This year we went to visit Darryl's family in California for Thanksgiving. The drive to get there was complete torture. Aside from the truck breaking down on the side of the road, everything that could have gone wrong did. We got a late start which put Darryl in a horrible mood. He wanted to leave at 4:00 am and we didn't leave til 9:00 am due to several last minute things that delayed the trip. He was pretty frustrated. Teagan was hating life stuck in the car seat and he wasn't shy about letting us know how we felt. I had pulled a muscle in my neck and was hurting pretty badly. It was just miserable all the way there.
Teagan finally falls asleep once we hit Mesquite and we were hoping to make some good time while he wasn't screaming. Then about 5 miles out of Mesquite the traffic came to a dead stop. We were going less than 5 miles and hour for over an hour and a half, Teagan's entire nap. Traffic started moving again and we considered stopping in Vegas to stretch our legs, but Darryl was anxious to get there so we just drove through. By the time we neared Baker, Teagan was screaming to get out of his car seat and he was also hungry. We hadn't stopped since Cedar City and I was also anxious to get out of the car. We get to Baker and Darryl decides that none of the fast food places looked very good to him so he just kept driving!! The next place to stop wasn't for over 60 miles! I was furious to say the least. Teagan literally screamed the entire 60+ miles and I was more and more upset with Darryl by the minute. I know. Real mature. My attitude certainly didn't help the situation, but of coarse I didn't think that at the time. I was just thinking about how I was either going to by a plane ticket home or move in with my in-laws, but I was never going on another road trip.
We finally stop for food and to let Teagan run around. We got back on the road and finally got close to our destination and Teagan and I fell asleep. I usually navigate while Darryl drives, but because I fell asleep, Darryl got off on the wrong exit and we were lost. We made it near where his parents lived, but had no idea how to get there. We called Darryl's mom and she tried to give Darryl directions, but he was pretty frustrated and it had been a long day so she decided to just meet us where we were and we could just follow her home. I was never so relieved and happy to see her than I was that day. It made the whole horrible day seem to melt away when we finally got to Curt and Reita's.
Once we were there, we had a wonderful weekend spending time with Darryl's family. I always feel at home there and even though the condo was small and there was a lot of us, it didn't seem to bother anyone and we all had a great time. Curt is the master of meat. Every time we come to California to visit them, he really goes over-the-top and makes some awesome food. This trip was no exception. The turkey was delicious and that's saying something because I don't even like turkey. Reita is a wonderful cook as well. She usually masters the side dishes while Curt cooks the meat. They certainly know how to put on quite a spread.
Teagan was loving spending so much time with Grandma "Ri-Ri" and Grandpa "Turt." He also loved spending time with his Aunt Aimee and Uncles "Turtis" and Nate. They certainly spoiled him rotten. We went to Irvine Park while we were there and Teagan loved it. They had a duck pond, pony rides and a train. That combined with the undivided attention of the entire group, what more could a boy want?
Reita and I also did some shopping and Teagan is now going to be the best dressed kid in nursery. He got some adorable church clothes. We also hit up some garage sales and let me tell you, California is the place for garage sales. We found some really cool toys that still looked brand new. There were things that still had tags on them. It was fun. After that, we all went to the Orange County Swap Meet. That's quite the swap meet. You can buy just about anything there, from clothes to 5th wheels. It was huge.
"I have a stick!"
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Teagan in the wagon at the Orange County Swap Meet
Teagan with Grandma and Grandpa on the train.
Grandpa taking Teagan for a pony ride.
The night before we were supposed to drive back home Teagan got a diaper rash so bad he was crying. His skin is so sensitive that even if you change him the very second he has a dirty diaper he will still end up with a rash. I felt so bad for him. He kept saying "hurt, hurt" and then he lifted his leg up and said "kiss it." He wanted me to kiss it better. I had to laugh. I love that kid, but I wasn't about to kiss his sore little bum. I kissed his foot instead and that seemed to satisfy him. I was worried about how bad his rash was. It was bad enough that if he hadn't looked better in the morning we would have had to stay and take him to the doctor. I couldn't have him sitting in a car seat all day on a sore little bum. It was honestly bad enough that we had Darryl and Nathan give him a blessing and hoped it looked better in the morning. Luckily, it did look quite a bit better. It wasn't completely healed, but it was ok for the drive home.
This time we were able to get an earlier start, and I forced Darryl to stop a lot more. Teagan was wonderful on the ride home. It was a completely different experience driving home. Granted, it took forever since we stopped about 5 times compared to the drive there where we stopped twice. We had a great weekend with Darryl's family and we were so glad that we were able to go. Despite the drama on the drive there, I would happily make the trip again.
