the trip video is finally done. Won't even begin to explain the nightmare of computer trouble that went into it. All that matters is, it's done. And it looks, and sounds, great. Very happy with the results, and as we start premeiering it to friends and family tonight, I hope everyone else enjoys it as well.
The soundtrack is of course...eclectic. From Richard Strauss to Explosions in the Sky and back to music from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (!!!) it covers a lot of territory.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully we'll be back to posting our thoughts more often these days. To all you teachers, enjoy the twilight of summer, to those who work year-round, your time to taunt us is approaching fast.

Matt

The Morning After...after

Feeling much more normalized now. Girls are happy to be home. No financial disasters while we were gone. Girls slept well in their old beds again. Mambo won't walk on one of his hind legs. Mom and dad will come home today, and we're making them dinner to welcome them home. It will be interesting to see how this has affected their decision on what to do with the RV.
Already got some work done on the DVD - did the opening titles, our part of the voyage home, and most of the closing photo montage - yes, I am modeling this DVD in many ways after the 2003 trip DVD - the opening especially is a bit of an homage to the original opening.
I guess most people reading this have no idea what I'm talking about. I will have to find some way to upload the video for people to see. Anyone reading who has suggestions for how and where to upload a home-made DVD easily for easy viewing, when the original source files are gone, please let me know.
Matt

Home

Well, what a whirlwind. I don't know where to start.

On Monday when we got the word that it would be at least tomorrow and that financial issues were starting to rear their ugly head, we made a snap decision and literally went from vacation mode to frantic road trip home mode in a matter of minutes. As quietly as we could, while Mari slept, we started packing the minimum we would need to get us home and by 4pm we were pulling out of the parking lot. Very sad to leave mom and dad, but we knew we'd be together soon and that we'd had a wonderful time (and we'd gotten a bit sick of Amarillo), so we headed out with nothing but a road atlas and some diet coke.
We really just planned on driving until we couldn't drive any more or until the girls' screaming was intolerable. Well, the girls were fine. We drove till 11:30 and stopped in Joplin, MO at a strictly functional hotel, slept fitfully, and hit the road at 7 the next morning.
Finally, at a little after 7 local time, we got into Cincinnati, picked up the dogs, picked up dinner at Skyline and at long last, we were home.
So here we are. And the experience of being home after such a long trip is really freaking me out. It's weird. Weirder than coming home after the last big trip in 2003. Totally weird. Lots of reasons I think:
1) Seeing all the stuff in the house untouched since we left it nearly a month ago, is like coming back to a house after someone has died. Morbid, but true.
2) After being in such close quarters with mom and dad for so long, suddenly being without them is like being an incomplete person.
3) I don't have a trip to plan for, restaurants to suggest, activities and addresses to research.
4) I am dadgum tired.
And more, but I can't process it all now. Basically, glad to be home, but it feels very foreign right now. It'll take time. But what a trip. Now time to start putting the music together for the DVD, getting all the scenes selected...and getting back to real life.
Speaking of which...this blog was originally set up as a trip travelogue, but we will continue to use it as a regular blog - for thoughts about daily life and whatnot - so feel free to keep checking back in - and someday there'll be another trip to read about.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible, from Paula who watched the pups, to the friendly employee at the Motherhood Maternity store in Westgate Mall in Amarillo. Until the next trip - I say to all of you - get out and see the world - anything, ANYthing can be a destination. There's something to see and learn about in every town, around every corner. Don't be a travel snob. Enjoy the world. Love life. And one more time...

GOOD JOB, GOD!!!

Bob's Thoughts - Days ??

I haven't provided any updates for a while. The end of our trip has taken on a life of itself, so here is an update to cover the most recent activities.

The motorhome would not start after we stopped for lunch last Friday. I knew that the problem was not related to the batteries. It was like the starter had died - turn the key and nothing happened. We were 18 miles inside Texas, and AAA was able to tow us to an authorized repair facility in Amarillo.

The repair place (Top Gun) was able to determine that the problem was not with the starter. They could "hot wire" the starter and the engine jumped to life immediately. So, the problem had to be either in the ignition switch or the wiring. Both of these conditions were beyond the capabilities of Top Gun, so late in the day Saturday, we realized that we needed to look elsewhere.

I called the RV dealer in Amarillo that sells Winnebago products. He told me that they only do work on the components above the chassis, and recommended that we contact the Amarillo Truck Center.

The Amarillo Truck Center is about 10 miles from where we were, so Top Gun started the engine (hot wiring it), and Matt and I made the short drive. When we got to the truck center and explained the problem, they said that they can work on the problem, but that they are a Freightliner repair facility, and our motorhome is built on a Workhorse chassis. They work 24 x 7, and suggested that I contact them on Monday morning for a status.

So, the entire family had a very nice (but totally unplanned) weekend in Amarillo.

On Monday, I called the truck center and was told that they had determined that the problem was not the ignition switch. That meant that the problem was in the wiring or some element in the starter circuit. Since they are not a Workhorse repair facility, they needed to acquire the schematic in order to fix the problem.

At this point, we knew that we would not be heading east until at least Tuesday, so Matt and Steph decided to start back. This was the right thing for them to do for a number of reasons - but it was still hard to see them leave.

As of now (Tuesday morning), we still do not know when we will be able to leave. I am hoping that we can leave today, but matters are out of my hands. Karen and I have rented a car, have a decent hotel room and will make the best of it.

I will post updates as news becomes available.

Wonder (Steph)

Hey, all! Second full day in Amarillo, TX. Theme of the day: making the best of it! The girls slept until like almost 8am which was a THRILL to us. Unheard of, really, for Mari and it's been AGES since Faith slept past 7am! Pretty awesome.

Got dressed quickly and headed out to "The Big Texan" because Matt had heard that they had a goood breakfast buffet. Oh wow was this place every stereotype you've ever heard of BIG, Texas cheesiness! It was hilarious! A HUGE fiberglass-type longhorn cow out front with those board things that are painted up and have holes in them to stick your face through to take pictures with. Like, cowboy outfits painted on without the heads and you stick your face through to make it look like you're the cowboy. So cheesy and fun.

Inside, there are just about every southwest "huntable" animal you can think of dead, stuffed and hanging on the wall. But wait, I've saved the best for last. "The Big Texan" is home to the 72 oz steak that you get for FREE if you can eat it within one hour!!! They have this clock set up front in the restaurant already set to 60:00. So funny. The food was decent, by the way.

Went back to the hotel and chilled.

Then we headed out to "Wonderland Park" not too far away from the hotel. It was a GREAT amusement park, kind've in the older style of amusement parks and carnivals and county fairs and the like. You pay $4 for an entrance fee and then you can buy tickets to ride the rides. Or you can pay $20 to ride all the rides all you want. Matt, Bob and Faith got the all you can ride passes (we had coupons of course) and we bought a few extra tickets for Mari (she could only ride a handful of rides due to height restrictions), Karen and me (I could only ride a handful of rides due to pregnancy restrictions).

Last year in Toronto, we went to a sort've similar park very much geared to young children and Faith astounded us all when she actually was not afraid to ride rides. We took a chance again and again were pleasantly surprised to see that she would try every single ride she was tall enough to ride. She threw a few minor fits when she couldn't ride the roller coasters Daddy and Zayde were riding. This is Little Miss I Am Afraid of All Bugs and of Trying ANY New Foods and of ANY New People and of Getting My Hair Brushed. Seriously. You would not believe how fearless this child is on amusement park rides.

ANYway. She says her favorite rides were the ferris wheel (she rode that twice) and the little cars (she rode those 3 times). She did not like the Scrambler or the Frog Hopper. Mari was able to ride the merry go round (with me), the little helicopters (with Zayde) and the cars (twice) with Faith. She couldn't ride the boats, much to her dismay, because there was no way to strap her in and we knew we'd be going after her in to the water. She's at a hard age for amusement parks -- too little to ride most rides but old enough to sort've understand what she was missing.

We were at Wonderland for about 3 hours and it was getting hot. On the way back to the hotel, Matt and I (in the front seats) hear this little voice from the "way back" saying, "I wouldn't mind a Sonic stop!" It was Karen, who was very thirsty! In Santa Fe after a particularly hot day, Matt and I introduced the family to Sonic. Karen had a strawberry fresh fruit slush. It was total and complete love at first drink! We knew for sure she was hooked when she asked for it again today. Yum. The only one in the Cincy area is all the way up in Mason. My best friend Katy had introduced me to it a long time ago in Kansas City, MO. If you've never had it, you don't know what you're missing!

Back to the hotel after Sonic to hang out some more. Ordered pizza from Pizza Hut and were, once again, amazed to see our daughters actually eat pizza!!! Faith ate an entire piece of cheese pizza by herself and Mari, grazing off of all of our pieces, probably ate more!

The girls were pretty tired so we put them to bed early and now here's the end of the day!

Yes, I know my blog posts are long. I can't help it. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you I try really hard to be brief (Matt's rolling his eyes right now, I know it). Matt's already working on the trip dvd!

OK. More later. Hopefully we'll have some updates on the rv repair situation tomorrow.

Love, Steph

Yellow, TX (Steph)

So, here we are. As Matt said, a bit more time on our hands now. As I write this, Matt is laying on the floor of our hotel suite. Mari is in her diaper (between clothes and pj's) and is climbing on him. Now she's bouncing on his head and giving him "blasters" (aka: zerberts) on his arm. Faith is in her inbetween clothes and pj's stage and is using her toy vet kit to check out the wooden ducky. Oh the hotel life!

So, yeah. Amarillo (which means "yellow" in Spanish if you didn't already know, but they don't pronounce it with the Spanish pronunciation here) isn't bad at all. We've had good meals today. We don't mind staying here. Good hotel rooms and things to do.

The biggest drawback is that my parents (aka: Gamma and Gammpa Durkee) are leaving on a two week trip of a lifetime out west/northwest on Thurs. morning. We were pretty much going to have one chance to see them before they left after not having seen them for over three weeks. Let's face it, THEY were going to have one chance to see the girls. Not that I don't think they love Matt and me too, but I am keenly aware that if it just involved us, they'd be sad but not that sad. Since it means they can't see their girls, it's extra sadness. Sigh. We all feel badly about this... We promised them a full day of us once they arrive home. Who WOULDN'T enjoy a full day of us? :-)

OK. It's time to finish putting on the pj's and read books and drink milk. I'm sure you'll be hearing more from us soon!

Steph

Flying off the (Pan)Handle - Matt

Stuck in Amarillo until at least Tuesday. Just dropped the RV at the Amarillo Truck Center - it's Saturday so they won't get to it until at least Monday.
Dad is handling things actually quite well, considering we're somewhat stranded in Texas' 12th largest city (can you tell we've got more time on our hands now?).
Several thoughts on the situation. 1) All things considered, this could have happened at a lot worse time than now. Imagine if it had happened at our first lunch stop out of Cincinnati...or in the middle of Utah with no services, let alone a sizable town, for over a hundred miles? We're in a decent city, with decent food (steaks and bbq and huge portions - not bad at all), and it doesn't foul up the rest of our vacation. 2) The spirit of the trip is to make positives out of negatives. So we're all viewing this as a chance to explore Amarillo and enjoy another couple of days out and about. It's an adventure, and any adventure that comes with a King bed is okay with me.
Anyway, we'll keep you all informed as we learn more. Hey, if money gets tight, there's a restaurant in town that offers a 72 oz steak for free, if you can eat it in an hour. Hmmm....

Oh. My. Gosh. (Steph)

Let me say again. Oh. My. Gosh. WHAT a day!

First, Santa Fe was AWEsome, AWEsome, AWEsome! Incredible food, GREAT shopping, wonderful history, AMAZING scenery! Could easily spend 2 weeks there. I won't get too wordy :-) but among my favs were: the Cathedral Basilica, San Miguel Mission, Loretto Chapel, the Palace of the Governors, all of the shopping in and around the Plaza, the Plaza and of course, El Restaurante de Chimayo. Sigh. Just a very cool city. Its nickname is "The City Different" and we LOVE the differences!

SO, ok. Today we got up and started "breaking camp" to start the long journey home. Would take about 4 days. First stop, a relatively short drive to Amarillo, TX (and back to Central Time). Had some pretty annoying problems with the leveling jacks again. Took a long time to get up and stored, but ended up being fine.

We had decided while at Santa Fe to not get the problem looked at there that caused us to not feel comfortable towing the van behind the rv. Decided it would be better to just continue to follow with the van driving and then get it all looked at by the people Bob knows and trusts in Cincy.

Matt and I drive in the van following Bob and Karen and the girls in the rv. We stop at a Stuckey's (WHOO HOO, let me tell you) truck stop just inside TX for lunch. We come back out. Matt switches the car seats in to the van so the girls can ride with us and give Grammy and Zayde a break. We are sitting in the van waiting for Bob to finally move the rv. We wait. We wait some more. Karen comes out and tells us Bob can't get the stupid rv to start. We pull off to the side.

Bob decides to call AAA. They say they'll send a tow truck out. Well, like almost 2 hrs later (at this point we've moved back in to the rv where the girls can run around and watch dvd's, too), a huge PINK tow truck shows up! Almost an hour after that, the tow truck guy gets the rv hitched up to the tow truck. AAA has told us they can take it to a repair shop in Amarillo. We're happy because at least we'll still be moving east and not backtracking. By now, Bob has called and there are no rooms available in any Marriotts in Amarillo. Ugh. He calls AAA and they are about to find us a Comfort Inn Suites. Bob cancels our Amarillo rv park reservation. We feel better about having a place to sleep.

Less than a minute after we pull out of the Stuckey's, the tow truck guy pulls over (just off the ramp almost on to I-40) b/c he's not comfortable with the connections. Bob gets out to help. Bob gets in the rv to do something with the brakes or something in the rv. WE wait. Finally the tow truck guy pulls forward (with the rv attached safely now). We in the van expect Bob to walk back to us to get back in the van. No Bob. We're a little confused but expect that maybe he is riding in the tow truck. Hm. So, Matt calls Bob on his cell. He talks to Bob and gets off and proceeds to tell us that Bob was still in the rv and the tow truck guy didn't know and pulled off without letting him out. At this point we are SO incredibly tired and slap happy and feeling like nothing else will surprise us that we crack up laughing for like 20 minutes at the though of poor Bob in the rv being towed by the tow truck.

ANYway, we finally make it to Amarillo and the repair place is closed. Ugh. We knew that would happen but it just sort've adds to the day, ya' know? So we go check in to the hotel. It's nice. Each family unit has their own room (adjoining) and a king size bed w/ a pull out couch and plenty of room for the pack 'n play and for the girls to spread out. AND free wifi. NICE!

At this point, we are doubtful that the rv will get fixed by the end of the work day tomorrow and the place is probably closed on Sun. We are PRAYING that we'll be able to leave here by Monday. Sigh. We'll have plenty of time to explore Amarillo at least.

More later. Steph