Mitchuation Update: Off the Road, Again

Thankfully.

We're back home from a flying trip to Texas for the wedding.  It was great to see family and to spend time with them.  To see friends at the wedding and take a part.  The only downside there is that everything moved too quickly.

The part that I do not miss is the drive.  I am so glad that is behind us and that we will not be making a substantial drive again for a while.  We did both legs straight: 14 hours going, 13.5 coming back.  Add in losing an hour yesterday coming back home and we're a family of just plain worn out people.

I've told Jamie I think I'm getting too old for that long in a car.  Especially, as I'm not one who gets to sprawl out in the back seat anymore.  We were near loaded to the brim both ways, so everyone stayed in their seat.  I only got to swap back and forth from driver to passenger seat, and neither really allows one to stretch out at all.

My back can't take it and I'm definitely looking forward to the chiropractor this week.

The next trip back I think we are flying.  And then Christmas, I think I've convinced her to break up the return trip at least. 

It's funny how we change.  I'm one who has made more 4-5 hour trips in the car than I can count.  Went home from Austin to Buna a lot.  Went from Baylor to Buna a lot.  Went from Wills Point to Buna and to Austin.  And while those could start wearing on you, I could generally keep up.

I loved long road trips as well.  We generally could spread out, just the three kids.  Taking turns as to who got the back row all to themselves to lay down and spread out.

I understand now why those were not as fun for Mom and Dad.  Driving or just being a passenger in the front seat does not carry near the fascination.

At any rate, we're back home for a while.  Next month, family is coming our direction, so we'll look forward to having them here and showing them around.

Posts should pick up a bit more regularly, including one this week about why it is so hard to write in 2020.

Hope you are all having a great start to the week.

As always, thank you for reading.

Mitchuation Update - The Journey Begins

Just a short entry today.  I write sitting in a Popeye’s in Forrest City, Arkansas, trying the spicy chicken sandwich for the first time for a very late lunch.  (Note for posterity - if you go around the loop in Little Rock, there are very few options to eat until West Memphis).

I’ve started the first, of what I’m sure will be many, drive to Indianapolis.  Start work on Monday.  Do not yet know where we will be living, though we do have a series of temporary options lined out through the end of the month.  

I’m alone this trip.  Jamie is watching Hudson and Harry one more week, and I will fly back down Friday evening to come meet up with her and help drive the whole family.  I get to make the pilot trip, if you will. 

It’s an exciting time right now.  After being in the waiting for what seemed so long, everything is finally kicking off.  A bit of trepidation, sure, but otherwise really excited. 

I’ll keep you posted on this week and beyond as work starts and I get to go view a property we’d like to rent.  The next few weeks should hold a lot of interesting developments.

For those so inclined, pray for safe travel.  Pray for an easing of the absence this week and the distance between me and Jamie, Avalyn, and Jude.  Pray for a good start Monday. 

Please know you are in my thoughts this week. Thank you all for keeping up with us and for the support you’ve shown over these last several months. 

Time to get back on the road now. 

3.5 hours to go today. 

The Travelers' Report Part 20 - Road Trip 7: Home

Part 20 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering the way home.

"The long drive back home. It wasn’t really long, a little over 5 hours without stops, but little kids have small bladders so this seemed like infinity.

Now that this road trip is over it’s time to reflect on all the fun times and memories we created. One thing that stands out above all is how much I love my family. As crazy, loud and goofy as we are we love each other, warts and all. I hope everyone has had as much fun with their families as Mitch and I’ve had with ours this summer.

Now it’s time to catch up on some sleep.😂"

And sleep we did, sort of.  We slept in and then headed down to Hutto for the weekend.

It's funny to look back on this now.   After losing my job in June, we had these trips planned.  The cruise was already paid for, so that was definitely happening.  This is the trip that might have been sacrificed if I went back to work.  I'm so glad it wasn't.  This was a great trip to take and a good time to be with family.

Knowing what we know now, we see how God had all things worked out.  There was a contract job waiting to start the day we got back.  The move worked out perfectly before it.  God had a plan all along.

I'm starting to see that more and more.  I just have to keep remembering it.

Not from this trip, but just a little before.  Still one of my favorite pictures of us all.

Until the next voyage...

The Travelers' Report Part 19 - Road Trip 6: Memphis

Part 19 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering the start of the journey home, stopping in Memphis.  And a couple of fun side adventures.

"Our last hotel took us to Memphis, TN but we took a few pit stops along the way. Our first stop was in Louisville to visit the Kentucky Derby. I have to go back Church Hill Downs, watch the race and wear the gaudiest hat while sipping a mint julep."

Agreed. Derby is on my list of things to experience in America. The Museum and the shop were neat, but I think to really experience this I need to see a race. Or to watch a movie in the in field. We just missed one such event. Were there more time. I also need to get back to Louisville to go to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum.

We also stopped at Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky.  A nice little memorial to the President, with a very interesting structure built on the foundation of his birth home.

"Afterwards we went to the Dino World where they had several life sizes dinosaurs you walked around. Jude had to go up to every single dinosaur and growled."

Jude is at a stage where he loves dinosaurs, so this was particularly fun. He was running ahead of us to get to each one and growl.
"The final stop brought us to the Big Cypress Lodge in the Bass Pro shop inside the pyramid. This was one of the coolest hotels I’ve ever stayed in with a walk out ledge over looking downtown Memphis with its only access up the worlds largest free standing elevator."

This was a very nice hotel, set up a lot like a Gaylord hotel, but with fewer rooms. All rooms facing inward to a very decorated store in the middle on the bottom two floors. Each had a balcony so you could sit out and look over all the store and restaurant. Free cookies and other snacks in the room.

The kids had a blast getting on the ATVs and looking at the fish and taxidermy in the store. The also are daredevils and loved the elevator to the top and the glass ledge lookout over Memphis. I'm not normally afraid of heights, but have to admit, the glass floors are a little disorienting. Felt the same way in Chicago.

Next in the series, the road trip comes to an end.

The Travelers' Report Part 18 - Road Trip Day 5 Indiana

Part 18 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering a detour into Indiana, with a couple of fun side adventures.

"Day five, another detour to a great side adventure. We started the day with a stop in Franklin, Indiana, a quaint little town right outside of Indianapolis. They had a historical museum where the kids could dress up, play with trains and see what life was like living in a log cabin. Us grown ups were impressed by the fact they had Ray Stevens “The Streak” on the jukebox. Jude found a coonskin cap he apparently couldn’t live without."

I love Jude's face here.  I think their expressions really sum up the trip in a lot of ways.

"After this little stop we headed to Indianapolis to the giant indoor trampoline park where we bounced an hour’s worth of energy off and gained bragging rights for climbing the warped wall. (I made the 10 footer, though graceful is not a word I’d use to describe my climb🤣)

Our next destination was Books and Brews, a brewery where you can grab a beer, check out a book or play a game. Our time here was short lived as the kids couldn’t be quite long enough to enjoy a game."

"We finished the day in Indianapolis with a drive to The Children’s Museum. This is a place we have to come back to again, it was so impressive. The dinosaurs bursting through the walls and trying to climb through was so cool."

"All in the we had a great time in Indiana and want to come back, especially to visit Santa Claus, Indiana and go Holiday Park."

There's a lot for us still to see in Indiana and a connection to Keeler family history. We will definitely be going back.

Next up in the series, the start of the trip back.

The Travelers' Report Part 17 - Road Trip Day 4 The Ark

Part 16 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering our day at the Ark.  Jamie's thoughts are below.  Mine will be coming tomorrow.

"It has taken me awhile to know what I precisely wanted to say about this day. The main event, the reason we planned this trip, a visit to the Ark Encounter. This was a stunning view to see the magnitude of the ark. It’s length, it’s height and it’s width were something to behold."

"It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I walked in. I have to forewarn you, though this was an impressive structure, I have a lot of questions. There is a John Wesley quote that I’ve heard used all my life when talking about beliefs, “In the essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” I will be using it in my encounter with the ark.

I have mixed emotions about this visit. The Ark’s founder, Ken Ham, has stated that he wanted a “Christian” exhibit that would rival Disney World with future plans to build a Tower of Babel and a ride featuring the ten plagues of Egypt. Do we really want to make our faith a theme park? It was presented as a great ministry tool to point others to the gospel but I don’t know who else would visit the museum but Christians. For it to be viewed as a ministry it’s pretty expensive one at $48 a ticket plus $10 parking.

There were challenges to my own beliefs with regard to how it was presented. Many of the theories were presented from a very narrow Christian viewpoint. It didn’t take long to get inside when I thought I would hear the voice of John Hammond say, “Welcome to Jurassic Ark,” as the exhibits are replete with the reptilian beasts we affectionately call dinosaurs. Answers in Genesis took the approach that dinosaurs were on Noah’s ark and survived after the flood, a theory that was entirely new to me. This made for some interesting conversations afterwards."

"There were many instances where instead of providing a unifying Christian message it catered to a specific niche group. Turn the corner to the second level to see “The Descent into Darkness” section and apparently music is a gateway to sin, listing the harp as one of the instruments used to lure your poor unfortunate soul. Kids books and ark depictions are deceptive and discrediting the biblical account instead of giving liberty to the fact they are toys used to teach truth to little minds.

Once we saw the Carnotaur vs the gladiators in the arena as a part of the violence that was so prevalent in the world it became hard for me to take seriously. (We couldn’t help but want to see that made into a movie, though.)"

The above mentions are ones where I have to show a some liberality and charity too. They are non-essentials. Whether or not Rexy made it on the ark or was used to kill gladiators for a profit has no bearing on God’s Sovereignty or salvation. We can discuss it but it’s not something I’m willing to debate over and draw a line in the sand. The Ark encounter itself is still very impressive and the staff is amazingly helpful and kind. Though I may not agree with the presentation it can spark conversations on different belief systems and ways of interpreting scripture. I guess at the end of the day I have to wonder if its guests will leave with the overwhelming love of the savior or the pinch in their pocketbook?"

Tomorrow, I'll share my thoughts on our experience at the Ark and Answers in Genesis more broadly, in a post entitled A Tale of Two Scientists.

The Travelers' Report Part 16 - Road Trip Day 3 Ohio

Part 16 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering our Keeler family detour into Ohio to go to church, visit friends, and see a couple of sights.

"Sunday, fun day!! We woke up early to make the trek to Dayton, Ohio to go to church at Far Hills and catch up with friends who just moved there this month. It didn’t take very long for the kids to fall back asleep so it was a nice, quite little Sunday morning drive, although Jude did wake up when his song came on. He can’t help but sing “Hey Jude.”😂"

"It was so much fun to spend some time with the Tate’s, enjoy some pizza and bond over our views of Stranger Things Season 3. The message Sunday picked up exactly where we left off at Stonepoint, Ephesians 4:16. How perfect is that?"

It was really great to spend time with the Tates.  They are a family that I wish we were able to spend more time with while they were in Texas, and I'm glad we've had this opportunity.  Hope to do it again.

"On the way back to Kentucky we made a stop in Cincinnati to visit The Hall of Justice and appreciate the amazing children’s museum and Natural History museum at the Cincinnati Center. Jude went ballistic when he saw the dinosaurs. I think he may want to be a paleontologist like his daddy did when he was a kid."  

For those who don't recognize the reference, the Cincinnati Union Terminal building was used as the inspiration for the Hall of Justice in the old Super Friends cartoon.  We had to do our best superhero impressions out front.  This is a really cool museum complex with three museums under one roof.   A lot of great exhibits and a lot of great hands on activities for kids.

"We were told we had to have Graeter’s ice cream while in Cincy, luckily they had one in the museum."

Worth the wait.

"Before saying goodbye to Cincinnati we had to try Skyline chili. Now you have to understand what they are famous for: Cinnamon chili poured over spaghetti, cheese, onions, and beans (called the 5 way). All I can say is they need to visit Texas for real chili. At least I can say I tried it."

I can say I tried the chili portion on top.  That's just not right.  Cinnamon really doesn't seem to go well in chili as a primary ingredient and flavor.  I was proudest of Avalyn for saying that the chili definitely wasn't Texas chili because of the beans on top of the 5 way.

Next in the series, a couple of posts on our thoughts on the Ark

The Travelers' Report Part 15 - Road Trip Day 2 Nashville to Kentucky

Part 15 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  This continues the Hamrick family road trip, covering the leg from Nashville to the rental house in Kentucky.  As before, Jamie's thoughts are in blue, with my own color commentary.

"After a good nights sleep we hit the streets of Nashville and headed over to the Adventure Science Center. Thanks to our Perot membership this amazing museum was free for us and our our nephew. They had a whole section of bodily functions which we all found hilarious especially the intestines slide wherein the person sliding represents the poop leaving the body. As you exit the slide there was a pad that made fart noises, Jude kept jumping on the sensor just to hear that sound and giggle over and over again."

This is an incredible science museum, with an amazing six-story play area in the center.  The kids had a blast, and I think Jamie and I did too.

"The departure of the museum lead us to the Goo Goo shop where you can make your own goo goo cluster. We loaded up on the variety pack (chocolate is never a bad road trip snack, or any type of snack for that matter.)"

The peanut butter cluster is definitely the best, though I was tempted by a couple of their signature creations.

"The last stop in Nashville before heading up to Kentucky was The Soda Parlor. Almost everyone has a shake but we opted for the PB+Space Jam, a delectable dish of Belgium Waffle with cookie and nutter butter ice cream with strawberry and blueberry drizzled on top of whipped cream and cookie crumbles. YUM!"

Our PB+Space Jam was dubbed a Mondae, and it was a delectable brunch.

"Lunch brought us to Bojangles Chicken n Biscuits, for a fast food joint it was pretty good. Mitch wanted to go back there ever since the last time he had it and now we all got to experience the deliciousness." 

I've been missing Bojangles since a couple of summer camps in North Carolina. It's still as good as I remember, and I think they have the best biscuits of any fast food joint.

"We did have to make a quick detour to the Jim Beam distillery. Two days on the road with the kids drove us to drink.😂 We settled on Pre-prohibition rye whiskey and for the two of us being unfamiliar with that liquor I will say we chose well. That bottle will most likely last us a long while but it is quite smooth."

"By our days end we arrived at our house in Pendleton, KY. The story of the owners is pretty amazing. They had 8 kids biologically and adopted 6 kids from Africa. At one point that three story home housed 17 kids when they also provided for two kids who needed to escape a bad situation. One thing I can say is the house exudes warmth and love and we’re so glad this is where we chose to stay."

This was a great location and an excellent place to escape and relax. The family rents out several distinct parts of their property and we would recommend.  It put us within two hours of all our travels over the next few days.  Perfect central location.

"Stay tuned for more adventures on the road!"

Next in the series - Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio

The Travelers' Report 14 - Road Trip Day One Nashville

Part 14 in the series of our ongoing travels, both as a family and individually.  The next several entries will be from the Hamrick family road trip to Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.  Jamie's thoughts are in blue, with my own color commentary.

"My family planned a big road trip to Kentucky centering around the ark exhibit and then adding on whatever side adventures we liked to make along the way. You need to know we’re caravanning with three cars, four kids seven and under and ten adults. Our adventures started early when my brother got his keys locked in the car in Arkansas, at least we made it out of Texas.😉

Our first stop outside of a gas station was a picnic at the Memphis welcome center. What a wonderful scene they created right there on the river with a fun playground for the kids to blow off their pent up energy after being trapped in the car for several hours and the cutest covered picnic area to enjoy."

The welcome center in Memphis is amazing.  Right on the river, excellent park space.  Plenty of walking trails.  And the interior space honoring the musicians is excellent as well.  Definitely recommend a stop there if you need one.

"Our final stop of the day before we headed to our hotel in Nashville was dinner at the Loveless Cafe. Such a great place to eat. The restaurant sits in an old motel with lots of little shops and games to play while you wait for a table. We loaded up on some blackberry jam and pumpkin butter before gorging ourselves on some of the best fried chicken, and catfish I’ve ever eaten. Jude and Ryker seemed to be in competition over who could eat the most biscuits (they basically became their meal.)"

I've been wanting to go to the Loveless since the rest of my family has stopped there and raved about it. While they typically do breakfast there, we ended up eating dinner. It did not disappoint.

"All in all our first and longest leg of the trip went fairly well. (Sorry about the keys Joseph)
More adventures to come!!!"

Next stop, Kentucky